INTERPRETATION & TRANSLATION SERVICES

Transcription

1 REVISED SCOPE OF SERVICES/WORK INTERPRETATION & TRANSLATION SERVICES I. INTRODUCTION The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) requires translation and interpretation services to be available 24-hours, seven days per week on an asneeded basis. Translation means conversion of written material from one language to another; interpretation means conversion of oral communication from one language to another. The languages for which translation and interpretation services are requested are Spanish, Armenian, Arabic, Khmer (Cambodian), Cantonese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai, Mandarin, Farsi, Indonesian, Malay, and Tagalog. HACLA, at its sole discretion, may require certification of translation/interpretation ability by the Judicial Council of California, the American Translators Association, or another entity approved by the Authority, prior to signing of the contract. II. CONTRACTOR S REQUIREMENTS A. The Contractor shall provide the Authority s Language Services Unit with a list of all interpreters and translators used by the Contractor with sample resumes detailing experience and pertinent accreditation. B. The Contractor shall update this list whenever the new interpreters or translators are added. C. The Contractor shall have experience in simultaneous, consecutive, conference, and public setting interpretation. Public setting interpretations usually take place among low-income public housing residents and other community members and may, at times, become contentious or emotional. Interpreters must be able to handle such situations in a calm and professional manner. D. The Contractor s staff performing services should preferably have adequate accreditation from an institution such as California State University of Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles Extension, Southern California School of Interpretation, Monterrey Institute of Language, or accreditation by the California Judicial Council or the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and no less than three years of professional experience Page 1 of 5

2 or should preferably be accredited by the American Translators Association. E. The Contractor shall provide simultaneous and consecutive interpretation services at the public housing developments on as-needed basis twentyfour (24) - hours a day, seven (7) days a week. F. The Contractor shall arrive at the site of the assigned meetings at least thirty (30) minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin. G. The Contractor shall be considered late if they arrive after the scheduled time. H. The Contractor shall give the Authority a twenty percent (20%) discount when an interpreter arrives ten (10) or more minutes late for the assigned job. I. The Contractor shall remain at the meeting for at least thirty (30) minutes after the meeting s scheduled commencement time to determine whether interpretation services are required. If after thirty (30) minutes, interpretation services are not needed due to the failure of participants to arrive, or participants arrive but do not need services, the Contractor shall leave and the meeting will be deemed a no-show. J. The Contractor shall charge a minimum 2-hour service fee when the interpretation service is not required due to failure of participants to arrive or there is no need for interpretation. K. The Contractor shall charge 100% of the agreed upon fee when the Authority cancels an assignment with less than a 24-hour notice. L. The Contractor shall and/or phone a report to the Authority s Language Services Unit if the interpreter fails to appear, is late or something unusual occurs at a meeting. M. The Contractor shall immediately, or as soon as possible, inform the Language Service Unit by and/or phone if the Contractor is unable to provide requested interpretation services within twenty-four (24) hours. N. The Contractor shall translate and return most documents within the agreed delivery time, excluding legal holidays but including weekends (refer to Exhibit A). O. The Contractor shall perform layout and formatting for all documents translated as part of the fee schedule. Page 2 of 5

3 P. The Contractor shall provide electronic files of all requested translations to the Authority s Language Service Unit. Q. The Contractor shall provide electronic files in a format predefined by the Authority. The format will include, but is not limited to, any Microsoft application, Word Perfect, PrintMaster, Photoshop, and Adobe. R. The Contractor shall use the Public Housing Glossary of Terms and contact the Authority's Language Services Unit for clarification on contextual questions. S. The Contractor shall charge from the source language (almost always English) to the target language at all times. T. The Contractor shall not charge more than the rates set forth in Exhibit B for documents deemed non-technical. The non-technical documents include any language found in standard bilingual dictionaries, legal bilingual dictionaries, or in the Public Housing Glossary of Terms. U. The Contractor shall impose the Technical Language charges indicated in Exhibit B for any technical language translation. Technical translation is defined as documents containing terminology pertaining to professional trades such as legal, construction, engineering or cognate disciplines. V. The Contractor shall provide a different interpreter if the Authority is unsatisfied with the services rendered. Should the Contractor not be able to honor such request, the Authority shall have the right to seek alternative service providers. W. The Contractor shall proofread and edit documents created by the Authority at a rate established and agreed upon signing of the Contract. X. The Contractor shall give the Authority a twenty percent (20%) discount on any assignment that does not meet the agreed delivery date. Y. The Contractor shall not subcontract any services without the prior written consent of the Authority. The names and qualifications (including accreditation evidence) of subcontractors or others whom the Contractor intends to employ to provide the services outlined in the Scope of Work, may be requested by the Authority. Z. The Contractor shall be responsible for the payment of any parking fees. Page 3 of 5

4 III. AUTHORITY S RESPONSIBILITIES A. The Authority shall provide the Contractor with or phone notice of required services. B. The Authority shall provide the Contractor with 24-hour or phone notice of canceled meetings. C. The Authority shall provide meeting rooms in which interpretation services will take place. D. The Authority shall provide translation equipment needed for simultaneous interpretations for the meetings, depending on availability. Interpreters shall be familiar with the translation equipment. They shall also take responsibility for ensuring meeting attendees are properly set up with the necessary equipment. From time to time, if the need arises, the contractor may be asked to provide translation equipment. E. The Authority shall provide copies of the Public Housing Glossary of Terms. F. The Authority shall provide an electronic copy of any written materials requiring translation. (Hard copy may be provided as an alternative in those instances where an electronic copy is unavailable). The format for electronic file may include any Microsoft application, Word Perfect, PrintMaster, Photoshop and Adobe. Page 4 of 5

5 EXHIBIT A Timeframe for Translation Services Document Size (English Word Count Turn-Around Time (Translation only) Under 350 words 1 day 351-2, days 2,001-5, days 5,001-10, days More than 10,001 Negotiable Page 5 of 5