International Effectiveness Centers

Professionalism

Language interpreters function as a resource to facilitate communication between individuals

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It is an interpreter’s job to convey the content and spirit of any message as accurately as possible, whether the message originates in a spoken language or ASL. There are three musts for a qualified interpreter:

  1. An interpreter must be skilled in the languages they work with, or ASL, and able to render any message faithfully.
  2. An interpreter must be versatile, that is, able to adapt to the needs of the people he or she is serving.
  3. An interpreter must be professional, never obtrusive, disrespectful or biased, and mindful that his or her basic role is to facilitate communication and to provide cultural and linguistic mediation.

Dress

We expect all interpreters to reflect good taste and professionalism in their dress. As a general rule, your attire should be comparable to that of the main speakers of the event you are interpreting. Jeans and other casual clothes are almost never appropriate.

Getting to Assignments

As an independent professional contractor, you are responsible for getting to all assignments on time. Call the contact person in advance for directions and information about typical traffic patterns, BART or bus routes, taxi availability, and other transportation issues. Be forewarned that directions can be confusing or even incorrect at times. For this reason, we strongly urge you to use reliable maps to understand where you are going.

Customer Cancellations and “No-Shows”

If you arrive on-site and your assignment has been cancelled, the customer may use your services for another assignment during the same time period at the same site. If your services are not needed, IEC asks that you call us immediately and make yourself available for other assignments. If there are other assignments open, we would appreciate your taking an alternate one. If IEC cancels an assignment giving you at least 48-hours notice, you will not be paid.

Interpreter Cancellations and “No-Shows”

We understand that unexpected illnesses, emergencies, and mishaps arise. If one occurs, please contact IEC as soon as possible so we can attempt to locate a replacement for you or reschedule the assignment. If, as an independent contractor, you fail to appear for an assignment you have accepted, and neither you nor IEC can find a suitable replacement, or if you arrive disruptively late, we will expect you to provide complimentary interpreting services for a similar assignment to the same customer in order to restore good faith between the customer, yourself, and IEC. If you are habitually late or prone to cancelling assignments frequently, we may elect not to do business with you.

Your team’s proficiency in navigating the intricacies of pronoun usage has not only facilitated clear and respectful communication but has also contributed significantly to the overall quality of our client care. In a healthcare setting like ours, where sensitivity to individual identities and preferences is paramount, your attention to detail and understanding of pronoun language nuances have truly set you apart.

We value the partnership we have with your organization and look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that language barriers are minimized, and all our patients receive the highest quality of care. Please extend our gratitude to your team for their dedication and proficiency in providing language access services that make a meaningful impact on our clinic’s operations.

– Lily Vu, LCSW

Program Manager
County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services

We have been using International Effectiveness Centers for our translation needs, and are extremely pleased with their work. They are professional, very responsive to our needs, and always on time with our deadlines. I recommend them highly.

– Beth Saiki, MPH

Director of Lung Health Programs
American Lung Association

…IEC helped my client, San Francisco Headstart, translate all their forms into Chinese, Vietnamese and Spanish. San Francisco Headstart is a nonprofit educational organization that works with immigrant families. IEC was able to translate and create files for us to print. They made a tough job easy.

– Jeannie Yee

General Manager
Giant Horse Printing, Inc.

I am pleased to recommend IEC for future organizations and businesses. Not only can IEC be an asset to a company, but also provide a competitive advantage. Their work is exceptional and I continute to hear high praise from customers as well as colleagues. Magellan does not consider IEC as just a vendor, but a partner in delivering quality communications to an increasingly global marketplace.

– Erika Murray

Project Manager
Magellan Health Services

Each office that has used IEC has been very complimentary regarding your interpreters. They are professional, patient, respectful and above all are excellent interpreters. We look forward to another year of working with IEC.

– Bobbi George

General Manager
Tender Loving Care

Contra Costa Health Services has contracted the interpreter and translation services of International Effectiveness Center (IEC) for the past five years. During this period, Taryk Rouchdy, President of IEC, and his staff, have been consistently there to facilitate our need for telephonic and in person interpreters. The quality of his interpreters has been very professional. When there were any concerns raised by staff, he and his staff have been there to quickly expedite the matter.

Overall, staff at CCHS has been very satisfied with the work and working relationship that we have had with IEC for the past five years. I personally, as manager of language services for the department, have much respect for the professionalism that Taryk and his staff has conducted themselves when providing services for us. I have no hesitation in recommending the services of IEC.

– José Martin, LMFT

RHD Language Services Manager
Contra Costa Health Services
International Effectiveness Centers

International Effectiveness Centers
Phone: (800) 292-9246
E-mail: iec@ie-center.org