Business Interpreter Services

Professional business interpreter 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 a business interpreter – you’ll be the ONLY one.”
– Norfrost

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What business interpreter 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 our business interpreter services are 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 as a way to open doors in trade and politics.

Essentially, the business 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 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 succeed as a 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 and politics. 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 interpreters for knowledge of your sector.

“Do I really need a business interpreter?”

A professional 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 you for 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, so that you can 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.

Also remember that if someone is acting as interpeter, they’ll be hard pushed to also contribute to the discussion – interpreting is really hard work! Finally, remember that your own business interpreter can offer insight into in-language discussion between visitors – surely worth having!

“Isn’t a remote business interpreter cheaper?”

In terms of direct cost, yes. In terms of cost-effectiveness however, very 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, will struggle to pick-up on “the vibe”, so will be at a disadvantage while interpreting. That can actually be quite damaging – if the vibe is deteriorating, the interpreter may be able to modify their language choices and delivery to mitigate that – but only if they can feel the vibe. 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.

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“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, especially for site visits.

Typically, the system 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 factory tours, but can be used to provide simultaneous interpreting in small static scenarios where full-scale 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.

Many systems support multiple channels, 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 business interpreter 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)

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