San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu's legislation to improve language services was a hit at the full board. It was approved 11-0.

But Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier was upset it didn't specifically include American Sign Language and Braille. To that end she said she would introduce an amendment later on to ensure those services are included.

The approved legislation requires the city's largest departments to offer services in different languages, any language that is used by 5 percent or more of the total city population.

City departments are now required to develop annual plans detailing spending on language services and a strategy for offering them.

The plan would have to include the salaries of bilingual city workers who perform telephone, document and onsite language interpretations.

"The board finds that the lack of language services seriously affects San Francisco's ability to serve all its residents," the legislation says.

San Francisco Examiner - by Joshua Sabatini http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/under-the-dome/City-Hall-to-beef-up-language-services-52996537.html

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Response to the Washington Times Article By Amanda Carpenter Thursday, August 20, 2009*

Letter to the Editor:

English-language advocates oppose health care reform plans to provide on-site interpreters for low-income people with limited-English skills who seek medical treatment.

What is not disclosed in the article is that according to the Institute of Health Improvement report we are already spending $73 Billion unnecessarily because of adverse health outcomes related to miscommunication.

There is a severe lack of awareness of the independent studies that have been done that speak to the savings health care providers realize when they use professional interpreters (Graham et al (2008); Jacobs et al (2007): Flores (2006): Bernstein et al (2002).

Savings include: reduction in lab costs and diagnostics, reduced patient stays and reduction in use of the emergency room as well as greater compliance with preventative steps and medication compliance which in turn reduces repeat visits to hospitals for reoccurring symptoms.

Most patients with limited-English skills in our country do not receive medical interpreting services when they seek medical care, so they simply do not understand their doctors and vice versa. How can this be in the world's richest nation?

An executive order signed by President Clinton in August 2000 stated that under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, people who don't speak English must be given "meaningful access" to services provided by federal agencies, including Medicare and Medicaid.

State laws and other federal mandates and regulatory requirements also address a citizen's right to "meaningful access." Such a measure is "good public policy" not only because it reduces liabilities for health care providers, but because it reduces risks to patient safety and it also saves lives.

For more information on this issue, read this white paper http://languageline.com/wp_freeformedia or visit www.imiaweb.org/resources/AnnotatedBibliography.asp

We applaud President Barack Obama in his resolve to make "meaningful' national health care reform a reality. As he states, "Making sure every American has access to high quality health care is one of the most important challenges of our time and is a key goal of national health care reform."

Respectfully,

Louis F. Provenzano, Jr.
President and Chief Operating Officer
Language Line Services
831.648.5855 (Direct and Fax)

Izabel Arocha
President
International Medical Interpreters Association
781.801.6898

* http://www.washtimes.com/news/2009/aug/20/hot-button-42117149/

Language Line Services, providing over-the-phone, on-site and video interpretation services, now offers an extra layer of confidence -- Security Clearance Certification.

This designation refers to the same rigorous standards used by federal government agencies to provide security clearances for their own employees who handle sensitive personal or financial information.

As needed, Language Line Services will provide its customers qualified interpreters who have received security clearance certification to interpret for federal, state and local government agencies, and other organizations that require added security.

Under a July 2008 Executive Order, federal agencies are required to establish consistent standards for all individuals who have access to classified national security information.

The process includes completion of a detailed 7-page security clearance questionnaire, passing a criminal background check, finger-printing, and receiving a suitability determination of an individual's fitness and character to serve in a position of public trust.

Language Line Services is committed to having every domestic employed interpreter and translator certified by the federal government through the SF85 process.

Read the full Language Line Services news release here.

Selected News of the Month

• Language Line Services' - Cross-Cultural Update for August 2009. Useful Cultural News, Tips and Timely Information


• Language Line Services Soon to Offer Antimicrobial, Dual-Handset Phones for Hygienic Access to Interpreters in Over 170 Languages


• Classified Information Comes in all Languages. Language Line Services adds Security Clearance Certification to Portfolio of Interpreter Qualifications

Read more Language Line Services news here >>

Language Line Services, the leader in language interpretation, is seeking to increase its interpreter team in many languages.

Among other positions, we are now hiring experienced, professional face-to-face medical interpreters!

In: Santa Clara, CA and New York City, NY

Our experienced, professional face-to-face medical interpreters provide consecutive interpretation, have educated native fluency in two languages and are highly skilled in the cultural dynamics of the languages they interpret.

If you have native fluency in English and another language, at least one year of medical interpreting experience, are trained and/or certified as a medical interpreter and have excellent customer service skills, then apply online at www.LanguageLine.com/careers.

Interested in becoming an over-the-phone interpreter?

If you have excellent proficiency in English, with strong listening and comprehension skills as well as good customer service skills, you can become an interpreter for Language Line Services.

Visit www.languageline.com/careers.

View the "How to Become an Interpreter" Video.

Then, click on "Apply Today" under "interpreter Careers" OR "Corporate Careers" and follow the directions.

Here's what one valued client recently said about one of Language Line Services' excellent interpreters:

"...interpreter #6100 for Farsi was awesome fantastic and amazing. I am speechless as to how good the interpreter was. We have a very difficult client that he made so easy for me. Thank you..."

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