Avoid Getting Lost in Translation

What if your company receives a call from a non-English speaking customer? How would you feel if you couldn’t communicate with someone, let alone a customer or potential lead?

Whether it’s the medical or legal field, school system or business sector, there is often a need for interpreter services.

While language barriers can be difficult, they are not the only barriers to overcome. The other obstacle is communicating with those who are deaf or hearing impaired. An estimated 28 million deaf or hard-of-hearing Americans communicate primarily by American Sign Language.

It is important to create a plan to provide interpreting services as you need them to ensure your business is adequately prepared. Update your policy and procedures to deal with translation needs including posting information on who to access for language services. The following are helpful questions to ask yourself in helping to determine the service you will need.

1) What languages does your staff deal with most frequently?
2) What hours of the day do they need to have interpreting services available?
3) When are interpreting services needed?
4) What is going to be covered in the appointment?
5) Do you have standard forms translated into the languages that your staff sees most?

Most importantly, always make sure the person you are using is qualified to interpret what you are asking them to interpret.

There are a variety of available interpreting services depending on your needs:

On-site:
This can range from family members, bilingual office staff, and qualified community volunteers to a language interpretation agency. In some cases, the use of family or friends for interpreting should be discouraged. It’s more difficult for them to interpret objectively as they are usually too involved with the person. In cases of healthcare situations, if the patient is embarrassed to discuss their condition, often a medical provider will not get an accurate picture of the patient’s symptoms. In addition, a medical facility could be at risk if a patient takes legal action because of a communication error, since they will not likely have professional errors and omissions insurance.

Phone:
Telephone interpreting is a useful tool when an on-site interpreter may not be available and if you only have a few questions of the particular person.

Video:
This is an exceptionally useful tool when you need to communicate with a deaf or hard-of-hearing person and is a great solution if you don’t have a nationally certified American Sign Language Interpreter available.

Document Translations:
One of the most overlooked tools for communicating with non-English–speaking people is forms and documents that are translated into languages that you deal with most often.

No matter what your interpretation needs are, be proactive and only use qualified interpreters. Equip your business with the right information and create a situation for effective communication so no matter who walks through your door you don’t have to get lost in translation.