Lorena Ortiz Schneider, e-Voice Editor<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When it comes to remote interpreting, opinions and anecdotes abound. Missing\u00a0is hard research to identify trends, challenges and opportunities. Earlier this year, Common Sense Advisory conducted some of its most extensive interpreting market research since 2010, when InterpretAmerica commissioned\u00a0the first exhaustive–and so far only–interpreting market study covering North America<\/a>, which we made available free of charge as a service to the interpreting profession.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n In this guest blog post,\u00a0H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Pielmeier<\/a>, a Senior Analyst at\u00a0Common Sense Advisory<\/a>, shares some valuable insights into interpreting delivery platforms (IDPs) and why interpreters should take a serious look at them.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recent technological advances have led to an explosion of interpreting delivery platform (IDP) options that enable remote, video, telephone, and even machine interpretation. In this blog post, we explore four categories of IDPs, the challenges with selling them, issues with supply chain\u00a0readiness, and what all industry participants must do to prepare.<\/p>\n Through in-depth research and 45 interviews and demos with technology vendors, users of such technologies, and interpreting experts, Common Sense Advisory (CSA Research) found some solid products across the four categories of products that\u00a0we track<\/a>.<\/p>\n For years, everyone said that the technology to deliver remote interpreting wasn\u2019t there. But now it\u2019s here and it works. In theory, first-movers should occupy a prominent position in the market. However, many products haven\u2019t moved much past the starting line due to poor go-to-market strategies, limited marketing budgets, insufficient experience in selling to desirable verticals and audiences, and a lack of qualified interpreter talent on the networks (See: \u201cDeveloping the IDP Market<\/a>\u201d).<\/p>\n No matter how good an IDP is, technology alone isn\u2019t enough. Whether or not developers provide services along with the technology, they must ensure there is a supply chain ready to deliver the services on the platform. Yet most developers have yet to line up linguist networks. They sometimes end up selling the moon to clients by planting the benefits of IDPs in their mind, but fail to deliver on the infrastructure to create a viable commercial offering. Otherwise, they offer the equivalent of a car with no roads to drive it on.<\/p>\n Technology vendors tend to pass the buck. They want to let organizations use \u201ctheir own networks,\u201d as if they were doing their prospects a favor. For most, it isn\u2019t. Many clients want the software with the service, taking a \u201cdo it for me\u201d approach. Whether you are a technology vendor, a language service provider, a hybrid, or a buyer of language services, you must identify what you can do to train the next generation of interpreters so they can work effectively remotely.<\/p>\n But developers and LSPs face even more issues than just readiness: the shortage of talent to supply services the way clients want them. For example, many clients expect 24×7 coverage of VRI, even for languages of limited demand, something that will be further compounded as more buyers adopt IDPs.<\/p>\n Interpreting via a platform also requires a different skill set than for face-to-face scenarios. IDPs raise questions about interpreting quality, communicative dynamics, skills, and required training. The advent of RSI systems is particularly problematic in the sense that it requires simultaneous interpreters, the rarest type due to the advanced skill set it requires.<\/p>\n Service suppliers reported struggling with asking interpreters to sign up in advance of the need so they have a complete package to sell. But when too few requests come through for on-demand services, linguists do not have incentives to stand by waiting for work. With spotty and insufficient supply, providers can\u2019t deliver on what they sell, thus feeding the vicious cycle of which segment to develop first.<\/p>\n All industry participants \u2013 buyers of language services, technology vendors, service providers, or interpreters \u2013 need to take stock of the options available to them and how to best leverage them to service their customers the best way possible. IDPs are here to stay. The biggest casualty in the deployment of IDPs will be interpreters who don\u2019t want to use interpreting delivery platforms. That was the case with many tech-resistant translators who refused to work with translation memory and now avoid any use of machine translation. Based on our surveys and interviews, CSA Research contends that IDP vendors have the potential to generate more demand by increasing market awareness of interpreting possibilities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Common Sense Advisory<\/strong> is an independent market research company helping companies profitably grow their international businesses and gain access to new markets and new customers. Its focus is on assisting its clients to operationalize, benchmark, optimize, and innovate industry best practices in translation, localization, interpreting, globalization, and internationalization. For more information, visit: https:\/\/www.commonsenseadvisory.com<\/a> or www.twitter.com\/CSA_Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image by ronaldo via pixabay.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In cased you missed it, InterpretAmerica<\/a>, established in 2009 to provide a national and international forum for the interpreting profession aimed at elevating its profile, posted an article on their blog about Interpreting Delivery Platforms, or IDP\u2019s for short. We bring it to you here, with permission from Common Sense Advisory<\/a>, the T&I market-based research company keeping the interpreting profession abreast of the latest developments in the field. IDPs are here to stay, so we thought it important to share this research with you today. Read about what H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Pielmeier discovered regarding these delivery platforms here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38,174],"tags":[136,187,186,126,137],"yoast_head":"\n![\"[headset]\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/headset-red.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1\")
INTRODUCTION<\/h4>\nInterpreting Delivery Platforms: Should You Get On the Bandwagon?<\/h1>\n
INTERPRETING DELIVERY PLATFORMS DEFINED<\/h3>\n
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GREAT PRODUCTS AREN’T ENOUGH<\/h3>\n
IT’S TIME TO EMBRACE IDPs ALONGSIDE OTHER INTERPRETING APPROACHES<\/h3>\n
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