Blog

Virtual town hall meetings provide a good communication tool for organizations that have employees scattered in different geographical locations. It allows the CEO or other senior executives to leverage the internet to bring all employees together when they need to deliver important company news and updates. The good thing is that they are easy to plan and they provide a cheaper way to hold meetings without costs such as traveling.

However, driving engagement when participants are not in the same room can be a daunting task. It can be hard to capture the attention of everyone when you can’t clearly tell what they are doing from their end. In addition, fatigue and other stresses can easily make employees disconnect from the meeting. Nevertheless, with well-thought strategies, maintaining engagement can be done. It becomes a different story altogether, however, when the workforce comprises people who speak different languages. So, how can you ensure everyone stays connected to the meeting where you have to use remote interpreting. Here are some tips.

1.     Hire the right interpreters

One of the reasons that attendees can disengage from a virtual town hall meeting is if they are having a hard time following the procedure. When they don’t understand the message, they are more likely to wander off and disconnect from the rest.

Hiring online meeting interpreting services is the first step to ensuring that your employees’ language needs are taken care of. However, you need to note that employees expect more than just hearing the speech in their own language. They expect remote interpreters who understand their culture in depth so that they can deliver the message without upsetting nuances.  They also expect industry and subject matter experts who are able to relay the message without hiccups and using the right terminologies.

To ensure that your employees follow the meeting to the last minute, pay attention to the interpreters that you hire for simultaneous interpreting. They should be able to do the interpreting in a way that it is easy for everyone to follow what is happening.

2.     Rethink the videoconferencing platform

There are many video conferencing platforms out there. When choosing a platform to use, it is important that you think of features that can help you drive engagement throughout your multilingual town hall meeting.

One of the things that make people stay engaged is having interactive sessions during the meeting. You can have the meeting segmented into several segments such as questions and answers, conducting polls, and the like. Using live chats is also another great way to have everyone participating in the proceedings. In addition, screen sharing and sharing files are other features that keep participants alert and active.

When choosing a platform to use, incline more on one that is able to provide such features. However, everyone needs to enjoy these features in a language that they can understand. In this case, the most important feature to have is the online interpretation integration feature. The platform that you choose should be able to allow remote interpreting, particularly simultaneous interpreting for the sake of those people who speak a different language.

3.     Make attendees feel valued

When people feel valued, it becomes easy for them to be interested in what the meeting has to deliver. One of the best ways to make your employees feel valued is having them tell you what they want about the meeting. For instance, you can conduct surveys prior to the meeting to ask for feedback on things such as the sessions that your employees prefer to see during the meeting.

When it comes to employees who speak a different language, make sure that you ask them what their preferred language choice is. This can help you in planning the number of remote interpreters that you will need for the virtual town hall meeting. Additionally, you will be able to provide specific language needs, which is the key to keeping multilingual employees engaged. Most importantly, your employees will feel valued that you would think of their specific needs and will be more compelled to stay engaged.

4.     Foster internal social conversations prior to the meeting

Building up excitement about the meeting in the days leading to the meeting is a good way to get everyone to anticipate what the meeting has to offer. You can do this by starting conversations on internal social platforms. People can discuss topics not related to the meeting or even discuss topics of interest that they hope to hear during the meeting. 

However, when doing this, it is important to remember inclusivity where you have multilingual audiences.  On top of hiring online meeting interpretation services, consider hiring translation services to ensure that everyone is able to converse in a language that they understand. You can also have small video discussions with your employees prior to the big day. Ensure that you engage the services of remote interpreters to provide online interpretation for these videos.

5.     Use a multilingual promotion campaign

When you are telling your employees about an upcoming town hall meeting, it is good to tailor-make the message to the language that your employees speak. For instance, you can segment the contacts by language. This can help you deliver meeting details in different languages. Your employees are highly likely to appreciate receiving details of the meeting in their own language. A good way to convey the message in an engaging way is using videos. The fact that most people prefer video to written content is likely to get them excited about the meeting. Remember to work with remote interpreting services to have the videos interpreted to different languages.

6.     Combine voice with visual presentations

Using audio simulation only can easily get boring and cause people to disconnect from the meeting. To keep your employees engaged throughout the meeting, it is good to use visual representations in the message delivery. Using illustrations here and there not only captures the attention of the participants but also helps them retain the message better. So, be sure to prepare visual content for your town hall meeting.

It is very important that your interpreters are able to follow and understand these visual representations so that they can do a good job interpreting them. Ensure that you provide the materials to them prior to the meeting so that they can prepare well in advance.

Conclusion

Firing up engagement where remote interpretation is involved can be a hard nut to crack. But, that is not to say that it can’t be done. Start by hiring the right interpreters and choosing the right video conferencing platform. In addition, use multilingual material when inviting your employees and start conversations that get them excited. Using visuals and making the employees feel valued also goes a long way in driving engagement.

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, interpretation has become necessary for businesses. Breaking language barriers is paramount in strengthening your globalization strategy if you are to communicate effectively with your audiences who speak a different language. Moreover, when not all the participants are located in the same room, video remote interpretation (VRI) becomes a viable option because you can connect with an interpreter through a video link or an online video remote interpretation platform. The upside is that you get quality interpretation services in real-time and on-demand.

Most business leaders view video remote interpreting services as too expensive to consider. However, with technological advancements coupled with an increase in service providers, the service has become competitively priced. Nevertheless, VRI is helping businesses fulfill their interpretation needs to stay afloat in these most challenging times with the current need for social distancing.

Video remote interpretation is already in use in practically every industry, from financial organizations connecting with overseas clients to manufacturers and educational institutions using VRI to support their conferences and lectures.

Medical and legal organizations are pioneering the application of VRI in their daily operations. However, businesses of all sizes are starting to recognize the value of video remote interpreting.

Only in the healthcare industry does video remote interpretation have the potential to enhance patient’s outcomes, reduce risks, lower medical costs, and lessen the liability of hospitals and payers.

At both locations, VRI uses video conferencing equipment. The interpreter, who usually works in a call center, uses a headset to listen to what the hearing person is saying. The translator then signs everything uttered into a web camera as the hearing person speaks. The translator can see and hear the response of a deaf person when they respond through their webcam.

The person who is deaf and the one who is hearing can converse as if the interpreter were present in the room. Several interpreting agencies offer VRI on a fee-for-service basis; fees vary depending on whether an interpreter is needed right away or is planned ahead of time.

Besides these benefits, video remote interpretation can save you money in several ways. Here is how.

It eliminates travel and accommodation costs

Let’s say you are a motivational speaker who travels the world delivering speeches to different audiences. You would need to book your flight and pay for accommodation wherever you go, which doesn’t come cheap in most cases. If you travel with your own interpreters, the costs add up since you have to cater for their travel and accommodation.

Suppose you are in a business that needs interpretation services, such as a hospital catering to international patients. In that case, on-site interpreters will have to travel across town to come to you, and you can bet that they will add the gas cost and drive time to your invoice.

Interpreting remotely eliminates the need to travel around to deliver your messages. You can host your webinar right from your living room, office, or any remote location successfully. If you are a business, VRI gives you access to an interpreter in real-time without the task of traveling to them. The good thing about video interpretation is that you can still get the benefits of in-person interpretation. All participants can see the interpreter’s body language and facial impressions as they are interpreting. That is necessary for effective communication, all without incurring the hefty cost of travel.

The rising cost of travel is one issue that significantly impacts the cost of on-site interpretation. While engaging an interpreter for an on-site interpretation session, gas and travel time are included in the price. However, there is no payment for gas or travel time when using Video Remote Interpretation. Your healthcare facility will save money by not paying for mileage or driving time when using required interpretation services because the interpretation does not have to be face-to face.

One of the main reasons video remote interpretation services are less expensive is that instead of paying extra money to the interpreter for the time spent by the VRI user, the VRI service user only pays for the time they spend with the interpreter.

You can save money on transportation and time in the healthcare facility by executing your language access strategy. This also enables your healthcare facility to give patients high-quality, accurate care.

1.   No need to rent a venue

Like in the above example of a motivational speaker traveling the world, you need to rent a venue that you can use to hold your talks. This doesn’t come easily since there are considerations that you need to keep in mind. You can save money on transportation and time in the healthcare facility by executing your language access strategy. It also has to be near accommodation facilities for your audience and interpreters who might need to spend the night, especially if the conference takes several days. The venue also needs to have ample parking for your guests. Most importantly, it needs to be big enough to house all your attendees, interpreters, and the required translation equipment. If you want a good venue with all these factors, you have to pay the cost.

You will undoubtedly want the services of a skilled remote video interpreter whether you are conducting a global healthcare seminar, a webinar, a multilingual conference, or a governmental event.

Consider yourself a native American attending a vital video conference on Google Meets, Skype, or Zoom with a native Chinese trainee. Would you be able to make sense of what he said? Would you be able to properly assist him? A remote video interpreter comes to your aid in these situations.

Similarly, everyone on the planet is battling the impulse to go from one place to another. As a result, the supply of interpreters has become a significant concern for nearly all multinational corporations. In that instance, a remote video interpreter is an excellent choice. A remote video interpreter is just a phone call away to aid you in times of need, saving you time and money while also providing top-notch interpretation services.

People may now keep organized online thanks to developments in information and technology. With this in mind, incorporating a remote video interpreter into your online events will never be a challenge.

You don’t have to worry about renting a conference room with video remote interpreting, and you don’t have to attend a gathering .With just the event link, your participants can follow your talks, and your interpreters can interpret from remote locations.

2.   No special equipment is required

On-site interpretation for a vast gathering requires special equipment with components such as interpreter consoles, microphones, and receivers. If you don’t find a venue with in-built booths, you have to incur the cost of renting or buying the same. You also have to incur the fee of transporting the equipment and hire technicians to set up and remove the equipment when you finish.

Video remote interpretation doesn’t require any special equipment. In addition, the days are gone when users needed to have specific software to use VRI. Video remote interpretation technology has since advanced tremendously. All you need is a good internet connection and a web camera to access the service. The fact that most devices now come with a in-built camera and the internet is readily available and affordable means that the cost of interpreting remotely has been greatly reduced.

3.   On-site interpreters cost more

As said earlier, on-site interpreters factor in the cost of travel in the price that they charge you. They also have minimums that they base their costs on. If you need an interpreter for a short period of time, the chances are that you end up paying for time not used. For instance, if your language providers charge a two-hour minimum and you only use the services for 30 minutes, you still pay for two hours regardless of the time you have spent with the interpreters.

When it comes to video remote interpreting services, you only pay for the time that you are connected to a remote interpreter. This, coupled with the eliminated mileage charges, puts the cost of video remote interpreting services way lower as compared to on-site interpreters.

4.   VRI is available on demand

You may find yourself in situations that require interpretation services at short notice. If such cases happen often for you, hiring in-house interpreters would be a good option. However, this comes with increased salary costs for your business. If you cannot afford to hire in-house interpreters, your other choice would be to wait for an interpreter to drive from wherever they are. This can cause delays and cost you time that could have been channeled to other areas.

Video remote interpretation is an on-demand service, and you can gain access to a remote interpreter within seconds. Some providers of remote interpretation services have apps that you can download to your devices to make scheduling and emergency requests easier. This saves you time and money.

When one or more of the people involved will be unable to move freely owing to physical limitations, video remote interpreting is the best alternative. It is more interesting and perfect for circumstances such as medical consultations and other similar situations since the interpreter is better able to identify visual clues and appreciate the tone of the talk.

Video Remote Interpretation services can be easily integrated with various popular platforms in many industries without the need for extra plug-ins or technologies Any technical device with a webcam, microphone, speaker, a strong internet connection, and a basic understanding of how it works can be used for VRI.

In cases where you are dealing with impatient customers, VRI ensures that you serve them on time to save your image and enhance customer retention.

Budget-Friendly

Video remote interpretation allows hospitals to connect with a live interpreter anytime they need one, rather than hiring full-time staff interpreters or bringing in an expert interpreter on demand. As a result, VRI can lower the cost per patient compared to in-person or phone translators.

VRI services may help you save money on interpretation in addition to offering visual support. When shopping for a VRI provider, make sure to ask about the hourly minimums for the technology.

Over-the-phone and on-site interpretation services are both available, but video remote interpretation bridges the gap between them. On-site interpreting usually comes with a two-hour minimum payment, as well as mileage and travel costs. VRI services can help you save money on interpretation while also providing visual support.

While looking for a VRI provider, ask whether there are any hourly minimums related to VRI technology. As part of Telelanguage’s commitment to our clients, we seek ways to optimize and minimize your interpretation costs. Thus, we don’t impose hourly minimums or additional fees for VRI services.

Interesting and practical

Video remote interpreting is the best alternative when one or more of the people involved will be unable to move freely due to physical limitations. It is more interesting and perfect for circumstances such as medical consultations and other similar situations since the interpreter can better identify visual clues and appreciate the tone of the talk.

Conclusion

As technology advances, video remote interpretation is no longer a service that is regarded as nice to have. It has become readily available and affordable for businesses to leverage. The on-demand aspect makes it possible to have interpreters at your disposal as and when you need them. Travel, accommodation, venue, and equipment rental costs are eliminated with the ability to hold your events from wherever you are. In addition, you save a lot more when you only pay for the time for the time you have used.

Remote and flexible working could be the future of work according to Upwork’s Future Workforce Pulse Report. The report that was conducted towards the end of 2020 showed that remote workers contributed to about 41.8 percent of the American workforce, with the figure rising to 56.8 percent when part-time remote workers were included. The study also predicted that long after the pandemic, Americans working remotely will be in excess of 36 million in 2025. These statistics point to the fact that flexible working might not be a luxury anymore in the business world. Companies have to invest in infrastructure and policies that facilitate seamless collaboration between remote teams.

If you manage a multi-lingual team, you most probably have on-site working systems that make communication easy and effective at the workplace. But as you have now realized, the systems were rendered obsolete when the team was geographically dispersed. What you need now is to invest in remote interpretation services.

Remote Interpretation Services: Definition

Let’s first make this clear: interpretation and translation are two completely different things. The main difference between the two is that translation services deal with written text whereas interpretation services deal with spoken language. The main similarity between the two is that they both convert a source language to a second language in order to make communication possible between two audiences/speakers who don’t share the same native tongue.

Traditionally, interpretation service providers erect booths in the conference room or meeting room where their services are needed. The interpreters have a direct view of the audiences and the speakers. Remote interpretation, on the other hand, is a form of interpretation that has been adapted to remote large-scale multilingual events. Interpreters leverage communications technologies such as phone calls, web streaming, videoconferencing, and webcasting to provide interpretation services to geographically dispersed audiences.

Remote interpretation can be categorized into two: Consecutive interpretation and simultaneous interpretation. For the former, a few sentences are spoken in the source language, the interpreter silently notes down the key points, and then the speaker pauses to allow the interpreter to paraphrase the sentences in the second language. That enables both parties in the conversation to have a free-ranging conversation. For the latter, interpretations happen almost in real-time. Interpreters listen to the speaker and in a matter of seconds relay the message to the audience via headsets. You can deploy either style depending on your needs; they both are very effective.

How Would Language Services Benefit Your Remote Teams?

Many people who were forced by the pandemic to work from home have been struggling with reduced motivation, morale, and productivity. Such workers were not psychologically prepared for remote working, and they had to follow work structures that weren’t originally designed for remote arrangements. What such workers need is strong leadership and unwavering support from senior executives. They need help setting up their home offices and even more importantly, they need guidance on how to collaborate with their remote colleagues. A professional translator or interpreter helps in that regard by ensuring that instructions and guidelines from the head office are relayed accurately and effectively in each member’s native tongue.

Note that your company doesn’t have to span the globe to need language services. All your remote employees could have the same nationality but have different first languages. Take the US, for example. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, at least one in five people in the country’s labor market spoke English as a second or third language in 2018. This number is most probably higher now. In states like Hawaii, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Texas, and California, about one in three households speak languages other than English. Although most of these people understand English well, some of them understand just enough to make basic conversation in the workplace. Some depend on bilingual colleagues or written communications to get by at work. Now that they are stuck at home without support from colleagues, they might struggle to digest some important communications. They will feel more supported and motivated when instructions are interpreted and presented to them in their most preferred language.

The Role of Professional Interpretation Services in the Management of Remote Teams

Professional interpretation services act as the intermediary between employers and their multilingual remote teams by enhancing both vertical and horizontal communications. That alone, from a practical perspective, can help employers to better exploit the full potential of each employee. Each staff member clearly understands the company’s position, mission, vision, and short-term goals. Everyone understands their role in the bigger picture, even when they work miles from each other.

The good thing with remote/online translation and interpretation services is that they have a longstanding history of success. The excellence of their structures has been tested over time and the wealth of language services providers has been proven to be beyond reproach. With the necessary due diligence, you can bet on finding a reputable interpreter for your specific needs.

Delivering Successful Remote Working through Interpretation Services: What Are the Benefits?

Allowing your multilingual teams to work remotely and then communicating with them through remote interpretation services is a great way of enhancing employee productivity. That’s according to a 2015 academic study. The study that was conducted among remote workers for a Chinese call center showed that their productivity was 13% higher than in-office workers. When working from home, these employees take fewer breaks, they are happier, and they love their job more than their in-office colleagues. This is a benefit you’ll leverage best by integrating language services into your remote working core operational processes.

Perhaps the greatest communication disadvantage that businesses face when communicating with remote teams over the phone is that they lose their ability to communicate through nonverbal gestures. Body language is also grossly limited when communication is done via video calls because, in most cases, only the face shows on the screen. Note that communication between people who don’t share a native language can be facilitated by nonverbal gestures by over 90%. Business executives need to make up for this disadvantage lest their message gets lost in translation. Interpreters who are adequately skilled and trained in linguists can help businesses make up for this disadvantage. Their command of both the primary and secondary language, as well as their understanding of your line of work, works to your advantage.

The silver lining of the pandemic has been the rise in creativity and flexibility in employee-employer relationships. Businesses have even changed how they deliver services to different audiences. For managers of multilingual teams, creativity and flexibility have to be supported by remote interpretation services if both the employer and employees are to realize optimal benefits of remote working.

In honor of #givesomethingawayday InterpretCloud sat down with Aubrey Allison, the campaign manager for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Utah Chapter. She talked with us about LLS’s mission and their largest community campaign Light the Night.

LLS helps fund research on blood cancers as well as provides financial assistance and emotional support through their call center to those who have been affected by a blood cancer. They also help advocate on a local and federal level on behalf of patients so they have access to the treatments getting approved through the FDA.

The Light the Night campaign is a fundraiser that started in 1998 and is a community event. Everyone who attends gets a lantern in one of the following colors: white (survivor of a blood cancer), gold (those remembering a loved one they lost to cancer), and red (supporters). During the opening ceremony, the survivors come to the middle of the crowd to light their lanterns, celebrate their survivorship and courageous fight against cancer and bond with others going through similar situations. Then, the rest of the community with red and gold lanterns light and raise their lantern to show the community support and dedication to ending cancer. The ceremony ends with a beam of white light piercing the night sky. This represents bringing light to the darkness of cancer, after which the community takes their illuminated lanterns to walk a mile in solidarity.

The current pandemic of covid19 has created a difficult time for cancer patients. Cancer patients have a weakened immune system making them more susceptible to other illnesses including this new coronavirus. There is also the additional challenge that if a cancer patient has lost their job or they have a family member who has lost their job, they have potentially lost access to their insurance, making it hard to get the treatment they need.

Currently, LLS is working virtually, and will continue to support patients and their family members through resources and continued campaigns as there is still plenty of volunteer work to do even during this uncertain time. They will not let coronavirus or anything else stand in their way of finding a cure to beat cancer. As Aubrey Allison told us, “Beating cancer is in our blood.”

We are proud to say that our company CEO, David Utrilla, is the 2020 Chair of the LLS Light the Night Campaign.

If you are interested in supporting LLS, Light the Night, or any other campaign please visit the websites below for more information or email ltn.uts@lls.org

https://www.lls.org/utah

https://www.lightthenight.org/utah

Interpretation is a vital aspect of translation services, utilized worldwide for the sake of business, medical practice and legal advice. In the current global climate, face-to-face meetings aren’t always possible, and typically aren’t advised as nations battle the pandemic of COVID-19. In this blog post, we’re going to look at the next best thing: video remote interpreting.

What is video remote interpreting?

In brief, video remote interpreting is the combination of face-to-face and over-the-phone interpreting. It can be done from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

How is it done?

Video remote interpreting utilizes video conferencing software, the same sort that has been used in business for years to enable conference calls between people in different countries. As the practice is becoming more common as a result of social distancing protocols, more people are familiar with the use of video for communication in business. Video remote interpretation works in the same way as a typical meeting – without being restricted to corporate use – and enables meetings between people from different nations who speak different languages.

Why should you use it?

In a normal situation, video remote interpreting allows for remote interpretation where the physical presence of the interpreter isn’t possible. This can be for many reasons, including:

• An unforeseen requirement for an interpreter at short notice
• The need for an interpreter in a remote location
• The budget limitations that make transport costs difficult to justify

With COVID-19 currently placing restrictions on social gatherings of any sort, video remote interpreting enables business to continue as normal in an ambiguous environment, and maintain international relationships without the need for flights and face-to-face meetings.

When is it most often used?

There are several industries that make use of video remote interpreting more than others, historically. Typical uses of video remote interpretation include:

• Medical settings, enabling patients and medical staff to communicate more easily
• Government agencies, enabling international communication; this is vital when communication between different nations can help save lives during a pandemic
• First responders and service workers, enabling them to interact quickly and easily with a stranger who requires assistance

There are no specific industry restrictions. Its advantages can be felt by anyone in need of an interpreter, whether it is urgent or not.

The benefits of video remote interpreting

A professional interpreter will always bring the same basic benefits to a company or an individual, whether they are assisting in-person or interpreting. These focus on a reduction in error in translation, rather than relying on someone who is bilingual but not trained as an interpreter. The benefits vary between industries, but include:

• A reduction in risk to the health or life of patients by correctly communicating symptoms and medical information between patients and medical professionals
• Protection against reputational damage from a misinterpretation
• Protection against misunderstandings in legal discussions, which can have implications including fines and/or imprisonment

Video remote interpreting offers additional benefits, worth noting in a time when it may be the only option available. These include:

• Cost reduction, by removing the requirement for the interpreter or any individuals involved in the process to travel
• Immediacy, by allowing for quicker and easier access to an interpreter without the need for specific travel arrangements
• Anywhere access, through the use of conferencing software

As a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, business is typically slowing down for many people around the world. Where interpretation is required to keep negotiations moving smoothly, video remote interpreting is a cost-effective solution that adheres to the restrictions in place in different countries around the world – including travel restrictions from and into countries affected by COVID-19.

Is video remote interpreting limited to use during the pandemic?

The short answer is no. While the benefits are more greatly felt during the pandemic, the practices and use of video remote interpreting are available year-round. While people adjust to new working conditions, this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to decision-makers the practicality and use of video remote interpretation as a means to save time and money in multi-language meetings going forward.

What if you don’t like video conferencing?

During social distancing periods, there aren’t other options available that offer a personal touch in the same way. For those who wish to use an interpreter in a face-to-face scenario, this can be arranged once travel restrictions have been removed, and when businesses can operate as normal.