While frontline workers are undoubtedly the heroes of the crisis, interpreters are also essential to support the day-to-day operations with remote interpreting services. Not only during the pandemic, but remote interpreting service for people with limited English proficiency is also widely considered as a vital service for multiple industries in the future. The world has been joining hands to compact COVID-19 for over a year and the arrival of the long-awaited vaccine offers a glimpse of hope of a return to normal in the coming year.
During COVID-19
While COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China, it has spread to almost every country in the world. Taking USA and UK, the English-speaking countries, as an example, healthcare providers see many patients with limited English proficiency visit during the outbreak. To provide the patients with the language access they need, it is a must for healthcare providers to utilise the medical interpreting tools and services.
Face-to-face was once the traditional mean of interpreting used in the public healthcare sector where an interpreter is physically present in order to allow the two parties to communicate. Yet, healthcare facilities are taking every prudent measure to reduce the spread of the virus. Remote interpreting is a desirable solution to facilitate communication between healthcare professionals and patients with limited English ability without meeting them in person. It is also the most viable replacement during lockdown where interpreters are not able to visit healthcare facilities.
Post COVID-19
Though COVID-19 will not be around forever, it will have a lasting effect on how interpreters operate in the future. For the healthcare sector, remote interpreting services have thoroughly proven more attainable and affordable during the pandemic time. Connecting with qualified interpreters around the globe, interpreting service is available almost 24/7 requiring only a simple device and internet connection. Patients with limited English ability are able to enjoy resilient and quality interpreting service even during an emergency situation, avoiding miscommunications which may lead to the matter of life-and-death.
A list of business leaders from different industries is adding their weight to the extension of home-office policy and a long-term shift to remote working, aided by technology and video-conferencing platforms. It is believed that companies will shrink down their real estate and rethink their expensive event and seminar space in the future. There can be no disputing that remote interpretation for conferences, press meetings and events are the new normal in the post-COVID-19 era. Elite Asia’s FUZON is a multilingual remote interpreting technology which allows businesses to host conferences or virtual events supported by remote interpreting services. With complete control with strong technical support, companies can hold a virtual event with up to 250 participants, reducing the cost of travel and logistic arrangement.
If new technologies have accelerated the pace of societal and technical change, COVID-19 has proven an added catalyst, building a new normal for the world. Remote interpreting services will only become more important to limited English proficient individuals as the world is shifting to an even more virtual and digital-first one.
