How do I know what language the person I’m speaking with needs if I don’t speak their language?
We recommend keeping a copy of Alboum’s I Need an Interpreter or You Have a Right to an Interpreter office printouts at your front desk or any location where interpretation might be requested or helpful in facilitating a conversation. These sheets allow individuals to point to the language they speak or prefer.
Can I get an interpreter in Zoom?
Interpreters must be scheduled in advance for them to join a Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, or any telehealth platform. To request an interpreter, go to alboum.interpretmanager.com and log in using your username/password or SSO ID, depending on your set up. We request at least 24 hours’ notice whenever possible to schedule an interpreter and do our best to accommodate more urgent requests.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule an appointment?
Appointments can be cancelled or rescheduled with more than 24 hours’ notice at no charge. Those canceled or rescheduled less than 24 hours in advance or that no-show will be charged for the full amount as our interpreters have reserved this time for you. For meetings with a high expected probability of last-minute cancellation or no-show, we recommend using the on-demand service instead – interpreters for dozens of languages are available on demand 24x7x365.
Can I do a conference call?
Yes! You can do a conference call through either our on-demand phone or video services. First, start the call with the interpreter, then add additional participants. For audio-only phone calls, you can connect multiple callers through your own phone system or ask the interpreter to dial out to up to 3 participants. For video calls through the Alboum interpretation platform, up to 3 participants can be invited to connect to the video interpretation session in real time using the link generated through the Alboum platform. For additional details, please see instructions in the phone or video guides.
What do I do if the call is dropped unexpectedly?
Interpreters are held for you for 30 seconds after the conclusion of a call. If a call is dropped or disconnected, or if you think of something additional that needs to be interpreted just after you hang up, you can reconnect to the same interpreter.
From a phone, call back, enter your pin and the same language combination, and the same interpreter will be reconnected. From the Alboum interpretation portal, click the “redial” button in the dialer box to be reconnected.
Can I request a specific interpreter?
Only gender preference can be requested for on-demand calls, as the service matches calls with the first available interpreter. Preferred interpreters can be requested when scheduling an appointment, however. If you’re not sure of an interpreter’s name, but remember them from a previous appointment, send an email to help@alboum.com, including the appointment date and language combination and we can look up the interpreter’s name for you. We make every attempt to honor requests when your preferred interpreter is available.
How do I add new users to my account?
Interpretation account administrators can add new users from within their dashboard or email help@alboum.com to request a new user account be created.
Alboum also offers self-onboarding for large organizations or those with more than 20 users. Please contact help@alboum.com to determine if this option is right for your organization.
Do you offer training on your platform?
While we can provide a live virtual training or a demo on request, the platform is very user friendly and we find it typically isn’t necessary. Most users find the how-to guides here or the videos available here answer most of their questions.
What languages are available?
The most current list of available languages is always available in Alboum’s interpretation platform. Just choose from the available options in the dropdown for an on-demand call or when scheduling an appointment. Dozens of languages are available on-demand 24x7x365 via phone or video. More interpreters are available for on-demand interpretation via phone than video. If you request a video call for a language that has fewer interpreters and one is not readily available, you will be offered the option to switch the call to phone only or hold until video is available. For rare languages and those of lesser diffusion, we recommend scheduling the call in advance to avoid wait times for an available interpreter and access additional languages not available on demand.
Are calls recorded?
No. Calls are not recorded for training purposes or for any other reason.
A note on confidentiality and privacy.
As part of the work, interpreters and project managers may have access to confidential or sensitive information related to your organization or its stakeholders. Alboum takes data privacy and confidentiality seriously and is fully compliant with all HIPAA and FERPA requirements. All employees and associates are required to protect confidential, personal, and proprietary information and use it only for the purpose of providing our services or as required by law. These confidentiality obligations remain in place even after our engagement ends. Documentation such as our security policies, interpreter confidentiality agreements, HIPAA certification, FERPA statement, and penetration test results are available upon request.
