Language Interpretation and Document Translation Services

The vendor required to provide language interpretation and document translation services to include on-site and in-person, remote over-the phone and video remote interpreting. 
- Requirements
1. Equipment
•    Shall have all necessary equipment to provide the services required in the contract, installed and functioning at the time of proposal submittal. 
•    Shall have telephone terminal equipment with expansion capabilities to accommodate an increase in call volume, as needed. 
•    Provide real-time, full-motion video and audio over a dedicated high-speed, wide bandwidth video connection or wireless connection that delivers high-quality video images that do not produce lags, choppy, blurry, or grainy images, or irregular pauses in communication.
o    All video shall display a sharply delineated image that is large enough to display the interpreter’s face, arms, hands, and fingers, and the participating individual’s face, arms, hands, and fingers, regardless of his or her body position. 
o    Provide a clear audible transmission of voices. 
o    Provide adequate training to users of the technology and other involved individuals so that they may quickly and efficiently set up and operate the VRI.
•    Telephone terminal and VRI equipment capable of collecting the detailed call traffic information needed to produce the reports and invoice details required by the contract.
2. Languages
•    Interpreter services for the most frequently used languages shall be performed within the country from a professional, non-home-based facility
•    Translation services for the most frequently used languages shall be performed within the country; translators may work from a home-based office.
•    Interpreter and translation services for the least frequently used languages may be performed outside of the country and from a home-based office. 
•    For purposes of this contract, “most frequently used languages” mean Spanish plus the top twelve (12) most frequently used languages.
•    Provide, at a minimum, face-to-face and VRI american sign language (asl) services. 
•    Provide document translation services for all languages and dialects
3. Connection
•    On average per month, shall answer at least 95% of all incoming calls within five seconds of the call starting to ring at the contractor’s facility. 
•    The call may be answered by an automated attendant but the customer shall be given an option, either by voice prompt or keypad selection, to speak with a live operator and customer service representative. 
•    If the customer opts for a live operator and customer service representative, connection shall occur within ten seconds of the customer’s selection. 
•    On average per month, contractor shall respond to calls at a rate of 95% or greater within 30 seconds of the client’s language being identified. 
•    Once interpretation begins, the call cannot be placed on hold or put into a queue of any kind. 
•    For calls identified as emergency or first responder situations (police, fire, EMS), the contractor shall ensure connection to an interpreter within 20 seconds of the client’s language being identified. 
•    Once interpretation begins, the call may not be placed on hold or queued. 
•    This requirement is in addition to the standard 30-second response times for all other calls. 
•    All other performance and penalty provisions, including monthly assessments and self-assessed penalties, remain in effect. 
•    If in a given month, the language mix of Spanish to all other languages is below 75%, the percentage of calls that shall meet the 30 second response time shall be adjusted as follows:
o    70 to 74% - 90% of all calls shall be responded to within 30 seconds, after the client’s language being identified
o    60 to 70% - 85% of all calls shall be responded to within 30 seconds, after the client’s language being identified 
o    Less than 60% - 80% of all calls shall be responded to within 30 seconds, after the client’s language being identified
•    Shall maintain a call-handling and dispatch system that prioritizes public safety requests, including but not limited to police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and emergency management. 
•    Shall automatically flag and route public safety calls for priority handling to ensure compliance with emergency and first responder response-time requirements. 
•    Shall ensure public safety call prioritization remains in effect at all times, including during peak call volumes, system outages, or other service disruptions, without degradation of public safety service levels. 
•    In the event interpretation service for any of the top 12 languages does not begin within 60 seconds of the client’s language being identified, the customer shall not be charged for any interpretation services provided for the duration of the call. 
•    In the event interpretation service for any of the top 12 languages results in no interpreter available, the contractor shall be subject to a self-assessed penalty equal to the cost of the customer’s average interpreter call for the month in which the ‘no interpreter available’ event occurs. 
•    Penalties mentioned in lines 4 and 5 shall be assessed monthly by the contractor and shall be itemized and deducted from the appropriate monthly invoice total. 
•    Provide toll-free access to interpreter services. 
•    Contractor shall comply with all FCC regulations including, but not limited to VRI connection times. 
•    Contractor shall answer all VRI calls within 120 seconds.
•    On-site interpretation services shall be available within a two-business day notice.
- Document translation
1. Standard document translation shall be completed within the following turnaround times:
•    Fewer than 1,000 words – 2 days
•    1,000 to 2,500 words – 5 days
•    2.501 to 7,500 words – 7 days
•    More than 7,500 words – 7 days plus 1 additional day for each additional 500 words
2. Expedited document translation shall be completed within the following turnaround times:
•    Fewer than 1,000 words – 1 day
•    1,000 to 2,500 words – 2 days
•    2.501 to 7,500 words – 4 days
•    More than 7,500 words – 4 days plus 1 additional day for each additional 1,000 words
3. Provide two qualified linguists for each translation project; translator and copy editor
- Interpreter operational requirements
•    The interpreter shall remain neutral in the conversation unless prompted by the customer with additional instructions. 
•    The interpreter shall speak in the first (1st) person. 
•    The interpreter shall use the utmost courtesy when conversing with the customer and the client. 
•    The interpreter shall respect cultural differences of the client. 
•    The interpreter shall refrain from entering into a disagreement with the customer and the client. 
•    The interpreter shall accurately interpret the client’s statements and relay the message in its entirety with the meaning preserved throughout the conversation. 
•    Information shall not be edited or deleted which may erroneously change the meaning of the client’s statements. 
•    All conversations, interpretation, or translations shall remain confidential and shall not be shared with individuals unrelated to the call or translation. 
•    Calls shall only be recorded for quality assurance and training purposes. 
•    Provide accurate (reflect the meaning correctly), effective (provide the intended effect on the reader), and impartial (unbiased) services.

- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: January 22, 2026