affordablelanguageservices.com

Coming into the language industry and not speaking a foreign language, I did not realize the importance of interpreters. More importantly, I did not know about the seriousness of documenting interpreting services in order to comply with the law. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects people from discrimination based on race, national origin, or color in programs or activities that receive any type of federal funding, and requires organizations to ensure people can “meaningfully access” programs and activities.

The market for translating and interpreting is awash with new technology, which is great for patients and providers—when it works. As a primarily face to face interpreter, I have often heard doctors and nurses complaining about poor connection or sound quality when using a telephonic or video interpreter. Luckily, interpreter technology, along with broadband speeds, has come a long way in the last couple years and the technology works pretty darn well, with a few glitches.

In many professions, effective communication is essential for a successful provider-consumer interaction. Particularly, healthcare providers rely on verbal and nonverbal communication as the primary tool for obtaining patients’ health history. Language and cultural barriers can lead to miscommunication, which can further lead to under- or over-diagnosis and inappropriate treatment.

Affordable Language Services has beenISO 9001:2008 certified for nearly 3 years. According to a Common Sense Advisory report, only “one in ten” language service providers (LSP’s) are certified worldwide. The ISO 9001:2008 certification demonstrates that we have an effective and documented process for the delivery of our interpretation and translation services and that our management team is committed to the highest standards in reviewing these processes to support continual improvement. An ISO 9001:2008 certification ensures our customers that they are dealing with a company of integrity.

Medical interpreter training is a never-ending process for high-quality interpreters, whose job is to help non-English speakers communicate with doctors and nurses. The medical field is constantly changing, and medical interpreters must stay current in order to keep their skills relevant.