While phone interpretation is a versatile modality that works for a variety of patient-provider scenarios, sometimes an interaction may need a little visual help. That’s where video interpretation comes in. The key benefits of using video interpretation include...
Like phone interpretation, video interpretation connects providers to a live interpreter quickly. It can take hours for an in-person interpreter to arrive from offsite. It can even take a while for a staff interpreter to finish another session and then come to your aid. When it comes to down to seconds, video interpreters are a better option.
On-site interpreters charge by the hour and usually require a minimum of two hours, plus travel time. Video interpretation cuts costs by only charging for the minutes that the patient and provider need.
PubMed.gov published a review entitled Patient Satisfaction of Telephone or Video Interpreter Services Compared with In-Person Services. The review compiled the results of eight separate studies, each of which sought to compare patient satisfaction when using either phone or video interpretation to that of an on-site interpreter. The review confirms that patients are no less satisfied with video interpretation when compared to on-site options.
You don’t have to hire staff interpreters for dozens of languages or hope that local interpreter agencies have those rarer languages available. CyraCom, for example, offers video interpretation in over 30 languages.
An interpretation modality that enables visual and non-verbal communication can sometimes be helpful, especially involving conversations with small children, patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia, or anyone else who may struggle to recognize that a voice on the phone is their interpreter.
Don’t let cost deter you from choosing the way you would like to interact with your limited-English patients or customers. CyraCom offers our video interpretation service for spoken languages at the same price as our phone interpretation service.
Want to learn more? Contact us today.