Contact us by email at interpreting@alsglobal.net or via phone at 1-800-951-5020 for a free estimate on our ASL and CART services in Baltimore.

Trusted ASL & CART Services in Baltimore

American Language Services has been helping businesses and other entities reach the deaf and hard of hearing community for more than 35 years. While in-person interpreting, at one time, was the only option, recent technological advances opened the door to other options. Since we offer full-service Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), this article will be comparing Virtual American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting with Communication Access Real-Time Translation (AKA- Closed Captioning & Real Time Subtitling) known as CART.

 Please note that according to the American Disability Act (ADA) that deaf and hard of hearing community have the legal right to receive full access through the use of ASL and or CART services. The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and providing ASL interpreters for deaf individuals complies with federal law and promotes equal accessibility.

Some interesting Facts About the City of Baltimore

• Famed slugger andleftie pitcher Babe Ruth (born George Herman Ruth in 1895) was a Baltimore native. He originally played for the town’s minor league team before he was quickly scooped up by the Boston Red Sox. Ruth developed his love of the game at St. Mary’s reform school, where his powerful hits resulted in occasional damage to school property.
• Baltimore is home to more than 220 neighborhoods.
• The first umbrella factory in the United States was established in Baltimore in 1828.
• The first dental school in the world was founded in Baltimore in 1840.
• Baltimore has been known by many nicknames through the years, including Charm City, the City that Reads, the Monumental City, and the City that Believes.
• Baltimore has more statues and monuments per capita than any other city in the U.S.
• Baltimore City is an independent city (meaning it’s not part of any county). As such, it is the largest independent city in the U.S.
• Baltimore is home to more than 220 neighborhoods.
• Baltimore has been known by many nicknames through the years, including Charm City, the City that Reads, the Monumental City, and the City that Believes.
• Baltimore has more statues and monuments per capita than any other city in the U.S.
• Baltimore City is an independent city (meaning it’s not part of any county). As such, it is the largest independent city in the U.S.
• Entrepreneur and philanthropist Johns Hopkins founded the nation’s first research university in Baltimore in 1876. The university, research institutions, and hospital that now bear his name serve as the state’s largest private employer.
• At one point in the 19th century, Baltimore’s status as a port city made it second only to Ellis Island in the number of immigrants it processed. Before 1850, new arrivals entered the country through Fell’s Point, but as their numbers increased, they were brought to Locust Point, next door to Fort McHenry, instead.
• You’ve got Baltimore to thank for the B&O Railroad square you’re lucky to land on in a game of Monopoly. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was the country’s first commercial railroad. In 1877, the Great Railroad Strike caused turmoil among railway workers after the B&O company tried to lower their wages. In Baltimore, violence broke out between civilians and the National Guard; 10 people were killed and parts of the railway station were burned.
• The Baltimore Inner Harbor is home to the National Aquarium, considered to be the country’s first public aquarium. It’s home to more than 20,000 fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and marine mammals.
• Also in the Inner Harbor? The world’s tallest pentagonal building, the Baltimore World Trade Center, which stands 405 feet high.
• Baltimore was the site of the nation’s first Roman Catholic archdiocese, founded in 1789, as well as the first major cathedral, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Construction on the massive building was finished in 1821.
• “The Star Spangled Banner” traces its roots back to Baltimore. The composer, Francis Scott Key, wrote the lyrics to the national anthem as he looked out over a flag waving at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The tune wasn’t all that patriotic, though—Key used the same melody as a popular (and relatively bawdy) British drinking song.
• Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, is a Baltimore native. His incredible speed earned him the nickname “The Baltimore Bullet.”
• The USS Constellation, the very last Civil War ship still floating—as well as the last sail-operated warship built by the Navy—is docked in Baltimore. Earlier this year, the organization responsible for its maintenance enlisted the help of former inmates, all members of its job placement program, on much-needed repairs to the historic vessel.
• French artist Henri Matisse has found an unlikely home in Maryland. The Baltimore Museum of Art features the world’s largest collection of his works, which the public can view—along with the rest of the museum’s offerings—for free.
• Baltimore’s state bird (and proud baseball team mascot), the Baltimore oriole, got its name from its black-and-yellow feathers that echo the colors on Lord Baltimore’s coat of arms.
• Some jazz greats hail from the heart of Baltimore. Singer Billie Holiday grew up in the city before making her way to Harlem with her mother. Jazz singer and big band man Cab Calloway also hails from Baltimore, where he decided to pursue an entertainment career against his lawyer father’s wishes.
• The next time you and a friend crack open a six-pack, thank Baltimore. The town’s National Bohemian brewing company, later acquired by Pabst Brewing Company, began selling its brews by the half dozen in the 1940s. The reason? Company execs decided four beers was too few, but eight too many.
• Operated by a lucky 13-year-old, the first manned balloon to successfully take to the skies in the U.S. was launched right out of Baltimore in 1784.
• In 1774, the first post office in the United States was inaugurated in the city.
• Almost a century later, the first telegraph line to be established anywhere in the world was set up between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. by Samuel Morse.
• Squeaky clean teeth became a priority with the establishment of the world’s first dental school in Baltimore in 1840. One famous alum of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery: Wild West gunslinger Doc Holliday.
• The nearby National Museum of Dentistry boasts an impressive collection of tooth-related artifacts, including George Washington’s dentures (made, as Atlas Obscura notes, “from gold, ivory, lead, and human, horse and donkey teeth”) and oral hygiene tools used by Queen Victoria.
• David Simon, The Wire’s showrunner, populated his beloved, Baltimore-set drama with real-life Baltimoreans—most memorably, Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, the fearless (and fearsome) member of Marlo Stanfield’s organization.
• Hydrogen gas lamps, used to keep streets bright at night in the days before electricity, were first used in Baltimore in 1817.
• On a fateful February day in 1904, a fire swept through the city, burning down more than 70 blocks in downtown Baltimore. The Great Baltimore Fire took down more than 1500 buildings in just 30 short hours. After the fire, changes were made in the safety standards for firefighting equipment.
• The Baltimore airport has a unique offering it claims no other airport in the country has: a dedicated hiking and biking trail on-site.
• Baltimore is the final resting place of the inventor of the Ouija board, Elijah Bond. Not surprisingly, his headstone resembles one of his spirit-channeling devices.
• Edgar Allan Poe was a Baltimore native, and is buried in the city’s Westminster Hall and Burying Ground.

Reference Sources: Mental Floss

Baltimore ASL & CART Language Interpreters

American Language Services is known for our high-quality, In-person and Virtual interpreters, as well as the outstanding client services we provide. We work in 200+ languages including Legal and Medical Certified and Qualified.  ASL and CART are the fastest growing languages in Baltimore today a language interpreter can be a very underestimated professional in the world today. There are over 100 languages spoken in the Baltimore Metro area alone. Many of us know one language, and we specialize in one field of study. Our Baltimore Interpreters are fluent in English and at least one other language, and they are knowledgeable in a wide range of specialized fields including legal, medical, technical, manufacturing, and engineering.

A brief history of ASL Interpreting in Baltimore

Most people know that ASL stands for American Sign Language. But not everyone knows that it is a distinct language—not simply an offshoot of American English. Though its beginnings are murky, many believe that ASL originated from a merger of French Sign Language (SLF) and local U.S. sign languages. While ASL and SLF are distinct languages, there are still some similarities between their signs.

What actually is ASL?   ASL a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages with grammar however that differs from English. ASL is expressed by movements of the hands and face.  ASL is a language completely separate and distinct from English. It contains all the fundamental features of language, with its own rules for pronunciation, word formation, and word order.  Because of the physical nature of ASL, a two-person team of ASL interpreters is required for assignments longer than 1 hour in duration.

The National Center for Health Statistics claims that 28 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss, though only between two and eight percent of them are natural ASL speakers.  Helping these select individuals translate the audible into the understandable is the job of an ASL interpreter.  If you have ever been to a play, a concert or watched a government briefing, you have probably seen an ASL interpreter signing just out of view.  An interesting side note is that Statista estimates that there are currently around 60,000 active ASL interpreters in the USA.

The Benefits of ASL Interpreting in Baltimore

When it comes to communicating with hard-of-hearing or deaf audiences, there are a few reasons you might want to opt for a Baltimore ASL interpreter over CART services. These include:

• A More Personal Connection: A real person has several advantages over a computer screen. First, human interpreters have an easier time conveying emotion. Second, they are better equipped to point out speakers and assist with pronunciation issues. Finally, an interpreter gives a deaf or hard of hearing person a chance to bond with another person.
• Enhanced Speed: Skilled interpreters can hold pace with even the fastest speakers. Lack of delay makes it easier for deaf and hard of hearing individuals to keep up with the conversation.
• Cost Effective:  While costs range by the type of ASL you need (Legal, medical, business, etc.) and when the assignment is scheduled, the cost off ASL, across the board, is less money than CART.

What Is CART?

While the majority of people know what American Sign Language is, the same cannot be said for Communication Access Real-Time Translation. Often referred to as CART, this communication method for the deaf and hard of hearing is best described as subtitling for live discussions. Unlike ASL, which relies on a professional interpreter, CART services are provided by a well-trained stenographer or transcriptionist. They transcribe anything said and then broadcast the resulting text to a phone, computer, or TV screen.

CART is often seen as a cost-effective and efficient way to ensure everybody can follow along. While often used to help deaf students in the classroom, CART captioning benefits anyone that can read.  Much like ASL interpreting, it can be done both onsite with a physical transcriptionist or remotely with an offsite one.

Why You Should Consider CART for the Baltimore Market

Communication Access Real-Time Translation is growing in popularity due to the following characteristics:

• It Serves a Wider Array of Deaf People: If you do a little math, you will realize that 65 percent of hard-of-hearing people in the USA do not speak ASL fluently. CART makes it so these people can join in on the conversation as well.
• CART Makes It Scalable: While people in the front rows can easily make out what an interpreter is signing, it gets harder as the distance increases. Since captions can be beamed to multiple screens simultaneously, they do not have to factor speaker distance into the equation.
• The Text Provides a Written Record: Having a transcript of everything your professor said would be a godsend come finals. Having a record of a meeting can also provide clarity to all those involved as well. The physical nature of CART recording makes that possible. This ability is one reason so many college students opt for CART over traditional ASL interpreting. 

About American Language Services

Founded in 1985, American Language Services was there to help pioneer the rise in remote ASL interpreting options. Our dedication to quality and client satisfaction in interpreting allowed us to shift from a one-woman agency into one of the most successful language agencies in the world. Our language experts provide ASL & CART interpreting services to people all around the world. Because of our 24/7 availability, you’ll never have to worry about us not being available, on off times, for an assignment.

AML-Global has some of the most impressive linguistic talents in the world. These highly skilled language professionals are recruited, screened, and tested to ensure high-quality work.

Contact us by email at interpreting@alsglobal.net or via phone at 1-800-951-5020 for a free estimate on our ASL and CART services.

ASL Interpreting or CART in Baltimore: Which One Better Suits Your Needs?