Interpretation and translation for your business, organization, or community

Services

Nearly all our interpreters are native speakers of their non-English language, and were brought up in the culture, but have many years of experience interpreting to and from English. That means they can connect with your audience naturally. They know how to put people at ease, and keep communication flowing smoothly.

We offer spoken, written, and digital services. For the record, “interpretation” is spoken, and “translation” is written. Many people confuse them, and it’s not a big deal, but you’ll hear us using them distinctly. We currently provide these services for over 40 different languages. Here are the kind of things we’re experienced in: Interpretation, Translation and Digital Media.

Our more typical jobs

  • Social-service agency housecalls
  • Translations of marriage certificates and academic transcripts
  • City and county-level meetings
  • Statewide conferences

Not-so-typical jobs

  • An online conference with ten languages that went for 60 consecutive hours
  • Our literary arm at In Situ
  • A conference that took us to Winnipeg, Manitoba

Interpretation

We mostly do interpretation, which is why it’s our name. It’s the reason we formed in the first place! Here are some examples:

  • Small, conversational meetings
  • Larger meetings with a presenter
  • Very large, multi-day conferences
  • In-person, Zoom, and phone interpreting
  • Zoom meetings and webinars
  • Zoom conferences with scores of people and multiple languages
  • Hybrid meetings that are partly in person and partly online
  • American Sign Language
  • Available for evening / weekend work
a drawing of two people facing each other. The person on the right has some thoughts spiraling out of their brain and reaching the person on the right via some lines. those lines spiral into the person on the right's brain in clear lines representing understanding.
I would like to speak with you about your interpretation services

Translation

When it’s written work, we call it translation, and we do quite a bit of it. Some jobs are one page, and some are hundreds. We provide excellent turn-around time. Our translation work has covered:

An image of a document, flyer or book with an English "A" on the left and an similar document on the right with contains a character in a pictographic language.
  • Letters, reports, booklets
  • Business documents
  • Brochures and fliers
  • Long articles
  • Official documents, like birth certificates, marriage certificates, academic transcripts, etc.
  • Websites
  • Legal documents
  • Full-length books
I would like to speak with you about your translation services

Digital Media Services

More and more clients are asking for work on digital media, although it has not caught up to interpretation and translation. Each project is a custom project; tell us what you need. Online videos are increasingly popular, and we can help you expand your audience, no matter what you need, including:

  • Transcription
  • Subtitling of videos
  • Dubbing / voice-over
a drawing of various elements, including a computer monitor, phone, film strip and envelope with a letter.

I would like to speak with you about your digital media services

Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs )

Does it matter how many people you’re interpreting for?

No. Our rates are based on the kind of work being performed.

Do you supply the equipment?

We can supply the equipment or use yours.

How far in advance should we schedule your services?

We prefer a week. Less than that lowers the likely availability of workers. More than a week is great!

I need a language that’s not on your list.

Please request it, and we’ll do a thorough search. It’s because people have approached us with this sort of situation that we have as many languages as we do. We’ve been successful in the large majority of our searches.

I’ve never been interpreted before. How does it work?
  • There are two kinds of interpretation.
    • Consecutive interpretation is where each speaker takes a turn, and then the intepreter repeats that portion. (Shorter is better!) This works best in small groups. Note that it makes the event move slower and/or last longer.
    • Simultaneous interpreting is where the a presenter speaks at a normal rate and a normal volume, without stopping. The interpreter interprets continously, usually using interpreting equipment. This is the style used in conferences, which is why it is also known as conference interpreting. It is also commonly used on Zoom calls.
  • In all cases, it is vital that the interpreter be able to hear the speaker clearly, and that only one person speak at a time. There is no way to interpret two people at once.
  • It is not necessary to speak loudly, or exaggerate your pronunciation, or leave long pauses for the benefit of the interpreter. However, do be conscious of speaking very fast, especially when saying things that are familiar to you but not to the interpreter, such as names.
  • When you’re conversing with someone with the help of an intepreter, speak directly to the other person, and not to the interpreter. It is not necessary to say, “Tell him that…” or “Can you ask her if…” An interpreter is a conduit, not a participant.
  • Similarly, do not ask for the interpreter’s opinion on the conversation, or invite the interpreter to participate in activities at an event. That is not our role. On the other hand, if your event includes a meal, we would appreciate taking part in that activity.