Credit and police check needed for an interpreting agency.
Thread poster: Julie Adams
Julie Adams
Julie Adams
Germany
Local time: 16:57
Member (2023)
German to English
Jan 10, 2023

This is a similar question to the one regarding passports, I suppose.

I am going through the application process with a telephone interpreting provider based in the US. They have said they will require a credit check and a police check from me. Is this standard practice? I haven't been asked for this from any other agencies, but maybe it is more common in the US?


 
Michael Newton
Michael Newton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:57
Japanese to English
+ ...
credit/police check Jan 10, 2023

I never heard of this for a generic agency. This is indeed an infringement on your privacy and I would drop them forthwith.
However, if you are working for a US-gov't-related agency, this is standard procedure.


Liviu-Lee Roth
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 16:57
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Yes, I think so Jan 10, 2023

Michael Newton wrote:

I never heard of this for a generic agency. This is indeed an infringement on your privacy and I would drop them forthwith.
However, if you are working for a US-gov't-related agency, this is standard procedure.


With government projects, supplier needs to show those. They are listing you as a supplier, along with them, even though you are just a remote subcontractor.

Is this medical interpreting, publicly funded? Sounds like it.


Julie Adams
Jean Lachaud
 
Julie Adams
Julie Adams
Germany
Local time: 16:57
Member (2023)
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Yes, it would involve medical interpreting Jan 10, 2023

Yes, it would involve medical interpreting. They also do other projects. I am quite reluctant to provide this kind of info to third parties. (Nothing to hide, but that's not the point.)

 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 09:57
English to Russian
+ ...
Usually medical does not require background checks Jan 11, 2023

but if they plan to use you for immigration and police, then yes. Actually, in that case even the per minute rate is higher than for generic conversations. As far as requesting it from a German provider... Honestly, I have never heard of such thing. To the contrary, before you log into the system, you must confirm that you are within the US to receive calls. I know it from people who used to do, or keep doing phone interpretation.

In other words, the very fact that the US company i
... See more
but if they plan to use you for immigration and police, then yes. Actually, in that case even the per minute rate is higher than for generic conversations. As far as requesting it from a German provider... Honestly, I have never heard of such thing. To the contrary, before you log into the system, you must confirm that you are within the US to receive calls. I know it from people who used to do, or keep doing phone interpretation.

In other words, the very fact that the US company intends to hire you for this particular work sounds very awkward to me from the geography standpoint.
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Jean Lachaud
 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 16:57
Italian to English
It's a client requirement Jan 11, 2023

If it is the agency I am thinking of, it is a requirement of one particular client of theirs.

I worked for them a while ago and was able to provide the police check because I had applied for Italian citizenship and had the document already from that process.
The document of "good financial standing" seems to be the credit check that is standard practice in the US - it turned out that the Bank of Italy offers a free service and I was able to produce a document that satisfied th
... See more
If it is the agency I am thinking of, it is a requirement of one particular client of theirs.

I worked for them a while ago and was able to provide the police check because I had applied for Italian citizenship and had the document already from that process.
The document of "good financial standing" seems to be the credit check that is standard practice in the US - it turned out that the Bank of Italy offers a free service and I was able to produce a document that satisfied the agency's purposes.

I stopped working for them because I didn't like certain business practices they had, however many (most) other translators seem to be satisfied with them.

So to answer your question... it seems to be standard practice in the US, but not in Europe. However that doesn't mean you won't ultimately like working for them. I would try to contact other interpreters who have worked for them and make up your mind whether it might be an interesting enough prospect for you to jump through the various hoops. Because in my case they said that these documents were mandatory.

Best of luck!

(edited to add missing apostrophe!)

[Edited at 2023-01-11 17:03 GMT]
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Anton Konashenok
Anton Konashenok  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 16:57
French to English
+ ...
I think I know them Jan 11, 2023

I think I know that company... The one that boasts about being women-, minority-, etc. owned and holding a General Service Administration (GSA) Schedule Contract. Last year, they contacted me twice (for two of my language pairs) and pulled me through a lengthy "onboarding" procedure that even involved a video interview. On every step, I responded to their requests almost instantly, whereas they would always take 7-10 days to respond. Eventually, they said they wanted to work with me, but asked f... See more
I think I know that company... The one that boasts about being women-, minority-, etc. owned and holding a General Service Administration (GSA) Schedule Contract. Last year, they contacted me twice (for two of my language pairs) and pulled me through a lengthy "onboarding" procedure that even involved a video interview. On every step, I responded to their requests almost instantly, whereas they would always take 7-10 days to respond. Eventually, they said they wanted to work with me, but asked for another bunch of information. The following dialogue ensued (at the same pace):

Agency:
...

3. *Criminal Background:* Any government issued document that accounts for the absence of a criminal record. In most countries, these can be easily obtained by requesting them at your local police station, or through the webpage of the overseeing entity for your judicial system.

4. *Financial Background:* Any government issued document that accounts for your compliance to your country’s tax and/or credit regulations. E.g.: A Credit Report or Tax Returns. We are aware that every country will have different laws or regulations regarding these documents and, while there might be some similarities, what applies to a country might not apply to another. Therefore, we encourage you to do some research on any documents that might supply the same information described above (especially for points 3 and 4).


Me, smelling a rat:
You are asking me for personal information, the processing of which for EU residents is covered by the General Data Processing Regulation (GDPR). Before any of this information can be released, I need to see your privacy policy, GDPR undertaking, and contact information of your data protection officer.

Furthermore, while I understand that you may legitimately need my identification and proof of education, I am in serious doubt about the legitimacy of your request for criminal and financial background information. In fact, no one has ever asked me for these items in my 37-year translation career. Please substantiate your legitimate need for these, including the specific conditions outlined in the GDPR Article 5 clauses 1(b) and (c), Article 6 clause 1, and Article 10, as well as your national legislation.

Finally, aside from the legality of your request, it's common knowledge among experienced translators that the more personal information an agency asks the candidate to submit, the less likely it is to ultimately offer any significant workload. Could you please explain what other steps you will be requiring of me before the start of actual work, and (IMPORTANT!) what kind of documents and what amount of work per month or per year you expect to be able to offer to me in all of my working languages


Agency:
Thank you for sharing your concern. I would like to remind you that the reason for these requirements is due to the fact that our client is associated with the US Federal Government, and you will be working on sensitive information. This is the reason the client has a requirement for these documents for auditing purposes. Please be assured your data security is also vital for us and that no one has access to it.

Regarding the volumes, it always differs as it depends on the client. However, as this is an ongoing multiyear project, we will be adding your name to the language rosters. The team will contact you each month we receive volumes in these languages.


Me, seeing my time being wasted:
I understand the reasons, but no client, even a government-associated one, is above the law. GDPR is a law, so I need a legal proof that this law is being complied with. Please check my previous message for details.

Regarding the volumes, you have just admitted that it's an ongoing multi-year project, so you already know the amount of work that was passing through your company lately. Please give me an honest estimate based on that. Please also explain further steps you will need me to undertake before the start of work.


Unsurprisingly, they didn't bother responding to the last message. Surprisingly, a week later I received a job offer from their PM. The job was small and trivial, I was available, so I confirmed and asked for a PO. No PO ever arrived...

My verdict: big time wasters.

P.S. Searching the web to learn what their in-house employees say about them is left as an exercise for the reader.

[Edited at 2023-01-11 17:51 GMT]
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Marina Aleyeva
Jean Lachaud
 
Jean Lachaud
Jean Lachaud  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:57
English to French
+ ...
Regarding this US requirement Jan 11, 2023

Lots of US employers have started requiring that sort of credit reports (an old US-specific obsession) and police records, as well as US Federal entities.

These requirements, separately or together, may (or may not) be reasonably justified, in some cases.

However, the fact is that no potential earnings for independent translators are worth going through all the shenanigans involved.

J L


Michael Newton
 
Liviu-Lee Roth
Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 10:57
Romanian to English
+ ...
It is standard for Language providers that hold a contract with US. Govt. agencies Jan 12, 2023

Julie Adams wrote:

Yes, it would involve medical interpreting. They also do other projects. I am quite reluctant to provide this kind of info to third parties. (Nothing to hide, but that's not the point.)


Just had to submit, fingerprints, urine test (for drugs), TB screening, Criminal history for an agency that provides interpreters for minors in US custody.

Nothing out of the ordinary.


 
Marina Aleyeva
Marina Aleyeva  Identity Verified
Israel
Local time: 17:57
Member (2006)
English to Russian
+ ...
Do they have a data protection policy in place? Jan 12, 2023

I am not sure we are talking about the same US agency, but I was recently contacted with a similar request. That company made me complete tons of paperwork and go through a lengthy online interview only to find out that they take no formal responsibility for protecting my data. They simply collect your docs and store them in a third-party storage. And you can take that third party's word for it that the storage is secure.

 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 16:57
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Explanation Jan 12, 2023

Thank you for sharing your concern. I would like to remind you that the reason for these requirements is due to the fact that our client is associated with the US Federal Government, and you will be working on sensitive information.

How is your credit status related to your potentially disclosing client's sensitive information? It doesn't make any sense. If your credit status is good, that's a vouch you will not spill out information about what you just interpreted to your ne
... See more
Thank you for sharing your concern. I would like to remind you that the reason for these requirements is due to the fact that our client is associated with the US Federal Government, and you will be working on sensitive information.

How is your credit status related to your potentially disclosing client's sensitive information? It doesn't make any sense. If your credit status is good, that's a vouch you will not spill out information about what you just interpreted to your neighbor over a cup of coffee? Faulty logic.

The agency is hiding the fact they are applying for a government tender. Credit status is a standard information/requirement in tender documentation. They are listing you as their team member (also hiding this fact). This means they don't have any project yet, just hoping to win one in a tender (also hiding this fact). That's a lot of hiding, as you can see.

I can understand safety procedures when working with minors in a physical environment, totally understandable.
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Marina Aleyeva
Liviu-Lee Roth
Anton Konashenok
Michael Newton
 


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Credit and police check needed for an interpreting agency.







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