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.

That being said, an office environment takes effort and dedication to set up and maintain in order to reflect a warm, comfortable, and connected place to work.

Change of Scenery

Shifting our minds from relaxation mode to work mode takes time, so it helps to change our environment. That’s why many people benefit so much from having their entertainment spaces and items separate from their work environments.

What some people might fail to realize is that office spaces don’t have to be full of things that make us happy. Bright unobtrusive spaces, art, and other meaningful decorations can make us happier. Our production levels can increase right along with our moods.

Keeping Organized

Keeping supplies, items, desks, and other equipment in their proper places also adds to the pleasantness of an office space. Of course, keeping organized makes it easier to remember where things are, to note when you’re out of certain supplies, and where to find important documents. Letting items clutter up interferes with work, makes people frustrated, and negatively affects production levels and how we might interact with coworkers and clients.

It Works

Recently, at our own office we decided to majorly dust off equipment, toss away items that are not in line with our post-pandemic spirit, reorganize, and decorate. After moving our office location several years ago, the sudden onset of the pandemic had halted our original plans to set up our new office exactly as we wanted it. But returning to the office is another story.

Since undertaking a major cleaning up and reorganizing operation, our office has never been better. Now, our office is warm, welcoming, and organized so well that it affects our whole operation, even making those who still can’t make it to the office feel excited and inspired. Art lines the walls, brightening the rooms, and cards from our colleagues all over the world have been hung up to remind us of our cross-cultural connections, and our commitment to our clients.

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.

Understanding Your Finances

No business can do anything without finances. Do budget properly, and do the math to understand your bottom line. How much do you need to make to turn a profit? How much is too much for customers to afford?

Knowing when and where to cut back on your finances and where to invest is critical to keeping your business afloat. With the huge impact of the pandemic, it’s no question that the loss of sales affected many businesses too much. To weather these hardships, downsizing on your output, office space, or perhaps even prices might help you keep the business going.

Making and Keeping Connections, even Remotely

Many language service providers rely on freelance translators and interpreters as vendors for their business; most times, getting in touch with them is often done through phone calls or emails. But, how do you get the vendor—especially interpreters—to their assignments, when in-person meetings are restricted?

Phone and video methods are hardly secrets. Even outside of the pandemic, these are common ways to get an interpreter to someone immediately regardless of where the client and interpreter are. Those LSPs and other small businesses that had already been getting ready to use remote or online options were in a good place to adapt their services to the pandemic.

Communicating with Your Team

To keep open communication with your team members is vital. Just as upper management relies on associates to get the on-hands work done, associates rely on upper management to answer their questions. The back-and-forth dynamics and momentum are crucial to move your business forward.

In times of hardship like the pandemic, transparent communication is very important. Employees may be nervous about job security or keeping certain accounts going. Positive reinforcement, support, and leadership can provide teams with the confidence they need to weather any circumstance.

Don’t be Afraid of Change…

New technologies come out constantly in today’s world, even during the pandemic and afterward. Learning how to use them can help your business stay up-to-date, and can even help with your output’s quality and/or quantity.

Other changes might include the coming and going of staff, a vendor changing their prices, the laws you have to keep in mind, etc. Keep abreast of these changes and remember to stay flexible; taking too long to adapt might leave you in the dust of your competitors.

Adapting to pandemic looked different for all sorts of companies, but what’s important is to stay creative. Some businesses turned remote, others decided to automate work flows, and some decided to host online events.

…But Try to Stay Consistent

Sudden, unexplained changes even outside the pandemic can upset a person’s balance and leave them scrambling for an answer. For example, having to reduce the price per word for a translation could result in a vendor refusing to work with you, or raising the prices too high for a customer could result in the customer backing out of a deal.

As important as it is to stay flexible, people like to stick to tried and true methods—things remain reliable that way. So, whenever possible, keep consistent in your work, and be as transparent as possible with your customers. Consistency and transparency will always be appreciated by those you work with.

We mentioned in our last post that gas prices have been soaring this year, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll be dropping any time soon. Luckily with the general trend toward remote work, many have the option to work from home and save on travel and gas in the tank. However, this doesn’t mean that translators, and interpreters especially, should just exclusively hole up in their homes. For instance, the gas price increase will affect low-income households terribly, especially those that don’t speak English, or speak limited English.

Similarly, the American baby formula shortage has left parents struggling with increased costs for formula—at least, the formula that they can find. We’re not expecting the issue, or the ramifications, to be resolved overnight. Once again, low-income families could easily be hit the hardest, with non-English speaking families having another barrier to entry concerning information from news outlets, supermarkets, and doctor recommendations. We suggest keeping a close eye on news concerning this event. Even if formula were magically restocked and prices dropped to normal tomorrow, there would still be long-lasting effects, especially concerning the health of children.

It would be best for translators and interpreters to be prepared to travel for assignments concerning low-income households and LEP (Limited English Proficiency/non-English families). These low-income households might not have easy access to the technology needed for remote translation or interpretation. Even access to email and cell phones might be limited or impossible. Given the tendency for low-income families to have a lower quality of health compared to medium-income households, they could very likely be in need of in-person interpretation at a clinic or hospital. In-person interpretation activities may gradually rise again.

Sadly, the Russian war with Ukraine is unlikely to end any time soon. Many Ukrainians have fled, looking for refuge, and numerous translators and interpreters have stepped up to the plate. Yet still, the need for translations and interpretations into and out of Cyrillic-based languages will likely only rise. We suggest that any translator or interpreter able to help do so.

Lastly, while there has been some return to “normalcy,” Covid-19 is still a danger to many and will likely stay that way going into the end of 2022. We hope you use lots of precautionary measures, and stay safe and healthy.

First, understand that if you’re feeling the effects of inflation, so are your clients and companies that you’re working with. You should try looking at your rates compared with other translators and interpreters and know where you stand.  Everyone’s situation is different, however everyone is in the same inflation. This means the best way to cope with the uncertain times is to make sure that you stay in a good position without losing any of the business that you currently have. You should always be sure to do your best to honor your rates with your current clients. Even to lower your rate to attract more business may be also a good idea!

Next, the world has gone through a lot of changes over the years and we all have had to learn and adapt in order to stay afloat. Before the pandemic, the majority of work was done in-person, but now, there are more and more remote interpretation opportunities. Be sure to also widen your reach to other parts of the country. If you are working from home, that means you can work anywhere. Someone in a completely different area from you may be looking for someone with your experience. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

If you’re going to be working more from home, it may be time to reassess your internet, phone plan, and current equipment. Investing in better internet, phone service, and equipment will make you a more attractive interpreter or translator because you will not have as many technical difficulties as others may have. For that matter, be sure to educate yourself on how to connect to the various video conferencing services. For example, try setting up Zoom, Google Meets, or Webex on your own and test having a call with yourself to make sure you know how to quickly connect and also that your audio equipment is good. Connection means work and livelihood in today’s work place!

Finally, we do hope the world will be back to normal where we can also provide both remote and in-person interpretation without worrying about the inflation nor the pandemic. After all, a balance of in-person and remote work would be the ideal model for clients, interpreters and language service providers!

Let’s start with the basics. To connect to a Zoom meeting, you will first need to have Zoom downloaded to your computer or device and installed. Then, you will need the host to send you one of two things— either a link to the meeting or the meeting ID and the password. Some meetings do not have passwords though, but it’s good practice to ask for a password regardless when agreeing to the meeting. Meeting IDs typically follow this format, 000 0000 0000, with a total of eleven numbers. If the client sends you a meeting ID that does not consist of eleven numbers, you should check with them to confirm. Alternatively, if you do not want to connect through the computer or just want audio only, most Zoom meetings come with a phone number with which you can call into as well.

When you connect, there are several things that might happen depending on both your settings and how the host set up the meeting. If it is a large meeting with many people, then it’s possible that the host will have the meeting set up so that they will have to manually let participants into the meeting. This means that when you connect, you will not go directly into the call. Instead, you will see a screen that says that the host will let you into the meeting. When you get into the meeting, depending on your settings, you might join with your camera on and microphone on, or maybe both of them off, or a combination of the two. Be wary of that if you need a minute or two to get settled and do not want to have your microphone or video on when you connect. You can change this before you connect in the settings of Zoom.

When you are in the meeting, you will notice that there are different buttons at the bottom. As an interpreter you most likely will only need to use the buttons to toggle your microphone and video, the interpretation button if the client has it enabled, and of course the end call button when the meeting ends. Moreover, Zoom has a recording function and a function where the program can transcribe what was said during a recording in the target language. This will only work for the target language, which is English by default depending on what language the host has their program in. The transcription is fairly accurate and can be useful if you want to review what was said or translate the questions into a different language.

First, the host should not be using a free account. The free account comes with many features, but it does not come with the interpretation feature enabled. The easiest way to do this is to upgrade to a business account. Along with a variety of features, the interpretation function is enabled on student and business accounts. Also, be sure to have Zoom updated to its latest version. The interpretation function did not come to the program until later versions, so older versions will not be able to use it. There are many clients who do not realize this and are confused as to why they cannot use interpretation despite perfectly following the instructions.

The next step is to make sure that the interpretation function is enabled. To do this, the host will need to go into the web portal for Zoom and sign into their account. From there, they will need to go into Settings and then go to In Meeting (Advanced). If there is no option for this, you will need to contact Zoom support to have it enabled. After you go into In Meeting (Advanced), all you need to do is scroll down to Language Interpretation and add the languages you need. Just note that you can add as many languages you want to the list of languages, but in a meeting, you can only set up a maximum of five at once.

After enabling the interpreter function and adding the desired languages, it is time to add the interpreters. While still in the web portal, navigate to Schedule a Meeting, and after setting up the meeting as you like, then scroll down to Interpretation and check the box for Enable Language Interpretation. In that same section, there should be a box where you can add an interpreter by their email address, and you can add what language they will be speaking. When you do this, be sure that the interpreter is using a Zoom account that is linked to the email that you put in. If they use a different account, then be sure to ask them for that email address so that you can add them.

Finally, you can launch the meeting. After the meeting is launched, have the interpreter(s) join, and then in the meeting controls, you should see Interpretation. Click on that and you will be able to add and remove interpreters as necessary. If the interpreters are not appearing, make sure that they are properly added, on the right account, and that you have the latest version of Zoom. If you follow all these instructions, then you will be on the way to a successful Zoom interpretation session!

The first one is to be sure to have a separate space for your work. This might not be possible for everyone depending on where you are living, but it is important to have a space that you can identify as your workspace for multiple reasons. The first reason is for productivity reasons. Your home is traditionally your place to relax. It is pretty much a “no work zone.” But now, you are bringing your work into that space. This means your workspace and your relaxation space will inevitably mix together, and you will not be as focused when working, and you will be more tense while relaxing. The next reason is that, it will be easier for you to concentrate if you have a separate space where you can be as alone as possible. This will help to replicate you being in an office setting and allow you to focus more since you will be able to physically block distractions.

The next step is to make sure you get up, stretch, and walk around. Staying too sedentary is something very common among translators, and for good reason. But staying in the same spot, doing the same repetitive motions is actually very detrimental for your health. Just getting up and doing a few stretches every hour or so will help to refresh your body as well as your mind. You will also be able to prevent any kind of damage to your body that comes from prolonged immobility.

Next, be sure to have a good internet connection. There are a great deal of ISPs that have data caps on their internet, and if you are living with a family, you might already be getting close to that cap every month. Add in to the fact that you are now working from home and having to download files to translate, you might exceed that cap easily. You should make sure that you can operate within the means of your internet plan, and if you can’t find a better one so that you have reliable internet.

For the last tip, be sure to save your files both offline and online, and save frequently. With modern technology, it is increasingly common for everyone to save their files to a cloud service so that it is easier to share and access by multiple parties, but if there is a problem accessing the internet, then you will not be able to continue work anymore. Likewise, if something happens to your computer or device you are working on, and you are not able to use it anymore, having access to the file online will make sure that you can access it from a different device and thus allow you to continue work.

Remote work is a new work environment for most of us, so it is important to keep in mind what needs to be done so that you can comfortably continue to work from home. Be sure to stay healthy both mentally and physically so that you can continue to sustain this new work life without any problems.