One of my favourite recent email mix-ups arrived with no warning at all. An email landed in my inbox proudly announcing: “Our first Food Truck Service is launching!” – no context, no explanation, just that. For a brief, glorious moment, I thought our department had somehow acquired a food truck. Had we started catering? Was this part of a new funding stream? Had someone ticked the wrong box in procurement? It turned out to be a lovely external initiative, but without the context, it read like we were pivoting into street food.
It was a perfect example of what happens when an email skips a few crucial steps: the reader fills in the blanks – sometimes wildly. And that, really, is what this post is about.
Lately I’ve been working on something that sits right at the intersection of accessibility, communication, and tech: building a guide to help people prompt ChatGPT when writing BSL interpreter call-out emails.
Yes – AI. But no, this isn’t a “robots will replace us” post. Quite the opposite.
It’s about using AI well, especially when the stakes are high – like making sure a deaf colleague has access to a meeting, or a PhD candidate doesn’t miss out on interpreter support because someone sent a vague, last-minute message.
Let’s be clear: AI tools like ChatGPT are assistants, not replacements. They’re not going to read your mind, pick up on tone, or understand your organisation’s culture. That’s still your job. But if you know how to ask the right questions – and can spot when the output is a bit off – they can help you write faster, clearer, and with more confidence.
Why I’m Making a Prompting Guide
The idea came about because people kept saying the same thing: “I’ve got ChatGPT, but I don’t know how to ask it to do what I want.”
That’s especially true when writing interpreter requests. These emails are deceptively tricky – they need to be clear, human, and detailed, and the quality of the message often impacts whether anyone replies at all.
The guide I’m creating isn’t a script. It’s a mindset. It helps people figure out what to include, how to frame it, and how to work with AI to produce something that’s both practical and respectful.
Put simply: it’s not about getting a “perfect email”. It’s about prompting with purpose.
What Makes a Good Interpreter Request?
Here are some things I always encourage people to include. These aren’t just best practice – they’re what makes the difference between a smooth process and a last-minute scramble.
Do:
- Include essential information: date, time, location or platform, names of deaf attendees, and the type of meeting.
- Describe the communication setup: Will the deaf person be presenting? Will they need to interact or lead discussion?
- Offer any prep details you already have: slides, context, who’s attending.
- Use a warm and clear tone – interpreters are people, not service robots.
- Add a fallback line like “If you’re not available, please let me know and I can widen the search.”
Don’t:
- Send vague messages like “Zoom at 2pm – anyone free?” with no context.
- Copy-paste a message from a completely different event type without adjusting it.
- Trust AI to get the tone right on its own – always read and tweak the result.
- Assume everyone knows what you mean by acronyms, internal jargon, or casual shorthand.
- Forget that the quality of your request affects the quality of the response.
A Sample Prompt That Actually Works
If you’re using ChatGPT or any other AI assistant, try starting with something like this:
Write a clear and polite email to a group of freelance BSL interpreters. The job is for a remote research seminar on [insert date] at [insert time] via Zoom. The deaf attendee is [insert name], a researcher who will be presenting and answering questions. Please include relevant access details, a warm tone, and a request to confirm availability. Mention that prep materials can be shared once the booking is confirmed.
This should give you something usable within seconds – but then it’s your job to check the result. Fill in the blanks, adjust the language to suit your audience, and don’t be afraid to rewrite whole sections if it doesn’t quite land.
AI is a starting point, not a finished product.
Why This Matters
Not everyone is confident writing access-related emails. Some are new to interpreter coordination. Some are doing it as part of a job that already has too many other moving parts.
And some people just dread writing emails full stop.
That’s why tools like ChatGPT can be powerful – if used well. They give you something to react to instead of facing a blank page. They save time. They reduce stress.
But only if we teach people how to use them critically.
This isn’t about cutting corners – it’s about raising the baseline.
Final Thoughts
I don’t believe AI will make anyone a better communicator overnight. But I do think it can support people in becoming one – especially when we’re dealing with access, clarity, and respect.
If you’re in a role where you coordinate access or comms and you’ve been curious about using AI, start small. Start thoughtful. And remember that technology should never come at the cost of inclusion – it should be helping us get there faster, with fewer mistakes.
If you’d like a copy of the guide when it’s finished, feel free to drop me a message. And if you’ve ever had to untangle a chaotic or wildly unclear email – interpreter-related or otherwise – I’d love to hear your stories!
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