American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation Services
Akorbi is proud to offer interpretation services in more than 170 languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). Discover why you need ASL interpretation for your business or organization and how Akorbi can ensure success.
Reach a Larger Audience With the Right Communication Strategy
Mass communication is vital to everyone, no matter what language they speak. The ADA stipulates that any place of public accommodation is required to provide “effective communication” which often demands qualified interpreters. Serving the Deaf community simply makes business sense, and it’s more than just good public relations.
American Sign Language, or ASL, is a visual language used by the Deaf community of the United States. In ASL, concepts are expressed visually – just like a 3D movie – rather than linear sentences. It is estimated that 400,000+ people in the United States identify ASL as their native language. When communicating with the general public or one-on-one with a Deaf person, don’t forget to be inclusive! Here we will explain various situations in which it is vital to have ASL interpreters available.
Educational Settings
Deaf students will often need an interpreter in the classroom setting to interpret lectures, group discussions, or extracurricular activities. Providing an ASL interpreter for K-12 settings satisfies the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), results in elevated test scores, and puts Deaf students on equal footing with their hearing peers. Colleges with Deaf students must provide a qualified interpreter to ensure professor lectures, advisor sessions, and campus-wide events to provide accessibility!
Legal & Government Settings
Interacting with Deaf citizens in police departments, government offices, or legal situations require a professionally trained interpreter to ensure complete understanding on both sides. Providing equal access for Deaf citizens protects state, county, and federal entities by ensuring your English message is rendered correctly into American Sign Language, and the Deaf citizen’s ASL is interpreted accurately into spoken English. Communicating with Deaf citizens without an interpreter is a liability and can risk the case to be dismissed.
Vocational Settings
Interviewing a Deaf candidate, training a Deaf employee, or consulting with a Deaf business owner requires interpretation. Diversity, equity, and inclusion principles prove ASL interpreters to be essential. Have you ever considered hiring a Deaf employee? You might be surprised how new perspective, cultural diversity, and attention to detail may benefit you.
Medical Settings
Patient rights include making sure Deaf patients can actively participate and make informed decisions about their health. Clinical staff may assume simply writing notes, lipreading, or gesturing “work just fine.” However, remember that ASL is a completely different language from English. Without medical staff knowing sign language to collect patient history, current medication, or symptoms, how can physicians prescribe, treat, or diagnose?
For more information on how we can help, download our ASL brochure today or contact us.
Are you an ASL Interpreter? Please email our ASL Interpreter Recruiter, Karen Carrier, at kcarrier@akorbi.com.
Sarah Baker, NIC
Valli Rassi
Karen Carrier
Respond to Emergencies & Maintain Regulatory Compliance
In emergency situations, ASL interpreters are vital to ensuring public safety, public health, and saving lives. American Sign Language interpretation also is a necessary component of emergency room care in hospitals, doctor’s offices, healthcare providers, government agencies, legal services, and education.
ADA compliance is a major factor when it comes to American Sign Language interpretation. The Americans With Disabilities Act mandates that all covered entities must provide effective communication, including interpreters. This covers people who interact with an entity and work for an entity. Without an ADA-compliant sign language interpreter, you face hefty fines from the federal government and costly civil lawsuits with possible damage payments.
What We Do
In-Person Interpretation
Akorbi schedules a sign language interpreter to be present in the room where the person is speaking.
Remote Interpretation
Another option is remote interpretation. This occurs when the ASL interpreter embeds their live interpretation in the corner of a video screen. Akorbi’s technology platform gives you the results you need to comply with the law and provide effective ASL interpretation.
ADA Compliance
All of Akorbi’s certified American Sign Language interpreters comply with federal law, including the ADA and HIPAA with regards to healthcare. Rest assured, our ASL interpretation services deliver accurate results that meet every regulatory standard in the United States.
Industries We Support
Technology
Education
Technology
Legal
Financial and Insurance
Medical and Healthcare
Businesses
Family-Owned to Fortune 500