Everything you need to know about lipspeakers and lipspeaking

There is a branch of the deaf and hard of hearing world which most people don’t know about – lipspeaking.

Not to be confused with lipreading, lipspeaking is a skill and profession in itself, and one which we offer here at 121 Captions.

What is lipspeaking?

A lipspeaker is a hearing person who has been professionally trained to be easy to lipread.

They take what’s being said and repeat it – either out loud or silently – emphasizing keywords and using facial expressions and hand gestures to highlight certain points.

Lipspeakers reproduce the rhythm, tone, and flow used by the speaker, supporting their meaning and giving a more accurate representation of what’s being said.

It sounds a lot like sign language, but it’s not.

Sign language is a language in its own right, lipspeaking is simply a way for lipreaders to follow what’s being said.

Why is lipreading so difficult?

If you think all deaf people can lipread, then why don’t you give it a go yourself and see how you get on.

If lipreading was easy, then everyone would do it.

While it’s true that people with hearing loss are generally better at lipreading through necessity, it’s not a guaranteed way of understanding what’s being said.

There are many reasons why lip reading is difficult, the main one being that people simply don’t speak to be lipread, they speak to be heard.

It’s often the case that people mumble, and as such don’t move their lips in a way which makes it easy to read.

Others cover their mouths when speaking, usually unconsciously, and then add to that mustaches, background noise and language complexities, and it’s not hard to see why lip reading is so difficult.

Who would benefit from a lipspeaker?

A lipspeaker’s job is to repeat what is being said in a way that not only communicates the message but the intention and emotion behind it.

This is obviously beneficial for those who are deaf or have hearing difficulties, but it is ideal for those who don’t use sign language.

Seminars, lectures, tutorials or other social occasions where lipreaders might have trouble are all times when a lipspeaker can be used to help communication.

In fact, because lipspeaking is easier in a one-on-one situation, when attending events and group discussions, it’s easy to lose the conversational thread, which is why lipspeakers play such a vital role.

Want to book a lipspeaker? We can help

If you’d like to book a lipspeaker for an event or occasion, then contact us today.

Lipspeakers are regulated by the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPD).

121 Captions founder and Director Tina Lannin is an ambassador to the Association of Lipspeakers (ALS) and can help organise a professional lipspeaker to attend your event anywhere in the UK.

Our team here at 121 includes not only lipspeakers, but lipreaders, certified lipreading teachers, deaf awareness trainers and sign language interpreters.

We also work with a hand-picked, international network of over 300 professionally-qualified captioners, all of whom are registered and accredited by internationally-recognised professional associations to provide on-site and remote captioning services.

If you have any questions about lipspeaking or how it can help you, then contact us today and we’ll be happy to discuss.