We are often asked questions on various aspects of our service so, for your convenience, here are a few of the most common ones, along with the answers……………

"How do I book a face-to-face interpreter?"

There are several ways this could be done, and it really is up to you to decide what you feel is the most convenient method. You can:

• Simply call us and give us the details over the phone, and we'll do the rest! Nothing further is required.
• Send us a fax with all the details on it. ALS (uk) Ltd can provide you with a standardised booking form you can complete on each occasion, for convenience.
• You can e-mail us with your requirement - again, a standardised booking form can be supplied electronically.
• Our online 'Easy-Book' service allows you to complete the fields on that portion of our website, and submit your request which will be dealt with immediately.

"How do I use the telephone-interpreting service?"

It couldn't be simpler - just give us a call when you need the interpreter, and we will put you through to them immediately without the line being disconnected. Alternatively, you can book a little in advance and request that our interpreter call you at a specified time.

With our friendly, personal service, you don't have to go through a time-consuming and tedious automated telephone system; your call will always be answered by a member of staff who will be able to help you, whatever you require.

If you are not at the same site as the individual you require the telephone interpreting session for, we can set up a 3-way conference call.

"How much notice do I need to give for a face-to-face interpreter to attend a session?"

There is no set notice period we require: we understand that you may require the service at short notice, and believe that you are entitled to this. We will always do our very best to ensure our clients get an interpreter when required.

To guarantee an interpreter will attend, giving us at least 24 hrs notice is recommended, although not required. However, if requested, we can extend the 'rapid-response service' to you - just tell us which languages you most commonly use and we will create for you your own bespoke database of readily-available interpreters who can be on-site with you within an hour.

"What languages does ALS (uk) Ltd offer its services in?"

Having constantly focussed on expanding our database of interpreters for the last 13 years, we have language support staff in almost any language you may require. Please click on the following link for a full list of languages.

NB: we also have a comprehensive database of British Sign Language interpreters, and will always be able to fulfil your requirement given at least 2 weeks notice (due to the national shortage of BSL interpreters, the rapid-response service is not applicable for BSL requests).

"How would I request the translation of a document?"

Just send us a copy of the document and we will give you a quote within one hour. Once accepted, we will allocate the translation on the same day.

If you have a deadline by when you require the translation back, please let us know and we will do our best to ensure that the requirement is met (for example, we have received requests in the morning and have returned the completed translation by the close of business on the same day).

Normally, non-technical documents of up to a few pages in length will be completed by the next day. However, for larger, more complicated documents the turn-around time may be necessarily extended.

"What are your operating hours?"

Our interpreters can work 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, so you can have an interpreter any day of the year.

Our standard office hours are 9am - 6pm although there is a 24hr line which you can call at any time and someone will happily deal with your query.