Ablio: a Community of Interpreters
A message to Interpreters from the Ablio team
In a market that so often finds itself facing aggressive approaches and races to the lowest bid, interpreters may be wary of participating in online agencies. This may make sense in the context of online marketplaces. Ablio however, is an online community that distinguishes itself by establishing an equitable model that benefits clients and interpreters alike.
Why a community of interpreters?
A community of interpreters is one of the founding principles of Ablio's unique business model. This is the way we wanted to shape it in the first place and we trust that interpreters will share our vision. But what does a community mean and why is it important?
If Ablio were a restaurant, interpreters would serve as our chefs. Without their skill and hard work, we would be lost. We value them and Ablio is built for and around them. Our aim is for interpreters to receive maximum benefits and the best working conditions.
Ablio provides interpreters the benefit of working within their own environment, deciding their own schedules, enjoying equal opportunities and fostering continuous improvement and growth.
We don't follow the call centre model where interpreters must go to work at specific scheduled times. Ablio knows that providing a truly global service means our interpreters are in different corners of the world and require different, individualized schedules.
Ablio also rejects the online common marketplace approach, where the platform is just a place for supply and demand to meet and negotiate services. Ablio wants to shield its interpreters from this kind of negotiation.
As such, a community is the most holistic and effective model for Ablio interpreters.
What principles is the Ablio Community founded upon?
As in any other kind of community, the [Ablio community] (https://ablio.com/interpreters-get-started) is comprised of individuals sharing specific common goals, including:
- Obtaining increased exposure in the marketplace
- Working from their own premises
- Organizing and defining their own schedule
- Being rewarded with appropriate fees aligned with their skills, objectives and scopes
- Learning continuously in an environment seeking to improve the quality of the profession
But goals alone are not the only binding agents in the Ablio [interpreters’ community] (https://ablio.com/interpreters-get-started). In order to pursue these goals, common values are also shared which involve a commitment to:
- Equality: All members are offered identical opportunities for business and personal growth. No interpreter is tasked with competitive pricing.
- Shared purpose: Single efforts are amassed into shared and organized plans that produce better results for the benefit of all.
- Continuous growth: The core of participation is growth at all levels. The more each individual in the community grows, the stronger the community becomes.
- Camaraderie: A community of peer’s flourishes when each member strives for collaboration and implements initiatives in a mutually supportive team environment.
- Excellence and results: A community that doesn't have goals will never achieve meaningful accomplishments.
- Enjoyable work and consistent benefits: No participant has to suffer under the burden of apathy or discontent. At Ablio, these values are present in our daily activities and in any decision we make. We encourage our interpreters to keep them as the foundation for their activities as well.
Ablio works to provide the proper environment for a functioning community. Encouragement is the key ingredient that makes this community flourish. It is shown in the social presence, motivation and collaboration of our members. We exert effort to make this a reality, but we don't want to work from the top down and refrain to create an environment that is imposed from above. Instead, we would like to build it together with all our stakeholders where a correct approach and mindset are the most important ingredients.
We are scattered across the globe and don't know each other very well yet but we can start to make Ablio belong to each one of us. Its health and prosperity will lead, in turn, prosperity for everyone in the community.
We want to hear the voices, suggestions and proposals of all our stakeholders to make Ablio the best interpreting service available and a better home for everyone. We thank all of you that have participated and encourage others to do the same, for the benefit of all. Together we can make this endeavour a success.
Photograph by mattbuck. Image released under Creative Commons license via Wikimedia Commons.
