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On-site Interpreting Icon

On-Site
Interpreting

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COVID-19

Language World employee interpreters follow all CDC guidelines and recommendations and use PPE, including N-95 masks and face-shields. In addition, any interpreter who assists COVID-19 patients must be provided with the same protective gear as donned by their healthcare team. All on-site interpreters are fully vaccinated and boosted.

About

Language World’s 100% employee interpreters service Northern California in 20+ languages. Available in-person for medical, educational, legal and social service work in consecutive or simultaneous modes.

Consecutive Interpreting involves relaying converted messages in a sequential manner after a speaker has paused or has completed a thought.

Simultaneous Interpreting involves converting a speaker’s message into another language while the speaker continues to speak. This type of interpreting is commonly used in conference and classroom settings.

Available Languages
a young professional shaking the hand of another person Available Languages

Benefits of
On-Site

  • Highest Quality & Accuracy
  • Cultural Brokering
  • Continuity of Care
  • Appropriate for Sensitive Encounters
  • Visual Cues & Context
  • Pre & Post Sessions
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On-Site Team

  • 100% W-2 Employee Interpreters
  • Managed Regionally by Language World Supervisory and Quality Assurance Teams
  • Screened, Tested and Trained
  • Highly Selective Recruiting
  • Vigorous On-Boarding
  • Pre-Employment Training
  • Continuing Education
  • Annual/Supplemental Observations
  • Annual Evaluations
  • Audit-Ready Employee Documentation
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Testimonials

“I just wanted to let you know that having our in-house interpreter has been amazing and I'm sure everyone on our unit including the patient believes the same as well. Our interpreter is very responsive and flexible to our needs and open to requests. I have seen her in a group with one of my patients translating everything everyone was saying to the patient. In my opinion, our in-house interpreter is a necessity and beneficial to patient safety as well as to the patient's treatment.”

— Bay Area Health System

“Language World – Thank you for your excellent service. We appreciate the streamline process to obtain an interpreter, as well as the availability, professionalism and skills of the interpreter. When there are difficult situations, giving an employee the ability to speak from their heart (their first language), we can help clarify the issues and speed up resolutions. And, if we discover some communication that was missed, the go-forward plan has a greater chance for success.”

— DST Customer Communications

“UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (BCHO) has been working and collaborating with Language World since 2015. LWS has proven to be exceptional and has constantly demonstrated reliability. The training that LWS provides their employees has lead us to depend on their interpreters, given that they have demonstrated high levels of interpreting skills, a respect to our core standards of practice in medical interpreting and a unique professional approach. They provide a variety of services, which include On-Site Medical Interpreter Staffing and Translation Services. The availability of their employees and flexibility around our hospital needs has made them an essential partner of Interpreter Services Department at BCHO. As the manager of Interpreter Services, and as a direct user of Alameda Alliance Interpreting Services, I would highly recommend your partnership to LWS, as I know that the Alliance members and families will receive extraordinary services.”

— UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (BCHO)

“I wanted to reach out with a special thank you to you for finding me a in-person Korean interpreter at the last minute, basically within an hour, for a patient of ours. I have to admit when I called, I was very skeptical that it could be done because of the short notice. But you managed to not only find a Korean interpreter to be at our appointment on time for the patient, but you found the RIGHT interpreter. I would like to say that our Korean interpreter was EXCELLENT!”

— Healthcare Client of 10+ Years

“I personally can’t thank you enough for making it all happen! Language World provided an excellent interpreter who was great with the workforce and a good balance of professional and personable. I know I was pleased, and I anticipate that we will be using your services again!”

— HR Novations

“I am writing to express gratitude for the interpretation skills and professional conduct your company’s Farsi Interpreter demonstrated over several occasions at our clinic. The interpreter was accurate, attentive and patient as she assisted with communication between several of our Iranian Clients and our staff.”

— Timothy Keenan, MA, PHN | Refugee Health Assessment Program, Sacramento County DHHS

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FAQs

Have questions about our On-Site Interpreting service? We have answers.

What is On-Site Interpreting (OSI)?

On-site Interpreting is a language access solution provided in-person by qualified interpreters to facilitate face-to-face communication between providers of service and Limited English Proficient individuals.

What are the benefits and value of OSI?

  • Highest quality of service and accuracy
  • Cultural brokering and facilitation
  • Continuity of care
  • Appropriate for sensitive encounters
  • Visual cutes and context
  • Active partner in team dynamic
  • Pre-session and post session
  • 20+ languages available

What OSI languages are available?

Available Languages

Is On-Site Interpreting safe during COVID?

COVID-19

Language World employee interpreters follow all CDC guidelines and recommendations and use PPE, including N-95 masks and face shields. In addition, any interpreter who assists COVID-19 patients must be provided with the same protective gear as donned by their healthcare team. All on-site interpreters are fully vaccinated and boosted.

Where do I find how to use OSI?

  • Refer to Language World website under On-Site Interpreting
  • Contact Language World OSI Support at 916.333.5247 Option 1

What is the difference between translation and interpretation?

Interpretation is the spoken rendering of one language to another, while translation is the written conversion of one language to another.

What is consecutive versus simultaneous interpreting?

Consecutive Interpreting:
Consecutive Interpreting involves relaying converted (interpreted) messages in a sequential manner after a speaker has paused or has completed a thought.

Simultaneous Interpreting:
Simultaneous interpreting involves converting a speaker’s message into another language while the speaker continues to speak. This type of interpreting is commonly used in conference and classroom settings.

What is a target language versus a source language?

A source language is the language that is being rendered or converted into another language, known as the target language.

What is a certified versus a qualified interpreter?

The term “certified interpreter” generally means that an interpreter is skilled in the three modes of interpretation – consecutive, simultaneous and sight translation – and has been tested. In California, state certification is currently only available for legal interpreting.

A qualified interpreter has been found to be capable of performing interpreting, whereas a certified interpreter has proven their capability with demonstrated proficiency.  At present, there are also two non-profit organizations that can certify healthcare interpreters in a limited number of languages: the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI), and the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI). 75% of all Language World Interpreters are certified.

What is meant by the acronyms NEP and LEP?

NEP: Non-English Proficient
LEP: Limited English Proficient

What kind of training do on-site interpreters receive?

Language World interpreters initially receive 15 hours of training and are then required to complete 8 hours of annual continuing education.

Who pays for interpreting solutions?

Language access solutions are broadly addressed at the federal level. Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, state, local or regional entities receiving federal funds may not discriminate based on race, color or national origin. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13166, which extends “meaningful” language access requirements of Title VI to federal agencies and federally funded programs and solutions.

Language access solutions are also regulated at the state level. California—with its diverse population needs—is the nation’s leader in legislating language access. In 2009, Senate Bill 853 became law, stipulating that all medical, dental and specialty insurers must provide no-cost translation and interpreting solutions to their NEP/LEP enrollees that meet the requirement for threshold languages. The formula for determining these threshold languages is based upon enrollees demographics that trigger the mandatory translation of vital documents and provisioning of spoken language interpreting solutions either remotely or on-site. With regard to interpreting, an interpreter must be made available in a timely manner to render spoken language assistance. For those recipients who require American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting, a different set of regulations codified by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensures timely, high quality, no-cost access for ASL interpreting solutions. In both cases, it is the responsibility of the health plan to ensure that they are using competent language professionals. The California Department of Managed Health care is tasked with providing oversight and regulation of this law.

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