Interpreting services are needed everywhere – from hospitals to large, international conferences at the United Nations. Depending on your event, you may be better off with a local interpreter. However, when searching for an interpreting agency to help you coordinate your linguistic services, you may wonder “do I need to look for interpreting services near me, or does it matter whether I use a local interpreting agency?”
Should I Look for Interpreting Services Near Me, Or Does Local Interpreting Really Matter?
“I’m looking for an interpreter, me and my client are in New York, how do I begin…I should just search interpreting services near me!”
If this thought process looks familiar to you, you’re not alone! Many people think of translation and interpreting services as location-bound (meaning they have to find an agency near them in order to get the services). However, what if there isn’t an agency near you? Or what if the agency you found doesn’t support the linguistic services you need?
Your search for interpreting services near me might have just gotten simplified as you don’t always need a local interpreting agency! But to determine whether or not a local interpreting agency is right for your project, you may need to address a few things – namely are you really looking for a local interpreter?
When Do You Need a Local Interpreter?
When Do You Need a Local Interpreter?Just like there are instances where a local translation services provider may be the best option for your project, there are certain occasions when a local interpreter is the best fit for your event. The real answer to whether or not you should use a local interpreter is: it depends on your situation.
To understand whether a local interpreter is ideal for you, we’ve outlined a few common interpreting scenarios.
I Need Interpreting Services, The Nature of the Work is…
Community work– If you require interpreting services, but your client or company is working with a limited budget, then a local interpreter may be the better option for you as you will not have to spend more on travel and lodging charges.
Long-term – if you require an interpreter for an extended period of time, much like the above scenario, a local interpreter may help you to reduce expenses related to travel and lodging.
For a hospital – if your hospital requires an interpreter you don’t necessarily need a local interpreter as on-demand, telephonic interpreting is readily available. However, many healthcare professionals are finding that on-site interpreters are more effective. Therefore, using a local interpreter may be something worth looking into.
Interpreting a rare language – If your client or event requires interpreting services for a rare language, a local interpreter may not be an option, and you may need to expand your search.
A high-stakes/high-profile project – if your client or event requires the absolute best linguist possible, a local interpreter may not be right for you. Keep in mind that you’ll likely be looking for well-trained, experienced, subject matter experts and the demand for your exact interpreting requirements may not be high locally.
There are many other scenarios in which a local interpreter may or may not be necessary. The best way to decide which interpreting services will best suit your needs is to discuss the details of your project with a project manager at an interpreting agency. This in turn begs the original question: “do I need to search for interpreting services near me to find the best solution for my needs?”
The Difference Between Looking for “Interpreters Near Me” and “Interpreting Services Near Me”
Having understood the different scenarios where a local interpreter may or may not be your best option; this still hasn’t answered our original question on whether you should continue your search with interpreting services near me. As it happens, interpreting agencies may be based in one physical location, but their reach is international – and we aren’t only talking about interpreting agencies with multinational offices.
Interpreting agencies establish a wide database of professional interpreters both locally and internationally. This allows for greater reach in terms of rare languages, and professionals across various industries and interpreting modes (learn more about consecutive interpreting and simultaneous interpreting). Thus, interpreting agencies naturally eliminate the need to work with a local agency to get the interpreting services you need.
4 Ways Interpreting Companies Eliminate the Need to Search for Interpreting Services Near Me
1. A professional interpreting agency will have a large database of interpreters with global reach.
One of the advantages of choosing to work with an interpreting agency is their ability to contact clients and interpreters all over the world through convenient, integrated databases. This allows for quick coordination between you the client, and the interpreters, anywhere in the world.
2. Professional interpreting agencies can help you decide when a local interpreter is a better choice for your project.
Budget concerns, event timing, audience requirements and local language demand all factor in to selecting an interpreter. Interpreting project managers can work with you to find a local interpreter whose rates fit within your budget if bringing in an interpreter who is not local is not convenient.
3. Interpreting project managers are always responsive and available.
You may think working with an interpreting agency near the location of your event is beneficial in case any problems arise. However, interpreting project managers are generally on-call to coordinate with clients and interpreters. Therefore, often all it takes to get in touch with your project manager in the event of a problem is a quick email or phone call.
4. If you need interpreting equipment, interpreting agencies will often ship it to you, so there is no need to pick it up from a physical location.
Large conferences, executive education programs and tours are a few of the instances where interpreting equipment may be required. However, the location of the translation services agency is again irrelevant, as they will generally be able to ship certain pieces to you. Interpreting agencies also provide their technician on site to help set up the equipment, though this service is often for an extra cost.
So Do I Always Need to Search for Interpreting Services Near Me?
The answer to this question is no! While you may prefer to work with an interpreting agency closer to the place of your event, interpreting project managers are also able to coordinate linguistic services for you remotely. In the event that you are looking at a few different interpreting agencies, location doesn’t always have to be the main deciding factor!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
