Working with an on-demand interpreting agency can provide your business with a lot of additional flexibility on the global market. Finding the ideal agency can take some time if you’re new to the market and don’t have a clearly defined list of requirements yet. Many agencies are able to fulfill the basic requirements of this job but fall short when it comes to more complex specifications or industry knowledge.
Language Diversity
The most obvious factor of importance is in-depth experience in multiple languages. This is essential to working internationally. Even if you don’t yet have customers and partners in certain countries, covering them preemptively can go a long way towards ensuring that you can easily grow your business in the right direction.
You should know how to prioritize the languages you need to work with, make a list of them, and focus your search on an agency that can cover the full range. Don’t be afraid to go a little overboard with this. If an agency specializes in more languages than you currently need, that’s no reason to exclude them as an option. You never know how your requirements are going to develop in the future.
Industry Expertise
A good interpreting service should also bring experience with different industries to the table. At some point, you will very likely run into a situation where understanding the other party in your conversation is going to require knowledge of specific industry jargon, a technical background, and other similar factors.
Many of the best interpreters come from a specialized background in different industries. This allows them to understand the requirements of their work on a deeper level and helps them stand out from the competition. These skills are going to prove invaluable sooner or later – so make sure you hire the right company in the first place.
Availability
The work of on-demand interpreters can sometimes be hectic and demanding. It’s not rare that you might need their services urgently and on short notice. In this case, the best companies on the market will easily stand out. Because they understand these requirements and do their best to be available around the clock.
This includes odd hours and holidays. When working globally, you can’t rely on the fact that a given day is a holiday for you – your client or business partner might have a completely different schedule. This makes it important to work with an interpreting agency that can provide you with its services without any delay.
And of course, this is often going to cost more. But that’s an expected price to pay for something that frees up your own schedule so much and allows you to set up meetings that align perfectly with the requirements of those you work with.
Remote Services
Remote meetings are becoming increasingly common and it’s clear that they are not just a passing trend anymore. It’s important for every company on the market to adapt to the current climate and do its best to align with the expectations of its customers and partners in this regard. You will often find yourself in meetings with people on the other side of the world.
And when you need interpreting services for those situations, you have to know that you can count on the company you’ve chosen to come through and contribute in a similar manner as well. Any good interpreting agency should offer the option of remote meetings. In combination with the availability point we brought up above, this can make them a powerful asset when working on the international market.
Flexible Pricing
While it’s good to work with a stable pricing system so you can plan ahead, it’s also important to know that you can rely on your interpreting partner to provide you with more flexible solutions for unusual situations.
If you anticipate that you’re going to run into any such situations, it’s best to discuss those with the company in advance so there are no surprises down the road. Of course, unexpected developments are still going to come up occasionally, but the important thing is that you can agree on a common framework for communicating and carrying out your tasks.
Customer Service
No matter how good an interpreting company may be, you’re going to occasionally run into problems that require mediation. In these cases, it’s crucial to know that you can rely on adequate customer service and professional support. Don’t be afraid to voice your issues as long as it’s done in a constructive manner.
Ideally, this should be offered in multiple forms. You should be able to reach the company by e-mail and other slower means, or directly through IM or over the phone in case you need something addressed urgently. When you’re hiring an interpreting agency for serious work with your clients, you don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you can’t reach the company’s services for whatever reason, and you also can’t get in touch with someone who can resolve the situation.
Legal Responsibility
From familiarity with NDAs to understanding privacy and similar concerns, it’s good to work with an interpreting agency that understands the legal side of its work. There are numerous potential pitfalls involved in this and it’s difficult to anticipate them all. Which is where an experienced partner comes in.
Probe each agency in detail about this aspect of their work before committing to using its services. Make sure that they are going to come through in cases that require a more delicate approach, instead of relying on you for guidance.
Final Thoughts
Finding a good on-demand interpreting partner can be challenging and exhausting if you’re in the market for this type of service for the first time. But you should not hesitate to spend as much time as possible comparing different offers until you’ve identified someone that ticks all checkboxes.
Ideally, this is going to be a long-term partnership that will provide you with some serious benefits when working with your clients, business partners, and any other relationships where on-demand interpreting services can come in play.
Looking for on-demand interpreting solution? Check out Connected Care On-Demand Interpreting Platform to connect with over 2500+ interpreters in more than 200 languages.
