I have a question in regards to reporting. My Hispanic cliental has increase in the last couple of years and I have noticed with this increase that many of these new clients speak little to no English and I was wondering how this can affects my liability in regards to my reports, since my reports are in English. I do use a bilingual inspection agreement for my Hispanic cliental. In almost all of these cases the inspections are scheduled through agents.
I thought of finding some software that will translate my English report to Spanish but I would not be able to proof read the translation because I speak very little Spanish, let alone writing. During inspection while client is present I feel I convey my finding to their understanding for the most part, but I’m sure some thing can be lost in translation.
What are some of your thoughts?
If I were offering my inspection and analysis services to non-English speaking people … it is my duty to provide my services to them in the same complete, accurate and unbiased manner that I provide them to anyone else.
If I lack the ability to properly communicate to them my findings, I have no business taking their money. My options are to refer them to an inspector who they can communicate with or to have them arrange to have someone to read and interpret my report to them.
Since I am totally, ultimately and legally accountable for everything I tell them about my inspection … no matter what language I choose to publish my report of that inspection … I need to be very careful to ensure that my desire to expand my market does not also expand my services beyond my ability to accurately provide them .
For liability reasons, I would not have my agreement printed or my report printed in any language that I did not personally and fluently understand. It’s hard enough to CYA in English. I don’t want Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe twisting my words in a language I can’t even read.
IMO, the burden is on the client to get his own interpreter. Welcome to America Amigo.
Duty? Really? How are the highway signs printed in your neck of the woods?
Try going to Mexico and see if it is their duty to speak English to you in that country.
Highway signs have nothing to do with ripping off people who do not speak or read English.
I have a duty to provide accurate information to everyone who pays me for it no matter what language they speak. It is my duty … a very carefully chosen word … to ensure that my reports are accurate. If I cannot assure that the report is accurate, I am acting fraudulently by publishing it.
Keep your political hate and nonsense in the cess pool area of the message board, please. This thread has to do with liability and how it applies to reporting to non-English speaking people.
How in the world could you ensure your reports are accurate if you print them in a language you cannot understand?
Exactly what I said.
Perhaps you need to brush up on your own English reading skills.
So you get a request for an inspection by an agent for someone from China, and you say “No thanks. Can’t do it. I don’t speak Mandarin”? Wow.
I didn’t say that, either.
Find a third grader (or above) and ask him to read my post to you. That might help.
I wouldn’t write the report in another language if I do not fully understand it and if I cannot write in that language.
You can find a lot of translators on the internet but as you said, it will be very difficult for you to proofread it.
Also, most auto-translators do not translate very well. They will be a “direct” translation (or word for word) which may mean nothing in a different language.
Last, no translation program out there will be able to translate technical terms/jargon/components etc… properly.
I had multiple foreign clients recently and they always brought a translator (or the RE agent was multi-langual/multi-cultural).
I could not imagine living in a country I don’t understand the language (or accurately understand) and spending my life savings on something, without someone translating for me. But it does happen.
If you are offering your PIA in Spanish, I would recommend adding in it something like the report and explanations on site will be in English. Then get that contract proofread and approved by your attorney.
I have been working on translating all my report narratives in French because Houston has large French community of expats working in the Oil and Gas industry and I will offer it once done.
Although most speak English well, it will be nice for them to have something in their native language.
All of you think too much.
The language of all airline pilots around the world is english. This is America. Speak it, read it, or leave it. IMHO.
Actually it is only required for international flights. This was decreed as of Jan. 1st 2008.
It is not a matter of thinking too much, it’s a matter of expanding the business. If a person has abilities to communicate proficiently in a different language, why not? If that’s going to help the buyer understand better what’s going with the biggest investment of his/her life, why not? If that’s going to add extra business, why not?
This is America yes, I don’t speak “America…n”, I speak English which happens to be one of the many many languages spoken in the biggest melting pot country in the world.
Perhaps, we shouldn’t be speaking English, but one of the even more numbered native american languages. American Indian Tribal List: Native American Tribes and Languages
You might want to put our French inspection articles on your website. They are in www.nachi.org/articles.htm
The “Inter” in InterNACHI stands for “International.”
Part of the plan. I need to revamp my site with SEO and junk. Once I have it in English and French, I’ll have the articles in both languages. 