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When it comes to investing in language interpretation and translation, “price” and “cost” are two very different things.

Price is obviously one of the biggest factors when making a business decision. But when choosing a language service provider (LSP) to interpret the various business languages you serve, there is more to price than meets the eye.  

Each week, LanguageLine selects five stories about language and culture that we think readers will find interesting, as they could have far-reaching implications.

We wrote earlier this week about how America’s failure to fund language education is creating a national security crisis. Reports suggest that fewer school-age kids in English-speaking countries are picking up a second or foreign language. This is an alarming trend as it makes students less competitive, in addition to leaving them with a smaller arsenal of the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly globalized and multicultural world.

If we care about national security, language education is a "need to have," not a "nice to have."

It was recently reported that colleges in the United States shuttered a staggering 651 language programs in a recent three-year period, while only 7 percent of U.S. college students are currently enrolled in a language course. This news did not create the shockwaves it should have, as America’s failure to invest in language learning has led to a crisis that could have implications for generations to come.

The magnitude of this predicament was apparent as we gathered in Washington, D.C., several weeks ago for Language Advocacy Day, an annual event on Capitol Hill produced by the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) that is aimed at garnering more federal support for language education. Talking with lawmakers, educators, and other language professionals, it was impossible to miss the fact that absent a much greater investment in language education, America’s national security and ability to compete in a global marketplace will be put at great risk. Simply put: to remain competitive and safe, the U.S. needs more world-language learners – and accomplishing this will require funding.

Language Advocacy Day attendees learned that it took several years for the full impact of the 2008 recession to be felt by foreign-language programs. Higher education lost just one foreign-language program from 2009 to 2013. From 2013 to 2016, it lost 651.

“I'm really concerned that in 2020 (when the study is conducted again), that number is going to be higher," said Dennis Looney, director of programs at the Modern Language Association.

Quick and accurate communication is imperative in hospital settings.

A Somali man rushes into the emergency room with his young son, who has fallen from the balcony of their second-story apartment. Although the boy has no visible injuries, his father is concerned he may have a concussion and internal bleeding. He tries frantically to communicate with emergency room personnel using gestures and the few English phrases he has learned since moving to the United States six months earlier.

Each week, LanguageLine selects five stories about language and culture that we think readers will find interesting, as they could have far-reaching implications.

Two-year-old Samantha Savitz is deaf, but she loves to talk to anyone who knows sign language. Her desire for engagement has been painfully obvious to everyone in the neighborhood.  Whenever they see her on a walk or in her yard — and Sam tries to be neighborly — they find themselves at frustrating loss for words.

On their own, Sam's neighbors got together, hired an instructor, and are now fully immersed in an American Sign Language class. 

The importance of providing translated materials to multicultural patients cannot be overemphasized.

Unfortunately, many healthcare organizations are not sure how to expand their language access programs to include healthcare translation services.

We have been talking a lot lately about the massive potential for adding video interpretation to branch offices and brick-and-mortar retail locations. (In fact, we wrote an ebook on how banks can best use video interpreting.) It seems that Japan is taking heed of the many benefits video remote interpreting (VRI) can deliver.

In light of an increasing number of foreign customers, Japanese supermarket giant Aeon Co. has launched a real-time video interpreting service. Shop clerks at about 550 Aeon stores now carry smartphones or tablet devices that can access interpreters through video chat software similar to Facetime or Skype.

Meanwhile, Japan’s MUFG Bank has started an over-the-counter service for hearing-impaired customers that involves sign language-fluent interpreters on tablet devices. The assistance is the first of its kind at a Japanese bank. The service is available at most outlets, and it acts as an intermediary between a hearing-impaired customers and bank staff at the counter.

When it comes to health care, quality medical interpreting can have a profound impact on patient outcomes.

Using professional interpreters reduces the risk to patients and enhances their health literacy, which in turn empowers patients to be proactive and experience better outcomes. Medical interpreting is a specialization with the field, as it requires a command of terminology and concepts.

A 2015 study in the journal Medical Care assessed the accuracy of medical interpretation during 32 primary care visits and found errors were twice as likely to occur when physicians used untrained interpreters compared to professional interpreters.

Nearly 7 percent of those errors could have had significant medical consequences, such as giving an incorrect drug dosage or inaccurately describing the patient’s symptoms.

By using medical interpreter certification as a standard process to qualify interpreters,  you can ensure you’re providing meaningful language access for your patients. This enables your organization to comply with federal laws while also improving patient experience and outcomes. Additionally, it allows your organization to justify pay increases to bilingual employees and improves their own professional development.

Middletown schools blend over-the-phone, video, and face-to-face interpreting, as well as translation, to drive new levels of understanding between students, parents, and educators.

Middletown City School District (New York) places great value on diversity. Appreciating the eclectic nature of its student body is an active area of focus that sets the district apart nationally. As you’ll read in our new case study, Middletown goes far beyond minimum compliance requirements in an effort to level the academic playing field for English language learners (ELLs).

It’s no secret that our world is increasingly becoming more digitized. Where we once had customer service agents, we now have apps. Where there were retail outlets, we now have online platforms and overnight delivery. “Bites” have become “bytes,” as even fast food can be ordered with your smartphone.

Some personal interactions remain intact, however. Think of the person who walks into a branch location to set up a utility service or open a bank account. There are also times when utility providers or other service people must come to our homes to check a meter, make a repair, or deliver an item.

Overcoming language barriers during these face-to-face interactions frequently presents a challenge, which often leads to frustration for multicultural customers.