Remote interpreting helps to facilitate a communication exchange between the participants, no matter where they are located. Remote interpreting services can help any sort of business to have a global reach, as it helps to connect with audiences worldwide. It is used for conferences, and it has grown over the past year to make communication between people that speak different languages possible, in contexts of a pandemic. This service has definitely helped to overcome language barriers in the medical settings and to assure the right to communication and understanding. 

Video remote interpreting (VRI) and Over-the-phone-interpretation (OPI) have been increasingly demanded. On-site interpreters are no longer the only option available. Thanks to the technological advances, interpretation is no longer limited by a specific location. Other advantage of remote interpretation is that it can be delivered anywhere at any time. Even without a big timeframe, it is possible to connect the client with a native speaker interpreter almost immediately via live video conferencing. 

The growth of remote interpretation 

The world we live in requires multilinguistic services almost all the time, for several reasons. We live in a globalized world, in which businesses pretend to land overseas and reach new audiences. At the same time, professionals are increasingly working from their homes, which enables them to travel as they work. Also, companies are hiring valuable members from other regions of the planet. And the immigration rates are growing. How does this affect the language industry? More interpretation and translation services are needed.  

In the case of interpretation, the arrival of the global pandemic we experienced since the advance of the COVID-19, has led to a logical demand for this service. Courts, medical clinics, schools, companies and institutions started to need more than ever interpretation services almost immediately. In the case of healthcare settings, this even represented the difference between a case of life or death.  

Some of the benefits of remote interpreting are: 

• It makes it possible to be part of a conference or an international call with a multilingual audience without having to move from where the parties are and, at the same time, assuring the comprehension of all the parties. 
• Beneficial for international companies who have headquarters in time zones that are different from their clients. 

• It allows flexibility, because location is not a barrier. In this way, even when the requests are made at short notice they can be easily solved. 
• This linguistic service makes it possible to fulfil a huge range of availability without neglecting accuracy. 
• It is key to assist through an interpretation service in urgent situations, where it is not possible to have a face-to-face meeting. 
• When a person needs medical or police assistance and calls an emergency line, but at the same time doesn’t speak the host country language, the only way to provide language assistance is telephone or video interpreting. This same situation happens with telephone help lines. 
• It has lower costs in comparison with other types of interpretation, because there are no travel expenses. 

• It allows the two parties to communicate more clearly and quickly than if they only communicate by phone, because they can see face expressions and gestures. 

Differences between over-the-phone interpretation and video remote interpretation 

Over-the-phone interpreting, or OPI, is a type of consecutive interpreting serving in which individuals are connected through a telephone. It is needed when one of the parties involved in the communication process does not speak the same language as the other parties. The phone interpreter listens to the speaker and renders what he or she said into the language that the other party understands.  

Telephone interpretation can be carried out by only using a telephone or a computer with VoIP (voice-over-Internet protocol) capability. 

On the other hand, video remote interpreting or VRI, is a sort of interpretation service in which the parties are connected through a video meeting. As in OPI, it provides the benefit of a face-to-face communication, without an on-site interpreter. It is particularly recommended when there is a need to communicate with team members, patients, business partners or clients who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing. This sort of interpretation can be accomplished effectively by any user who has a mobile device, tablet or computer.  

When to hire an OPI or VRI? 

One of the reasons you should consider hiring an OPI or VRI service is because you can get simultaneous interpretation or consecutive interpreting almost immediately. It is flexible and accessible because it has lower costs (no travel expenses). At Stillman Translations, we have OPI services available for you 24/7. We have the resources and a qualified team of interpreters from all over the world who are subject matter experts in several fields. 

We can connect you with a professional interpreter who is an expert in your required languages and in your industry’s specific terminology. Find out more at the link below: https://www.stillmantranslations.com/services-stillman/over-the-phone-interpretation/ 

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