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During a period in which there is an urgent need to distribute information about coronavirus (COVID-19), it is vital to remember that 20 percent of U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home. This means that one in five patients or citizens seeking testing or other information may require that content translated in a foreign language.

A natural question for healthcare providers, government agencies, and businesses would be, “What content should I prioritize having translated?”

In these challenging times, we recognize the importance of providing easy access to translated materials that communicate with customers, employees, patients, and constituents about the coronavirus (COVID-19).  As your trusted partner, we are offering emergency weekend coverage to ensure that your most critical, off-hour translation needs are addressed as quickly as possible.

For our existing clients, we have created a COVID-19-specific submission portal to streamline the processing of these emergency translation requests.  If you need to initiate a rush translation project over the weekend, please go directly to this portal and upload your content. Our team will start on the translation immediately and confirm a delivery time. We will make every effort to return the translation as soon as possible.

The fast-spreading coronavirus, which has infected more than 8,200 people across the world, has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.

Hours earlier, the U.S. confirmed its first human-to-human transmission of the virus, which has killed more than 200 people in China and now has spread to at least 18 other countries.

Language services companies handle thousands of calls a day. Each call is vital in its own way.

Hiring qualified interpreters and training them to deliver accurate interpretation sessions is imperative for success. But it is only the beginning. The quality of an interpreter must be supported through performance management.

How can you make sure that your interpretation provider is prioritizing quality assurance and monitoring?

An immigration wave is coming.

Did you know that over the next four decades, almost 90 percent of U.S. population growth will come from immigration?

Or that nearly half of these individuals are expected to lack English proficiency? 

How do declining American birth rates factor into this shift? Where will these immigrants come from, and how will this change the face of the America we know today?

When Procter & Gamble started selling Pampers diapers in Japan, they used the classic image of a stork carrying a baby on the packaging.

They later discovered that while the legend of the stork is common in the U.S., Japanese parents tell their children a different tale. Instead of arriving by stork, babies arrive in giant floating peaches.

If language isn’t on your mind when thinking about the future of your organization, it should be. Finding a reliable language services provider is critical to the success of your organization.

Consider this: More than 65 million U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home. Another 10 million are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The complexity of communicating with these individuals will only increase, given that immigration is expected to account for nearly 90 percent of population growth in the U.S. over the next 40 years.

Believe it or not, the linguistic and cultural hurdles you may be facing can be turned into enormous opportunities. To accomplish this, you’ll want to partner with a language services provider that has the interpretation and translation solutions necessary to take on these challenges with ease.

When trying to decide which language services provider (LSP) is right for you, the first thing to know is that not all LSPs are created equal. Much like companies within your industry, some players in the language services space are more formidable than others.

Learning a second language is hard work.

Bilingualism brings with it a level of language proficiency that is sufficient for most standard, everyday situations and conversations.

Unfortunately, many organizations feel they have their language needs covered because they have a bilingual person on staff. This is typically not the case for several reasons.

Today in the United States, one out of every five of our neighbors speaks a language other than English at home—that’s more than 64 million people. Another 10 million are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Many struggle to communicate as they navigate their everyday lives. A doctor’s visit, a traffic stop, a parent-teacher conference, or a trip to the bank—things we take for granted—can be very difficult for these individuals. As most of us would, they may feel embarrassed, frustrated, or excluded.

Whereas this lack of understanding is distressing, the experience of being understood is empowering. Language access can be far more than transactional—the mere exchanging of words, much as one would exchange one currency for another. When done right, language access is transformational. Believe it or not, the language and cultural hurdles you’re facing today can be turned into enormous opportunities.

For this to happen, you’ll need a partner that can take these challenges and help you manage them with ease. Language services providers (LSPs) provide the interpretation and translation services you’ll need. But which LSP is right for your organization?

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act covers a lot of terrain. Many public agencies lack a specific understanding of their communication responsibilities to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing under Title II.

September is officially Deaf Awareness Month. In recognition, we are hosting an upcoming webinar called “ADA Title II: Understanding the Communication Responsibilities of State and Local Agencies.” During this webinar, leading ADA and disabilities rights expert Julia Sain will outline requirements for state and local government agencies when communicating with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities they serve. She will also address attendee questions.

In particular, this webinar will be essential listening for state and local government officials who are responsible for language access and compliance. Non-profit organizations that work with local government agencies to provide services will also find it of great interest.