Language Line Services Honored by Nebraska Association for Translators & Interpreters (NATI)

Organization Presents Leading Interpretation & Translation Company with its 2009 “For the Good of the Profession” Award

Monterey, CA – July 31, 2009 – Language Line Services, the leading provider of over-the-phone interpreting services, and its employees around the world, were commended Thursday evening, July 23rd at a Recognition and Awards Banquet at Bellevue University, in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Presenting the award, Rick Wray, President of the Nebraska Association for Translators & Interpreters (NATI), said, “We are very grateful for the invaluable respect and support that Language Line Services has so generously given NATI over the past decade.  They have helped make our conferences successful by lending their expert staff and generously supporting our scholarship fund.  As President and COO of Language Line Services, Louis Provenzano’s energetic enthusiasm for promoting professional development nationally and internationally inspires local leaders to do the same.”

Incorporated in 1999, NATI’s membership has grown from eight very dedicated members of a steering committee to almost 200 independent contractors, non-government organization (NGO) and government employees, business, volunteer language access activists, English as a second language (ESL) instructors and health care workers.

Bruce Adelson, an expert in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (and a featured speaker at the NATI event on legal compliance with Title VI) commented, "It is clear that our society is more multicultural and multilingual than ever before.  This means that organizations that interact with limited English speakers must increasingly practice risk management assessment, and ongoing personnel cultural awareness training and education."  
 
"Equally as important, whether the organization uses internal or outside language resources, the quality of those resources (interpreters and translators) must be the highest available.  This is why I am so encouraged with the recent groundswell of interpreter education and accountability, particularly in regards to national medical interpreter certification," Adelson added.
 
Adelson, a former U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division Senior Attorney, is now the CEO of Federal Compliance Consulting, Inc. based in Maryland.

Language Line Services’ educational and certification division, Language Line® University, along with the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), is spearheading the effort for national medical interpreter certification (www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org).

“NATI represents the very best example of how a regional, statewide or local association of language professionals can enhance its community and increase the cultural and linguistic services to those who truly need them,” said Language Line Services’ Provenzano.

“We congratulate the Nebraska Association for Translators & Interpreters on their tenth anniversary, and are truly honored and thankful to be recognized by them.  On behalf of more than 8,000 Language Line Services interpreters, and the many of us who support them, I thank Ricky Wray and his entire membership for this award,” Provenzano said.

About Language Line Services

Language Line Services, the global leader in telephone interpreting and language solutions, serves clients in government, health care, telecom, financial services, insurance and many other industries by quickly connecting them to their customers, patients and sales prospects in over 175 spoken languages as well as American sign language and Mexican Sign Language. Growth of the language interpreting industry has soared with increased immigration and government regulatory policies mandating that organizations provide services to limited English speakers in their own languages. Language Line Services is recognized as a trusted partner to thousands of clients throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, providing access to the industry's fastest language interpreting service at highly competitive rates. For more information about Language Line Services' suite of telephone and video interpreting, document translation, interactive software-based translation, interpreter training and certification programs, please call (800) 752-6096.