FOI 26-085 Language Line

Freedom of Information Request

Reference
FOI 26-085 Language Line
Request Date
17 Feb 2026
Response Date
17 Mar 2026
Information Requested
Spend, Suppliers & Contracting
  1. Total spend on:
    • Interpreting
    • Translation
    • Transcription
  2. Who is your current supplier(s) for language services?If multiple suppliers are used, please specify which services each supplier delivers.
  3. Who is your provider for non‑spoken language services (e.g., BSL/ISL)?
  4. Who is your provider for transcription services (if separate)?
  5. Do you employ any in‑house interpreters or translators?
  6. Contract expiry dates:
    • a) Without extensions
    • b) With all extensions applied
  7. Name, phone number and email address of the contract manager for language services.
  8. Name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for the language services budget.
  9. Do you have any minimum durations set for interpreting bookings?If yes, please specify for each service type (spoken, non‑spoken, telephone, video).
 
Activity Data – Latest Full Financial Year
  1. Total number of:
  • Face‑to‑face interpreting assignments (spoken) + total hours
  • Face‑to‑face interpreting assignments (non‑spoken) + total hours
  • Telephone interpreting calls + total minutes
  • Video interpreting calls (spoken) + total minutes
  • Video interpreting calls (non‑spoken) + total minutes
  • Document translations + total words translated
  • Audio transcriptions + total audio duration
  1. Top 20 highest‑volume languages for interpreting/translation.
 
Performance, Fulfilment & Complaints
  1. Fulfilment rate (%) for:
  • Face‑to‑face interpreting
  • Telephone interpreting
  • Video interpreting
  • Document translation
  • Audio transcription
  1. Number of language service complaints received in the latest full financial year.
  2. Percentage of positive vs negative feedback received regarding language services.
  3. Languages your provider has been unable to source in the last 12 months.
  4. Have any service credits been applied in the last 12 months?If yes, what performance issues were they linked to?
 
Social Value, Tender Information & Pricing
  1. Social value delivered under this contract in the last 12 months.
  2. If tendered, please provide a copy of the winning bidder’s tender submission.
  3. Contracted rates for:
  • Spoken face‑to‑face interpreting (hourly)
  • Non‑spoken face‑to‑face interpreting (hourly)
  • Telephone interpreting (per minute)
  • Spoken video interpreting (per minute)
  • Non‑spoken video interpreting (per minute)
  • Document translation (per word)
  • Audio transcription (per audio minute)
  1. Has your provider increased their rates in the last 12 months?
  2. What is the Authority’s typical route to market for procuring language services?
 
Assistive Technology (BSL / Deaf Access)
  1. Do you have a VRS (Video Relay Service) on‑demand service in place allowing Deaf BSL users to contact you via video when phoning?
  2. Do you have a VRI (Video Remote Interpreting) on‑demand service in place for emergency/unplanned/immediate communication needs for Deaf patients or service users?
If yes to either:
  • Who is the provider?
  • When was the service introduced?
  • Is it available 24/7?
  • Is there a cost to the Authority?
 
Additional Data for the Most Recent Full Financial Year
  1. Total number of spoken language requests.
  2. Total number of non‑spoken language requests.
  3. Total spend on spoken vs non‑spoken language services.
  4. Fulfilment rates for spoken vs non‑spoken services.
 
Final Clarification Request
  1. If your provider offers additional provisions or specialist services (e.g., ISL, rare languages, emergency response, in‑person support, or other enhanced services), please provide details.
Response

Spend, Suppliers & Contracting

  1. Total spend on:
    • Interpreting – Circa £26K per annum
    • Translation - £85
    • Transcription - £0
  2. Who is your current supplier(s) for language services? - LanguageLine Solutions Ltd
    If multiple suppliers are used, please specify which services each supplier delivers.

 

  1. Who is your provider for nonspoken‑ language services (e.g., BSL/ISL)? - LanguageLine Solutions Ltd

 

  1. Who is your provider for transcription services (if separate)? - N/A

 

  1. Do you employ any inhouse interpreters or translators? - SAS do not employ in-house interpreters or translators

 

  1. Contract expiry dates:
    • a) Without extensions
    • b) With all extensions applied – SAS currently has a rolling contract with no firm expiry date.

 

  1. Name, phone number and email address of the contract manager for language services. - The contract is owned by the ACC General Manager and managed by Senior Ambulance Control Centre personnel, including the National Duty Manager.  Names, phone numbers and direct email addresses are exempt from release under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 under section 38(1)(b) - personal information.  Any enquiries can be sent to contactus@scottishambulance.com and they will be passed to the appropriate person.

 

  1. Name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for the language services budget.  The budget for provision of language services is managed by the ACC General manager.  Names, phone numbers and direct email addresses are exempt from release under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 under section 38(1)(b) - personal information.  Any enquiries can be sent to contactus@scottishambulance.com and they will be passed to the appropriate person.

 

  1. Do you have any minimum durations set for interpreting bookings?
    If yes, please specify for each service type (spoken, nonspoken, telephone, video). ‑N/A SAS service is on demand based on per minute pricing

 

Activity Data – Latest Full Financial Year

  1. Total number of:
  • Face‑toface interpreting assignments (spoken) + total hours - 0
  • Face‑toface interpreting assignments (‑nonspoken) + total hours - 0
  • Telephone interpreting calls + total minutes – Approximately 55,000 minutes across circa 4500 calls
  • Video interpreting calls (spoken) + total minutes - 0
  • Video interpreting calls (nonspoken) + total minutes ‑0
  • Document translations + total words translated - 0
  • Audio transcriptions + total audio duration - 0
  1. Top 20 highestvolume‑ languages for interpreting/translation.

 

1.     POLISH

 

11.  VIETNAMESE

2.     ARABIC

 

12.  MANDARIN

3.     ROMANIAN

 

13.  PASHTO

4.     RUSSIAN

 

14.  SPANISH

5.     SORANI

 

15.  PORTUGUESE

6.     FARSI

 

16.  PUNJABI

7.     UKRAINIAN

 

17.  LATVIAN

8.     LITHUANIAN

 

18.  SOMALI

9.     TURKISH

 

19.  FRENCH

10.  URDU

 

20.  TIGRIGNA

 

Performance, Fulfilment & Complaints

  1. Fulfilment rate (%) for:
  • Face‑to-face‑ interpreting
  • Telephone interpreting
  • Video interpreting
  • Document translation
  • Audio transcription

While information is held on the provision of language services more generally, it is not recorded in a way that allows fulfilment rates to be reported at this level of granularity.

 

  1. Number of language service complaints received in the latest full financial year.

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold a dataset that allows us to report on how many complaints had elements of language service.

 

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold a dataset that allows us to identify or report on the number of complaints that specifically relate to language services. Complaints are not categorised in a way that would enable us to determine whether a complaint includes an element of language service provision.

 

  1. Percentage of positive vs negative feedback received regarding language services.

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold recorded information that would allow us to calculate the percentage of positive versus negative feedback relating specifically to language services. There is no complaint or feedback category that isolates language services, and providing this information would require bespoke analysis of individual complaints and feedback records.

Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the Service is not required to create new information in order to respond to a request.

 

  1. Languages your provider has been unable to source in the last 12 months. - The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold this information; there is no dataset gathered that allows us to report on languages that haven’t been sourced.

 

  1. Have any service credits been applied in the last 12 months? - N/A
    If yes, what performance issues were they linked to? - N/A

 

Social Value, Tender Information & Pricing

  1. Social value delivered under this contract in the last 12 months. - N/A

 

  1. If tendered, please provide a copy of the winning bidder’s tender submission.

The winning bidder’s tender submission is exempt under section 33(1)(b) of FOISA as it contains commercially sensitive information. Disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of both the supplier and the Scottish Ambulance Service. Relevant award information is already available via Public Contracts Scotland.

 

  1. Contracted rates for:
  • Spoken face‑toface‑ interpreting (hourly)
  • Nonspoken ‑face‑toface‑ interpreting (hourly)
  • Telephone interpreting (per minute)
  • Spoken video interpreting (per minute)
  • Nonspoken‑ video interpreting (per minute)
  • Document translation (per word)
  • Audio transcription (per audio minute)

Detailed contracted rates are exempt under section 33(1)(b) FOISA as disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of the supplier and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

 

  1. Has your provider increased their rates in the last 12 months?

Rates have not increased in the last 12 months

 

  1. What is the Authority’s typical route to market for procuring language services?

The Scottish Ambulance Service procures these services through established language and interpretation framework agreements.

 

Assistive Technology (BSL / Deaf Access)

  1. Do you have a VRS (Video Relay Service) ondemand‑ service in place allowing Deaf BSL users to contact you via video when phoning?
  2. Do you have a VRI (Video Remote Interpreting) ondemand‑ service in place for emergency/unplanned/immediate communication needs for Deaf patients or service users?

If yes to either:

  • Who is the provider?
  • When was the service introduced?
  • Is it available 24/7?
  • Is there a cost to the Authority?

The Scottish Ambulance Service currently does not use this technology.

 

Additional Data for the Most Recent Full Financial Year

  1. Total number of spoken language requests. - circa 4400 calls
  2. Total number of nonspoken language requests. - 0
  3. Total spend on spoken vs nonspoken language services. - circa £26,000
  4. Fulfilment rates for spoken vs nonspoken services. - I The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold recorded information that would allow us to calculate the fulfilment rates for spoken v non-spoken services.

 

Final Clarification Request

  1. If your provider offers additional provisions or specialist services (e.g., ISL, rare languages, emergency response, inperson‑ support, or other enhanced services), please provide details.

The Scottish Ambulance Service utilises the suppliers offer of rare language support.

 

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