Organizations looking for telephone or video interpreting services have many established providers to choose from. But choosing the right language service provider (LSP) involves more than comparing the number of languages offered or finding the lowest per-minute rate.
Interpreter quality, connection speed, technology, security, industry expertise, implementation support, and customer service can all affect the success of a language access program. Just as important is finding a provider whose service model fits your organization — whether you need the scale to support thousands of interactions, specialized healthcare expertise, or a responsive partner willing to adapt to your specific workflows.
This guide compares four leading U.S. providers of over-the-phone interpreting (OPI) and video remote interpreting (VRI): Certified Languages International (CLI), LanguageLine Solutions, Propio Language Services, and AMN Healthcare Language Services.
Rather than rank them from best to worst, we’ll look at their strengths and the factors organizations should consider when deciding which provider is the best fit.
Key Takeaways
The largest provider isn’t necessarily the best provider for every organization. The right partner should combine reliable language access with the level of service, flexibility, and support your organization needs.
When comparing telephone and video interpreting companies, consider:
- Interpreter qualifications and screening
- Language availability
- Average connection times and reliability
- Industry specific expertise
- Technology and ease of access
- HIPAA compliance, when applicable
- Security and privacy safeguards
- EHR, telehealth, and other integrations
- Implementation and ongoing customer support
- Reporting and account management
- Pricing and contract requirements
- The provider’s ability to adapt and scale with your organization
What Are Telephone and Video Interpretation?
Over-the-phone interpreting (OPI) connects two or more participants with a professional interpreter by telephone. It can be particularly useful for brief, urgent, or high-volume interactions where visual communication isn’t necessary.
Video remote interpreting (VRI) connects participants with an interpreter through live video. Because participants can see facial expressions, gestures, and other visual cues, VRI may be preferable for complex or sensitive conversations. Video is also essential when remote interpretation is needed for American Sign Language (ASL) and other signed languages.
Many organizations use a combination of OPI, VRI, and in-person interpreting depending on the industry and situation.
When Should You Use OPI vs. VRI?
OPI may be a good choice when:
- Immediate interpreter access is important
- The interaction is relatively brief
- Visual cues aren’t necessary
- Staff are already communicating by phone
- A less comonly requested language is needed
- Your organization handles a high volume of interactions
VRI may be preferable when:
- Facial expressions and body language aid communication
- The interaction is complex, emotional or sensitive
- Participants benefit from a more personal connection
- ASL or another signed language is required
- Multiple individuals are participating
- The interaction is taking place through telehealth or another video platform
In-person interpreting may still be the best option for certain extended, sensitive, or complex encounters.
In healthcare, for example, group therapy sessions represent the only clinical scenario where both VRI and OPI are ineffective and in-person interpretation is required. In group settings, the interpreter cannot adequately see or hear all participants, misses critical non-verbal cues across the room, and cannot capture the complex dynamics of multi-person interactions. This limitation applies regardless of technology quality or interpreter skill level.
How We Selected the Interpreting Companies in This Guide
This guide highlights four established U.S. language service providers with significant telephone and video interpreting capabilities.
We considered publicly available information about:
- OPI and VRI services
- Interpreter qualifications
- Language availability
- Industries served
- Technology and integrations
- Security and healthcare capabilities
- Market presence and experience
- Customer and implementation support
This isn’t intended as a definitive ranking. Services, technology, language availability, and other capabilities change over time, and organizations should evaluate prospective providers against their own requirements before making a decision.
Telephone and Video Interpreting Company Comparison
| Provider | Services | HIPAA | Healthcare Security | Medical Interpreters |
| Certified Languages International (CLI) | OPI + VRI | Yes | ASTM F3130-18; secure platform; privacy, confidentiality, and security protocols | Yes; medically qualified and screened |
| LanguageLine Solutions | OPI + VRI | Yes | ISO 27001; SOC 2 Type 2 + HIPAA/HITECH examination | Yes; qualified and certified medical interpreter |
| Propio Language Services | OPI + VRI | Yes | HITRUST; SOC 2 Type II | Yes; medical terminology and interpreting assessments |
| AMN Healthcare Language Services | OPI + VRI | Yes | SOC 2 controls; healthcare-focused security measures | Yes; medically qualified interpreter |
| Provider | EHR / Telehealth | 24/7 | Healthcare Specialization | Languages |
| Certified Languages International (CLI) | OPI SIP integrations; other capabilities vary by workflow | OPI Yes; VRI varies | Strong; also serves education, financial, legal, and other sectors | 230+ OPI; VRI varies |
| LanguageLine Solutions | Yes; EHR, telehealth, SIP, and other integrations | Yes | Strong; broad healthcare and enterprise experience | 240+ |
| Propio Language Services | Yes; EHR and telehealth integrations | Yes | Strong; significant healthcare presence | 300+ |
| AMN Healthcare Language Services | Yes; 40+ EHR and telehealth integrations | OPI: Yes; VRI varies | Healthcare-exclusive | 300+ OPI; 45+ VRI |
Language availability, integrations, service levels, and technical capabilities should be confirmed directly with each provider.
Leading Telephone and Video Interpreting Companies
Certified Languages International (CLI)
Founded in 1996, Certified Languages International (CLI) provides on-demand telephone and video interpreting to organizations throughout the United States.
CLI offers telephone interpreting in more than 230 languages, along with video remote interpreting, document translation, and other language services.
CLI combines the capabilities expected from a national language service provider with an emphasis on responsive, personalized service. For organizations that want broad language access without getting lost within a very large vendor relationship, that balance can be an important differentiator.
Take a deeper dive into CLI’s OPI services and CLI’s VRI services.
Industries Served
CLI works with organizations across industries including:
- Healthcare
- State and federal government
- Social services
- Insurance
- Banking and financial services
- Mortgage services
- Education
- Call centers
- Courts and legal services
This cross-industry experience can be valuable for organizations whose language access requirements span multiple departments or types of interactions.
What Distinguishes CLI?
CLI places emphasis on customer service, interpreter quality, reliability, and adapting language services to the way individual clients operate.
Its capabilities include:
- Rigorous interpreter screening and quality standards
- Thorough interpreter QA processes
- 24/7/365 telephone interpreter access
- More than 230 OPI languages
- Pre-scheduled interpreter appointments
- Qualified, HIPAA aware medical interpreters
- Video remote interpreting through CLI’s proprietary MERFi® platform
- Customized implementation and workflows
- Usage reporting with customizable fields to support industry-specific compliance
- Responsive account support
- Experience serving multiple regulated industries
- Access to less commonly requested languages
CLI is also a women-run business.
Who May Be a Good Fit for CLI?
CLI may be attractive to organizations that want the capabilities and language coverage of a national provider while still placing a high value on personalized service, flexibility, and responsive account management.
For organizations with unique workflows or those that want their language service provider to function more like a partner than a utility, the service model deserves consideration alongside more familiar metrics such as language count and company size.
CLI Insight: It’s easy to compare providers based on numbers: languages, connection times, or per-minute rates. Those metrics matter, but the quality of interpretation and ongoing support can have just as much impact on whether a language access program works well in practice.
LanguageLine Solutions
LanguageLine Solutions, owned by global BPO Teleperformance, is one of the largest and most widely recognized language service providers in the industry.
The company offers on-demand telephone and video interpreting, scheduled in-person interpreting, translation and localization, language testing, and other language access services.
Industries Served
LanguageLine serves organizations in areas including:
- Healthcare
- Government
- Education
- Insurance
- Financial services
- Legal services
- Retail
- Customer service
- Large enterprises
What Distinguishes LanguageLine?
Scale is one of LanguageLine’s clearest strengths. Its extensive interpreter resources and technology ecosystem enable the company to support large organizations with significant language access requirements.
Depending on the service, organizations can access interpreters through telephones, mobile devices, computers, telehealth platforms, EHR systems, contact-center technology, and other integrations.
LanguageLine also maintains substantial information security credentials and experience working with large healthcare, government, and enterprise clients.
Capabilities Include:
- 24/7 on-demand telephone and video interpretation
- Interpretation in 240+ languages
- Qualified and certified medical interpreters
- HIPAA/HITECH-compliant language services
- ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 Type 2 security controls
- EHR and telehealth integrations
- Contact-center and enterprise technology integrations
- Phone, video, and in-person interpretation
- Translation and localization services
- Reporting and language access management tools
Who May Be a Good Fit for LanguageLine?
LanguageLine may be a good option for large health systems, government agencies, and enterprise organizations where scale, interpreter capacity, and extensive technology integrations are top priorities.
As with any large vendor relationship, organizations should also evaluate the level of account support, implementation assistance, flexibility, and responsiveness they will receive based on their size and specific needs.
Propio Language Services
Propio Language Services is a major U.S. provider of remote interpretation and other language services. Its 2025 acquisition of CyraCom brought together two established language service providers and substantially expanded Propio’s interpreter network, healthcare presence, and technology capabilities.
Propio offers over-the-phone interpreting, video remote interpreting, in-person interpreting, translation and localization, and other language services through its Propio ONE platform.
Industries Served
Propio serves organizations across areas including:
- Healthcare
- Government
- Education
- Legal services
- Financial services
- Insurance
- Enterprise and customer-service environments
Healthcare represents a significant area of expertise, particularly following the addition of CyraCom’s healthcare interpreting operations.
What Distinguishes Propio?
Propio combines a large interpreter network with technology designed to provide language access across multiple communication channels.
Capabilities include:
- 24/7/365 interpretation access
- More than 300 languages
- Qualified healthcare interpreters
- HIPAA-aware language services
- HITRUST and SOC 2 Type II security credentials
- EHR and telehealth integrations
- Reporting and analytics through Propio ONE
- Phone, video, and in-person interpreting
Propio’s healthcare interpreters undergo language proficiency testing, medical terminology assessments, and interpreting evaluations.
Who May Be a Good Fit for Propio?
Propio may be a strong candidate for healthcare systems, government agencies, and large organizations seeking extensive language coverage, multiple interpreting modalities, and a technology-centered service platform.
AMN Healthcare Language Services
AMN Healthcare Language Services provides telephone, video, in-person, and telehealth interpretation as part of AMN Healthcare’s broader healthcare workforce and technology portfolio.
Unlike the other vendors in this guide, AMN’s language services are focused specifically on healthcare.
Industries Served
AMN Language Services primarily serves:
- Hospitals
- Health systems
- Clinics
- Telehealth providers
- Other healthcare organizations
What Distinguishes AMN Healthcare Language Services?
AMN’s biggest differentiator is its healthcare specialization. Because AMN operates within the broader healthcare industry, its language services are designed specifically around clinical environments, patient communication, and healthcare workflows.
Capabilities Include:
- 24/7 over-the-phone interpreting in 300+ languages
- Video remote interpreting in 45+ languages
- Medically qualified interpreters
- In-person interpreting
- Telehealth interpretation
- Document translation
- HIPAA-compliant language services
- EHR and telehealth integrations
- Integration with more than 40 EHR and telehealth platforms
- Healthcare-focused reporting and language access tools
Because AMN operates within the broader healthcare industry, its language services are designed around clinical environments, patient communication, and healthcare workflows.
Who May Be a Good Fit for AMN?
AMN may be well suited to hospitals and large health systems that prioritize healthcare specialization, clinical technology integrations, and language services designed specifically for patient-care environments.
Organizations outside healthcare, however, will likely find LSPs with broader industry experience more appropriate for their needs.
Help for Healthcare Organizations Choosing a LSP:
Learn How to Write an Effective Healthcare Interpreting Services RFP
What Questions Should a Hospital Ask Before Hiring an Interpreting Company?
How to Choose a Telephone or Video Interpreting Company
The vendor comparison is only the starting point. The best way to evaluate an interpreting company is to look beyond its marketing claims and determine how its services will perform within your organization.
1. Evaluate Interpreter Qualifications
Ask prospective LSPs how interpreters are recruited, screened, trained, and assessed.
Questions should include:
- How are language proficiency and interpreting skills evaluated?
- How are interpreter ethics and confidentiality handled?
- How are medical interpreters evaluated for specialized knowledge?
- How is interpreter performance monitored?
- What happens when a client reports a quality concern?
Being bilingual alone doesn’t make someone a qualified professional interpreter.
2. Compare Language Availability Carefully
An LSP may advertise hundreds of languages, but that doesn’t mean every language is equally available through phone and video.
Ask:
- Which languages are available by telephone?
- Which are available by video?
- Is ASL available?
- Are less commonly requested languages available on demand?
- What’s your processes for obtaining languages you don’t offer?
- Does availability change after hours?
- How do connection times vary by language?
The number of languages on a website matters less than reliable access to the languages your organization actually needs.
3. Review Connection Times and Reliability
Ask LSPs for meaningful performance information, including:
- Average connection time for VRI and OPI
- Abandonment rates
- Service uptime
- Peak-period performance
- Connection times for less common languages
- Backup procedures for service continuity
- Service-level guarantees
- Disaster-recovery plans
Where possible, request data for the languages and hours your organization uses most frequently.
4. Test the User Experience
Even an impressive technology platform won’t help if employees find it difficult to use.
During a demonstration or pilot, consider:
- How many steps are required to reach an interpreter?
- Can staff use their existing phones and devices?
- Is the video interface intuitive?
- Can the service fit into existing workflows?
- How easy is it to request the correct language?
- Is audio and video quality dependable?
- What happens when an employee needs help?
Include frontline employees in the evaluation. They are the people who will actually use the service.
5. Examine HIPAA Compliance, Security, and Privacy
Interpretation sessions can involve confidential medical, financial, legal, and personal information.
Depending on your organization, evaluate:
- HIPAA compliance
- Data encryption
- Privacy controls
- Interpreter confidentiality requirements
- Data storage and retention
- User authentication
- Access controls
- Security incident procedures
- Independent security certifications or assessments
Healthcare organizations should conduct their own security and compliance review rather than relying solely on an LSP’s marketing statement that its service is secure or HIPAA compliant.
6. Look for Relevant Industry Experience
An LSP that performs well in one environment isn’t automatically the best choice in another.
Ask whether the company has substantial experience with:
- Your industry
- Your terminology
- Your typical interactions or workflow
- Your compliance obligations
- Your technology
- Your hours, call volume, and language mix
For organizations operating across multiple sectors or departments, an LSP with broader industry experience may offer an advantage. Organizations with highly specialized needs may place greater value on an LSP focused on one sector.
7. Evaluate Implementation and Customer Support
This is an area that deserves more attention during vendor selection.
Language access doesn’t begin and end with connecting to an interpreter. Organizations may need help introducing the service, training employees, configuring workflows, analyzing usage, and resolving problems.
Ask whether your vendor offers:
- Dedicated implementation support
- Employee training
- Quick-reference materials
- Customized access instructions
- Technical assistance
- Dedicated account management
- Reporting and usage monitoring
- Regular program reviews
- Support when service or quality issues arise
A provider with excellent technology or a lower price but limited support may create more work for your internal team. Consider not only what you’re buying, but also what the relationship will look like after implementation.
8. Review Reporting and Analytics
Useful reporting should help organizations understand where, when, and how language services are being used.
Look for the ability to track:
- Session volume
- Languages requested
- Departments or locations
- Session duration
- Connection times
- Costs
- Video versus telephone use
- Trends over time
- Service quality indicators
Reporting should help you improve and justify your language access program, not merely verify an invoice.
9. Compare Pricing in Context
The lowest per-minute rate doesn’t necessarily mean the lowest overall cost.
Consider:
- OPI and VRI rates
- Minimum charges
- Monthly fees
- Equipment costs
- Implementation fees
- Less common language pricing
- Scheduled-session rates
- Cancellation policies
- Integration costs
- Contract minimums
- Price increases
Also consider the costs that don’t appear on a rate sheet. Poor connection times, unreliable technology, inconsistent interpreter quality, or difficulty getting support can create operational costs of their own.
10. Run a Pilot Before Making a Long-Term Commitment
Whenever practical, test prospective vendors under realistic conditions.
Include:
- Frequently requested languages
- Less common languages
- Daytime and after-hours sessions
- Telephone and video encounters
- Multiple departments
- Routine and complex interactions
- Frontline employee feedback
- Technical performance
- Customer-support responsiveness
Use the same criteria for each provider so you can make a meaningful comparison.
Questions to Ask Prospective Interpreting Companies
Before selecting a telephone or video interpreting company, ask:
- How are your intepreters screened and assessed?
- What training do they receive?
- Which languages are available through OPI and VRI?
- How quickly do users typically connect?
- How do connection times vary by language?
- What experience do you have in our industry?
- How does your technology integrate with our existing system?
- What security and privacy safeguards are in place?
- What implementation support will we receive?
- Who will manage our account after launch?
- What reporting and analytics are available?
- How are quality concerns handled?
- What backup systems protect service continuity?
- What fees aren’t included in the quoted rate?
One more question is worth adding:
How will working with you be different from working with another interpreting company?
The answer can reveal a great deal about the service relationship you’re actually buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can an organization connect with an interpreter?
Connection times vary by vendor, language, time of day, and service modality. Frequently requested languages may be available within seconds, while less common languages may require a longer wait or scheduled appointment.
Ask prospective vendors for performance data relevant to the languages and hours your organization actually uses rather than relying only on an overall average.
How many languages should an interpreting company offer?
There’s no universal number that defines a good interpreting provider. What matters is whether the company can reliably provide qualified interpreters for the languages your organization needs.
A larger advertised language count isn’t necessarily an advantage if the provider can’t consistently deliver interpreter quality, reasonable connection times, or effective support.
Are all telephone and video interpreting companies HIPAA compliant?
No organization should assume that all interpreting companies or technology platforms offer the same healthcare privacy and security protections.
Healthcare organizations should conduct their own compliance and security reviews, examine relevant documentation and subcontractor practices, and confirm whether an appropriate business associate agreement is available.
Can one interpreting company support multiple industries?
Yes. Many language service providers work across multiple industries, including healthcare, government, finance, insurance, legal services, and education.
However, qualifications, terminology, compliance requirements, and workflows can differ significantly between industries. Organizations should evaluate both the breadth of a vendor’s experience and its expertise in their particular environment.
Should an organization use one interpreting company or multiple providers?
Some organizations prefer one primary provider for simplicity, consistency, and easier program management. Others maintain a secondary provider for backup coverage, less common languages, specialty interpreting, or emergency continuity.
The right approach depends on your organization’s size, risk tolerance, language requirements, and procurement strategy.
What’s the most important factor when choosing an interpreting company?
Interpreter quality is fundamental, but no single metric tells the whole story.
A strong language access partner should combine qualified interpreters, reliable technology, appropriate language availability, security, industry expertise, effective implementation, and responsive customer support.
Ultimately, the best provider isn’t simply the one that can connect you with an interpreter. It’s the one that can consistently support your organization’s language access program before, during, and after each interaction.
Finding the Right Language Access Partner
Certified Languages International, LanguageLine Solutions, Propio Language Services, and AMN Healthcare Language Services are all established providers of remote interpretation, but they bring different strengths to the table.
LanguageLine’s scale and integration capabilities may appeal to large enterprise organizations. Propio combines a large interpreter network with an expanding technology platform and significant healthcare presence. AMN offers deep specialization for organizations operating specifically within healthcare.
CLI occupies a somewhat different position: it combines national language coverage and technology with a service model built around flexibility, responsiveness, and personalized client support. For organizations that want robust interpreting capabilities but also value a provider willing to understand their particular workflows and needs, that combination can be compelling.
Whichever LSP you consider, don’t choose based solely on company size, language count, or price. Evaluate interpreter quality, reliability, security, technology, implementation, and what it will actually be like to work with the company after the contract is signed.
The best language service provider isn’t necessarily the biggest. It’s the one that best fits your organization.
Looking for a More Responsive Language Access Partner?
CLI provides 24/7 telephone interpreting, video remote interpreting, and customized language access solutions for organizations across healthcare, government, financial services, insurance, legal services, and other industries.
Learn more about CLI’s telephone and video interpreting services or talk with our team about your organization’s language needs, workflows, and priorities.
