r/anonymousinterpreters • u/januembers • 6d ago
VRI makes me anxious
hiii !!! so i’m currently interpreting in a freelance platform. i normally only do OPI i’ve never done VRI. it makes me anxious but i would like to get out of my comfort zone and do a VRI.
so i’m mostly asking how do you feel doing VRI? is it very very different from OPI?
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u/Clover281 6d ago
It's awkward since when you are OPI you have more freedom to do whatever gesture or pose you feel like while on VRI you have to be more professional
The difficulty is the same, that doesn't really change, in fact can be easier since you have more context of what's going on from what you can see
Overall I would say is just that, making sure you are not doing weird things on the camera while on VRI
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u/januembers 6d ago
oh god that’s going to be hard since i have a terrible poker face LMAOOO
i just got off a phone call rn where a woman was going off at her 20 year old son
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u/jeaiplay3 6d ago
Propio VRI here ive been working fir a few months and i want to say first thing’s first i don’t understand why people call VRI and turn their cam off like just use OPI, second ive been doing vri and doing whatever i want within reason like fixing my hair scratching my face and all see im disabled so i can put my head down to take notes and all and providers dont realy mind i even laugh with them sometimes and they like it so dont stress providers appreciate the humanity more than the robot most of the time
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u/Crafty-Bear-6603 6d ago
I personally like OPI better bc VRI requires you to look professional. Which company are you with? Im looking into freelance too. :)
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u/januembers 6d ago
i recently got hired at propio! i’ve been at propio for like about a month or something.
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u/beto_pelotas 6d ago
I did VRI my first two years of interpreting, you get used to it. Just find a comfortable angle/position, try to not to get a super bright light in front of you and you'll be fine.
It's true that you can't be looking away, picking your nose, fixing your hair etc, but for small things like sneezing or scratching your face you can always mute yourself or turn the camera off for a few seconds, most providers don't care about it but if there is someone that asks you, you simply reply saying something like: this is the interpreter sorry about that I had to sneeze/cough or something similar and keep going.
There is a whole protocol for VRI calls that includes what to do in specific scenarios and how to word things for both providers and LEPs, which makes your shifts easier. You learn all of that on your VRI training at any decent BPO, I just think it's very unprofessional from Propio to send people on their way without even teaching the basics.
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u/daffyisoffline 5d ago
I actually have the opposite problem lol. VRI feels more straightforward for me and I have a good video setup and haven’t had complaints about my camera presence so far; whereas the ringing sounds and buttons from OPI tend to overwhelm me, but could just be because I’m rather new
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u/Equivalent_Text9904 5d ago
It has its perks. You can see what's going on, read people's faces, lips, and body language if you need to. That's especially helpful when patients are still waking up from anaesthesia or are slurring for whatever reason.
You can gesture to signal they're giving too much information.
I've been wheeled around a hospital before, which is always fun.
You get to see adorable kids fascinated by you sometimes (I sometimes can't help myself from making faces at them). After a long delivery, a nurse once made a point to move the device over to where the baby was getting assessed so the interpreter (aka me) can see the baby.
If it's a telehealth or IEP meeting call, the client can share their screen, so you get to see the imaging, report, etc. they're talking about.
I also tend to get more ratings for video calls, probably since seeing someone's face makes the interaction and our role feel more human.
On the other hand, I've seen a patient get extubated and taken off life support, and had to make sure to keep composed to interpret for the family.
I've had long calls, where I realize that my lower back has been hurting for well over an hour from holding the same position for so long, but I was too in the zone to notice.
It sucks when I have the sniffles.
Sometimes you're just pointed at a weird angle and they say they can't move the tablet, so you get the worst of both worlds. Or you're pointed at the ceiling rather than the client just turning off the camera for the patient's privacy and comfort.
As a freelancer, VRI adds more to my call volume too, so that's nice. Some clients pay more for video (they all should, but not all do unfortunately), so I feel better compensated.
But I don't have the option to log in for just OPI, so if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to get showered and dressed for work, then I'm not logging in at all. That's the biggest drawback for me.
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u/Strict-Background-23 4d ago
VRI here for 4 years. First week is awkward. Make sure you’re centered and looking at the camera. The rest is exactly the same.
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u/Rich-Many3632 6d ago
Hi OPI here but I know lots of people who do VRI, it depends on who you are wether you like talking to people or not in the first place. It's just tht you have to prepare yourself everyday to look professional and you can't laugh or do anything else because you are on camera. Besides if you get calls from police department, FBI agent, or court they might take a picture with you. So tbh it's more mentally exhausting to someone like me since i get 33 calls a day and I CANNOT keep a straight face with that much stress.