New platform makes telephone interpreting possible for every LSP
A new technology platform being developed in the United Kingdom may make it easier to connect to interpreters based on numerous criteria, including less common language pairs.
The co-founders of Interpreters-on-Call, David Martin and Marcus Strallen, explain that the platform is completely vendor-neutral, making it possible for small- and medium-sized interpreting suppliers to easily connect and begin offering telephone interpreting services. Using a globally available software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, the company’s vision is to give language service providers (LSPs) the ability to manage telephone interpreting services easily through its portal, which connects interpreters with vendors and clients. Clients are then charged a set price per minute on the call activity that passes through the portal.
Just five months into the business, the U.K.-based firm has already signed up multiple LSPs in its local market. In any highly fragmented market, technology is often a great consolidator. In the case of telephone interpreting, the high barriers to entry – namely investment in telephony infrastructure – have proven to be strong deterrents for would-be telephone interpreting competitors. In other words, a platform like this comes just in time for many on-site interpreting agencies that have struggled to understand how they can offer telephone interpreting services to their customers.