Do You Need a Specialized Translator for Social Security Translation?

social security
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Every country is responsible for the well-being of its citizens. Law and order, healthcare, education, and civil rights make up the basics of a safeguarded life. But people can have troubles. Institutions sometimes fail to protect or provide what people seek. For such instances, social security services take care of the people’s needs.

Social security reforms ensure that every individual gets healthcare, income security, public safety, old age, unemployment, sickness, loss of a family’s breadwinner, maternity, and work injury. And when these services provide care, they also offer social security translations and qualified interpreters for citizens who speak a foreign language or can’t understand the local or national language. These are trained individuals who can provide verbatim translation for special occasions as well as broad interpretation for descriptive statistics.

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Social Security Translation Options

A sad fact in terms of social security administration is that merely 20 percent of the world population has access to adequate social security benefits, and even fewer people get facilitated the way they should be.

Governments claim that these services are open for one and all regardless of age and concern. However, the truth is quite the opposite. Surveys and consensus reveal that many people won’t even consider going to a social security office. The rest are simply unaware of their presence. That being said, the standard protocol exists. As per the rules, people can seek help through such offices. They can contact social security at any time.

SS help translation
specialized social security translation

And in most cases, when people get in touch with the social security services to file a complaint or share an inconvenience, they are asked to choose an option to pick a language. If you pick a language other than English, you’ll require an interpreter.

Thankfully, there are solutions too. Special interpreting services are used for the provision of comprehensive assistance to the callers. Once the caller picks the language option, a special representative then talks to them and listens to their problem.

Depending on the nature of the issue, these representatives guide the callers for further processing. In case their issue needs more than just a call, the representative also provides the callers with all the necessary instructions on how their case could be resolved further. When the matter comes down to one-on-one interviews, an interpreter remains present during the session. The interpreter hears and interpret for both parties until the end of the conversation.

How Do People Get Social Security Help in Other Languages?

Fortunately, the government institutions have established ways to ensure that people with Limited English Proficiency or LEP get access to essential services conveniently. For this purpose, they have developed a Spanish-language website, publications, and printed materials in different languages and free interpretation services at all social security services centers. The Spanish-language website has all the essential information about social security services in the US. It is a fully translated version of the original website.

Apart from the website, people can learn about the programs and provisions through published material. The best part, interpretation services are free of cost and are provided to anyone who requests them. The interpreter could be an SSA employee with bilingual proficiency or an independent contractor with fluency in both the target and source languages.

The SSA also allows people with LEP to choose an interpretation of their own choice. They must, however, meet certain requirements including:

  • The person should be aged 18 or more.
  • He or she must be fluent in English and the other language.
  • Must be familiar with the usual terminologies of social security.
  • Should agree to the company’s policies, terms, conditions, and non-disclosure agreement.
  • Must testify that they won’t infer any facts or information other than the ones provided by the concerned party and the company representative.
  • Should adhere to the actual conversation and stay away from any sort of biased interpretation.
  • The interpreter must not have any personal agenda related to the outcome of the social security business. Moreover, there shouldn’t be any conflict of interest.

Is It Good to Use an Acquaintance as An Interpreter?

According to the information extracted from the website, you are certainly allowed to pick an interpreter of your choice. But the real question is, is that worth it? Given the situation at such offices, if you are finally getting heard, your words and your voice should matter.

social security translation
interpreter social security

And if you pick someone who’s not as proficient in both languages or has a limited understanding of terminologies used at a social security service, you can easily make things worse.

The good thing is, the professional translation agencies offer interpretation services and language assistance for all types of professional tasks. Their expertise ranges from typical topics such as social media posts and immigration document to consumer mediation service and capacity assessments. So, all you need to do is find a qualified interpreter. You can do that by either hiring one from the internet translator websites or from reliable interpreter services.

Do you need a specialized translator for social security translation?

Social security translation entails a lot of important aspects. People contact these services when they have real issues related to unemployment, healthcare, old-age benefits, injuries, work issues, and several other matters. While they all seem very generic and easily understandable, they often have more to them. Knowing about every terminology, law, rule, and regulation is not something we can take easy.

So does that mean you need a specialized translator? yes and no. Yes, because you obviously need someone who’s familiar with social issues and terminologies used in the resolution of the said issues. Perhaps someone who has worked in a security office or is a professional with a degree in social sciences or social work.

No, because in the field of translation, language proficiency is the only requisite. Of course, special qualification means you have a competitive edge but this doesn’t mean a specialization is necessary to help someone out.

You can always find a qualified non-SSA translator as there are interpreters who work with NGOs, insurance companies, and other social institutions. These are authorized translators who are fully capable of carrying out a social security translation without any trouble at all.

What’s The Best Way?

While doing business with such institutions, you must keep another thing in mind. Some of your issues might need days or even months for processing. For such a long period, you must have a translator on board. You can even engage a company and tell the project manager about your documents, letters, and other evidence that require translation for submission.

This way, you can secure a successful case submission. We suggest that if your issue is related to health or medicine, you must pick a translator who understands the field better. Similarly, for legal procedures and their translations, you should only rely on professionals.

Lucky for you, we can take care of all. With our years of experience, native translators, and expanding niches, we are ready to conquer all areas of life. We feel proud that we have been the trusted partners of thousands of customers over the years. You can get in touch with us easily. We are always online. Our representative is waiting to respond to your queries. And our communication channels are open 24/7.

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If we can help you with any questions, please feel free to contact us