Language Line Services' - Cross-Cultural Update for March 3 to March 16

Useful Cultural News, Tips and Timely Information

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As the world prepares for the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration of Irish culture ancestry, the Irish language approaches extinction: 

It is ironic that as the United States and many other countries worldwide prepare to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the world’s premier celebration of Irish culture and identity, the Irish language is dying. 

On February 20th, The United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the new edition of its “Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger,” declaring Irish as one of 632 “definitely endangered” languages, along with neighboring Gaelic (a Scottish dialect). 

Despite the increasingly critical declines in these and many other global languages (as UNESCO estimates that half of the world’s 6,700 languages are in danger of extinction), Language Line Services, the world’s leading language service provider with interpreters available in nearly 176 unique languages, is still seeing spikes in demand for interpretation in some very remote languages and often in unlikely places.

Case in point, the need for Karen, a lesser known language of Burma, showing up in Memphis, TN, a spike in demand for Swahili interpreters in Kentucky and a surge of Krio speakers (Sierra Leone) in South Florida.

A Language Line Services representative is available to discuss why certain remote languages are dying and why others continue to rise in importance throughout parts of the United States. Language Line Services can also provide you with current language statistics by city, county or state. For more information or to schedule interviews, contact Jeanine Karp at 305-785-0424 or jeanine.karp@rbbpr.com.

 

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Will Unfunded Federal Mandate for Language Assistance Persist Under Obama Administration? 

It is clear the Obama administration wants to reform healthcare by reducing costs and increasing access to preventive care.  For language access specialists and many in the healthcare industry, a key question will be whether reimbursement for language access will be part of the solution. 

While Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires any organization receiving federal money to provide equal access to services for limited-English speakers, there is often little to no funding for those services. In essence, access to language help for non-English speakers is an unfunded federal mandate.

With state budgets increasingly tight, hospitals and other healthcare providers are being forced to make do with what they can afford, often asking untrained staff to help with translations and relying patients’ family members.

This is a very dangerous situation, according to Louis Provenzano, President and COO of Language Line Services.  “When it comes to life and death medical decisions, words matter and their value cannot be underestimated. It is only reasonable that policymakers and insurers should work to find a way to pay for those words,” says Provenzano.

For more information on the issue of language access and healthcare reform or to schedule an interview with Mr. Provenzano, please contact Shawn Yanan at 305.962.1768 or shawn.yanan@rbbpr.com.

 

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In the foreign language of mortgage refinancing, translation services hits close to home:

A recent Pew Hispanic Center Survey estimated that 53% of foreign born Latinos are afraid their homes will go into foreclosure. 

President Obama recently announced a plan to allow up to nine million Americas to refinance or rework their mortgages, offering these Latinos and fellow limited-English speaking homeowners the opportunity keep their homes in these tough economic times. 

Language Line Services, the world’s leading provider of language services, is working with banks, mortgage companies, and other involved organizations to ensure limited-English speakers receive assistance in their preferred language when trying to refinance their homes. 

A Language Line representative is available to discuss the importance of language assistance to effectively communicate with homeowners to address their needs and help them keep their homes. For more information please contact Julie Jimenez at 305.461.5794 or julie.jimenez@rbbpr.com.

 

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Language access, the next frontier in elementary and secondary education:

A recent report by the Texas Education Agency confirmed that, for the first time ever, Hispanic students now make up the majority in Texas’ first grade classrooms. This is a new reality that many schools nationwide will soon have to deal with, as the US Census reports that minorities will become the majority by 2042. 

Many school districts are fortunately adjusting with bilingual textbooks and dual-learning curricula to reach out to limited-English speaking students, but that is only half the concern.  Parents are often regarded as critical to a child’s education, as they provide much needed oversight, guidance, and (as many parents can attest to) teaching assistance while the kids are at home. 

As important as it is for parents to be informed and knowledgeable about their children’s progress in school, a bilingual textbook will do little to help schools communicate with parents who don’t speak English, especially for languages that are more uncommon than Spanish. 

Language Line Services works with school districts nationwide to provide interpretation and translation services to facilitate parent-teacher communication, bridging the gap between school and home-life so kids get the support and encouragement they need to learn and grow. 

For more information on the importance of language access for parental involvement, contact Julie Jimenez at 305.461.5794 or julie.jimenez@rbbpr.com.
 

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ABOUT LANGUAGE LINE SERVICES

Language Line Services, the world’s leading provider of language-based services, is a trusted partner to thousands of organizations whose focus is to effectively serve the rapidly expanding market of limited English speakers.

The company delivers a dynamic suite of solutions spanning translation, transcription, phone and video interpretation, interpreter certification, localization and localized software and devices, enabling clients to communicate with customers in their preferred language.

Through its leading-edge technology infrastructure, Language Line Services provides support for more than 170 languages to its industry-leading portfolio of clients across markets including health care, financial services, government, telecom, manufacturing, insurance, entertainment, travel, and more.

For information on how Language Line Services is helping clients achieve their strategic multicultural marketing and regulatory compliance objectives, please call 1-800-752-6096.