Spanish interpreter services for deposition - by phone vs on-site

 

Depositions are standard legal procedures where lawyers take sworn statements of witnesses outside of a court. A written transcript of the testimony is produced from the deposition and may be used as evidence later if the legal case goes to court.  

 

But what happens when a witness does not speak English? Since the United States has a significant Spanish speaking immigrant population, it is common for a language barrier to exist with some witnesses. That is when a Spanish interpreter must be contacted for assistance.  

 

There are two ways a Spanish interpreter can provide their service. You can request to have it by phone or on-site. Let’s examine the pros and cons of each choice.  

 

Phone  

 

Spanish interpretation over the telephone does not require a smartphone, high-speed internet or video technology. The discussion participants can use a standard landline if necessary because only people’s voices will be heard.  

 

Legal depositions require the attorney and witness to be present in the same room together. The witness cannot give a sworn statement over the phone. However, no rule says an interpreter has to be physically present at the deposition. You can call the interpreter and put them on speaker phone to assist in the conversation.  

 

When the witness speaks in Spanish, the interpreter will repeat the words in English to the attorney and stenographer over the speaker phone. And when the attorney speaks in English, the interpreter will repeat the words in Spanish over the speaker phone. It is an easy way to eliminate the language barrier during a live deposition.  

 

Of course, if you want to use video conferencing software on a smartphone, you can always choose that option as well. The interpreter still works from a remote location, but at least you’ll be able to see a live video feed of them. There is a network of remote-based interpreters who can work without an appointment at any time of the day.  

 

On-site 

 

Some attorneys might not feel comfortable having a telephone-based Spanish interpreter oversee the conversation at a deposition. They might require the interpreter to come on-site and deliver the interpretations in-person. It is undoubtedly the best way to receive a more accurate understanding because the interpreter can see the witness’s body language and gestures up close. That always helps with delivering accurate interpretations. 

 

You need to schedule an appointment for an on-site Spanish interpreter to come to your location. But if you live in a small town, it may be more difficult to find an interpreter because they usually live near big cities. On-site Spanish interpreter services will certainly take more time to arrange, but they are not impossible to arrange. You just can’t request an immediate Spanish interpreter service.  

 

Choose a Spanish Interpreter with a Specialty in Law 

 

Whether you choose a phone or on-site Spanish interpreter for your deposition, please make sure they have a specialization in law. Your average Spanish interpreter understands basic English and Spanish terminology, but they don’t necessarily understand complicated legal terminology in either language. Even your average native speaker won’t understand legal terminology.  

 

For this reason, you must hire a certified Spanish interpreter with a specialization in law or depositions. This specialization proves they have the proper educational background in legal terminology, which means it should be easy for them to interpret it. Then you won’t have to worry about mistakes in the interpretation of English to Spanish or Spanish to English.  

 

Languagers.com is one of the most trustworthy websites for hiring Spanish deposition interpreters. They have an extensive network of qualified Spanish interpreters positioned all over the world. You can hire the remote-based interpreters whenever you’re ready to go. Otherwise, you can schedule a time, date and location for an interpreter to deliver an on-site interpretation service. 

 

How Interpreting Made Easy With Zoom, GoToMeeting And Google Meet

Are you tired of Skype? If so, then you have so many other options available for conducting your next video remote interpreting call. You can choose between Zoom, GoToMeeting and Google Meet. Each one of them has its good and bad qualities, so there is no right or wrong choice. It all depends on the specifications you require for your video remote interpreting call.

INTERPRETING MADE EASY WITH ZOOM, GOTOMEETING AND GOOGLE MEET

Most people have heard of Zoom video conferencing by now. Ever since the coronavirus pandemic took place earlier this year, the number of Zoom users went from 10 million to over 300 million in just a few short months. It has dominated the news cycles as people’s preferred choice for video remote conferencing. But is it really that great?

There are several other video remote conference apps that have similar features as well as other features. Perhaps you might find these features to be more suitable to your specifications. The only way you will know is if you learn more about each video remote conference app and what they can do.

Let’s compare Zoom, GoToMeeting and Google Meet to see which one might be better for you.

Zoom

Zoom is the number one web video conferencing app available right now. It has been around for a while, but people only recently discovered it during the coronavirus quarantine. Before that, businesses and commercial enterprises were the primary users of the app. But it is still a good video remote conference interpretation services app for individuals as well.

Zoom offers high-quality sound and video to its users. You shouldn’t experience any problems with the sound or video like you would with other video remote interpreting apps. It seems to offer a consistently stable and premium quality performance throughout every conference call.

If you are a professional interpreter who needs to conduct video remote interpretation services online, then Zoom should be your number one choice. After all, it was originally designed for commercial users anyway. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it if you’re an individual user, because you can too.

Just note that the backgrounds in the video tend to fade out. It is designed so that only the subject in front of the camera can be seen clearly and visibly. For anyone with a lot of distractions or unusual things happening in their environment, the background fading might be a good thing. Again, it all depends on your particular needs.

Zoom is available for your desktop computer, laptop computer, smartphone or tablet. If you want to use Zoom on your mobile device, then you need to download the “Zoom Cloud Meetings” app for the Android or iOS operating system. If your interpreting call is going to be under 40 minutes and has less than 25 people, then you can use Zoom for free. But if you want to host a big online interpreting meetup with lots of people for over 40 minutes, then you’ll need to pay for a better subscription.

GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is an easy-to-use video remote conference app. However, new users might need some time to grow accustomed to the format of joining meeting rooms. It requires you to type in a numeric code before you can join a particular room. Once you understand how that works, the rest of the app is simple enough to figure out.

You will be happy with the sound quality of GoToMeeting.  Each person can be heard very clearly as long as they talk one at a time. Your interpreter services meetings can be started from your instant messenger tool, email, or Microsoft Office. You have the choice to host the meetup on your premises or over a cloud server.

Professional interpreters are one of the most common users of GoToMeeting. They use the software to connect with their deaf clients for American Sign Language interpreters and for foreign language translators. Aside from conducting video remote interpreting, GoToMeeting is good to use for providing translators for foreign speakers and providing video remote interpretation services to clients from a remote location.

As many as six HD quality video feeds can be displayed for each meetup. You can still have more people watch the videos of the meetup, but they won’t be able to display their videos at the same time. However, as the host of the meetup, you can choose which users’ video feeds get displayed for everyone to see. You can check here to know more about GoToMeeting video conferencing.

Some of the other notable features of GoToMeeting include project management, synchronized editing, and invitation management. Mobile support is available, in case you want to conduct your video conference via your tablet or smartphone.

Google Meet

Google is a brand name that everyone knows by now. It is the number one search engine in the world. Over the years, Google has expanded its software endeavors to many other areas. Now they have Google Meet, which is their own branded video conference app. Many people have switched from Skype to Google Meet because they are happier with its controls and usability.

One of the most notable things about Google is its user interface. It has a minimalistic design, which means it is easy to navigate and find your way around the control settings. People who are not computer literate can figure out how to operate Google Meet without any issues. If you’re using Google Meet on a mobile device, then it won’t consume as much battery power as other video conference apps.

You can have up to 30 people in your video remote conference online interpretation services at one time. There is high-definition video quality available, so you can see the interpreter in the video very clearly. This comes in handy for meetups that require American Sign Language interpretation services to be seen by deaf users.

Do you normally use other Google tools, such as Gmail and Google Calendar? If so, then you can integrate information from these tools with your Google Meet account. For instance, if you want to schedule a date for your interpreting services appointment, then you can do so by using Google Calendar.

The biggest drawback is when a user has low bandwidth on their internet connection. Low bandwidth will cause their video to freeze on your screen. But if you only need to hear them, then you can simply switch it to a voice call. That will eliminate the lag problem, and you’ll be able to hear them clearly. All they have to do is call a special phone number to join the meetup. 

There is a desktop version of the app available. Some people claim that it freezes a lot, but it might depend on your computer hardware and internet connection more than anything else. If you have a dedicated internet connection, then screen freezing should not happen too frequently.

Conclusion

Clearly, there are a lot of good choices here. Video remote interpreting app like www.languagers.com also provides the same service such as these three. But using these platforms as an alternative backup for your interpreting needs can be a great help. Commercial users might feel more comfortable with GoToMeeting because of its advanced business-friendly features. For everyone else, it is a toss-up between Zoom and Google Meet. The fastest and easiest choice would be Google Meet. It lets you conduct 60-minute online sessions for free, with up to 100 participants. That should be more than enough for the average person’s needs.

 

5 Things to Look for When Working with Phone Interpreter Services

In the United States, it is estimated that 35 million Americans speak a language other than English as their primary language. With 200+ languages spoken in some city areas, this can make modern customer service somewhat challenging.

As it stands, it is simply not possible to be a business owner and a master linguist who can speak all the languages your customers might come at you with. This is why many businesses now use over-the-phone interpreter services to engage with non-English speaking customers and business partners.

 

How Do Over-the-Phone Interpreter Services Work?

How over-the-phone interpreter services work is simple. When you know need to communicate in a language you are not fluent in, you simply reach out to a telephone interpreter service like ourselves at Languagers.

Once you tell us what language you need interpreting, we can have a professional interpreter ready to assist you in a matter of seconds. However, this isn’t always true of other agencies. Here, we’ll, therefore, look at five basic things to look for, when working with other over-the-phone interpreter services.

 

1. Phone Interpreter Services Need to be Available 24/7

As a basic rule, a reputable telephone interpreter service needs to be available 24/7. You never know when a new customer query, complaint, or request for an urgent telephone meeting might land in your inbox. Neither do customers or business partners appreciate communication delays.

Thankfully, at Languagers, our own interpreters are available 24/7 365-days a year. Whenever you might need us, we’ll be ready.

 

2. All Calls Must be Kept Strictly Confidential

In business, it goes without saying that anything you discuss with your clients or company partners, needs to be kept strictly confidential. For this reason, it is important to only ever work with agencies like ourselves who rigorously vet interpreters, and make each sign strict confidentiality agreements.

3. The More Languages Agencies Support the Better

When choosing between different over-the-phone interpreter services, it is important to make sure that agencies you work with speak a variety of languages.

Over 200 different languages are spoken in just the New York metro area. If you are in New York, it, therefore, doesn’t make sense to work with agencies that are only capable of interpreting Spanish or Slovakian.

Thankfully, at Languagers, we support 350 different languages. Best of all, we can connect you with a professional interpreter mere seconds after you call us.

 

4. Look for Localized Language Support

Interpreting telephone calls and customer conversations isn’t just about speaking the same language as your customer or client. In many cases, people you work with will speak precise regional dialects of languages like Italian or Hindi.

To ensure that conversations flow smoothly, it is always advisable to work with interpreters with localized language skills they can match with your customers' or your clients' needs. This isn’t always easy. However, at Languagers, this is something we can help with.

5. Only Work with Telephone Interpreters Who Have a Transparent Fee Schedule

Last but by no means least, never work with over-the-phone interpreter services who can’t tell you upfront how much you can expect to pay.

Some unscrupulous interpreter and translation agencies advertise low fees, but also require their clients to call premium toll numbers that incur excessive extra fees you won’t be aware of until you get your next phone bill. This being the case, always ask about fees and any hidden extra charges, before you start working with any agency.