As a Language Line Services client, you have access to a variety of training tools that help you communicate with your limited English-speaking customers.

Some we've designed to train your staff on how to access and efficiently work with interpreters. Others are designed to let your limited English speaking customers know they are valued and will be served by an interpreter.

Language Line Services' "Language ID Card" is one of the latter group. And perhaps our most popular (pictured above).

The Language ID Card:

• Is a great tool for face-to-face situations.
• It helps assure limited English speakers that they will soon be helped.
• It includes instructions in the top 94 most common languages.
• It tells limited English speakers that an interpreter is available and asks them to point to their language.
• Its convenient size fits in personal organizers, and
• Many law enforcement officers like to keep a copy in their ticket books.
• Dimensions: 3.5"w x 8.5"h folded.

You'll find several more useful training and customer service tools here.

For more information, either contact your Language Line Services representative or...

Customer Service at 1-800-752-6096 option 4, or CustomerCare@languageline.com.

The Linguists; One tongue disappears every two weeks

Seth Kramer knew he had to make a film about dying languages when he witnessed people blithely treading (in a sense) on the grave of his ancestral tongue.

He was in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius shooting a Holocaust documentary for PBS. "Vilnius at one point was the culture heart of the Yiddish language and culture," explains the filmmaker over the phone from his home in New York State.

"By the time I got there with my crew there was almost no trace of Yiddish. In fact, the only place I saw Yiddish was in an area of the city where tombstones had been used to pave the sidewalk. This was emotional for me because this is the language that had been spoken in my family for generations and no longer was."

Kramer's research revealed that, despite its retreat, Yiddish is actually relatively healthy compared to thousands of other languages around the world.

One of humanity's 7,000-odd tongues disappears every two weeks or so, says K. David Harrison, one of two linguists featured in Ironbound Films' documentary The Linguists.

Read more of this fascinating National Post story

Read this review from IndieWire.com

Learn more about the world's languages at Ethnologue.com

The Karen people, self-titled Pwa Ka Nyaw Po, are an ethnic group in Burma and Thailand.

The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of 47 million people.

They have fought for independence from Burma since January 31,1949. Consequently, January 31 is recognized as Revolutionary Day amongst the Karen.

As you'll see below, many parts of the US have experienced a marked growth of Karen language speakers.

The following information is provided by LanguageTrak, a demographics tracking service of Language Line Services.

The data reflects the languages most requested by emergency services, government agencies, health care facilities and businesses.

Over the past year the U.S. has had a national increase of162% in the call for Karen interpreters.

Areas that have seen the largest increase in the demand for Karen:

1. Plant City, Tampa, Zephyrhills, FL -- 2600% increase
2. Mankato, Rochester, Worthington, MN -- 1900% increase
3. Lansdale, Levittown, Philadelphia, PA -- 1800% increase
4. Chicago, IL -- 1200% increase
5. Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville, Saint Augustine, FL -- 850% increase
6. Ames, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, IA -- 700% increase
7. Bethel Park, McKeesport, Pittsburgh, PA -- 533% increase
8. Kennewick, Spokane, Yakima, WA -- 360% increase
9. Atlantic City, Trenton, Willingboro, NJ -- 350% increase
10. Allentown, Reading, West Chester, PA -- 300% increase
11. Bardstown, Frankfort, Louisville, KY -- 271% increase
12. Eagan, Red Wing, Saint Paul, MN -- 259% increase
13. Ogden, Provo, Salt Lake City, UT -- 250% increase
14. Syracuse, Utica, Watertown, NY -- 230% increase
15. Phoenix, AZ -- 225% increase

For more information on the Karen people, visit this Wikipedia page.

Click here for more information about Language Line Services LanguageTrak demographic service.

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