TikkTalk's blog
Keep up to date with the latest tips, events and news from the interpretation world and TikkTalk’s open marketplace.
TikkTalk reaching new heights in 2017
A lot happened with TikkTalk in 2017. So, even though 2018 is already well under way, we're allowing ourselves a look back at last year. Municipalities, hospitals and many others all across Norway have started using TikkTalk over the past 12 months. You...
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Helse Førde uses TikkTalk for more reliable interpretation services
TikkTalk delivered qualified interpreters in 97 per cent of assignments for Hele Førde in 2017. That's twice as good as municipal interpretation services and almost five times as good as private interpretation services elsewhere in the public sector. –...
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Kvam Municipality uses TikkTalk to book highly educated interpreters
Malin Namdal, head of refugee services in Kvam, uses TikkTalk to book highly educated interpreters. Kvam is a medium-sized municipality along the Hardangerfjord in Western Norway. The municipality has taken in about 30 refugees per year for the last two...
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Life as a TikkTalker
In recent years, Esraa Alezy Groven has gone from working as a programmer and project manager, to a full-time interpreter. - I'm very pleased with TikkTalk, and it makes my life easier! For those who are planning a career as an interpreter, read 7 tips...
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Thoughts of a qualified interpreter
Educated interpreters often experience the industry from another angle. The interpretation agencies' battle to send the cheapest interpreters has its impact on those who are educated and who want to build a career within interpretation. It's a rainy...
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Enebakk municipality has found its favourite interpreters through TikkTalk
Head of refugee services, Wenche Bjerke, says TikkTalk offers the best quality for the money – We are mainly concerned with the quality of interpretation, says Wenche Bjerke. She is the head of refugee services in Enebakk municipality in Eastern Norway,...
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TikkTalk is speaking at the Techfugees Global Summit
Next week, Gautam and Rodney are going to Paris to participate in the global Techfugees summit at Station F, the largest startup campus in the world. The event will bring together technology leaders from across the globe to discuss urgent issues for...
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Why the asylum centres at Hemsedal use TikkTalk
Finance director Mark Howie at Hemsedal asylum centres explains why his centres use TikkTalk for booking interpreters. – We're very pleased with TikkTalk. We save money at the same time as we know we're getting qualified interpreters [from Tolkeportalen.no, level...
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Helse Førde and TikkTalk’s pilot project is now live
Hospitals in the Helse Førde region have started using TikkTalk’s system, in a pilot to improve access to interpreters when treating foreign language patients. Innovative: The project allows for increased use of video interpretation, here demonstrated with a video...
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7 Tips for Planning a Career as an Interpreter
Planning a career as an interpreter? Here is what you should consider! You love languages. You have relatives who speak two or more languages, you're bicultural, and you have strong ties to a specific country. Or, you just love the challenge of meeting new people and...
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The importance of a good TikkTalk profile
A TikkTalk profile is the most important tool you have when reaching out to an user of interpreter services. You might have a LinkedIn profile showcasing all your work experience, and a TikkTalk profile has the same purpose: It shows who you are, and what services you...
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Challenges of a police interpreter
Imagine a crime scene where the involved parties do not understand each other. When police officers faced with such a crime scene have to take a statement, interview a victim or suspect, or share news with a victim’s family, they often need specially trained and...
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A normal day at the TikkTalk office
TikkTalk consists of seven full time employees, including the three founders, Gautam Chandna, Rodney Boot og Jørn Mikalsen. The rest of the team consists of 13 consultants and part time workers. At the moment, we also have an intern staying with us for three months. A...
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How to integrate TikkTalk with Skype for Business and Cisco
TikkTalk is easy to use, which is why it can be integrated with your existing systems. TikkTalk is compatible with Skype for Business and Cisco, and it's simple to start and run an interpretation session directly in your system using video or telephone. The TikkTalk...
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TikkTalk is approved by The Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Are you taking your driving licence and need an interpreter? Use TikkTalk! Earlier this month, TikkTalk had a visit from The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) for inspection and approval of TikkTalk and our Safe Hub. The Safe Hub is a closed room where the...
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TikkTalk at Dagens Næringsliv’s disruption conference
What does disruption mean in Norway? Wednesday 15 March, Norwegian business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv will try to answer the question. Business leaders in Norway, including our own CEO, Gautam, will discuss how new technology displaces old business models. ...
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9 Tips for Being Professional on Video
In today’s world of advancing technology, the days of simple phone calls are ending. Business calls, meetings, doctors’ visits, job interviews and even interpretation sessions often take place on video. But how do you maintain professionalism and make a good...
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TikkTalk og Helse Førde sign NOK 14 million innovation contract
In health care, high-quality interpretation can be a matter of life or death. That is why the innovative tech startup TikkTalk has entered into a big project by Helse Førde, a region of hospitals in western Norway. The project will use TikkTalk’s digital platform and...
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Qualification levels for interpreters
Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi) TikkTalk verifies all information about education and authorisation based on the guidelines made by the Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi). IMDi grants a state certification letter to...
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How to work effectively with an interpreter
Due to the internationalisation of daily life and business, the likelihood that you will need the services of a professional interpreter is growing every day. This is why it is essential to know how to work with them effectively in order to gain the most benefit. ...
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Open house at Oslo Science Park
On Thursday 2 February, Oslo Science Park is opening its doors. Across six floors, the park hosts some of Norway's most exciting tech companies and research institutions. As one of the park's growing tech startups, TikkTalk will speak at the event. We have long been...
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Meet Aman, our community manager
Aman is TikkTalk's community manager. Aman previously worked as an interpreter, and was also an active user of interpretation services during his time running an asylum reception centre in Otta, Norway. Here, Aman tells a bit more about himself and shares his tips for...
read moreMeet Skiwo’s new employee Mohamad Kenas
We from Skiwo would like to introduce our new employee Mohamad Kensas from Syria, who will support the team as interpreter and quality assurance tester. In the following, you find a short interview about his flight from Syria to Norway, the challenges he encountered...
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Simultaneous and consecutive interpreting – what’s the difference?
There are two main methods of interpretation: simultaneous and consecutive. As they are sometimes misunderstood, we've prepared this basic primer for you. Find out more about the difference between the two types, and the pros and cons of each one. What are the two...
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TikkTalk’s 2016 in numbers
It’s been a great first year for TikkTalk. We founded the company in February, went to market in July, and saw huge growth by December. It’s not easy being a tech company in a mostly non-tech industry, but we think we are doing well so far with changing the face of...
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The difference between interpreters and translators: Don’t mix them up!
Many people use the terms interpreter and translator interchangeably. But although the two perform similar tasks, there is a vast difference in skills, training and between the professions. What is an interpreter? Interpreters deal with spoken language and translate...
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Slush 2016: TikkTalk joins Europe’s leading startups
TikkTalk is joining Europe's leading startups at Slush 2016 in Helsinki this week. We look forward to two full days with some of the most exciting tech companies out there. If you're in Helsinki, let us know and we'll see you at Slush! Nähdään siellä! Slush is one of...
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Frokostmøte: Hva betyr ny tolke-teknologi for deg?
Velkommen til frokostmøte for tolker – med foredrag av professor Barry Slaughter Olsen via videolink Sted: Forskningsparken, Oslo Tid: Onsdag 14. desember, kl. 8:30 til kl. 10 – frokostservering fra 8.00 Meld deg på i skjemaet til høyre TikkTalk er en nystartet...
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How new technology is changing the interpretation industry
The tools that people use for communication are changing, making the world a more connected place. Technology, however, not only disrupts the way we communicate but also entire industrial sectors. While there are many examples of this, one of the most interesting is...
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E-Health in Norway 2016: Meet TikkTalk
Today and tomorrow, we will be exhibiting our TikkTalk platform at the E-Health in Norway Future Health (EHiN FH) 2016 conference in Oslo Spektrum. Come and talk to us about how interpretation technology can improve healthcare. EHiN Future Health is Norway’s biggest...
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Skiwo unveils new name for interpretation platform: TikkTalk
The last weeks and months have been great here at Skiwo. Over a hundred new interpreters have signed up, our in-house team is growing, and our first clients have started using the service. As an agile tech company, we launched our platform as quickly as possible to...
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DN gazelle conference: Skiwo asks companies “how many languages do you speak?”
Skiwo helped kick off the Dagens Næringsliv gazelle conferences this week. The gazelle conferences are a collection of events and award ceremonies recognising the fastest growing companies across Norway. Alongside speakers from DnB Markets, PwC and Dagens Næringsliv,...
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Techfugees Oslo 2016: Skiwo makes top three
After an inspiring weekend at Techfugees Oslo, Skiwo’s contribution – SkiwoGO – made it into the event’s top three projects. Competing with 11 other projects, we pitched SkiwoGo on Sunday afternoon for a jury consisting of, among others, the CEO of kolonial.no, Karl...
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The value of professional interpreters compared to online translation services
For casual, quick translations, there is no doubt that machine translation such as Google Translate is a positive, disruptive force in international communication. There is incredible value in being able to get the gist of statements in another language. As impressive...
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The role of court interpreters
Imagine you are involved in an accident in a foreign country and summoned to court. You are being asked about your whereabouts, actions, or involvement but you cannot understand the questions and therefore are unable to honestly explain what happened and advocate for...
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Importance of medical interpreters
The world is becoming more and more connected. No matter where we go these days, we meet people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds. Whether it is a visitor on holiday, an exchange student, an expatriate or an immigrant, we encounter people...
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Use Skiwo for easy, seamless interpretation freelance work – Become an interpreter
Our world is becoming more and more connected each day. In this digital age, connections across country borders are standard and part of our daily routine. Now that distance is no longer an issue, the next thing to tackle is language. Businesses are keen to embrace...
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Innovative marketplace for professional interpretation services
Skiwo offers a new way to manage your interpretation meetings all in one seamless experience. By establishing a global network for interpretation services, Skiwo connects interpreters directly with businesses, government agencies and individuals. This new approach...
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Interpreters bridge communication barriers in the refugee crisis
The current European migrant crisis has brought many challenges both to European communities and to over 1 million refugees who have entered the EU, Norway and Germany searching for a new home. Norway in particular has become a common point of entry, as many refugees...
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Privacy and security via hub assignments
Some interpretation sessions may require a level of confidentiality that virtual sessions may not provide. For example, if a medical or legal business has a meeting that needs to be very private.That's why, in addition to Skiwo’s efficient solutions for providing...
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How Skiwo video interpretation assignments work
Interpretation over video is fast and easy. Using video to run your interpretation assignments means you can work from home, save on travel time and schedule more assignments. With Skiwo, interpretation assignments can be conducted right in your web browser, on your...
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Benefits of using an interpreter: Why it’s vital in today’s society
Professional interpreters are vital in conveying pertinent information in all situations, but most importantly at places such as hospitals, schools, and courtrooms. An interpreter doesn't just translate information. They communicate in a multi-dimensional way that is...
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Skiwo, your one-stop shop for the entire interpretation process
Finding a good interpreter is a lengthy, difficult process. This is especially true in the many areas of the world where interpretation services are at a premium due to an influx of immigrants, refugees and new citizens. Even after you've decided on someone, there...
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Launch of mobile app for Android
It has been over a month since we launched Skiwo and we’ve been working hard to make it even better. We are a transparent and open service that connects interpreters with those in need. We want to bring interpretation services to everyone from anywhere. And since...
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Become an interpreter on Skiwo
Are you an interpreter? Would you like to set your own fee and work from anywhere? If you answered yes to both of these questions, being an interpreter on Skiwo is for you! Skiwo is an open digital platform where businesses can seek interpreters for their...
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Growing interpretation community since launch
Can you imagine that we launched Skiwo about a month ago and we already support 14 different languages? That’s an absolutely amazing effort thanks to all the interpreters who have signed up so far. It’s great to see so many skilled and caring people involved! If you...
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Norway’s first open marketplace for interpreters
We are proud to announce that Norway’s first online open marketplace for interpreters “Skiwo” has seen the light of day. Our focus from day one has been the people who would use Skiwo, both the interpreters and customers. But also the people who need an interpreter to...
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Skiwo begins testing its interpretation session booking system
Skiwo provides an online video conferencing platform for qualified interpreters, businesses and governments to book interpretation sessions. In Norway, a qualified interpreter must be used when due process of law and equal treatment deem it important in order to...
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