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Who are the typical clients of the Tagalog interpreter?
Interpreters work in criminal/civil courts, government agencies, such as ICE, Dept. of State and Workers Compensation Appeals Board. A Tagalog interpreter is usually called upon to interpret for a native-speaker in Tagalog who just came from the Philippines and does not have the familiarity with the English language as spoken and used in the U.S. A Tagalog interpreter is used even for those who have been in the U.S. for some time, but does not have the sophistication in the subject matter being discussed.
A lot of Filipinos can get by with conversational English, but will be at a loss with formal English as spoken in the courts, as an example. Even a hospital visit or consultation with the physician can be intimidating and daunting to those who have not been to any doctor or hospital in their lives. A 9-1-1 operator will be better off using a Tagalog interpreter in helping a Tagalog- speaking caller who is overwhelmed by the emergency at hand. An insurance investigator can get better answers when the questions asked are in the respondent's first language. Interpretation services are also available to human resources of companies, such as hotels, airports and manufacturers, to communicate more effectively work policies, corrective actions and compliance requirements to employees who are not fluent with the English language and whose native language is other than English.
A non-Tagalog speaking American can also use a Tagalog interpreter for personal communication in "heart matters" (personal communication). I once helped an English-speaking gentleman over the phone when he called a Filipina lady in the Philippines, whom he met over the internet. He called her first by himself and the Filipina was quiet for most of the time. Thinking that there must be a language barrier, although they were writing each other in English, he decided to use a Tagalog interpreter. After the initial nervousness in the interpreted conversation, the Filipina became comfortable responding in English herself and no longer needed my service.