Business Interpreter Services

Professional business interpreting services deliver better business interpreting…

… so you can do better business

We’ve delivered over 6,000 business interpreter services to date, face-to-face & remote, as well as 1000s of hours of public sector & medical interpreting.

Language interpreting is spoken translation. Of almost 50,000 language projects we’ve delivered to date, over 30% are language interpreting services. Most have been in the UK but we’ve also been busy in China, France, Italy, Africa, Spain, Korea… Here’s some case studies

“You won’t just be the first company I contact for business interpreting – you’ll be the ONLY one.”
– Norfrost

Get a Free Quote Ask Us a Question

What business interpreting service is right for you?

Good business interpreter services are far more than just talking translation, and range from full-featured 200-delegate 10-language conference simultaneous interpreting through to a 10-minute phone call. Other popular formats include face-to-face (aka “F2F”) and “tour guide” – see below – as well as remote interpreting.

The majority of business interpreting is either supporting training sessions (such as the dozens of Health & Safety courses we’ve helped with), or for meetings with small groups or individuals.

Following the surge in remote interpreting created by COVID, face-to-face is again becoming the most popular format.

Image: business interpreting services

Face-to-face interpreting is the simplest format – in fact F2F interpreting is one of the oldest professions in the world! The ability to speak someone else’s language has always been valued since it opens so many doors in trade and politics.

Essentially, the interpreter simply listens directly to one party and translates that verbally for the other party. No equipment is needed. It’s a great format for smaller meetings, training courses (we’ve done a LOAD of those), appointments and more.

It’s also low-cost; typically an hourly fee for the interpreter (minimum of 2 or 3 hours may apply), plus whatever travel time and expenses are incurred. Our Europe-wide network means local provision can usually help keep costs down.

Building the next business interpreter generation

We work closely with Preston’s excellent UCLAN to develop future business interpreters and translators, both teaching in class and taking on interns here to ensure the next generation has not just the technical skills, but also the “softer” skills needed to be a successful business interpreter.

We also encourage our own staff into the translating and interpreting professions, and we’re delighted to say one is now in great demand to interpret at the highest levels of German business. Well DONE Eva!

Why our business interpreter services?

We’ve excellent experience, delivering over 6,000 business interpreter services to date. And our in-house (not outsourced) business interpreter services management keeps our smart well-qualified professional interpreters on-time and well-briefed. Thorough preparation not only ensures accurate language interpretation, but also ensures your visitors obtain the best impression of your company. We carefully select our business interpreters for knowledge of your sector.

“Do I really need business interpreting?”

A professional business interpreter helps in several ways. Firstly, providing smart, professional business interpreter services for your visitors will be taken as a compliment – you’re showing that you take seriously what they have to say. You’re also demonstrating respect for their language and culture, and signalling that you don’t see language as a barrier. A good business interpreter also really helps to “break the ice”, facilitating small talk and building empathy with your visitors before you get down to business. They’ll also accompany factory tours or join evening meals if needed. But most importantly, they will be a professional, well-qualified, highly-experienced linguist. So you and your visitors can rely on smooth, accurate interpreting, allowing you to focus on business.

“We’re OK, one of the visitors says she’ll interpret”

In an established relationship where trust has been built, that’s not uncommon and isn’t unreasonable. However, do remember that having your own independent business interpreter ensures accurate impartial communication – that may not always be the case where one party is interpreting for both. Remember too that your own business interpreter can offer insight into in-language discussion between visitors – surely worth having!

“Isn’t remote business interpreting cheaper?”

In terms of direct cost, yes. In terms of cost-effectiveness however, often no. Interpreting remotely means the interpreter is deprived of the ambience and most visual cues that are available in face-to-face interpreting – so, for example, is less able to detect emotion, which may adversely affect the interpreting. That’s particularly the case for telephone interpreting, but – as anyone who’s video-conferenced will know! – is a major issue for online formats as well. There’s more on remote interpreting here.

Get a Free Quote Ask Us a Question

“So what’s a ‘tour guide’ system then?

These were developed – amazingly – for working with tour guides, allowing the interpreter to translate the tour commentary to the tour group in their language. However, their simplicity and versatility has made them a core part of business interpreter services.

Typically, this comprises a portable case containing a transmitter unit carried by the interpreter, and 10, 20 or (exceptionally) 40 wireless/Bluetooth delegate headsets. The picture shows a typical set-up, with 20 headsets docked in the charger points and the interpreter’s mic at the front.

As the name implies these are intended to be used on-the-move, such as site visits, but can be used to provide simultaneous interpreting in small static scenarios where booth provision is not cost-effective.

Tour guide systems work “out of the box”, usually requiring no technical support. As the interpreter has to handle every aspect however, many are reluctant to work with these.

Some systems offer multi-channel, allowing more than one language to be interpreted (e.g. 2 interpreters, each with their own mic, transmitting to headsets set to their own channel.

For a better language solution for your needs, drop us a few details (in total confidence of course) and we’ll get straight back to you. Or, just give our helpful team a call on UK Freefone 0800 783 4678 (Intnl 0044 1772 558858)

Get in touch



    What would you like us to do?

    You can upload a file to us below; we recommend zipping to protect the contents. Only one file can be uploaded, so please zip multiple files together. Maximum file size: 10MB. NB: LARGE FILES TAKE TIME TO UPLOAD. PLEASE WAIT FOR "MESSAGE SENT" CONFIRMATION (beneath Send button) BEFORE CLOSING THIS WINDOW!