MIMA oversees a telephonic interpretation account available to all City agencies. Each agency is assigned a unique access code. MIMA provides training to frontline/customer service agency employees on how to access and use the account. The telephonic interpretation account is available 24/7, 365 days a year, and covers 200 plus languages.

Tips for Telephone Interpretation Sessions:

Start of the session

• When you call a telephonic interpretation company, be sure to know the agency and access codes, as the interpreter is prompted to ask you at the start of the session. These codes are provided to you once your agency or office has completed training with MIMA, as stated above.
• If it’s your first time using a telephonic interpreter, you can let the interpreter know. They are trained to explain how the process works while conducting the interpretation.
• Introduce yourself to the interpreter as well as to the LEP individual and let everyone on the line know the reason for the call. If there are multiple people in the room, introduce everyone; it is important to establish trust among everyone involved and for everyone to be aware of who is participating in the telephone interpretation session.
• Let the LEP individual know if the conversation is confidential or if information will be shared with others so they can feel secure in divulging private or confidential information.
• Ask specific questions and know what your goals are prior to the session so you can better accomplish them.

During the session

• Relax and allow yourself to use a comfortable volume and pace.
• Always speak in the first person and direct the questions and/or conversation to the LEP individual. Example: Say, “How are you today?” instead of telling the interpreter, “Please ask her how she’s doing today.”
• You’re in control of the conversation, the telephone interpreter is only there to facilitate communication, not to direct or manage.
• Feel free to ask the interpreter or LEP individual questions to ensure that all information was understood and that everyone is on the same page.
• Speak with clarity and be concise in your sentence structure. Use “plain English,” and make sure you pause after a few sentences to let the interpreter pass the information to the LEP individual.
• Understand there are many linguistic as well as cultural differences across languages, allow time for the interpreter to interpret the information in a way in which the LEP individual can clearly understand the information being presented to them.
• Encourage the interpreter to ask you questions if they need more clarification regarding a term or concept you spoke about.
• Smile and be kind. Everyone will feel more comfortable, resulting in a better outcome for the LEP individual, the interpreter and you.

End of the call

• Once the purpose of the conversation is completed, make sure to be clear about closing out the interpretation process with both your LEP individual and telephonic interpreter.

What to avoid:

• Limit the use of overly difficult terminology, slang, idioms and industry jargon.
• Eliminate background noise as best as possible. If other people are present, ask them to be quiet during the session, unless asked to speak. Noise is distracting, and you want to ensure focus during a telephonic interpretation session due to the fact that the people involved are not speaking face to face. Note that if people are around and speaking loud enough for the interpreter to hear, an interpreter can communicate the side conversations to the LEP individual.
• Do not ask the interpreter their opinion, as their only role is to bridge language gaps.