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.

Trusted CART & ASL Services in Rochester, NY

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 Rochester

• The man who invented the “calculating machine,” now more complex and known as the calculator, was from Rochester.
• Rochester has the least expensive real estate market out of all major New York cities, with a median housing price of only $83,000.
• The inventor of breakfast cereal, James Caleb Jackson, is from the Rochester area. His masterpiece was called Granula, and it had to be soaked overnight to be eaten.
• There’s a potential $25 fine for flirting anywhere in the state, including Rochester.
• Marshmallows were first commercially produced in Rochester.
• Graham crackers were also developed by a local businessman, completing the S’more.
• eBaum’s world is based in Rochester, creator Eric Bauman’s hometown.
• The Rochester Bills hold their annual summer camp at the nearby St. John Fisher College.
• In 1889, the voting machine was invented in Rochester.
• The first gold tooth was made by a Rochester dentist.
• Rochester the highest deaf population per capita in the nation, largely because they’re home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
• Two-time Super Bowl champion coach of the New York Giants, Tom Coughlin, started his career in Rochester teaching physical education and coaching the varsity football team at Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Rochester got ranked the “most livable city” in America by the Places Rated Almanac a few years ago.
• It’s against the law to throw a snowball towards someone’s head in Rochester.
• Lake Ontario is the 14th largest lake in the world, but the smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area.
• While Lake Ontario is the fourth deepest among the Great Lakes, its average depth is much greater, putting it at second. Who really knows what’s hiding down there?
• Rochester was once known as the “Flour City” due to the large number of flour mills on the Genesee.
• It was then known as the “Flower City” as the local industry moved towards the nursery business.
• The geography of Rochester was formed by sliding ice sheets, which stopped at the southern border thus creating a line of hills.
• Over 2,000 people participated in the “world’s largest human flower” at this year’s Lilac festival, confirmed by Guinness World Records.
• Rochester gets a ton of snow due to the “lake effect,” in which moisture coming off Lake Ontario freezes in the cold air and gets dumped on nearby land.
• Xerox was originally founded in Rochester under the name “The Haloid Company” in 1906.
• There are 500 professional firefighters in the Rochester Fire Department, responding to 40,000 calls annually.
• The local “white hot” is white due to lack of smoking and curing.
• Rochester has six sister cities around the world, including one in France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Poland, and Mali.
• When French’s mustard company was in Rochester its address was 1 Mustard Street. It was the first company to have widespread mustard sales.
• Browncroft neighborhood was built onto top of the Brown Brothers nursery grounds.
• While Labatt is often marketed as a Canadian beer, some of its products are actually made by Genesee Brewing Company in Rochester.
• The man who hit the first home run in a professional baseball a man from the Rochester area, Ross Barnes, in 1876.
• The Xerox Tower is 443 feet tall, and it’s often called “Toner Tower” due to its grey color and history of occupants.
• The Lilac Festival is the largest of its type in North America, attracting 500,000 people each year.
• A lab at the University of Rochester is home to the second most energetic fusion laser in the world.
• Francis Tumblety grew up in Rochester and is one of the main suspects of the Jack the Ripper murder spree, making frequent trips back and forth between America and England during the timeline of the murders.
• Rochester is the largest metropolitan area in America that does not have a university playing at the NCAA Division I level in all sports. The only teams that do are RIT’s hockey squads.
• Rochester is named after the city’s founder Colonial Nathaniel Rochester when it only had a population of 15.
• Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is a Rochester native.
• Rochester man, George Baldwin Selden, patented the concept of the automobile. While he didn’t make many cars, the people who did had to pay him.
• Late Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in Rochester.
• Much of the popular band “Gym Class Heroes” are from the Rochester area.
• Captain America wouldn’t be around if not for Rochester native Joe Simon.
• If Captain America doesn’t make Rochester patriotic enough, The Pledge of Allegiance was written by native Francis Bellamy.
• The University of Rochester is the sixth largest employer in the state of New York with over 20,000 employees at all their locations.
• Rochester Bill’s children are buried at the Mt. Hope Cemetery.
• The Rochester Red Wings participated in the longest professional game of baseball ever, 33 innings in 1981.
• Rochester students lined up 1,036 tacos in attempt to break the record for longest string of edible tacos.
• America’s only antique carousel in its original location is at Ontario Beach Park.
• George Eastman, the founder of Kodak, donated over $100 million towards higher education, most of which was distributed locally in Rochester. That’s the equivalent of $2 billion today.
• America’s first thermometers were manufactured in Rochester in 1851 by David Kendall and George Taylor.
• The first dentist’s chair was designed in Rochester.
• James Cutler of Rochester invented the mail chute in 1889 for a skyscraper he was working on.
• Known as the voice of Lord Farquaad in “Shrek” and the ruthless Trinity Killer in “Dexter,” John Lithgow is from Rochester.
• RIT once had a real Bengal tiger as their mascot. He was named Spirit and roamed campus on a regular basis. 

Reference Source: Movoto Real Estate

Rochester 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 Rochester today a language interpreter can be a very underestimated professional in the world today. There are over 100 languages spoken in the Rochester Metro area alone. Many of us know one language, and we specialize in one field of study. Our Rochester 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 Rochester

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 Rochester

When it comes to communicating with hard-of-hearing or deaf audiences, there are a few reasons you might want to opt for a Rochester 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 Rochester 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.