Comments on: VRS Interpreted from Home?

By: A

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:20:27 +0000

Ron Burdett, Sorenson Communication (19:15:44) :
We (Sorenson Communication) have never set up a VRS interpreter station in a person’s home. We as a company are always vigilant at ensuring the FCC regulation to provide confidential calls as we do just that by providing Sorenson VRS services from confidential and secure Interpreting Centers across the country. We provide VRI service which is not a regulated service. It is a fee based and similar to community interpreting. VRI is being done from the interpreter’s home. This is a common practice with other VRI Interpreting agencies as well. These interpreters providing VRI services are using other types of equipment and all services are scheduled through a different department and scheduling service, there is no overlap of VRI with VRS.
Cheers!
Ron

Ron,

You (Sorenson) are also notorious for working your interpreters into the ground. Many people only work for Sorenson because it is the closest VRS service to their home or because there are simply no alternatives. If VVI catches on and interpreters can work from home with other companies, and your company continues to take a hard stance, I believe you will be out of business. I’m not saying this WILL happen, but, given the choice, any interpreter would choose to set-up a home office and work for a technologically-savvy company with eyes toward the future, rather than the Sorenson monopoly.

Who is more likely to break confidentiality? A well-rested, less-stressed interpreter with a PROFESSIONAL HOME OFFICE who is certified and follows confidentiality to a T, or an over-worked cubicle interpreter?

Dont be paranoid, VVI interpreting companies are smart enough to employ professionals with access to a private home-office and a vast knowledge of the Code of Ethics. I have several friends who work for LifeLinks, they tell me that the screening process is extensive and that the company comes out to the individuals home and carefully determines if the set-up and situation is/are appropriate. They don’t just send any ol’ person who wants to interpret the software/hardware and say “good luck!”

Fortunately, I work for a fantastic VRS company that works its interpreters just enough and is sensitive to ergonomic needs and provides sufficient breaks. I work with several former Sorenson VRS interpreters who left because they felt over-worked and under-appreciated, which is often the case with a mega-corporation like Sorenson. I also work with several people who drive 2+ hours to-and-from work EVERYDAY.

I personally don’t work VVI, but if it catches on I can’t say I wouldn’t consider it.

You cant complain about a lack of interpreters, yet at the same time say that something that provides professional interpreters incentives to stay/start in the interpreting field shouldn’t be allowed.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:52:56 +0000

“….. the solution to rates and home offices and shortage of interpreters:

Invest money in existing technologies and expand them to be able to recognize ASL over a video connection and convert it to speech. Tie that to a computer animation (”avatar”) that coverts English to ASL. ”

Thinks-Like-Hearing,

That “solution” just puts countless people out of jobs. Your “solution” for confidentiality issues is to eliminate the interpreting profession altogether and replace it with software?

I think most Deaf people would rather have a human in front of them. For every 1 interpreter that violates confidentiality there are 10,000 that never even think to do so.

Terrible idea.

By: Cert-terp

Cert-terp — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:35:22 +0000

Confidentiality is never a guarantee no matter where you go. A call center interpreter can talk about deaf conversations when s/he is done with the call or leaves the call center. I’m a VRS terp who has worked for several companies and have witnessed terps who finish with a call and then go talk about it to another interpreter in the call center. That violates confidentiality and they work in a call center! I believe that confidentiality is higher from home-offices because there’s no one else there to talk to!

And to clear up a misunderstanding…home-office terps can transfer calls if they need a switch. Yeah, technology!

(For the record, I’m not a home-office terp)

By: edsalert

edsalert — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:10:57 +0000

Annonymous,

If you can note the time, day, VI’s identification number, and the name of VRS. You can file complaint with the FCC.

Go to http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm and follow the instruction. I suggest two ways: one via online complaint and other via email.

Good luck…

By: annonymous

annonymous — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:43:28 +0000

I know for fact that interpreters for LifeLinks work home. I think there 2 call centers. That all. They try to trick us, but they won’t get way with it. There never enough interpreters to do the calls anyways. I can never get in and wait for hours. How can company still work if not meet FCC rules. I also know there is no security at home. One interpreter said they never check. and their pets always comes in means no shut door. this no good company.

By: edsalert

edsalert — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:57:01 +0000

Ruth David, Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated - not only by me, but by Readers of Alert as well. Confidentiality and privacy are, as you said, very important. I strongly believe that ultimately it would need to come from VRS users themselves in deciding the degree of comfort/confidentiality in using VRS provider that allows video interpreters to work from home.

The FCC would need to check the pulse of the VRS users and ensure that these confidentiality and privacy issues are maintained to the highest level. Unfortunately, at this time, the FCC does not have resources to check that out in a thorough way; perhaps ultimately from the demands of the teeming masses, these issues will go higher up on priority rating and receive thorough reviews these issues deserve.

I do strongly suggest that any VRS providers that do allow VIs to work from home to be open about that and state publically the security measures to ensure confidentiality and privacy instead of hiding behind so called "private office" which they may be, but, nevertheless, from a home. VRS users, in upon learning the security measures, may or may not be comfortable to use VRS that allow VI to work from private offices of their homes. The choice should be up to the VRS users to decide that with facts openly shared regarding VIs and their "private offices".

I beg to disagree; continuation of federal funding of VRS will not stop as ur message seems to imply. VRS industry is here to stay no matter what. You may be referring to reimbursement rates; in that case, this is still open to debate and that the FCC ultimately will have to decide on reimbursement rates. (By the way, we should hear from the FCC on that very soon.)

Again, thanks for your remarks.

We'll see what the Gentle Readers have to say.

eyes open & thumbs up, Ed

By: Ruth David

Ruth David — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 06:24:05 +0000

Your blog is quite fair, open and reasonable and merits a response from Lifelinks. Although all our interpreters work from call centers, in order to provide the deaf community with as many certified interpreters hours as possible, we will enable, e.g. a mother, who has family responsibilities, to supplement her hours by working from a office located in a separate facility such as a garage or basement which is used for no other purpose, is lockable, secure, private, professional with back-up power, etc. and far away from the distractions of children or intrusion. An interpreter is required to have a babysitter or child-care person while she/he works. Two or more interpreters may simultaneously work from the same superbly equipped facility because these are, in effect, call centers. Our technology enables any interpreter to transfer a call depending on caller preference, length of call, etc. just as if the interpreters were in the same location, so the issue of interpreter fatigue is moot. A supervisor is always available. All facilities are examined to assure compliance. The interpreters are paid the same as if they work in our main call center Thus, as one of your writers beautifully wrote; the major beneficiary is the deaf and hard of hearing community because of increased access to more interpreters. We hold your privacy and confidentiality in the highest regard and respect. We are not your adversary; we are your friend. Our primary concern should be the continuation of federal funding for VRS, or we all lose.

By: VRS Interpreter

VRS Interpreter — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:31:03 +0000

I am a working VR Interpreter. From my point of view, I do not want to work from home. Any company providing VR services is required to maintain certain standards, right? If I did this from home, how would they do that? The only way to be sure would be to come into my home and check up one me from time to time.

Any policy which allows your boss to walk into your house and look around is an invasion of privacy and, to me, unacceptable. I have heard (but not verified) that it is actually illegal in my state. That is why I would not do VR interpreting from home even if it was offered.

By: BSLGuy

BSLGuy — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:32:49 +0000

I am puzzled over argument – why not as many interpreter have sick kids can work only short period plus good for enviromnent no car exhaust pollution travel to work! Plus confidential already in code of ethics no worries over that plus I think if interpreter alone home more confidential than VRS center because no gossip with other interpreters!!! Often i see interpreters gossip but no real broke of confidential as no name mention but sometimes I can grab knowledge of who through context very dangerous!!!!

By: edsalert

edsalert — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:52:27 +0000

[fyi - Ron is a deaf and is a vice president of Sorenson VRS] –

Hi Ron,

Thanks for ur remarks; they help clarify SVRS’s position. Video Remote Interpreting (VRS) indeed is not regulated by either state or federal regulations. Generally, VRI users know upfront who the video interpreter of VRI might be as these type of VRI typically are scheduled ahead of time.

Likewise Cheers…
Ed