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 Spokane, WA

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 Lexington

• The Jif peanut butter plant in Lexington produces more peanut butter than any other factory on earth.
• There are two plaques in Lexington honoring Smiley Pete, the town dog who died in 1967.
• According to the law books, it’s illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket when in Lexington. Though we’re not sure why you’d want to?
• The high calcium content in the inner soils of the Bluegrass Region, where Lexington is located, leads to stronger bones and greater durability in horses. It’s no wonder that the city is known as a prime place to breed Thoroughbred horses.
• Not only does Lexington breed horses, it also flies them. The city is home to the H.E. “Tex” Sutton Forwarding Company, which transports horses by air.
• Lexington’s Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team was the first team in college basketball history to claim 2,000 wins.
• Lexington civic leader John Wesley Hunt became the first millionaire west of the Alleghenies.
• In Lexington, 4th of July festivities don’t only last for one day–the celebration is carried out over several days.
• Lexington was the first city to launch a reenactment of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.
• Nathan Burrows, one of the first settlers of Lexington, produced a new variety of mustard, named Lexington Mustard after the town. The product was sold throughout the country.
• Lexington has been named one of the world’s cleanest cities by Forbes.
• Stud and actor extraordinaire George Clooney was born in Lexington.
• In the 1800s, Lexington had become so large, cultured and wealthy that the city earned the nickname “Athens of the West.”
• Lexington hosts The Festival of The Bluegrass, which is Kentucky’s oldest bluegrass music festival.
• Dr. Thomas Hunt Morgan of Lexington received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for his work in genetics.
• However, despite Morgan’s great achievement, the Lexington paper simply read, “Nephew of John Hunt Morgan wins Nobel Prize.”
• The first American performance of a Beethoven symphony was in Lexington in 1817.
• Lexington is named one of the top college towns in the U.S. by Livability.
• Lexington was given its name after settlers heard of the colonists’ victory in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Lexington would be the first of many U.S. cities to be named after the Massachusetts town.
• Many of America’s most important people of the 19th century spent part of their lives in Lexington, including, Abraham Lincoln, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Vice President John C. Breckinridge.
• Not only is the University of Kentucky Art Museum the premier art museum of Lexington, it’s also the only accredited museum in the region and houses over 4,000 objects.
• The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Lexington is the largest restored Shaker community in the US.
• When founded, a risk of Indian attacks delayed the permanent settlement of Lexington for four years.
• The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky in Lexington features over 50 different native grasses and more than 1,500 species of roses.
• Lexington’s First African Baptist church is the oldest African-American Baptist church in Kentucky and the third oldest in the US.
• Lexington was founded in 1775 and chartered in 1782, even though Kentucky didn’t become a state until 1792.
• The annual Kentucky Crawfish Festival in Lexington ships an entire truckload of crawfish from Louisiana just for the event.
• Until 1793, Lexington served as the temporary capital of Kentucky.
• Lexington is said to have one of the most stable economies in the country. In 2008, the city had an unemployment rate of only 5.4%.
• The Rupp Arena in Lexington is one of the largest basketball arenas in the country.
• The Lexington Public Library boasts the world’s largest ceiling clock.
• The Federal Medical Center, Lexington, now a prison, was once one of the first drug rehabilitation clinics in the nation, the Addiction Research Center.
• American novelist and short story writer James Lane Allen, known for his depictions of Kentucky, grew up in Lexington.
• Marry Todd, who later became the wife of Abraham Lincoln, was born and raised in Lexington.
• The Pope Villa in Lexington is one of the best surviving domestic designs by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who designed the United States Capitol building.

Reference Sources: Movoto

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

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 Lexington

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