Over the Phone Interpreters
- Essential to support your international or intercultural business
- Make sure your colleague has understood what you meant
- Service available for one to one, conference calls or personal meetings
- Not word for word translation but rather idea for idea
- bilingual and bi-cultural interpreters.
- knowledge of industry terminology or technical jargon
Over the Phone Interpreting or OPI is a vital asset for businesses with associates whose first language is not English. Telephonic interpreting is a three-way conversation between you, the interpreter and your colleague. You can use OPI to call colleagues abroad or people in these countries whose first language is not English. You can also use our Over the Phone Interpreting service during a face-to-face conversation.
Whether you are taking your business international, or aiming at a niche market at home which has many members whose English is not fluent, you will find OPI essential to the understanding which is the foundation for a beneficial relationship. You need to know that your colleague has understood what you meant; you need to know that you understand the response.
You can use Over the Phone Interpreting for telephone calls, of course. Our interpreters can work for you whether you are speaking with one other person, or with many people on a conference call.
You can also use OPI at in-person meetings. Sometimes you will know ahead of time that you will need an interpreter. On other occasions, you may communicate well through polite conversation, but you want to make sure your business dealings are perfectly understood. In any case, you can use our telephonic interpretation services.
Telephone conversations with people who speak another language pose problems you might not expect.
When you speak to another English speaker, your brain automatically fills in any gaps. But, unless you are very fluent in a second language, it will be much harder to understand your colleague over the phone than it is in person.
For this reason, many businesses use OPI even when they are phoning associates who speak some English, or whose English is heavily accented.
Because the speakers cannot see each other, they cannot use cues from body language. All over the world, people react to what is told them with their whole body. They may sit more erectly when they disagree with what you say; their eyes may glaze over when they can no longer follow what you are saying.
When you converse in person, you adjust to those body language signals without even thinking about it. On the telephone, you may fail to overcome an objection you did not know was an issue. You may think you have an agreement when your associate has no idea what you meant. You may even offend.
Interpreting conversations over the telephone requires special skills.
Although people use the term telephone translation, it is a misnomer. Interpreting is very different from translating. A translator labors over the exact wording of a document to be as true to the original as possible. The interpreter conveys your ideas, quickly and clearly.
The interpreter must know both languages fluently enough to overcome the hurdles of telephone interpretation. Your interpreter must be able to "fill in the gaps" of telephonic signals, and must be able to "work without the net" of body signals.
In addition, the telephone interpreter must be able to grasp your idea quickly and accurately and then communicate it clearly. An interpreter does not translate word for word, but rather idea for idea. For that reason, the interpreter may take a longer or shorter time to express what you've said.
Technical terms can often pose a problem. Many languages have simply adopted the English term for new inventions. Other languages have coined their own words. And, in many cases, the official language has its own word, but people who work in that field use the English term. Your interpreter needs to be familiar with the professional terms you use and both the formal and the informal terms used in the other country.
The interpreter must have an excellent memory. Not only must he or she remember all the complexities and nuances of what you are saying now, he or she must remember all the ins and outs of the conversation to be sure both parties continue to understand one another.
The interpreter must be able to jot down relevant notes as the conversation progresses. In that way, the interpreter can pay close attention to what is being said right now, and still quickly remember a topic raised earlier.
The interpreter must be steeped in both American culture and the culture of the person you are calling. Everyone tends to use more slang and more idioms in speaking than they would use in writing. Your interpreter must know when to use a term in foreign slang and when to use a more "proper" word. American slang might seem childish or even be offensive to people who are used to a great deal of formality in business dealings.
You probably wouldn't use an idiom such as "bring home the bacon" when speaking to a Moslem. But you might say, "Clinch this deal and I'll send your wife a dozen red roses," to an Eastern European. That would be wishing they would have a death in the family!
When you work through Language Doctors., you will have an interpreter with all the requisite skills.
In this era of global business, the "old standby" languages like French and German are not enough. You may do business in Niger or Malaysia or Fiji. You may have a product that will appeal to theSomali or Hmong community in the United States. Success in business may depend on reaching out to customers, governments and colleagues who speak a language you've never heard, or even heard about. At Language Doctors we have interpreters who are fluent in more than fifty languages.
At Language Doctors we hire professional interpreters who are both bilingual and bi-cultural.
Because they are fluent in both your language and the language of your foreign associate, they will quickly grasp your meaning and convey that to your colleague. Our interpreters must go beyond simple fluency. They must be able to express your thoughts, and your colleagues thoughts, with clarity and brevity.
Because they are bi-cultural, they know the ins and outs of both cultures--the customs, the slang, the idioms, the history and the current events. They will keep you from making a faux pas that could ruin a business relationship. They can quickly explain a cultural reference you don't understand, so you always present yourself as friendly and aware.
Once we've found the rare people with excellent interpreting skills we train them in memory enhancement techniques and in note taking.
We also familiarize your interpreter with the general vocabulary of your business. Every type of business has its own specialized terminology. You don't want to waste valuable time explaining those terms for your interpreter. As much as possible, we do that for you--ahead of time.
We also train our interpreters to maintain strict confidentiality. You must be able to discuss plans, option, inventions and ideas knowing they will remain secret.
An interpretation service must be easy and economical to use.
You don't want your office torn up by the installation of yet another communication system. And, you want to be able to use your telephone interpreter wherever you might be, not just at the office.
You don't need any new equipment or even new software to use the Over the Phone Interpretation service , Just call the 800 number and tell the customer service representative what language you want to use. It's as simple as that.
We keep your costs down by charging you only for the minutes you actually use. We have no set up charges. You needn't contract for a certain number of minutes per month or per year, nor will you have a maximum number of minutes you are allowed to use. Take advantage of our services when and whenever you need them.
Because you can use our 800 number, there are no extra telephone charges for calls within the United States and Canada. Otherwise, overseas rates do apply.
Over the Phone Interpretation is a necessity in our rapidly expanding business world. Language Doctors can provide the clear communication you need, no matter where that expansion takes your business.
Need more information?
To request a quote for your telephonic interpretation needs or to clarify any doubt please:
- call us at (209) 416 0771,
- send an email to info@languagedoctors.ca or
- click here to complete the contact form.