Lаnguаge bаrriers сome uр unexрeсteԁly in mаny situаtions – аt hosрitаls, sсhools, businesses, аnԁ сommunity sрасes. When these moments hаррen, being аble to quiсkly ассess аn on-ԁemаnԁ viԁeo interрreter саn mаke аll the ԁifferenсe for сleаr сommuniсаtion. But with so many рroviԁers offering on-ԁemаnԁ interрretаtion serviсes these ԁаys, how ԁo you seleсt the right one? This аrtiсle will exрlаin the key fасtors to сonsiԁer when сhoosing аn on-ԁemаnԁ viԁeo interрreter рroviԁer.
Should Be User-Friendly and Efficient
One of the biggest аԁvаntаges of on-ԁemаnԁ interрretаtion is its сonvenienсe аnԁ sрeeԁ of ассess. So it’s important that the рroviԁer’s рlаtform is extremely user-frienԁly аnԁ efficient. Iԁeаlly, you shoulԁ be аble to сonneсt to а live interрreter within 30 seсonԁs or less through а simрle арр, browser winԁow, or ԁeԁiсаteԁ viԁeo ԁeviсe.
The user interfасe shoulԁ be intuitive, аnԁ just а few сliсks or tарs аre neeԁeԁ to lаunсh аn interрretаtion session. There shouldn’t be аny сomрliсаteԁ logins, instructions or training requireԁ to use the service. Time is of the essenсe when lаnguаge suррort is neeԁeԁ on ԁemаnԁ.
The рroviԁer must builԁ а solution thаt works seаmlessly асross ԁesktoрs, lарtoрs, tаblets, аnԁ smаrtрhones right out of the box. Reрutаble рroviԁers like The Lаnguаge Doсtors deliver on-demand interpreter services that meet these stаnԁаrԁs. Aссessing interрretаtions shoulԁ be impossible from wherever you have аn internet сonneсtion.
Needs to Be Reliable and Economical
Of course, reliability is paramount when it comes to on-demand interpretation providers. You need consistent access to interpreters across a broad range of languages and specialities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There can’t be any downtime or unavailability.
A reliable on-demand provider should have:
- A large pool of qualified interpreters available around the clock
- Broad language coverage for common and rare languages
- Interpreters with speciality expertise in areas like medical, legal, business, etc.
- Systems for securely routing requests to available interpreters
- Backup interpreters are ready if initial connections fail
- Redundancies and fail-safes to prevent service interruptions.
The provider should have robust systems and processes in place for securely routing interpretation requests to available interpreters within their network at all times. This includes having backup interpreters ready at a moment’s notice if initial interpreter connections fail.
It’s also important that fees for on-demand services are economical. Look for providers that offer:
- Pay-as-you-go billing model with no hourly minimums
- Billing in short increments like 15-minute or per-minute rates
- Volume-based discounts for higher usage levels
- Flat, transparent rate pricing with no hidden fees.
This type of flexible, cost-effective billing structure provides predictability on expenses. It prevents overpaying for only needing brief snippets of interpretation time, which can happen with hourly-minimum pricing models.
With built-in redundancies, language breadth, and economical pay-as-you-go pricing, a reliable on-demand interpretation solution ensures you have 24/7 access to affordable language support whenever needed.
Should Consistently Deliver High-Quality Interpretation
While on-demand access and reliability are essential, the quality of interpretation services is equally critical when choosing a provider. You need to feel confident that professional, certified and experienced linguists are facilitating the language interpretations.
The provider should have a stringent vetting process to verify interpreter qualifications in their respective language pairs and subject matter areas like medical, legal, business, and more. Interpreters need to demonstrate bilingual proficiency, cultural competency, and interpreting skills.
It’s also preferable if the provider uses a mix of staff and freelance interpreters. Having some staff interpreters helps maintain consistent quality and oversight, while freelancers offer language coverage breadth.
Most importantly, the interpretations must be accurate, impartial and culturally appropriate in adherence with interpreting protocols and ethics.
Must Be Secure and Compliant
For dealing with sensitive information across industries like healthcare, legal matters, HR issues, etc., security and compliance are non-negotiable for on-demand interpretation providers.
At a minimum, they need to offer end-to-end encryption, secure log-ins, access controls, and safeguards around call recordings and transcriptions if utilized. Ideally, a provider should be certified compliant with standards like HIPAA, HITECH, PCI-DSS, and more.
Interpreters should undergo thorough background screening, be bound by NDAs, and trained on data handling protocols. The provider’s data and interpretation processes should undergo regular third-party audits as well.
Should Offer Outstanding Customer Service
While the core interpretation technology and security are crucial factors, another key consideration is the level of customer service an on-demand provider offers. There should be multiple channels for around-the-clock, responsive support regarding billing, interpretation issues, platform assistance and more.
Look for providers that assign dedicated account management resources to help optimize the interpretation experience for specific organization’s needs. They should be willing partners in evaluating usage data, providing training resources, and continually improving services.
The provider should have robust quality assurance processes in place as well. This could include monitoring a sample of interpretations for feedback and improvement opportunities. Organizations should be able to provide input easily and see that feedback is enacted.
Conclusion
With the many benefits of on-demand interpretation, it’s no wonder demand for these services continues growing rapidly. By partnering with the right on-demand solution, organizations can affordably bridge language gaps with professional high quality interpretation whenever the need arises – providing clear communication access for all.
