Our office has several approaches to hybrid meetings. We own a Polycom system, which allows users to securely connect with their partner’s IP address for meetings. We also use applications such as Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, and Teams to provide virtual rooms for interpretation sessions.

Not all businesses are equipped with reliable tools and technology, or some customers or workers may be traveling in the Monterey area and not have reliable means to join meetings. Well, we can help you.

At Monterey Language Services, we offer conference room rental. Gather with your customers or employees both in-person and in hybrid fashion to make the most of your business ventures.

If you are looking for conference room space to rent out, or if you need interpretation services for your meetings, please reach out to us at montereylanguages.com or at 831-655-3460. We would be happy to help.

Remote work deeply affected the language services industry as well, of course. While many translators who already performed their work remotely were able to adapt well, interpreters who were used to going to events in-person suddenly found themselves having to figure their ways around new video or phone systems and rely on their clients’ ability to use technology as well. By now, in late 2022, these interpreters probably have a good handle on remote work now, but we have a hunch that they’re happy about the recent return to in-person meetings and gatherings.

According to USA Facts, 68% of the United States’ population have been fully vaccinated as of November 2022, while roughly a third of the whole population has had a booster dose as well. While 21% of people in the United States seem to have not had any doses of the vaccine at all, the number of those who at least have some protection is still high. While there is still some risk to in-person meetings, the vaccine helps prevent particularly adverse cases of Covid-19.

With the increase in in-person meetings, wherever possible or requested, we at Monterey Language Services like to send interpreters to on-site meetings. In-person meetings provide less of a risk of missing information due to shaky internet connections or not being able to see the speakers clearly, and we fully support that our interpreters go in-person so long as they are vaccinated and feel safe. Many patients need the in-person support of an interpreter so that they feel comforted in a situation that they might otherwise feel very tense in.

We recently posted about sending Spanish interpreters to a school board event, but we also regularly send interpreters to other places as well, such as medical institutions like major county hospitals, children’s hospitals, large medical groups’ health centers, and even clinics under the State of California’s innovative and research contracts. It is our honor and privilege to be able to provide safe service so many community healthcare facilities, and we admire these places for being able to provide safe, clean spaces for staff, patients, and interpreters to interact.

When the pandemic first began, it was uncertain whether or not it would even be possible to procure toilet paper, or if you could even get into a line for a supermarket without having to wait multiple hours. But over time, health experts have been able to recommend safe practices that ensure the safety and prevent the spread of COVID-19. In the present, while there are still many things that we are not able to do, there are many more things that we can do now that make it possible to feel as if we are living as we used to.

Of course, people in general aren’t the only ones who had to find a way to adapt in order to have a taste of normalcy. Businesses had to find a way to continue their work without any detriment to their employees’ health or their profits. For restaurants, their answer was delivery. For schools, remote teaching has become a very viable option. And for business giants such as Google and Apple, they are allowing their employees to work at home until at least July 2021.

With the realization that the COVID-19 situation is not getting any better, companies now have to face with the unfortunate reality that there will not be an answer to this pandemic until next year. With that in mind, businesses are trying to get ahead of the curve, and allow for remote work for their employees to ensure that they are safe, and do not have to choose between their job and their safety. It is highly likely that more businesses will begin to adapt the same measures as the year goes on as long as they are equipped to.

Overall, with the end of COVID-19 nowhere in sight, businesses have to make the call that will bring their employees the most safety while also ensuring that they can function without there being too much impact to their day-to-day operations. Nobody knows when the pandemic will end, but it is certain that proper precautions need to be taken sooner than later if businesses want to survive this pandemic.