Telephone Interpreting Commonly Asked Questions

Whether you need to communicate with a patient or client, train a bilingual staff member, or negotiate a business deal with an overseas partner, A2I can help break the language barrier with professional and cost-effective interpretation and translation services.

Many questions arise in the interpretation industry regarding telephone interpreting. The following questions are beneficial for interpreters, language companies, and service providers who wish to learn more about telephone interpreting, as well as its potential benefits and limitations.

What is telephone interpreting?

Telephone interpreting is a service that connects human interpreters via telephone to individuals who wish to speak to each other but do not share a common language. Most often, telephone interpreting is performed in the consecutive mode. This means that the interpreter listens to each utterance first and then proceeds to render it into the other language, as opposed to speaking and listening simultaneously.

Who performs telephone interpretation services?

Access 2 Interpreters offers both Scheduled and Instantaneous Telephone Interpretation Services. A2I provides Telephone Interpretation Services in over 180 languages and Translation Services in over 50 languages nationwide.

When is telephone interpreting preferable to face-to-face interpreting?

Telephone interpreting is preferable to face-to-face interpreting in the following situations:

  1. When both parties are already communicating via telephone. Face-to-face interpreting is not a practical option when the primary interaction is taking place via telephone, so telephone interpreting is advisable in these cases.
  2. When trained interpreters are not available in person. When it comes to choosing among the patient’s family member, friend, an untrained bilingual staff member, or a telephone interpreting service, it is usually preferable to choose the interpreting service

Access 2 Interpreters provides services to private and public-sector clients throughout Ohio and across the U.S. We are proud to specialize in telephone interpretation!

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