Pros
This is possibly the quickest way to have a glimpse into many industries that provide customer service: banks, hospitals, mobile phone companies, internet service providers, utilities, government agencies, law enforcement, stock trading, even some tech companies. The idea that you never know what your next phone call entails is exciting and certainly adds allure to the job. I learned a lot about how to deal with phone/internet/electricity providers and bank/hospitals/police/Social Security just by listening in on the conversations and interpreting. It gave me, an novice interpreter who inspired to become a professional, a well-rounded exposure to terminology in many different fields. Being able to go to work without dressing up and driving through traffic is also a plus. I also came across a couple nice people who also provided good information on resources for interpreters.
Kontras
This job does not really allow you to gain "good" interpreting skills - I have now obtained an advanced degree in interpretation and have been working in the field for a while. What (little) interpreting skills I obtained during my time at LLS have not served me very well. As a matter of fact, I developed some pretty bad interpreting habits that took a while to break. The reason? First of all, the training they provided was PAINFULLY INADEQUATE. They were more concerned about perpetrating company policies rather than training inexperienced people to become adequate for the job. Secondly, BAD INTERPRETATION seemed quite acceptable - on my first day of work, my supervisor and I listened in on other interpreters, and even though I had never worked as an interpreter before that day, common sense told me the quality of interpreting generally ranged from acceptable to absolutely horrendous. Don't get me wrong - there are a few great interpreters that I came across, but they were definitely a rarity. Lastly, the interpreters were WORKED LIKE SLAVES, that at after working nonstop under a huge amount of stress for so long, even if they tried to provide good quality work, I doubt their now deep-fried brains and exhausted bodies could allow them to function normally. They also blatantly DISREGARDED the fact that we were human beings - illnesses were inexcusable, emergencies were inexcusable, taking time off was nearly impossible. A fellow interpreter, who consistently performed above and beyond, developed a life-threatening condition and requested to have his hours reduced in order to make it to his appointments and whatnot - in response, HR increased his hours. The excitement of the job wore off quickly for me. I felt that I was chained to my phone, not allowed to take a bathroom break for hours, while BEING PAID LESS THAN ONE QUARTER (or in some cases, even one tenth!) of market rates - rates that interpreters out there actually make!
