Interpretation - OPI - Translation - The more you know - Over the phone interpreting - Food for thought
Do you want to communicate with a client or patient that doesn’t speak your language? Then over the phone interpreting is just what you might need!
Over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) is a remote interpretation service offered by language services providers to facilitate communication between parties who speak different languages through the form of a three-way call.
In a modern, hyper-connected world, OPI is also commonly used by companies that seek to reach and retain multicultural customers. Now let’s think about the connection between language and customer satisfaction. Many customers get disappointed when they fail to receive a certain service because of their inability to communicate with the provider in the same language.
In America, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires accommodations and communication access to state and local government programs and services. OPI is one of the simplest ways to grant the satisfaction of your customers, clients, and patients all while enhancing your brand’s reputation.
Are you ready to know more about how you can use this service? In this article, we will answer all of your questions about OPI and offer a detailed guide to using it!
How To Use OPI Services
To benefit from OPI services you need to choose the right language service provider. But this is not the only factor!
Below is a list of tips you can follow if you want to successful OPI service experience.
Choose A Language Agency That Provides OPI With Care
This is the most important thing you should do if you want to enjoy a satisfying experience with OPI services. Innumerable agencies and language service providers offer OPI services; however, only a few of them offer high quality OPI services.
With a low-quality language agency, you might find yourself in a situation where you’re dealing with an unqualified interpreter who is unable to handle the conversation or understand your terminology. That’s why it’s important to make sure that the language service provider you deal with is a quality one like Ad Astra! Our qualified, professional interpreters deal with specialized subjects and are trained to expertly interface with clients and customers alike.
Create A Suitable Atmosphere For The Call
Imagine you choose a language service agency for an OPI service, but you have the intended call with a bunch of people shouting and screaming next to you… Will the quality of the service be the best? Definitely not! This also goes for the interpreter on the other end of the call.
You need to be able to create a suitable atmosphere for the call so that it can be an effective one. If this suitable atmosphere isn’t available, it will be unfair for both you and the other person you’re communicating with.
Professional interpreters are trained to deal with challenging situations like these here. If things get noisy around you in the middle of the conversation, you don’t have to worry about it. What matters is that you work on avoiding these situations as much as possible from the very beginning.
Speak Clearly
Miscommunication is a serious issue that can result from mishearing during interpretation calls. Though in some situations it can be seen as a funny or harmless thing, it can in other situations be extremely dangerous and lead to many problems.
In medical and legal contexts these miscommunications can lead to serious harm.
Although the interpreter will make sure your message is conveyed clearly to the other party and vice versa, it is still necessary for you to aim for clarity when speaking. This will make things easier for the interpreter, ensure that your message is completely conveyed, and enhance the overall quality of the service.
Here’s an example of a situation reported to us by one of our star OPI interpreters, in which a miscommunication caused a problem.
During the call, the first speaker was angrily saying, “I am going to sue you,” while the other thought he said, “I am going to shoot you.” Of course, things could have been worse if it hadn’t been for the interpreter who managed to clear the misunderstanding.
Be Clear About What You Want
When requesting OPI services, it is necessary to be clear about what you want exactly. You should specify why you need an interpreter and for what situation in detail. This will help the agency to provide you with the right interpreter. There are different types of interpreters trained to deal with different fields.
For example, a community interpreter is trained to provide interpretation for two parties in community-based situations. Think local events, city meetings, job fairs and similar events. That’s why a community interpreter is always specialized in different areas of public services. If you need an interpreter for this purpose, you should specify that. Other interpreters deal with distinct areas of interpretation like medical, legal, political and academic fields.
What if you need an interpreter for a situation where a Deaf or Hard of Hearing individual is involved? In this instance you might want to use our Virtual Interpreting services.
So remember, for the best experience, you should be clear about your needs to ensure you get the right interpreter to avoid issues down the line.
In Conclusion
Now you have a good background about OPI services and how to use it correctly to get the best experience.
The next time you request OPI services, keep our guide in mind. We wish you a satisfying OPI experience because this is what you deserve!
