Migration Policy Institute's New Guide to the Language Portal

By Laureen Laglagaron, Policy Analyst
National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute

MPI's new Language Portal is a digital library of close to 600 resources relating to the use of language access services in social services and public safety agencies.

Developed with guidance from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Language Access Practitioner's Network and support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy has sought to leverage existing knowledge and expertise on language access issues and services through the creation and launch of our Language Portal.

Read the rest of this Migration Policy Institute article - and explore the Language Portal - here >>

Subject matter expert speakers available to your organization on a variety of topics related to language access, standards, best practices, and more.

Language Line Services, through its "Center for Language Access Excellence", now offers subject matter expert (SME) speakers on:

• Language access, standards, best practices,
• Ensuring compliance with the Joint Commission new and revised standards, Federal and State regulations/statutes, Title VI, CLAS standards, and more,
• Performance measurement and quality improvement, and
• Developing and implementing a language access program

Speakers from Language Line Services include:

• Louis F. Provenzano, Jr., President & CEO, speaking on topics including: Interpreting the Difference, Implementing a Language Access Program, Reimbursement, Lobbying and Advocacy.


• Jeanette Anders, Sr. Manager, Healthcare Market & Stakeholder Relations. Topics will include: Stakeholder Relations, Compliance


• Oscar Arocha, Senior Executive, Global Strategic Initiatives. Topics: Patient-Centered Care Technology and Language Program Operations


• Martin Conroy, Senior Manager for Public Sector Programs. Topics: Government Affairs, State Regulations, Compliance


• Danyune Geertsen, Director of Interpreter Training and Quality. Topics: Interpreter Competency Testing, Training, Certification


• Douglas Green, Senior Manager. Topics: Utilization/Cost Efficiency Models


• Lourdes (Lulu) Sanchez, Senior Manager, Customer Experience. Topics: Language Access Implementation, Cultural & Linguistic Training & Awareness

Tap into Language Line Services' consultative experts who can provide advice on many of the issues facing healthcare providers today.

Consider our team of SMEs as a complementary expansion of your own resources:

• Improve efficiency and productivity through the advice and use of subject matter experts
• Participate in pilots
• Significant value add
• Reduce consultant costs
• Resource for your own language access customer task force
• Educational sessions, grand rounds, forums etc.
• Speakers at national and international conferences
• Onsite seminars or online webinars

To learn more, or to request a speaker, visit this page.

When completing the form, please use the "Comments" box to let us know the dates and location of your event, proposed topic area, and any other information that will help us provide the best speaker for your group. Thank you!

Fifth Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum Honors Industry Pioneers, at Language Line Services and IMIA with Founders Awards

First Nationally Certified Medical Interpreter Also Recognized for Individual Contributions to Language Access Industry

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The recently concluded Fifth Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum honored language access pioneers Izabel Arocha, Executive Director of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), and Louis F. Provenzano, Jr., CEO and President of Language Line Services, with "Founders Awards" for their significant contributions to the industry and advancement of the profession of medical interpreters.

Language Line® University, the interpreter testing and training division of Language Line Services, established an open and inclusive collaboration of stakeholders to develop the first national medical certification program.

Industry stakeholders met each year since 2007, ultimately creating the Certification for Medical Interpreters (CMI) designation.

They also established The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters in 2009 to ensure patient safety by creating a mechanism to evaluate the knowledge base and competency of medical interpreters.

Read the rest of this PRNews release here >>

Providing effective communication is essential for access to quality care for limited English proficient patients and families.

The Joint Commission new and revised standards require hospitals to carefully review its current processes and procedures and make the necessary adjustment to ensure compliance.

We invite you to spend an hour with a former regulator who will help address compliance issues and concerns and ensure that you have the right tools and proof of interpreter competency as required by The Joint Commission.

Join us for this free web demonstration will also address The Joint Commission's Patient-Centered Communication standards and review tools, resources, solutions and best practices that will help hospitals meet these standards.

Date: Tuesday 7/19/2011

Time: 10:00 am Pacific / 11:00 am Mountain / 12:00 pm Central / 1:00pm Eastern

Topic: Regulatory Readiness - Ensuring Compliance with Regulatory Requirements for Effective Communication

Speaker: Martin Conroy (pictured above), former Regulator and Director of the Division of Acute and Primary Care Services at the New York State Department of Health, with 37 years of public service responsible for the regulatory oversight of hospitals and clinics, including language access

Register Now by emailing to languagelinespeakers@languageline.com - Confirmation and dial-in information will be distributed upon registration.

Hosted by Language Line Services and its new "Language Access Center for Excellence"

Would like to request a speaker for your organization's future event? Contact janders@languageline.com

As of January 1, 2011, the Joint Commission requires the use of "qualified translators" in the emergency department 24/7.

The emergency department is undoubtedly the area of the hospital that most frequently requires the services of interpreters.

Most hospitals subscribe to telephone-based interpreter services, but using them, except for the most uncommon languages, can be a hassle in that ED patient encounters not only require communication with the patient when an initial history is obtained, but often times throughout the course of the visit.

There is ongoing communication that is required for a myriad of reasons, from assessing the response to treatment to the progression of symptoms to providing aftercare instructions.

Clearly, repetitive calls to telephone-based translation services for these additional communications is not likely to happen and traditionally the ED staff and the patient and/or his/her family generally have made do.

Is this ideal? Certainly not. But, until now, EDs have gotten by.

Have there been some negative consequences regarding inadequate translation? This must be the case.

As a matter of fact, a study entitled Language Proficiency and Adverse Events in U.S. Hospitals: A Pilot Study that was published in the International Journal of Quality in Healthcare in 2007 found that more communication-related adverse events were reported for patients with limited English proficiency than those who spoke English.

Other studies note more problems with follow-up care in these cases as well.

Read the rest of this Emergency Physician Monthly article by Rick Bukata, MD here >>

This summer, ATA will host the International Federation of Translators (FIT) XIX World Congress in San Francisco, California.

FITs triennial conference and exhibition offers a unique educational program focusing on international and intercultural translation and interpreting. Presentations will include workshops, panel discussions, and scholarly papers from a diverse and experienced group of language professionals. The meeting is a tremendous opportunity for attendees and ATA members to share, learn, and network with colleagues from around the world.

Look for details and registration information online at http://www.fit2011.org/register.htm

"Language Rx: Prescription for Language Access"

Durham Research Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center with the support of the College of Public Heath's Center for Reducing Health Disparities

Find the 2011 conference information at www.natihq.org.

As always NATI has an excellent selection of sessions on medical and legal translation and interpretation, language skills development, interpreter skill sets, translator tools and techniques, freelance business building, and language access policy and regulation.

Networking and fun are just the icing on this cake!

Contact bonet@cox.net for details.

This information-packed event promises to deliver innovative and interactive learning opportunities for various stakeholders: patient advocates, patient representatives, complaint/risk management, patient relations, guest services, quality management, social work, nursing, service excellence, patient satisfaction, healthcare interpreters, and spiritual care professionals such as chaplains.

Contact: Angelica Martinez at amartinez@TAPS-online.org

Join us at the 2011 International Medical Interpreters Conference to celebrate IMIA's 25th Anniversary as an Organization!

Preliminary Conference Program Now Available for Review!

Client Education - Everyone's Responsibility

The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Preliminary Conference Program Available for Review at: http://www.imiaweb.org/uploads/pages/589_4.pdf

To register go to: http://www.imiaweb.org/conferences/confreg2011.asp

For Conference Information please visit: http://www.imiaweb.org/conferences/2011conference.asp

Language Line Services, the leader in language interpretation, is seeking to increase its interpreter team in many languages, as well as offering a wide variety of corporate openings.

Over-the-phone, Certified Medical Spanish Interpreters (CMI) to work from home in the U.S. Must have passed the National Medical Interpreter Certification Exam or be CMI certified through Language Line Services.

We are very actively seeking two experienced on-site interpreters in Contra Costa County, California. One in Punjabi, the other in Farsi. Formal training/certification preferred.

As for work-at-home, over-the-phone interpreters, we have openings, especially in Spanish, and in a number of other languages including:

• Cakchiquel
• Chaldean
• Hassaniyya
• Hausa
• Karen
• Karenni
• Mixteco
• Nepali
• Trique
• and several others (see our Web site)

And, finally, top Corporate opportunities include:

• Account Manager - Healthcare East Coast
• Customer Service Representative II, Monterey, CA
• Payroll Specialist-Monterey, CA
• Sales Associate- Monterey, CA
• Sales Executive- East Coast
• Sales Executive- Northeast

For non-interpreter positions, please apply at: www.languageline.com/careers. Click on "Apply Today" under "Corporate Careers" and follow the directions to add your profile.

EEO/AA Employer.

* Some positions may have been filled by the time you apply. However, new positions open up every week.

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