Having a continuous telematic video window open into Interpreting!
The United States has a long-term and severe shortage of qualified sign-language and other (oral, deaf-blind, etc.) interpreters. As a result, the costs of interpreting services rise every year at rates far outpacing that of consumer inflation. They currently are in the $50 to $60 per hour range. The interpreter referral services require a two-hour minimum, which translates into a minimum of $100 to $120 per assignment. Assignments lasting more than an hour usually involve two interpreters. Conferences often have as many as six (6) interpreters working. Given the persistent shortages, arranging for these interpreters to be on site can require several weeks of coordination.
High-speed communications and low-cost digital video cameras, are making remote interpreting possible. In this scenario, the interpreter works from one location (home, or an office). She or he uses a PC equipped with a video camera that is focused upon her/him. The interpreter signs what she/he hears. The consumer, who may be in a doctor’s office, in a store, in an office meeting, or even in a social event, watches a PC screen displaying the interpreter’s upper body and face. With a broadband connection, the signing is sharp and clear. The interpreters bill by the minute, with no minimum length of engagement. Thus, a brief appointment (say, with a doctor) might cost the consumer or service provider as little as $30. To illustrate, Sign Language Associates (SLA), of Silver Spring, MD, bills about $3 per minute for its service, Video Interpreting Program (VIP), with a $50 reservation fee.
Video interpreting makes far more efficient use of the scarce resource of qualified interpreters. These professionals now spend many hours each week in transit to and from jobs. With video interpreting, they can make use of virtually every working hour, fielding one request after another. This makes them more available for deaf and hard of hearing persons, especially in rural areas. That increases the quality of life that is possible for millions of deaf and hard of hearing.
