Over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) is a mode of interpretation that employs a three-way call to bridge a language gap between these parties. An interpreter acts as a facilitator, permitting effective communication between speakers of different languages, who may be physically present in the exact establishment or remotely located.
Many institutions and offices that often receive multilingual phone calls lean on the services of over-the-phone interpreters to ease their communication needs.
Telephonic interpreting or Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI), is a crucial element of the language services industry in today’s diverse and fast-paced culture. Whether it be for speaking with patients, company partners, or customers, the availability of skilled interpreters over the phone allows businesses and organizations to connect and communicate with non-English speaking and multicultural populations easily. This can significantly enhance their ability to reach and connect with a broader audience.
Keeping citizens engaged, informed, and staying compliant with federal requirements for language access requires that local and state governments employ OPI services. In this piece we’ll explore how and why they do. Dive int!
Due to an overall lack of language proficiency and cultural sensitivity among institutions in the United States, many need to catch up on a significant amount of potential business.
As the nation’s linguistic diversity grows, telephonic interpreting is becoming increasingly essential. Proficient telephone interpretation services are:
Immigrants often travel to developed countries to pursue a better quality of life, greater freedom, and improved financial security, among other reasons.
As the number of immigrants continues to rise, the need for effective communication across linguistic and cultural barriers becomes increasingly urgent. For instance, a family from Venezuela relocates to the United States.
Although they have successfully settled into their new home, found employment, and are acclimating to the culture, there still is a pressure to have fluency in English to properly access different types of services. Making a doctor’s appointment at the local state clinic and understanding the results of a lab tests, might require a fluent grasp of English.
This is where telephone interpreting comes in, ensuring that this family fully comprehends the results of their testing. Such scenarios occur daily across the Nation, and with today’s technology, we can communicate seamlessly, even when parties are located in different parts of the world.
Over the phone interpretation services offer many benefits and their growing utilization proves that the advantages outweigh any potential drawbacks.
It can be the most cost-effective mode of interpretation when an immediate, short-term conversation is needed or when one is located in a remote area or needs to communicate with someone who speaks a rare language.
In such cases, onsite interpretation may be cost-prohibitive or impractical. Telephone interpretation is incredibly convenient and allows for real-time communication with people across the country and globe, regardless of time zones.
This is a significant factor in its popularity, and it also provides flexibility for interpreters, who can set their own hours and work at different times.
Emergency situations that happen at 3 am or arrests on a weekend can be handled with a telephonic interpretation service. It is also ideal for small conversations or simple questions, such as confirming an appointment or gathering insurance information, saving time and effort.
Furthermore, it allows for interpretation in remote locations as long as a telephone is available.
Over-the-phone interpreting (OPI) can benefit local and state governments in a number of ways:
Over-the-phone interpreting services provide many benefits for businesses, organizations, and customers. For local and state government they minimize wait times and communication errors, allow quick responses in an emergency or urgent situations, improve patient satisfaction for citizens, and enhance the efficiency of operations.
Additionally, they provide access to multicultural consumers, are available in hundreds of languages and dialects, and are less costly than on-site interpreters.
Most importantly, it keeps communities connected – ensuring the Nation’s diverse citizenship have ready access to services and state information. Find out how our OPI solutions can support your local and state governments!
Utilizing these professional and experienced interpreters and state-of-the-art call routing technology ensures that the highest quality interpreting services are provided.
Overall, OPI services are valuable for local and state governments, organizations, and residents to communicate with non-English speaking individuals effectively.