Why are Interpreting and Translation Services Important During COVID-19?
Coronaviruses are a family of respiratory viruses that can infect both humans and animals. Their crown-like shape is the reason behind the name coronavirus; as the term ‘corona’ derives from Latin meaning crown. So apart from translating the name, why are Interpreting and Translation Services Important During COVID-19?
About COVID-19
COVID-19 began in China, and the identification of the first human cases was in early December 2019. On the 31st of December 2019, The World Health Organisation (WHO) were informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan. The WHO Director declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30th, 2020. Afterwards, China and the WHO shared information about the virus around the world. And as the virus continued to spread, other countries began sharing their advice and information as well. On March 11th, 2020 was the announcement of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. After that, there was need for translators to accurately translate medical information and for interpreters to work during global meetings and news releases. This is just one reason why Interpreting and Translation Services are important during COVID-19.
Why are translators and interpreters so important during COVID-19?
Initially, translators saw a huge rise in demand at the start of the pandemic and there is also a growing demand for interpreting requests during this global pandemic.
• The WHO releases daily COVID-19 research updates which must be accurately translated into different languages before release
• Specialist medical translators are translating medical research for healthcare providers around the world
• Many countries are working towards creating a COVID-19 vaccine and any updates must be shared globally
• Government guidelines in the UK must be available in many languages including Polish, Urdu, and Arabic
• As social distancing laws change, local communities must be informed of Public Health Guidelines and reopening updates
Any misinformation could be fatal for both, health care and governmental industries, thus qualified linguists are in high demand. Many people are very nervous about the situation and any false information could result in panic. Governments and local councils are turning to reliable linguist service providers to help with interpreting and translation services.
Remote Interpreting Services
In recent years remote translating and interpreting has become a growing trend in local and global markets. Thanks to the development of translating software, technology and online platforms such as zoom, Microsoft teams and Skype remote interpreting is becoming more common. Many of you may already be familiar with Remote Interpreting Services, but for those of you who are not, it is a way to provide interpreting services without needing to be at the location. Both telephone interpreting as well as video interpreting Services are used for remote interpreting. Normally this service is applicable when participants are in different geographical locations but during lockdown this has become the new normal for translating companies. Absolute Interpreting and Translations Ltd have been successfully providing these services for many years. And as multiple industries rely on interpreters, Absolute made it a priority to ensure they continued operating throughout COVID-19 lockdown.
Interpreters and Translators During COVID-19
COVID-19 has affected all of us and is continuing to prevent us from getting back to our normal routines. Although interpreting and translation services are important during COVID-19 to help spreading accurate information, the global pandemic has also had negative impacts on the interpreting industry.
Translating and Interpreting are different and as translation is possible remotely, it suffered less impacts from COVID-19. Absolute Interpreting and Translations Ltd provides face-to-face interpreting services and Events and Conference Interpreting. However, it became more challenging to provide these services due to COVID-19 and social distancing legal guidelines, resulting in reduced work for interpreters. Many countries have closed their borders which has resulted in the cancellation of overseas interpreting services. The Institute of Translation and Interpreting completed a survey for interpreters during COVID-19. It concluded that 82% of respondents are dealing with less work whereas16% have seen an increase in online interpreting services, like video interpreting. Becoming a remote interpreter is a great opportunity to get more work during COVID-19.
At Absolute Interpreting and Translations Ltd we prioritises the safety of their linguists and strive to continue to provide their remote services during these difficult times. This is just one reason why most interpreters prefer to work for Absolute Interpreting and Translations Ltd.
