Where we interpret

Our team has successfully completed a wide range of interpreting assignments and can meet most interpreting needs. Here are some common settings and kinds of interpreting work that we have encountered.

We setup a 3 way conference call, and all you have to do is say what you have to say. You're not limited to phones. We can also do video interpreting via Skype to handle sign languages.

Insurance
  • Conference calls
  • Examinations under oath
  • Settlement discussions
  • Statements of claim

Legal

  • Arbitrations
  • Civil trials
  • Cross examinations
  • Discoveries
  • Examinations under oath
  • Hearings
  • Mediations
  • Pre-hearings
  • Small claims courts
  • Trials
Medical
  • Assessments
  • Counselling sessions
  • Defence medicals
  • In-home assessments
  • Independent medical exams (IME)
  • Neuropsychological exams
  • Nurse visits
  • Occupational therapy sessions
  • Orthopaedic appointments
  • Psychological assessments
Social services
  • Access visits
  • Home visits
  • Family meetings
  • School visits

Corporate

  • Business meetings
  • Conferences
  • Tours
  • Training sessions
interpreting

Quality interpreting services

Our approach to providing quality interpreting services is quite simple. Understand your needs in detail, select the right resources, and ensure the interpreter we assign completes the assignment to your satisfaction. We follow industry best practices throughout the process, and send out customer satisfaction surveys after the first few assignments, and a few times a year thereafter.

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Resource selection

Our interpreter selection process follows a well-established on-dossier process similar to what is used by the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO). The factors considered during our recruiting process include:

  • Languages spoken, countries resided in and level of education received in each country
  • Linguist degrees, certifications, testing and training
  • Having passed a Language test (CILISAT / ILSAT / etc.)
  • Years experience within specific areas of practice
  • Context-specific training and terminology
  • Performance history
  • Certification status by any recognized body such as the IRB or Ministry of Attorney General

Interpreters who work with us typically have:

  • A BA degree (not necessarily in languages or linguistics)
  • Native or nearly native-level fluency in the foreign language as well as in English
  • Greater than one year of specialized experience in interpreting, translating or other such experience requiring the use of English and the foreign language for which the interpretation/translation is being provided
  • A passing mark on a language proficiency test (Or better yet, “An excellent mark”…)
  • Superior oral communication and customer service skills

Critical areas for quality assurance

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Reporting

From day to day we openly encourage you to let us know how we are doing, and what, if anything, we can do to improve. Our reporting systems are robust and we regularly monitor and evaluate all aspects of service.

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Quality assurance takes place at three stages in the overall workflow process.

Request processed

We follow best practices for language-services providers when gathering and processing all your information. Our service delivery infrastructure enables us to quickly and accurately process your order.

Interpreter assigned

Once we have processed your essential information we use a combination of computer efficiency and human ingenuity to select the best possible interpreter for the assignment. Our advanced systems will identify a short list of interpreters who match the key criterion, and then a highly experienced coordinator will personally select the most appropriate person available for the assignment.

Customer feedback survey

We want to hear from you! We send out customer satisfaction surveys after the first few assignments, and several times a year thereafter. Should there ever be a complaint, we follow a strictly defined investigation and resolution process that involves senior management.

Industry Certifications

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Community Interpreting Service Provider

The Language Industry Certification System (LICS) follows the European standard and is a highly regarded certification for community interpreting. It allows an interpreter to gain certification for a specific industry, such as medical or legal. When you choose a language services provider that has the LICS certification, you know you'll be getting a qualified interpreter matched to the requirements of your assignment.

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National Standard Guide for Community Interpreting Services

The objective of the National Standard Guide for Community Interpreting Services (NSGCIS) is to set ISP delivery standards. This certification follows the Canadian standard such that NSGCIS-AILIA certified interpreters have one or all of the following qualifications: post-secondary education, preferably a recognized degree in interpretation or a related field; the completion of a language proficiency test; and documented experience in the field.

Interpreting services offered

language interpreter
Interpreting you can trust

Over the last 45 years, we have identified the highest-performing interpreters who have proven to be reliable, competent, able to continually learn and improve, and who possess the interpersonal skills required to communicate effectively with all parties involved. We continually recruit for the best and brightest, and are able to provide a full range of interpreting services.

Face-to-face interpreting

Face-to-face interpreting takes place on-site for conversations between speakers of different languages.

Most assignments involve sentence-by-sentence interpreting, which is common in court assignments and in community interpreting.

Context of use:

Generally, we conduct face-to-face interpreting in the following public service areas and settings:

  • Community centres
  • Healthcare
  • Legal
  • Educational
  • Rehabilitation
  • Social services
  • Government agencies
consecutive interpretation

Over-the-phone interpreting

Over-the-phone interpreting (OPI) facilitates cost-effective consecutive communication between parties who speak different languages and are in different locations. All of our remote interpreters are tested to the highest degree to ensure every call is handled correctly and efficiently. Service charges are based on minutes used and a nominal minimum monthly charge. There’s no minimum charge with no usage.

Pre-arranged and on-demand services are available

You can pre-arrange a conference call with a qualified interpreter with 24 to 48 hours' notice. Or, you can set up an on-demand OPI account that will enable you to connect to a qualified interpreter in less than a minute.

Context of use for pre-arranged OPI:

  • Healthcare
  • Legal
  • Long duration assignments greater than 30 minutes
  • Specific interpreter requirements are involved

Context of use for on-demand OPI:

  • Call centres
  • Healthcare > Hospital emergency rooms
  • Public service > EMS, fire departments, police
  • Retail customer service departments
  • Setting appointments with someone who has limited English proficiency (LEP).
  • Short duration calls
telephone interpreting

Simultaneous interpreting

simultaneous interpreting

Simultaneous interpreting is the nearly instantaneous delivery of the speaker's message from the source language into the target language. It requires a high degree of skill and experience as the interpreter must have complete command of the language, a high degree of culture sensitivity and technical knowledge of the subject matter.

Context of use

This type of service generally happens in business areas or government settings:

  • Business meetings
  • Conference centres
  • Focus groups
  • Government agencies
  • Presentations
  • Seminars

Video interpreting

video remote interpreting

Video interpretation enables a conference session to take place between multiple parties who speak different languages and are in different locations. Services can be delivered using a portable cart, stationary on-site video kiosk, or via a software application running on a laptop computer. Video conference interpretation can be provided at pre-arranged times or on-demand.

Context of use

This type of service generally happens in the following settings:

  • Healthcare
  • Legal
  • Social services

Languages we handle

 

Interpreting and translation services are available in over 180 languages including the following:

  • Afrikaans
  • Akan
  • Albanian
  • Amharic
  • Arabic
  • Armenian
  • ASL
  • Assamese
  • Assyrian
  • Azerbaijani
  • Belarusian
  • Bengali
  • Bosnian
  • Bulgarian
  • Burmese
  • Cambodian
  • Cantonese
  • Catalan
  • Cebuano
  • Chinese
  • Creole
  • Croatian
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dari
  • Dutch
  • English
  • Estonian
  • Ewe
  • Fanti
  • Farsi
  • Finnish
  • French
  • Ga
  • German
  • Greek
  • Gujarati
  • Hakka
  • Hausa
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Hungarian
  • Ilocano
  • Indonesian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Khmer
  • Kikongo
  • Korean
  • Kurdish
  • Laotian
  • Latin
  • Latvian
  • Lingala
  • Lithuanian
  • Macedonian
  • Malay
  • Malayalam
  • Maltese
  • Mandarin
  • Mandigo
  • Marathi
  • Mongolian
  • Nepali
  • Norwegian
  • Oromo
  • Pashto
  • Persian
  • Pilipino
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Punjabi
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Serbian
  • Sinhalese
  • Slovenian
  • Somali
  • Spanish
  • Swahili
  • Swedish
  • Tagalog
  • Taiwanese
  • Tamil
  • Telegu
  • Thai
  • Tibetan
  • Tigrinya
  • Turkish
  • Twi
  • Ukrainian
  • Urdu
  • Vietnamese
  • Yiddish
  • Yoruba
  • Zulu

Please inquire about the availability of languages that do not appear on the list. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Understanding interpreting

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Best practices working with an interpreter

The interpreter is the medium, not the source, of the message.

 

  • If you feel that you are not getting the type of response you were expecting, restate the question.

Speaking to the person with limited English proficiency (LEP)

 

  • Speak directly to the person with LEP
  • Speak slowly and clearly
  • Use short sentences and pause between them to allow for interpreting
  • Avoid complicated sentences, sentence fragments, changing your idea in the middle of a sentence, and asking multiple questions at one time.

When listening to the interpreter

 

  • If the understanding of a response is very important, ask the person to repeat their answer.
  • There should be no back and forth dialogue that the interpreter does not interpret.
  • Be patient. Communicating across a language barrier takes time.

Some concepts have no linguistic equivalent in other languages.

 

  • Give the interpreter time to restructure information and present it in an appropriate manner. The interpretation often takes longer than your original speech.

Frequently asked questions

Certifications

Are your interpreters certified?

The simple answer is that some are, and some are not. There is no one body that certifies interpreters, but All Languages is certified to provide services in accordance with the National Standard Guide for Community Interpreting Services (NSGCIS). We recruit interpreters who are language tested, have completed a recognized certified training program from college or university, or have trained through a variety of other government-funded agencies.

Relevant experience is also considered.

Qualifications

Do you test your interpreters?

Our role is to recruit and retain the interpreters that meet your needs. We leave training to post secondary institutions.

Our interpreter selection process is well-established and thoroughly proven. The factors considered during our recruiting process include:

  • Linguist degrees, certifications, testing and training
  • Countries resided in
  • Having passed a CILISAT or ILSAT language test
  • Years of experience within specific areas of practice
  • Performance history

Rates

Are the hourly rates the same for all language choices?

Hourly rates are the same for all spoken languages. American Sign Language is a different rate.

 

Are rates the same for all levels of qualifications?

 

No. We offer tiered pricing so you can get the right interpreter at the right price.

 

What is the minimum billing?

There is a 2 hour minimum or 75% of estimated booked time whichever is greater.

Booking Times

How much advance notice is required?

We have an excellent track record of filling same-day requests, but it is best to book your interpreter as far in advance as you can.Highly qualified interpreters are in great demand, and the best ones are often booked well ahead of assignments.

Giving us more lead time to book appointments assures that we can provide you with the best interpreter available for your needs.

3rd Party Billing

How do you handle 3rd party billing?

For medical or insurance related requests, third party invoicing can be set up for you. Both the ordering and billing parties will receive confirmations for an interpreting request.

Please call for more information regarding terms and conditions.

Travel Charges

When do you charge for travel and what is the rate?

Travel rates vary based on assignment context and location. Factors such as travel time and distance affect cost. Each order is confirmed and includes exact travel fees, if any are applicable. Call us for more information.

Cancellations

How much notice is required and are there any cancellation fees?

Cancellation fees are charged only if cancelled less than 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) prior to the scheduled date and time. In the above noted situation, interpreters are unable to find new assignments and charge us accordingly.

Reminder Calls

Can you call the LEP person prior to the appointment?

At no additional charge, interpreters will make reminder calls and/or set up appointments.

Best Practices

What is the best way to work with an interpreter?

Provide as much information as possible about the requested assignment, such as background. The information will assist the interpreter in researching the subject and familiarizing him/herself with the subject.

Inform the coordinator of any known risks and provide any advice, protection and safety measures generally available to participants in the interpreted event.

How we select an Interpreter

Put your trust in All Languages when it comes to booking an interpreter. You can count on All Languages to provide you with the best possible experienced and qualified interpreter. Because there is no one body that certifies interpreters, a variety of options are available to interpreters for language testing, training, certification and accreditation. The type or nature of an order will dictate the type of interpreter that will be assigned.

The Interpreting Services Department has a combined 32 years of experience that includes the Interpreting Operations Manager and a number of Language Service Coordinators. They will ask all the right questions to understand your needs, process your order efficiently, and will then make sure the right interpreter is assigned. The department staff follows a stringent recruiting process, which provides an ever-growing resource base of experienced and capable Interpreters. Recruitment relies upon a well-established and proven dossier evaluation process similar to that used by the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO). The factors considered during our recruiting process include:

  • Languages spoken, countries resided in and level of education received in each country
  • Linguist degrees, certifications, testing and training
  • Having passed a language test (CILISAT / ILSAT / etc.)
  • Years experience within specific areas of practice
  • Context-specific training and terminology
  • Performance history
  • Certification status by any recognized body such as the IRB or Ministry of Attorney General or Language Interpreter Training Program (LITP) through the community colleges

Interpreters who work for us typically have:

  • An undergraduate degree (not necessarily in languages or linguistics);
  • Native or near native-level fluency in the foreign language as well as fluency in English;
  • More than one year of specialized experience in interpreting, translating or other such experience requiring the use of English and the foreign language for which the interpretation/translation is being provided;
  • Training and/or certification with a language proficiency test;
  • Superior communication (oral and written) and customer service skills

What is interpreting?

Interpreting is an activity that consists of establishing oral or manual communication between two or more speakers who are not speaking (or signing) the same language.

The role of the interpreter is to help establish direct communication between the professional (e.g., social worker, healthcare professional, lawyer) and the person with limited English proficiency (LEP).

For the communication to be truly direct, the interpreter serves strictly as a communication conduit, always interpreting in the first person.

Interpreters strive to render all messages in their entirety accurately, as faithfully as possible and to the best of their ability without addition, distortion, omission or embellishment of the meaning.

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