How Much Do You Really Know About Your Language Service Provider?

Maureen Mitchells Uncategorized

Did you know…
✔ Your interpreter’s voice might be halfway around the world — not just across the table.
✔ Your client’s sensitive information might not stay in Canada, even if your organization is Canadian.
✔ Canadian privacy laws protect individuals — but they don’t stop data from hopping borders.

Welcome to the unexpected side of language services. In an era where “remote” is normal and interpreters connect instantly to phones and screens, it’s worth pausing: Are your calls staying in Canada—or being routed elsewhere? And who has access along the way?

What Canadian Privacy Law Actually Says

Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) doesn’t tie personal data to Canadian soil — but it does make organizations responsible for protecting it wherever it goes. You are obliged to inform customers their information might be managed and seen by others in other countries, and you must protect it just as well as if it stayed within Canada. Office of the Privacy Commissioner

That’s not a contradiction — it’s accountability.

So Why Does This Matter for Interpretation Services?

Let’s say a health clinic, emergency line, or legal office uses a language provider that has call centres or interpreters based outside Canada. Your client’s personal information — names, medical details, legal issues — may be touching systems in multiple countries. That’s okay under PIPEDA if you’ve been transparent with customers and can guarantee comparable protections. Office of the Privacy Commissioner

But that’s exactly the point: do you ask, have you asked, are you truly being vigilant in our current threat actor environment?

Three Questions That Should Be Easy to Answer

  1. Where is our data stored and processed?
  2. Are interpretation calls ever routed outside Canada? If yes, where?
  3. What safeguards are in place to protect that data no matter where it is transmitted?

If you’re not sure, maybe its time to refocus, reconsider, and reset.