No, this simply allows us to establish an account for your organization, once the verbal, written or online request is submitted, we can be engaged and begin our coordinating work.

The state system is a referral service. Your request is broadcast to independent contractors in their pool. When a contractor(s) agrees to take the job, the business arrangements, logistics, assignment information (agenda/schedule, access to materials for discussion, etc) must be handled between you and the contractor(s) directly.  They will bill you thereafter for their services.  Your business is responsible for ensuring compliance and any HR responsibilities regarding the contractors. Some contractors may or may not share their rates, charges and policies before engagement.

In contrast, Partners Interpreting is a full service language company-a comprehensive service. Our ‘Terms and Conditions’ information outlining expectations, costs and policies is shared prior to engagement for your review.  If you need we can provide a proposal or quote so you can budget and know your complete costs.

We handle all the business arrangements, assignment logistics(information/materials etc..), and we manage the HR portfolios of our employees including liability insurance and other compliance requirements.  We manage the interpreter payroll and handle the billing and will send you a comprehensive invoice detailing services.

Check out ‘Why Us‘, see our whitepaper on the ‘Benefits of Outsourcing‘ or compare our “Explore Features” against the competition.

For first time customers, a ‘Terms and Conditions’ document is sent for your review, we can begin our work once a written agreement is in place. For existing customers, we work on requests immediately. Higher priority is always given to the most immediate request. However, assignments made several months in advance are also given attention.

Once an interpreter has been secured, you will be notified via email from the PIP scheduling system.  We will confirm last-minute requests by phone.

We do offer premium guaranteed services for customers who have a formal contract with us. For general requests, we cannot guarantee the availability of interpreters. However, with our large network of interpreters, we are confident we can satisfy your request needs. Factors such as lead time, time of the assignment and nature of the assignment can have an impact on the request.

Yes. If you or the Deaf/Hard of Hearing person(s) have preferred interpreters, we will definitely try our best to accommodate your preferences.  If the interpreter is not yet in our network, we will contact them for your event.

Yes, in most cases you can check with the interpreter of their availability for a next request. You must follow up with our office to confirm the date/time so we can make sure the interpreter is available and enter everything to the online scheduling system. Please schedule such an appointment through Partners Interpreting, so that you can take advantage of our network to ensure staffing for your current and future engagements, even when your preferred interpreter is not available. To place a request, use your online account or if you don’t have one yet, click here.

This is not recommended, because it can cause conflicting problems such as double booking interpreters. There are also different cancellation policies for each agency that should be considered. There is a limited pool of interpreters and working with multiple parties for the same request doesn’t necessarily expand your pool or reach. Partners Interpreting has ‘staff’ interpreters which work exclusively for us and increases our availability to fill requests. To make a request simply click here!

No, we accept requests at any time. Advance notice is always best, as interpreters are booked sometimes months in advance. Schedules of interpreters change daily due to the itinerant nature of our work, and impact availability. We can’t guarantee the availability of interpreters, however, our scheduling team will work diligently from the moment the request is received until the latest time set by you, to secure someone. Other options when no one is available is to consider adjust ting the time that day, re-schedule to another day or perhaps consider our remote (CART/VRI) services as another choice. Some organizations do have standing requests or other regular established days/hours when an interpreter is needed in which we secure an interpreter for those committed times exclusively for them. To place your request click here.

Businesses, agencies and other public facilities are required to provide access (including communication) following the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which includes individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. Thus, the cost falls upon those who are providing the accommodations. A surcharge cannot legally be imposed on an individual with a disability directly or indirectly to offset the cost of the interpreter. The cost of the interpreter should be treated as part of overhead expenses for accounting and tax purposes.

For more information and resources on the federal guidelines and tax incentives for businesses, see our “Compliance” page.

The language and interpreting industry is a specialized profession that requires knowledgeable and experienced professionals to execute communication access properly. Language companies such as Partners Interpreting are versed in the interpretation process, best practices and regulations associated with the field.

ASL Interpreters are professionals trained in language and cultural competency. Interpreters are National certified, guided by a professional code of conduct outlining items such as ethics and confidentiality. Interpreters are there to act as the communication bridge between parties, this also includes Deaf specialists known as CDI’s. It is not advisable to use a ‘signer’ (someone who took a language class) or the family member including a child to act as the ‘interpreter’. Confidential, sensitive information could be compromised. Additionally, the linguistic challenges including varying communication modes and terminology used is best suited for a trained professional for a reliable and accurate message equivalency to be delivered. See our ‘How to Work with Interpreters‘ Guide for more helpful tips.

First, interpreters are not volunteers, but working professionals with a code of ethics, trained in cultural and linguistic fluency. Interpreters are specialist in high demand that go through years of rigorous training and ongoing professional development.

Our rates are comprehensive, covering schedule coordination, provider service costs and management, in addition to our overall customer service support. The time, duration, nature and lead time of a request are factors that impact hourly rates.

Following industry standards, to protect the occupational health of our interpreters and to assure the highest quality communication, assignments exceeding 1 hour may require a team of two or more interpreters. Interpreting is a very taxing process, both physically and mentally. An interpreter’s ability to effectively process the message and interpret it accurately diminishes significantly after approximately 20 minutes of interpreting.

Determining if 2 interpreters are needed is based on varying factors, such as the type of assignment(education, medical etc..) # of participants and their role and the type of interaction/format (lecture, discussion, presentation etc..) and more. Our scheduling team will assist in evaluating the nature of the request and make the recommendation to have a successful interaction for all the parties involved.