Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)
Video remote interpreter (VRI) for UK NHS, HMCTS and legal firms.
Professional interpreters join your Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, WebEx or NHS trust video system. Same-day for most languages. Nothing to install on your side.
- Joins your existing video platform (Zoom, Teams, Meet, WebEx)
- Same-day availability for Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, Arabic, Lithuanian
- NHS-familiar interpreters for GP, hospital and mental health video consultations
- Court and tribunal remote-hearing coverage (Magistrates, Crown, County, IAC, ET)
- NDA-bound. UK GDPR compliant. Not recorded unless you ask.
What Video Remote Interpreting Actually Is
Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is a live interpreter who joins your video call as a participant. They see the room, hear both sides, and interpret in real time. In healthcare it is the accepted standard for consultations where the patient does not share a spoken language with the clinician. In legal and safeguarding contexts it captures the body language and gestures that a phone-only interpreter would miss. In business it lets you keep meetings on the platform your team already uses without shipping people between offices.
The interpreter connects from a professional workspace with a headset and a stable line. They join through the same link you send to any other participant. You do not need a specialist VRI application, kiosk, or hardware.
Pricing
Video remote interpreting is quoted per session, priced by language, duration, and notice.
Fixed rate confirmed before the session. No connection fees, no travel charges, no per-participant surcharge. B2B accounts invoiced on 30-day terms with round-number pricing.
How It Works
Four steps from booking to your interpreter on the call.
Tell Us the Basics
Language, context (NHS, legal, business, education), date and time, expected duration, and the video platform you use. Two minutes on the form or a WhatsApp message is enough.
We Match and Confirm
We assign a qualified interpreter with the right language pair and context experience (medical, legal, business, education). You receive a fixed price and confirmation within 15 minutes during business hours.
Share the Meeting Link
Forward the Zoom, Teams, Meet or WebEx link ahead of the session. The interpreter joins from a professional workspace with a headset. No specialist app needed on your side.
Session Runs, You Get One Invoice
Consecutive interpreting during the call, no recording unless you specifically request it. Invoice issued after the session. Pay by card, bank transfer, or standing purchase order for B2B accounts.
Where a Video Remote Interpreter Fits Best
Four contexts where our video interpreters are booked most often across the UK.
NHS & Healthcare (VRI)
GP consultations, outpatient appointments, mental health assessments, discharge planning, telemedicine reviews, and pre-op consent. NHS clinicians use VRI when a patient does not share English and a physical interpreter is not practical or available at short notice.
- GP video consultations
- NHS trust outpatient appointments
- CAMHS and adult mental health
- Discharge planning conferences
Legal & Tribunals
Remote court hearings, First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Employment Tribunal, solicitor-client conferences, and police station consultations under PACE Code C conducted by video link. Interpreters follow HMCTS Judicial Guidance on remote hearings.
- Remote Magistrates, Crown & County Court hearings
- First-tier Tribunal (IAC) appeal hearings
- Employment Tribunal and EAT hearings
- Solicitor-client and PACE consultations
Business
Cross-border supplier calls, HR interviews and disciplinary hearings, customer support escalations, compliance briefings, and multi-office team meetings. Scales cleanly across time zones and multi-party Zoom or Teams calls between London, Manchester, Birmingham and continental Europe.
- Supplier negotiations across languages
- HR interviews and disciplinary hearings
- Customer support escalation calls
- Multi-office team meetings
Public Services & Education
Local Authority Children's Services case conferences (including Section 47), housing and benefits reviews, school parent-teacher meetings run remotely, EHCP reviews, and social care assessments. Common for parents based outside the immediate school or council area who cannot attend on-site.
- Local Authority Section 47 case conferences
- Housing and benefits reviews
- School parent-teacher meetings
- EHCP and SEND review meetings
Works With Every Common Video Platform
You send us the meeting link, the interpreter joins as a normal participant. No new software, no proprietary VRI kiosk, no per-seat licence. We cover the platforms that UK NHS trusts, courts, law firms, and enterprises actually use.
For NHS trust and hospital-specific systems (attend Anywhere, hospital outpatient portals, trust telemedicine links) we can arrange direct three-way call bridging. Just mention the platform when booking so the interpreter can be issued the correct join credentials in advance.
What Our Clients Say
Feedback from NHS, legal, and public service clients across the UK.
"The video link worked cleanly on our NHS trust outpatient system and the interpreter followed the mental health terminology without a hitch. Booked same-day for a Ukrainian patient. Very responsive team, understood Caldicott handling of the notes on screen."
NHS mental health team, Manchester
"We use Tatkowski for remote First-tier Tribunal (IAC) hearings when our client is outside London. Punctual joins, understands appellate context, keeps to HMCTS protocol on interruptions and turn-taking."
Immigration and asylum solicitor, London
"Best experience I've had with a remote interpreter for a supplier call. The Romanian side was easier to follow than our previous phone-only arrangement. Priced per session, no surprises on the invoice."
Operations Director, food manufacturing SME, Birmingham
Book a Video Remote Interpreter
Short form or WhatsApp. We respond within 15 minutes during business hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can I book a video remote interpreter?
Standard bookings are confirmed same-day for the most common UK language pairs (Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, Arabic, Lithuanian). Scheduled sessions can be locked in days or weeks ahead. Urgent out-of-hours requests are handled individually: contact us directly and we will respond within 15 minutes.
What video platforms do you support?
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, WebEx, GoToMeeting, Whereby, WhatsApp Video, FaceTime, and NHS trust video systems such as attend Anywhere or hospital-specific outpatient portals. The interpreter joins whatever you already use. Nothing to install on your side.
Is video remote interpreting suitable for medical consultations?
Yes. Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is the standard for GP consultations, mental health assessments, discharge planning, and outpatient appointments where the patient does not share a spoken language with the clinician. Interpreters work under NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) alignment and follow Caldicott Principles for patient-identifiable information.
Can a video interpreter attend a court or tribunal hearing?
Yes. Our interpreters cover remote hearings in the Magistrates' Court, Crown Court, County Court, Family Court, First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Employment Tribunal (ET) and Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). We follow HMCTS Judicial Guidance on remote hearings for interpreter conduct, turn-taking, and interruption protocol.
What is the difference between video and phone interpreting?
Video interpreting adds visual context: the interpreter sees body language, gestures, documents held up on camera, and the whole room. This matters in medical, legal, and safeguarding contexts where non-verbal cues carry meaning. Phone interpreting is faster to set up and works when only audio is required.
Do you provide sign language interpreting over video?
Video is the only workable remote channel for sign language. We can arrange British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters on request, subject to availability. The BSL interpreter pool in the UK is larger than for spoken minority languages, but book as early as possible for specialist contexts (mental health, legal, medical safeguarding) where a specific interpreter profile matters.
How is confidentiality handled on video sessions?
Every interpreter signs an NDA. Sessions are not recorded unless you specifically request it. We follow UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 for all identifying information shared during the session, and Caldicott Principles for NHS work. Documents shown on screen are not stored, screen-captured or logged by us.
Can multiple people join the video call?
Yes. The interpreter joins as a normal participant on your meeting link, so any multi-party call, group medical review, family conference, or multi-solicitor consultation works exactly as it would without an interpreter. There is no participant cap on our side.
