Language Line Services Announces Introduction of On-Site Interpretation Service in New York

New Offering Complements Suite of Language Access Tools Available to Hospitals, Government Agencies and Legal Businesses in the New York Metro Area

View brief NYC Public Library event videos here >>

New York, NY – (May 18, 2009) –  Local healthcare institutions, government agencies, and law firms in the New York metro area now have a new option for improving communications with their multilingual patients and clients thanks to the launch of a face-to-face, on-site interpretation offering by leading language services company Language Line Services.  The launch of the new service was announced at a reception on cross-cultural marketing held last week at the New York Public Library and hosted by Language Line Services. The on-site interpretation service will complement the company’s broad suite of language access tools ranging from over-the-phone and video interpretation, to language tracking, interpreter training/certification and document translation, available to local healthcare and legal industry organizations.

“The ever-diversifying patient populations of U.S. hospitals demand new tools that aid communication between healthcare providers and limited-English speakers,” said Louis Provenzano, Language Line Services’ President and Chief Operating Officer. 

“Similarly, the variety of languages spoken in the U.S. can create a challenge for businesses and government agencies that need to communicate with limited-English speakers on a regular basis. We are proud to introduce a face-to-face interpretation service for heath care organizations, government agencies and legal businesses in the greater New York area – a metropolis where over 170 different languages are spoken.”

In addition to its on-site interpretation offering, Language Line Services provides corporations, healthcare institutions and government organizations a variety of language solutions to help them meet the needs of their growing limited-English speaking clients, patients and constituents.

Language Line Services, with interpreters in more than 175 languages, was founded in 1982 as an over-the-phone interpretation company. Over the last 27 years, and with offices in Monterey, CA, Glendale, CA, Portland, OR, Tucson, AZ and around the globe, Language Line Services has expanded its offerings to help businesses speak their customers’ languages using innovative solutions, including:

• Language Line® Over-the-Phone Interpretation – 3-way telephone interpretation services, in any of 175 languages, between a business or government agency, its client, and a highly trained Language Line Services interpreter.
• Language Line® Video Interpreting Service – On-demand, 24-hour, over-video service that allows businesses that rely on visual cues to obtain a complete interpretation. Language Line Services also provides American Sign Language interpreters, credentialed by the National Association of the Deaf and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), as well as interpreters for Mexican Sign Language.
• Language Line® Document Translation – Translation services that provide written equivalents of key forms, signage, agreements, advertising, applications and any other documents into the languages customers understand.
• Language Line® Localization – Translation of software, content management solutions, websites, on-line help, multimedia applications, training materials, and other applications into different languages.
• The Language Line® Phone – Unique, quick-dial, dual-handset telephones to make the face-to-face interpretation process fast and secure.
• Language Line® University – For customers with their own bilingual employees, Language Line Services offers testing,  training and certification to maximize and improve interpretation skills.
• Language Line® BiMedical.net – Web-based service that generates bilingual medical forms and questionnaires.
• Language Line® ProLingua – Software-based medical interpretation solution that delivers easy-to-use, interactive processes designed to manage patient communication from admission to diagnosis to discharge, in the patient’s preferred language.
• Personal Interpreter Service – A “pay-as-you-go” service.  Language Line Services’ customers set up an account within minutes, and can be on the line with an interpreter within seconds.
• Language Line® LanguageTrak – Unique geographic information service that provides timely alerts on emerging language trends in market areas across the nation.

“Since 2005, Language Line Services has been Holy Name Hospital’s chosen provider of over-the-phone and video interpretation services to ensure access to quality care for our growing population of limited English-speaking patients,” said Jonathan Hirsch, director of guest services with the Teaneck, NJ-based hospital.  “We look forward to learning more about how our hospital’s language access program can be enhanced through the addition of face-to-face interpretation.”

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SIDE BAR: GROWING LANGUAGE-SUPPORT NEEDS IN NEW YORK

In New York City
•    3,028,174 foreign-born residents in New York City
•    48.9% of foreign-born residents in New York City speak limited-English
•    1,781,343 New York City residents admit to speaking English less than “very well”
•    47.6% of New York City residents speak a language other than English at home

In New York-Metro
•    5,271,421 foreign-born residents in the New York Metro area
•    47% foreign-born NY Metro area residents speak limited-English
•    2,463,216 New York Metro area residents admit to speaking English less than “very well”
•    36.9% of New York Metro area residents speak a language other than English at home

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 proficient speakers. The company delivers a dynamic suite of solutions spanning phone, on-site and video interpreting, translation, transcription, localization and localized software and devices and the only medical interpreter certification program that is externally validated. Through its leading-edge technology infrastructure, Language Line Services provides support for more than 175 spoken languages, as well as American Sign Language and Mexican Sign Language, 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.