Our Analysts' Insights

For the last 10 years, I have written hundreds of pages of research on interpreting in its various forms. I personally tested countless interpreting technologies, but I had never been lucky enough to have to rely on interpreting as a true user would in a situation when they don’t know the language at all. Recently, I had the unique opportunity to attend a conference where I relied entirely on interpreting to navigate presentations, discussions, and interactions. Despite some quick language-lear...

Upselling and cross-selling aren’t just buzzwords—they’re critical strategies that allow LSPs to deliver more value to their clients while driving growth. For project managers and account managers, knowing when and how to offer additional services can transform client relationships from transactional to strategic partnerships.

For language service providers, finding the right way to stand out in a crowded marketplace is a lot like navigating the breakfast cereal aisle at your local grocery store. This aisle is a tapestry of colors, characters, flavors, and promises, each box vying for your attention and attempting to persuade you of its unique benefits. Whether it’s the health-conscious options that emphasize whole grains and fiber, the kid-friendly boxes with cartoon mascot illustrations, or the luxury granolas that...

The topic of automation has taken the interpreting industry by storm. On the one hand, enthusiasts believe in artificial intelligence as a way to broaden language access at an affordable cost. On the other hand, skeptics worry about all the things that could go wrong in the implementation. But where does it all settle when it comes to organization-level implementations?

The rising frequency of discussions about AI has led to much unease among interpreting service providers about the impact of automated solutions on language access and on what that means to the future of their profession. In this blog, we explore the concept of meaningful language access, why automated interpreting struggles with that concept, and how it relates to deciding and defining the role of the interpreter.

Some people feel that using artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret human speech is a curse because individuals using the service could suffer harm due to mistranslations or because interpreters might lose their livelihood. Others embrace AI for all the possibilities it creates, first and foremost the ability to offer language access on a much greater scale and at a reduced cost. So which camp is right? Like so many techno-ethical questions, there is no right or wrong. It really depends on th...

Every CEO knows they must develop three core elements to business management: a mission statement that explains the fundamental purpose of their company, a vision statement that plots a destination for their business, and core values that represent the fundamental beliefs and principles defining the company and its culture. Executive teams will commonly invest significant time developing these elements, even hiring consultants or advisors to help them. Yet, once satisfied with the results, these...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. During this period, organizations seek to raise awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on physical, emotional, and mental well-being. What does it mean for the language services industry? What are the negative effects of working as an interpreter, translator, project manager, or in any other role in the industry? With this blog, we hope to shed some light on the work-induced mental trauma that language professionals may experience and strategies to h...

We’ve all been entertained by spells going wrong in the Harry Potter books and movies. What does any of it have to do with generative AI? If you think of artificial intelligence as the magic, then the prompt is the spell you use to invoke the magic. And not all spells – or prompts – are created equal.

Companies all over the world are experimenting with breaking away from the traditional five-day work week to move to a more condensed or shortened one. My husband, an HR manager, has implemented 4x10 (4 days of 10 hours each) at his company for over two years now and I have had countless discussions with him on whether language service providers could switch to such a model. I originally had some reservations because LSPs need to be there for their clients at a minimum of five days a week – if ...