Following are just a few of the many educational programs, activities and online resources available to teachers, students, parents and all of us who work with limited English speakers year round:

Smithsonian Latino Center

The Smithsonian Latino Center celebrates Latino culture, spirit, and achievement in America. By facilitating the development of exhibitions, research, collections, and educational programs at the Smithsonian and its affiliated organizations, the Center turns a powerful spotlight on Latino heritage and culture in our country.

Mexican America

The National Museum of American History illustrates the history of the Mexican presence in the United States with this online "object group." The 35 pieces range from pre-Hispanic artifacts to contemporary artworks. The site includes a bilingual narrative, a glossary, and a bibliography.

ˇdel Corazón! Latino Voices in American Art

Powerful, provocative, and contemplative, the Latino artists featured on this website speak through their artworks. Each work expresses the rich and varied experience of being Latino in the United States. ˇdel Corazón! Latino Voices in American Art goes behind-the-scenes and uses photographs, videos, and other resources to reveal the artists and their works.

Revealing Personal History

This website reveals Mexico's indigenous people through the lens of Mexican photographer Manuel Carrillo. Activities ask students to be critical about how photography tells stories and represents people. Manuel Carrillo Educational Activities

Our Journeys/Our Stories

Students learn from inspirational stories and portraits of diverse Latino men and women who have lived extraordinary lives and made significant contributions to life in the United States. The guide helps students to imagine the future and think about the people they can inspire. Guide .

In addition to Hispanic Heritage Month, the Smithsonian salutes others throughout the year:

• Black History Month
• Women's History Month
• Asian Pacific American Month
• American Indian Heritage Month

Visit the Hispanic Heritage Month website for more information on the events in the Washington, DC area.

The Department of Homeland Security...

named September National Preparedness Month.

Language Line Services has been working with emergency responders all year to make sure they're better prepared when the next 9-1-1 caller does not speak English.

Of over 300 emergency services agencies that we surveyed this year about preparedness for LEP callers, 1/3 cited that appropriate use of 9-1-1 is the most pressing language issue related to public safety. The respondents also cited improved training for dispatchers and public education about appropriate use of 9-1-1 as their top concerns.

Clearly you can never be too prepared for an emergency! Language Line Services is working on new programs for 2008 to better assist agencies in their multilingual community outreach efforts and to update our existing PSAP Train the Trainer program for dispatchers.

The closer we work with the 9-1-1 community, the more we support the public in "public safety"!

Picture: Sergeant Robin Thomas, Denton County (TX) Sheriffs Office, was honored as 2007 Texas Telecommunicator of the Year, for handling an extremely difficult and sensitive 9-1-1 call, with the help of a Language Line Services 9-1-1 trained interpreter. Multilingual public education and the right language support ensure 9-1-1 services protect us all. Presenting the award at left is Julie Metzger of Language Line Service.

Preparedness Links of Interest:

• Ready.gov
• Proclamation by The White House
• U.S. Small Business Administration
• American Red Cross
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Informing LEP populations about 9-1-1 language capabilities leads to better response times and more positive outcomes for first responders.

An Excerpt from Emergency Number Professional Magazine (ENPM) - September, 2007 Issue - By Greg Holt, Government Markets Manager, Language Line Services

FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES, the challenges created by an increasingly diverse population are well-known. With more than 176 different languages spoken in the U.S., and with 20 percent of the country speaking a language other than English, 9-1-1 dispatchers and first responders are at the epicenter of a linguistic transformation that has redefined operational protocol.

9-1-1 centers are adopting new procedures to handle calls from limited English speakers, which range from using bilingual staff and professional interpretation services to less reliable alternatives, like borrowing resources in the community to find the right language needed. While agencies have made great strides to be able to handle emergencies from Limited English Proficient (LEP) callers, many people remain unaware that help in their own language is only a 9-1-1 call away. This lack of awareness is creating new obstacles for emergency communicators and for public safety in general.

The fact is, the language barrier in public safety has two aspects. On one side, emergency communications centers face a growing influx of calls in multiple languages, creating huge communications challenges and potential conflicts. On the other side, LEP persons who need-or may one day need-emergency services face an intensifying cultural divide.

Mounting animosity in some communities creates dangerous misimpressions that government services are really not meant for everyone (and if they are, that services are only available in English). The end result is that 9-1-1 centers, and other emergency organizations, are tested not only by the LEP calls that are made, but by the calls that never arrive, or arrive too late, and the situations that ensue.

Read entire article here (PDF) .

For information about our services for 9-1-1 and other emergency services, contact Greg Holt, Government Markets Manager, Language Line Services here

Response to last issue's announcement that Language Line Services plans to double its global interpreter workforce over the next two years was tremendous.

If you are a professional interpreter or ready to make over-the-phone interpretation your career, we want to hear from you.

We are seeking interpreters fluent in one of these languages and others:

Burmese, Cantonese, Greek, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin, Marshallese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tibetan or Vietnamese.

The majority of Language Line Services' interpreter employment opportunities in the United States are for work-from-home positions.

Language Line Services provides an extensive orientation program accompanied by ongoing training and mentoring in interpreting for professional fields such as banking, healthcare, and technical interpreting for its employees.

Call or write to us now for more information about Language Line Services' career opportunities. Visit www.languageline.com/careers...

Or call (800) 532-4441.

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