Purpose, Professionalism and Preparedness

Access Language Solutions was founded in 2017 with three tenets in mind: purpose, professionalism, and preparedness.?

We serve a purpose. All successful businesses work towards a purpose, but we are especially proud of ours. We strive to eliminate the power differential that exists when people who are not fluent in the dominant language/culture attempt to access services without the aid of high-quality interpreting or translation. We empower such people by providing communication in their preferred language. In turn, we bestow this same gift of communication onto the service providers so they can do their jobs in the most professional manner possible, resulting in reduced costs and risks for their businesses.

We bring professionalism to the table. In my almost 16 years of experience coordinating interpreting and translating for a large hospital, I became intimately aware of the resources available to serve the most vulnerable populations and their healthcare providers. At times, seeing my choices left me wanting to do more. I often took calls from nonprofit organizations or small medical offices that were at a loss on how to provide language services to potential clientele. Most often, the people seeking services would simply be turned away. Little did I know that this would be the seed of Access Language Solutions.

Speaking of professionalism, early in my hospital career, the Kentucky Interpreter & Translator Association invited me to be a part of their newly-formed nonprofit with the goal of increasing awareness of standards for spoken-language interpreting and document translation. In this role, I quickly realized that the state of Kentucky takes the provision of sign languages very seriously, with laws on the books and a board appointed by the governor to uphold standards and oversee services. The spoken language industry in Kentucky—and, in part, nationwide—is mainly self-regulated, with few incentives in place to hold people accountable to provide ethical, professional services.? National certification has taken great strides for spoken language medical interpreters, but we still lag behind our sign language colleagues.

All of this combined opened my eyes to how I could make a powerful difference in the industry and my community, planting that seed that would become Access Language Solutions.? We strive to be a different language service provider where clients don’t have to hope their interpreter or translator is qualified to meet their needs. They know and trust they will be able to communicate confidently with their service provider with a trained interpreter at their side. Our interpreters are trained through nationally recognized programs to learn a wide variety of skills, techniques, and strategies to handle basic and challenging scenarios in different settings.

Lastly, we always come prepared—and we help our clients feel more prepared too. We provide multiple options for providers to best communicate with their patients and clientele. Whether it’s on-site, phone, or video interpreting, Access Language Solutions prepares service providers for any situation. Whether the need is at the front desk, making a phone call, or sitting down with a provider, we provide professional services every step of the way. Our services are used in medical settings, lawyer’s offices, immigration purposes, public and private schools, and more!? We are proud to make a difference in people’s lives, often when they are most vulnerable and need us the most.

For more information?

https://accesslanguagesolutions.org/