Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI)
Phone Interpreting for the UK
Pre-booked or at short notice, from £49.99 per 30 minutes. Medical, police custody under PACE, solicitor consultations, business calls. Short notice for common UK pairs, where an interpreter is free.
- Hospital and GP calls
- Police custody under PACE Code C, courts, solicitors
- Languages including Polish, Ukrainian, Arabic, Lithuanian, on request, subject to availability
- NDA on request. Not recorded unless you ask.
Interpreter booking
Book an interpreter
Structured booking: we email a fixed quote quickly.
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- Short notice where an interpreter is free
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What Phone Interpreting Actually Is
Phone interpreting — Over-the-Phone Interpreting, OPI — is a live interpreter who joins your call as a third party by dialling in to your phone line, PSTN bridge, softphone or dial-in system. They render turn-by-turn between English and the target language while the call runs. It is the correct channel when audio is enough: GP calls, police custody calls, or a non-English-speaking parent phoning a UK school.
Where video adds body language, gestures and documents held up on camera, phone strips it down to voice. That is a feature, not a limit: the caller doesn't need a smartphone or a stable video connection, and the interpreter can be added to any dial-in bridge without new software on either side. For consultations that need visual context — mental health assessments, safeguarding meetings, remote tribunal hearings, complex clinical reviews — book a video interpreter instead.
Pricing
Pre-booked for planned calls, or at short notice where an interpreter is free. From £49.99 per 30 minutes.
Final price confirmed before booking, based on language, location, date, duration and availability. Minimum booking applies, and travel outside the city is quoted separately. Fixed rate confirmed before the session. No connection fees. B2B accounts invoiced with round-number pricing.
How It Works
Four steps from booking to interpreter on the line.
Call or Book
Call us or use the form. Tell us the language, setting (hospital, custody, GP, business), and whether it's urgent.
Match & Connect
Pre-booked: fixed price confirmed and interpreter assigned before the call. Short notice: subject to availability.
Bridge or Dial-In
Three-way call, PSTN conference dial-in, or your own softphone — the interpreter joins the setup you already use. Nothing to install.
Session & Invoice
Turn-by-turn through the call, no recording unless you specifically request it. Paid on confirmation, by card or bank transfer.
Where Phone Interpreting Fits Best
Four contexts where phone interpreting fits.
Hospital & GP
GP calls and discharge planning phone conferences.
Police Custody & Courts
Police custody interviews under PACE Code C, incoming police calls to non-English speakers, remote court dial-in hearings, probation service check-ins.
- Custody attendance under PACE Code C
- Incoming police calls
- Probation check-ins
- Remote court dial-in hearings
Business & Solicitor Consultations
Cross-border supplier calls, HR interviews, customer support escalations, solicitor client consultations by phone, compliance briefings. Pre-booked per session, price confirmed before the call.
- Supplier and procurement calls
- HR interviews and disciplinary calls
- Solicitor client consultations
- Customer support escalations
Local Authority & Schools
Housing and benefits reviews, children's services case conferences, school parent contact for non-English speakers and benefits interviews.
- Housing and welfare reviews
- Children's services case conferences
- School parent contact
- Benefits interviews
Short Notice vs Pre-Booked
There are two ways to book phone interpreting. At short notice, during business hours, we look for an available interpreter in the language pair, and the call is priced from £49.99 per 30 minutes. Minimum booking applies.
Pre-booked is the correct choice when you can plan the call an hour or more ahead: a GP appointment on the Monday morning list, a solicitor client consultation on Wednesday, an HR interview on Friday, a supplier check-in with the Warsaw office next week. You book the specific interpreter for the specific time, at a price confirmed before the call, from £49.99 per 30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between short-notice and pre-booked phone interpreting?
Short-notice phone interpreting connects you to an interpreter when one is free. Pre-booked phone interpreting reserves a specific interpreter for a scheduled call. Suits GP consultations, solicitor client calls, HR interviews, and any situation where you can plan the call an hour or more ahead. Both are priced from £49.99 per 30 minutes, confirmed before the call.
How quickly can you connect an interpreter at short notice?
For Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, Arabic and Lithuanian, connection depends on interpreter availability. Rare languages (Tigrinya, Pashto, Rohingya) are connected as availability allows. If speed is critical, mention it when placing the call.
Do you cover NHS appointments?
Yes. Phone interpreting suits GP calls, mental health calls and discharge planning where video is not practical.
Do you cover police custody under PACE?
On request, subject to availability. Police station work is quote only.
When should we use phone rather than video interpreting?
Phone works when audio is enough — a scheduled solicitor call, a supplier check-in. Video adds body language, gestures, and documents held up on camera. Phone connect is faster and works when the caller doesn't have a smartphone or a stable video connection. For consultations that need visual context (mental health assessments, safeguarding, remote court hearings, complex clinical reviews) book a video interpreter instead.
Are calls recorded?
No. We do not record calls unless you specifically request it in writing before the call begins. We can put an NDA in place on request.
Can the interpreter join a three-way or multi-party call?
Yes. The interpreter can dial into any three-way call, or multi-party conference call with dial-in bridging. Standard for solicitor client meetings, multi-party medical case conferences, and cross-office supplier calls. Just share the dial-in number or bridge details when booking.
Which languages are available on short notice?
Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, Arabic, Lithuanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, French and other languages, on request, subject to availability. Rarer languages are handled per booking with advance notice preferred.
