Telephone Interpreting

There are two possible configurations for a professional telephone interpretation service:

• Variant A: Two or more call participants are together in the same room using one telephone, and the interpreter dials in from a different location and can be heard through loudspeakers.
• Variant B: Two or more call participants are at different locations and are connected by telephone, and the telephone interpreter is connected to the call via a conference circuit.

Note: Telephone interpreting is possible via both landlines and mobile telephones. This allows you to remain flexible, no matter your location.

The telephone interpreter ensures that conversations run smoothly without any misunderstandings.

It is the interpreter’s responsibility to translate the spoken words accurately to avoid misunderstandings, e.g., through misinterpretation or imprecise translation. When selecting the appropriate interpreter for the specialist field or topic of conversation, we place the greatest importance on identifying experienced, qualified interpreters with the requisite specialist knowledge.

The telephone interpreter always adopts a neutral stance regarding the participants and strictly limits his or her input to accurately convey what is said in the respective languages. Accordingly, the interpreter does not play an active role in the conversation.

Both interpreters and translators work as language mediators between two or more languages. However, the professions, and therefore also the specialist training requirements, differ considerably.

Interpreters usually translate the spoken word in the context of a live speech situation and must be capable of grasping what is being said very quickly and translating it orally.

Translators, on the other hand, usually work with text and deliver written translations, which gives them the chance to research the subject matter and correct the target text. Find out more about our range of specialist translation services.

To be able to prepare for the telephone conversation and provide you with the best telephone interpreter for your current requirements, all we need from you is:

The desired language combination, i.e., the source language and target language into which the translation is to be held, the subject of the conversation and any specifics that may be of crucial importance, and the time and estimated duration of the call.

We’ll make sure that your phone conversation runs smoothly.

In fact, apart from a telephone, there are no special technical requirements: the call between you, your conversation partner, and the telephone interpreter will take place using either a loudspeaker or a conference call. You’ll also have the opportunity to brief the telephone interpreter prior to the call.