Need help with my spanish speakers - taking calls

[Eric Benzenhoefer]

Howdy BP, I need some directional help with this project. The apartment is in a spanish / english speaking neighborhood and we want to rent to both. We do not speak spanish well.

Does anyone know of a service that provides a phone number, takes our potential leaser's calls, follows a script to go through some prescreening, and then delivers the notes of that conversation to me and my partner?

Not quite a property manager, but someone to help out on the front end with english and spanish.

[Marcia Maynard]

What @Aly W. says is true. Lease in English. Some tenants will provide for a friend or family member to interpret. The problem is, most family members and friends are not qualified to do so, often adding and deleting information. You need a qualified interpreter as much as the tenant does.

Since you are dealing with 11 units, I would hire a professional language service that has resources for both interpreters (spoken language) and translators (written language) and perhaps even a cultural consultant. Not all tenants are literate, whether English or another language is their primary. So that is something to keep in mind as well.

When you are working with the language agency, describe your communication goals and find out how they may be able to assist you. Be aware there are legitimate agencies and not so good agencies, so be careful in your selection. It should be no problem for a good agency to tailor a solution for your need.

We use an agency in our town called Columbia Language Services, they have the ability to provide service nationwide.

[Disclaimer: I worked for 14 years as the Accessibility Services Manager for a major medical center, in charge of purchasing all of the language and cultural support services for the hospital and clinics, as well as accommodations for people with disabilities. I am also a professional sign language interpreter with 30+ years experience.]