Government Agencies Across Texas Get Access to Nation's Top Language Services Provider

Language Line Services awarded contract for interpretation and translation services

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Dec 21, 2010, 08:10 ET

MONTEREY, Calif., Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Language Line Services, the world's largest over-the-phone interpretation company, has been named as an official language solutions vendor for government agencies in Texas. On demand access to professional interpreters will enable agencies to meet critical needs in areas including social services, public safety, courts, and a range of local services.

Language Line Services offers the language service industry's most highly trained and qualified professional interpreters in more than 170 languages. Agency personnel can connect to an interpreter within seconds through a sophisticated telephony infrastructure. Access to the service will allow agencies to respond instantly when language barriers complicate their daily work.

For a range of other government agencies, the service provides greater efficiencies to serve Texas' limited English speaking public. Through this contract, Texas government agencies will have access to Language Line Services' innovative suite of language solution offerings, including:

Over-the-Phone Interpretation -- On-demand interpretation services designed to help businesses and government agencies communicate from English to more than 170 languages, whether the interaction is over the phone or in-person.
Document Translation -- Translation services for the written word that enable understanding of commonly used forms, signage, public service announcements, Web content and any other written language material.

The need for these types of professional language services are extremely important for Texas, where state demographics continue to shift and the importance of accurate communication is often critical.

"My professional relations with Language Line Services span more than fifteen years," said Deborah Moore, former head of the Department of Patient Relations at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. "My experience was both rewarding and highly effective. They are proactive in keeping abreast of the changes in interpreting and the laws that govern interpreting and they bring innovative ideas to their customers. I am delighted to know that government agencies throughout Texas will continue to be served by Language Line."

Texas demographics also sharply point out the need for language support. "According to the US Census Bureau, 33.7% of Texas residents speak a language other than English at home," said Louis Provenzano, President and Chief Operating Officer of Language Line Services. "As such, state and local government will continue to serve an increasingly diverse population. Our services help supplement existing bilingual staff and provide support for many other languages."

While Spanish is second to English as the most commonly spoken language in Texas, the linguistic diversity in the state continues to grow. Between 2006 and 2009, interpretation requests for some languages have increased sharply according to LanguageTrak data, a data service developed by Language Line Services. For example, in Dallas, requests for Nepali increased 3,655%. In Austin, requests for Swahili increased over 8,000% for the same period. In the last decade, state and local agencies requested support in 122 languages, with Vietnamese, Mandarin and Arabic the most requested other than Spanish.

"The variety of languages spoken in Texas makes it virtually impossible for government agencies to meet the needs of the state's growing population of limited English speakers without assistance," said Provenzano. "This new agreement builds on Language Line Services' 20-year relationship with government agencies in Texas. Now, whether a language barrier arises in a government office or on a 9-1-1 call, Texas government agencies can communicate quickly and efficiently with all members of the community."

"We're not just helping the community by providing language services," Provenzano said, "we're contributing jobs as well. Over 500 of our interpreters work remotely from their Texas homes. We are glad to be able to offer Texans jobs in a growing profession, and green jobs at that."

Language Line Services will be one of the official language solutions providers of government agencies in Texas until November 2014.

About Language Line Services

Language Line Services, the world's leading provider of language services, is recognized as a trusted partner to thousands of U.S.-based organizations focusing their marketing efforts on the limited English speaking community, which is growing rapidly in both size and affluence. The company provides access to the industry's fastest service at highly competitive rates to all major sectors including government, health care, telecom, financial services and insurance by connecting them to customers, patients and sales prospects in over 170 languages. The growth of the industry has soared with increased immigration and government and regulatory compliance policies mandating organizations provide services to limited English speakers in their own languages. For more information about Language Line, Inc.'s suite of video and over-the-phone interpretation services, document translation, and bilingual testing and training, please call (800) 752-6096 or visit http://www.languageline.com.