“What we are interested in is … how did the profession develop in Britain, in France and Germany?” Dr. Stone explained.

“What does this tell us about the ways in which deaf people work as performers that are similar and different in different places?”

Dr Stone said that in the UK interpretation of this type was generally more developed in the television field, while in France, there appeared to be more development in healthcare settings.

Germany’s strength, he said, was interpretation in parliament and government.

“Deaf people have always been involved in providing access for their own communities,” he told the BBC.

“One of the things this (research) will do is provide further evidence and support for that.”

“It is more likely that there will be opportunities for deaf interpreters and translators to be trained, employed and specifically targeted to do translation and interpreting, rather than hearing professionals.”

But the ambitions didn’t end there, he said.