Technological innovation along with rapid industry growth means that organizations now have several options for accessing language services. Firms can use over-the-phone interpreting, video remote interpreting, on-site interpreting, translation, or even a combination of these services. Knowing the right option for your organization can be cumbersome. Here are some essential factors to consider:
The Community You Serve and their Interpreting Demands
Over decades, professional on-demand over-the-phone interpreting has been the preferred option because it allows customers to connect with interpreters in a couple of seconds. Phone interpreters can make an outbound call to the client or directly connect with him through a devoted toll-free number. Over-the-phone interpreting helps minimize costs while guaranteeing regulatory compliance. Also, it increases productivity and reduces staff frustration. It is ideal for emergency calls, community outreach functions, and customer care hotlines. On the other side, over-the-phone interpretation requires hearing. Consequently, if a larger population of your clients are deaf or hard of hearing people, video remote interpreting services or on-site interpreting services would be a great fit for your organization.
Your Personnel’s Extent of Interaction with Clients
Some situations are exceptionally confidential or sensitive. So they need more hands-on communication. For instance, a social organization explaining insurance benefits to a customer or helping him find affordable housing, so it would be more practical to let an interpreter meet with the client by appointment. Besides, working with children who are still developing their language skills or persons with disabilities would necessitate in-person meeting scenarios, visual cues are vital for effective communication. As such, on-site interpreting or video remote interpreting would be ideal.
Your Company’s Bandwidth and Financial Blueprint
While on-site interpreting is the ultimate option in some settings, it is impractical or cost-ineffective to provide an on-site interpreter 24 hours a day. Luckily, video remote interpreting services offer the same quality at a lower cost. With Homeland Language Services’ video remote interpreting services, patients and clients can connect with a professional interpreter in more than 100 languages, including American Sign Language. Despite the physical distance, video remote interpreting allows all parties to read visual cues and facial expressions.
In sum, choosing the right language interpreting solution may be cumbersome, but these factors can help you make an informed decision. Evidently, the language interpretation option you select ultimately impacts the risk of potential complaints, revenue, efficiency, and the quality of the interactions you have with the communities you serve.
