Interpretation at the speed of business

If your business has a global presence, a diverse customer base, or a multilingual workforce, you may struggle to communicate quickly and effectively by phone. Over the phone interpretation (OPI) services allow you to participate in telephone conversations when you don’t speak the same language. OPI is a simple, stress-free way to connect with a professional linguist, to facilitate bilingual communication, anytime and anywhere.

Why OPI?

Many situations in business call for interpretation services, including

• Internal and customer meetings among multinational teams
• Addressing customer issues via a global call center
• Communication between employees from an international workforce and internal service groups like HR and IT helpdesks

OPI can help you reduce the high cost of on-site meetings, improve your enterprise-wide communications, broaden your business’ global reach, and much more. If you operate globally, OPI has many benefits. And if you are expanding into additional foreign markets, OPI will be a constant need.

OPI enables your business to engage in communication without stumbling over language barriers. An OPI service provider connects your business with professionals who are experienced in speaking and interpreting your desired languages to reduce miscommunications and challenges with comprehension. Using an OPI service can greatly reduce the overhead associated with international duplication of internal staff resources (e.g., having multiple HR teams to serve employees in multiple languages).

Available on your schedule

One of the benefits of using an OPI service is that interpreters are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for whatever languages you need. This is an advantage over hiring an in-person interpreter from a service, which can require significant lead time and incur expenses associated with travel and a per diem. This is further complicated by the fact that time differences make international resources difficult to schedule: normal business hours in one country are often after hours in another, where a local interpreter may be unavailable or prohibitively expensive. An on-call OPI service enables you to access interpretation services whenever your business demands rather than on an interpreter’s schedule.

Cost effective and flexible

An OPI service is cost effective because you pay only for the interpretation services you need. If your needs fluctuate, either in frequency or in necessary languages, OPI allows you to keep your costs in line with your business rather than paying for more than you need or incurring overages. Your staff, customer service representatives, and/or customers connect directly using a live interpreter only when interpretive services are needed.

It can be difficult for parties who don’t speak the same language to communicate effectively. Using an OPI service, you can be connected first with an interpreter, and he or she can then efficiently assist you in connecting with the other party. Similarly, when a client calls in and requests assistance in another language, an OPI service can locate an appropriate interpreter before connecting you with the call. This saves time and reduces confusion.

In addition, an OPI service can ensure that your interpreter is well versed in specific industry concepts, such as those specific to the insurance, legal, medical, financial, retail, and technical sectors. These can include administrative hearing procedures, familiarity with legal proceedings, and understanding of regulations like HIPAA. OPI interpreters also may undergo industry and cultural training. This enables them to provide a more nuanced conversation beyond a “word-for-word” interpretation to more accurately convey each speaker’s meaning.

How does it work?

Acclaro’s OPI services are easy to use. You simply dial the provided 1-800 number and enter “1” for Spanish or “2” for other languages (followed by the 2-digit code that corresponds to the desired language) and enter a 4 digit account number. A live agent will then ask you for identifying information after which you will be connected to a live interpreter. It’s as simple as that!

Acclaro: fast, diverse OPI and localization services

Acclaro has trained, screened, and certified interpreters in more than 200 languages. When it comes to multilingual business, we have the right resources to help ensure your success. We offer 79 languages available on demand, with guaranteed connections to bilingual experts in under one minute. In addition, we offer advanced scheduling services to support remote conferencing or lengthier OPI engagements. Whatever your requirements may be, we guarantee that you’re always working with a professional, knowledgeable resource!

To learn more about how our OPI services can help your business communicate more easily, efficiently, and effectively, contact us.