Do you need to hire interpreters or translators on a short-term basis? Perhaps you need to temporarily staff linguists in your office or call center. Or, maybe you operate a law firm that needs an ongoing relationship with a professional who can translate documents. Whatever your needs might be, if they’re temporary, hiring a freelance or contract-based linguist is a great option!
When businesses realize they need a contractor for language support in the form of translation or interpretation services for example, they often wonder what their next step should be. Where does one find a linguist? How does someone who isn’t a linguist vet a translator or interpreter? Are there credentials business owners should consider?
These are common questions and fortunately, there are solutions.
When are linguists needed?
The United States is home to millions of people who speak hundreds of languages, including sign languages. It just makes good business sense to be as inclusive as possible.
If you have ongoing work, such as handling customer support in a call center with consumers who speak an array of languages, you need a linguist. Or perhaps your company has offices throughout the world and your human resources department needs to work with your global workforce. A translation company working with translators and interpreters is not just helpful in these instances; it’s a necessity!
Let’s say you are hosting a series of seminars and conferences and need an American Sign Language interpreter to communicate with hearing-impaired people in the audience. This is an instance where a freelance interpreter would be incredibly useful.
There’s a broad need for language support in every business. From time to time, lawyers and doctors might need assistance from translators and interpretation services, too.
What should I know about credentials?
Earning credentials to work as a translator or interpreter takes hours of testing, intensive study, and years of experience. Credentialing varies in the industry, too. Some language service companies provide their credentialing protocols and testing while others might defer to organizations for credentialing.
As a leading interpretation and translation company, we vet our team of talented translators and interpreters through a thorough process. We collaborate with hard-working, well-educated, and experienced language support professionals from diverse career and cultural backgrounds to provide our clients with the utmost in accuracy and professionalism. We also match our talent within industries where they have experience.
In addition to vetting a language professional’s capabilities and experience, another important aspect of providing quality language service is working with linguists who have strong ethical standards. While some interpretation is performed for the public, there are numerous instances where translators and interpreters work with sensitive information between clients and companies or organizations. Interpreters must maintain high moral standards to respect their clients’ proprietary services or technology and their private business dealings. For instance, interpreters working with doctors and lawyers should adhere to strict confidentiality protocols. Our company performs thorough background checks to ensure that our language support professionals hold themselves to expected ethical excellence.
How do I find freelance linguists?
Finding qualified linguists can be difficult—especially if you’re new to working with language support professionals. Sure, one could place an ad on job boards and newspapers but interviewing and selecting a linguist is a much different process than say, hiring an executive assistant. It’s also incredibly time-consuming.
For most businesses, working with a language service company, such as a translation company, is your best bet. A language service company specializes in language and the talented professionals who provide these services. These kinds of companies have experience working with the diverse needs of language services in almost every industry imaginable. Besides, language service companies have access to talent and technology that their clients don’t.
Beyond having access to seasoned interpreters and translators who speak hundreds of languages, we have experience placing this talent within the right industry. Our translation and interpretation services company takes great care of providing customized support to our clients’ diverse needs including remote interpretation, in-person linguistic support, and industry-driven translation.
Call our NYC-based translation company offering a wide range of translation, interpretation services, and transcription services to learn more.
