My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Spanish or French Translators needed as David Crump isn't truthful

Monday, February 3, 2014

How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Spanish or French Translators needed as David Crump isn't truthful

“We have been seeking to fill these vacancies, which came about during negotiations with prospective clients, but to no avail. These firms are demanding that agents representing their brand be able to speak more than conversational Spanish or French, but it's disappointing that our efforts to recruit such workers locally have not worked out. We might have to look elsewhere for individuals with the requisite skills, or risk losing these contracts to other countries.”

Global Outsourcing CEO David Crump commenting on the shortage of Multi-Lingual Call Center Agents that can speak Spanish or French in Jamaica to the Jamaica Gleaner

Despite the Expansionist Ideal that I’ve alluded to about the Call Center World, especially in the Mobay Freezone area for Bookit.com as stated in my blog article entitled How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Online Travel Booking Agency Bookit.com is expanding in Jamaica with 200 plus CSA's as Online Travel Booking Industry explodes in 2014”, things do not look so good in the Language translation area.

According to both Global Outsourcing CEO David Crump and President of the BPIAJ (Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica), Yoni Epstein, Jamaica has a severe shortage of Multi-Lintual Call Center Agents as stated in the article “Language Barrier: Businessman Mulls Importing Multilingual Workers Because Skills Not Here”, Published Friday January 17, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

You may of course remember Global Outsourcing CEO David Crump, the man who commented that many times he had to resort to stapling the pockets of Call Center Agents as reported in my blog article entitled “How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Global Outsourcing Limited CEO Devon Crump comments indicate Paper Free Environment needed at Call Centers to prevent Scamming and attract more BPO's”.

Apparently we’re good at English, the main reason most Call Center Accounts are setting up shop here as concluded my blog article entitled “Convergyns and Aegis Communications Call Centers Coming – FDI powered Call Center Renaissance in Jamaica thanks to our Good English”. When it comes to other Languages, however, that’s where Jamaica’s BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) Industry is falling behind, something that both Global Outsourcing CEO David Crump and President of the BPIAJ (Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica), Yoni Epstein speak about with the same Language.

So how bad is the shortage of Multi-Lingual Call Center Agents exactly?

Based on projections from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the 14,000 strong Call Center Industry is expected to grow by some 25% or roughly 3,000 persons per year to keep up with demand for Call Center Agents for the various accounts. But if more accounts are demanding Multi-Lingual skills, mainly conversations instead of just saying “Hello, my name is…” then we may be looking at a loss of account, but this time to Call Centers based in Latin America.

According to Global Outsourcing CEO David Crump, this eventual competition from Latin America, who already speak Spanish and are now being trained to speak English, is coming, quote: “We are falling behind the Latin American countries, who have invested in teaching English to their labour force, and this now gives them a huge advantage in the outsourcing market. Jamaica needs to follow their lead and teach other Languages for more than conversation.”

Yoni Epstein sounds the Language Training Alarm – HEART Trust/NTA to train more Cunning Linguists.

President of the BPIAJ (Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica), Yoni Epstein is on point in agreement with the controversial Global Outsourcing CEO. In fact, he’d pioneered the idea of Centralized Training from the HEART Trust/NTA to supply the bulk of Trained Call Center needed for the Call Center Industry with the necessary training in using computers as noted in my blog article entitled “How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Global Outsourcing Limited CEO Devon Crump comments indicate Paper Free Environment needed at Call Centers to prevent Scamming and attract more BPO's”.

Language Training is a priority as the ability to speak other Languages such as French and Spanish, common to the Caribbean, to quote President of the BPIAJ (Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica), Yoni Epstein: “With our facilities, if we can provide the required skills, it would put Jamaica at a significant advantage”.

In fact, Yoni Epstein has requested higher level training for the Agents leaving the HEART Trust/NTA to equip them with conversational Language skills in Spanish and French, quote: “A reliable labour pool is crucial to attracting ICT capital. We have been in discussion with HEART Trust/NTA to raise the proposed Level One training (which is just for conversation) to Level Two, which would see workers being able to engage in discussions”.

Multi-Lingual Jamaicans not interested in low-paying Call Center work – Work at Home Translation pays more

This should have been a part of our cultural upbringing in Jamaica to speak other Languages, a point I myself have argued, albeit not in relation to Call Center work but rather in relation to travelling within the region and to Latin America to get employment.

It would also help to boost our Tourism Industry, allowing us to have more visitors for the Latin American Market, most of who go to Cuba, a country which already has a Multi-Lingual Tourism Sector. Were the US Embargo to be lifted anytime this year, Jamaica would be in serious trouble as they would put up effective competition against our half-baked Bob Marley themed tourist product.

On the flip side of this argument, as local Call Centers may be finding it difficult to get Multi-Lingual Agents, it may really be the case that they may not want that type of work as its low paying. Truth be told, working online for yourself, as described in my blog article entitled “How Jamaicans can Legally make US Dollars as Freelance worker Online - Jamaican Flexworking to make money from the Internet”, you may be able to make as much as US$100 per translation of Documents from English, Spanish or French to other Languages.

This is not even mentioning working in Embassies or Consulates where the pay is significantly higher. To this end, I think it may be more of an issue of pay and work conditions, as most Jamaicans in such Call Centers speak only English. Thus being Multi-Lingual in a country that doesn’t encourage you to speak other Languages and where the only persons that may speak another Language may be your expatriate parents or a few friends with a similar passion for the Languages may be an alienating experience.

This has resulted in many Multi-Lingual friends I know quitting and thus defecting to higher paying Foreign Consulate and Embassy jobs; no point in having such a in-demand skill that’s not appreciated and yet being underpaid!

As a Multi-lingual, you can earn more money as a Freelance Online Translator at websites such as RealTranslatorJobs. You get paid as much as US100 to translate documents and US$35 to translate emails. Even better, the lowest you can get paid as a Translator is US$50 to translate documents! To start only requires US$34 to get access to the website.


CEO David Crump isn’t telling the full truth – Make more money as a Written or spoken Translator online

Global Outsourcing CEO David Crump thus has a bigger problem. Even if he finds Multi-Lingual Call Center Agents, Language coaches and Managers, given our Jamaican culture lack of interest in learning other Languages, CSA’s coming from abroad to work on contract here in Jamaica may find the work conditions inhospitable. Jamaicans are very English and aren’t into the idea of even learning another Language unless it has something to do with money!

To this end, training Jamaicans to speak these foreign Languages is the best long-term solution, as the short term solution will be either be very expensive to pay foreigners or these very same foreigners with their Multi-Lingual skills coming from abroad will run away within weeks after coming to the beautiful island of Jamaica. This as they too will realize that better money is to be had working for Embassies and Consulates in Jamaica or even working for RealTranslatorJobs, once you can pay the US$34 fee.

To my fellow Multi-Linguals, Happy Trails online as you discover that yet again, CEO David Crump isn’t telling the full truth as was the case with the Stapling of CSA’s pockets as reported in my blog article entitled “How to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - Global Outsourcing Limited CEO Devon Crump comments indicate Paper Free Environment needed at Call Centers to prevent Scamming and attract more BPO's”.  After all, if he was honest, why didn’t he mention these facts relating to making money online as a Freelance Online Translator?

To make money as a spoken or written Online Translator from the comfort of your home, get the necessary online accounts as noted in my blog article entitled How to receive Payments online and spend it here in Jamaica - If it doesn't make spendable cash it doesn't make sense to Work online or do E-Commerce”.

You may also need some Online Translator Software as well, which you can find by using Google and downloading using Kickasstorrents as described in my blog article entitled How to download High Quality Music via torrenting - The Mortal Instruments City of Bones used to get Free Music”.

Visit this website, pay with your Scotia VISA Debit Card or CIBC VISA Debit Card and access its many services and comment on my page or email me as to how it works out:

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