Comments on: VRS Interpreted from Home?

By: ConfidentialTerp

ConfidentialTerp — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:39:59 +0000

I think this is a funny article to read, and written by someone who is not only oblivious to what goes on at a call center but by someone who is paranoid too.

I am an interpreter who does both. I work from home and I work in a VRS center. I can tell you that if you think that your phone conversation is more private from a call center you are WRONG.

For example, at a call center there could be 10 people working the phones… that makes about 9 people (besides the one interpreting the call) available to overhear your business or phone call.

When I work at home… I lock the door to my office and NO ONE comes in, NO ONE overhears because I have a strict rule every one must stay on the first floor of my house when I am on the phone because I am on the second floor. My family enjoys the money I make from VRS at home so they RESPECT the rule.

At a call center I have been embarassed. How? Sometimes another interpreter will overhear a conversation and say funny things about it. Or sometimes another interpreter will hear me say a persons name…then they tell me what it is they hate about that person. Or sometimes an interpreter will say “Come and look at this, you have to see this person!”. Or they will say… ” I hate ‘Blah blah Name’ they always do this….” and now every interpreter in that call center knows about YOU and your phone habits!

I wish my colleagues would behave more professional! I am ashamed that some interpreters have NO IDEA what confidetiality means!! It is all of OUR jobs (deaf and hearing) to catch these people breaking confidetiality and either report them to RID or say something to their face! I sometimes tell other interpreters its not their business when they get nosy and try asking me questions about phone calls.

You are right… maybe their is a not so professional terp at home with dogs coming in to the phone room… that is WRONG. That person has no respect for you or themself…why don’t you get the information and file a complaint!? Easy!! Or is it too much work for you to do? You would rather be taken care of by some sort of “system” or FALSELY believe you are being taken care of by a BIG COMPANY.

I read a comment about supervisors being on the floor or even a security guard…HAHA! You really think that much is done to care for your privacy? If so, I have some pristine and prime real estate in New York I can sell you!

Fraud, deceit, and theifing of information can happen at a call center or at home… it depends on the PERSON… not the building.

Working VRS from home really depends on the INTEGRITY of the person, please do not judge ALL interpreters because you came across some lousy person. Be critical and not absolute.

Lately, some big companies have cut their call centers… you now have LESS interpreters… nice huh?

Another company is not offering full-time work to their top paid interpreters… now you DON’T get the best of the best… because they cost too much money.

That big company you think is so safe is hiring less qualified interpreters… with less qualifications comes the risk of less confidentiality.

Then there are the comments on teams and supervisors….you SILLY, SILLY people! Hello! I can push one button and transfer you to another intepreter! Supervisor? I just send an e-mail or an IM. If you wanted to talk to my supervisor at a call center you would not be able to… they just don’t do that… you still have to call a separate department. Not only that my VRS call center boss is usually not on the floor… they are busy being a boss and running the business. You think supervisors just sit around waiting for an unhappy caller to talk to? What ARE you thinking?

Thank for the opportunity to write. Good day… and remember next time you call a BIG VRS company…. how many terps are working? How many will hear that interpreter say your name and hear your business? You like it? Sure, it is SOOOO PRIVATE!!!

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!!!!