Sometimes businesses looking for translation services are in need of interpretation services instead. So what’s the difference?

Essentially our translation services turn your English text into new written text in other languages, without engaging with your audience directly. Interpretation is more dynamic, as a person is required to listen directly to a person or a recording and make a translation then and there.

To help you understand which interpreting services might be best for you, here is a breakdown of the different forms interpretation can take.

Face-to-face interpreting

Face-to-face consecutive interpreting

Consecutive interpreting allows you to have your interpreter listen to a speaker in their language and deliver a translated version to another person (or people). This is the most common image of a translator, sat in the same room and acting as a mouthpiece for both parties. This makes it perfect for assisting with doctor-patient, or landlord-tenant interactions.

Face-to-face simultaneous interpreting

With larger numbers of people, a simple consecutive translation is not feasible. So our simultaneous interpreting services positions the interpreter away from the speaker / audience e.g. a soundproof booth. From here they will listen to the source language and relay their translation to a large audience via microphone, so it’s ideal for international conferences and meetings.

Face-to-face instant telephone interpreting

Sometimes an interpreter is needed very quickly, such as in criminal or health situations. If there is no time to bring the interpreter to your situation, your best solution is to use our instant phone service. Simply call us up and one of our experienced interpreters will translate from over 150 languages within 60 seconds. We currently provide over 70,000 minutes of interpreting over the phone every month, so if you need accurate translation at the drop of a hat just give us a call.

Face-to-face sign language interpreting

Sometimes sign language needs to be interpreted and our experts are just as skilled in this field, offering variants of British Sign Language, Irish Sign Language and St Vincent’s. We’ve tried to make this as flexible as possible, by offering lip speakers, Usher Syndrome or deaf-blind interpreters, deaf relay or intermediary interpreters, sign language translation services and transcription services if you need a hard copy.

Face-to-face sight translation

In medical, legal and some industrial settings you may need someone to read a document and translate it orally then and there. Our skilled translators can deliver this accurately and help you manage the situation better.

Non face-to-face

Braille interpreting

We also have a dedicated braille team who can translate into grade 1 and grade 2 braille in easy-to-use A4 or US letter size formats across a number of commonly used languages. Getting layout and pagination perfect is also part of the service.

Legal and court interpreting

In legal context interpretation has to be perfect, so all our CRB checked legal interpreters are tested and trained to the highest level. Some legal translation will involve face-to-face interpretation, but we can also work from documents like telephone transcriptions and audio or video files.