If you are looking for help with American sign language interpretation, then you need to work with professional interpreters. You want your business to reach out to as many people as possible. Therefore, your products and services need to be accessible to everyone. This includes people who might use sign language.
Sign language is more common than many people think. American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language that mirrors the properties of many spoken languages. The grammar structure is different from spoken English. This is why you need to work with a professional interpreter.
People express sign language using movements of the hands and face. While many people associate American sign language with people who are deaf, it is used by many other people as well.
In order for you to communicate effectively with people who use ASL, you need a professional interpreter.
What do you need to know about American sign language interpretation?
Comparing American Sign Language to a Spoken Language
You might be interested in how American sign language compares to English. It is a completely different language from spoken speech. ASL contains all the features of a spoken language. It has its own rules when it comes to word order, word format, and pronunciation.
Even though each language has its own ways of signaling different functions, every language has a different way of carrying out this function. When people ask a question using ASL, they raise their eyebrows, tilt their bodies forward, and widen their eyes.
ASL also has regional accents and dialects. Just as English is spoken differently in different parts of the country, ASL has regional changes as well. This could include pronunciation shifts, slang, and signing rhythm. Age and gender can also impact how ASL is used, similar to English.
Finally, ASL also includes fingerspelling. This is typically used for proper nouns; however, it can also be used when someone is having trouble getting a point across. Fingerspelling is a critical part of ASL.
How Do People Learn American Sign Language?
Most children learn American sign language from their parents; however, this is not universal. Some children are born without the ability to hear. In this case, there might be additional teachers who help these children learn sign language.
If a child is deaf and born to parents who cannot hear, they might already know ASL. Therefore, their parents will teach them ASL.
In contrast, if a child is deaf but his or her parents can hear, they might go to a professional teacher who can help them learn ASL. In this specific situation, the ASL instructor will likely teach the parents to sign as well as the child. This makes it easier for parents to build a strong relationship with their child. Eventually, both the child and the parents will become fluent.
Now more than ever, it is important for businesses to expand their ability to communicate through ASL. That way, they better meet the needs of their customer bases and workforces.
Why should your business hire a professional ASL interpreter?
Why Should Your Business Hire a Professional American Sign Language Interpreter?
There are several reasons why your business should hire an American sign language interpreter. They include:
Building Strong Relationships
You should hire a professional American sign language interpreter to help you build strong relationships. Your business must develop strong relationships. This includes potential employees, customers, and business partners who might communicate using sign language. Customers and employees who are deaf can offer significant benefits to your business. If you make an effort to meet their needs, you can open new opportunities.
For example, what happens if you have job candidates and customers who are deaf? What if they cannot hear? If you do not provide sign language interpretation, you might miss out on the valuable contributions you can make to your company.
In order to meet their needs, rely on a professional sign language interpreter. Your customers, business partners, and employees will get more out of your meetings and presentations if you have an intepreter.
That way, they can provide feedback, input, and advice on your products and services. You can use this information to improve your offerings.
Fostering an Inclusive Environment
Businesses should also work with a professional sign language interpreter to foster a more inclusive environment. Many businesses already spent a tremendous amount of resources trying to build a diverse workforce. This could include diversity in gender, age, and ethnicity. This should include sign language as well.
Making an effort to be more inclusive can help your business open up new opportunities.
Show your employees and customers that you want them to be a part of the team. By making more resources available to them, you can do exactly that. In some cases, this might mean offering sign language interpreters.
You can use a sign language interpreter to assist customers during product demonstrations. You can also have a sign language interpreter that helps your employees understand what is happening during a meeting.
By fostering an inclusive environment through ASL, you let your customers and employees know that your value their input.
Ensuring Smooth Communication
Of course, you should also use a professional sign language interpreter to ensure smooth communication. You have to make sure that your employees and customers know exactly what you are saying. You do not want anything to get lost in translation.
Just as you use an interpreter to help you translate between spoken languages, you need to rely on a sign language interpreter for ASL needs.
Think about how much jargon you use in your business. You might even use technical terms when you are communicating with your customers. If you want everyone to understand exactly what is going on, ensure smooth communication from the outset.
The only way you can do this is by relying on a professional sign language interpreter.
By relying on an interpreter who can translate slang and jargon. You ensure smooth communication throughout your workplace. This will reduce the chances of someone being misunderstood. Furthermore, you can reduce the amount of time you spend in meetings because everyone will understand what you are saying the first time.
If you want to ensure smooth communication in your workplace, rely on a professional sign language interpreter. American sign language interpretation is important for ensuring everyone understands what is happening.
Making a Positive Impression
There is a saying that there is never a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure your first impression counts. Everyone deserves to feel respected. This includes your customers, employees, and business partners. In order to ensure everyone is treated equally, use a professional sign language interpreter.
The prevalence of hearing loss is growing across the world. Not only are people born without the ability to hear but some people lose it as they get older. There are even deaf and hard-of-hearing communities spread across the world. If you do not recognize the needs of those who are deaf or hard of hearing, you risk making a poor impression on this growing population. You might not meet the needs of your customers.
Make a positive impression by offering American sign language interpretation. Your customers will appreciate the effort They could come back for future purposes.
Furthermore, they might tell their family members and friends. This is a great way for you to grow your customer base.
Set Yourself Apart from the Competition
The business world today is more competitive than ever before. You must find a way to separate yourself from the pack.
One way to do that is to provide American sign language interpretation services.
You need to carve out your niche in the industry. You must explain the benefits of your products and services to your customers. Additionally, you also have to attract talented employees.
By offering American sign language interpreters, you immediately grab the attention of customers and potential employees.
Stay one step ahead of the competition with American sign language interpreters.
Meet Legal Requirements
You might also need a professional sign language interpreter to meet specific legal requirements. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve the public need to communicate effectively with people who have communication disabilities.
These specific requirements have been put in place to give everyone an equal opportunity to access businesses.
As a business, you should provide a sign language interpreter for your customers and employees. Anyone associated with your company must communicate effectively. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, this could mean an interpreter.
Do you want your business to meet the needs of all potential customers? If so, you must acknowledge the needs of those who are deaf or hard of hearing. They are a critical portion of your customers, employees, and suppliers.
If you streamline your communication, your business will enjoy significant benefits. At the same time, there are lots of sign language interpretation services.
How can you find the right one to meet your needs?
How Can You Find the Right Sign Language Interpreter?
If you are looking for help with American sign language interpretation, you should consider several factors. These include:
Thinking About Your Budget
Before you decide to hire a professional sign language interpreter, you must set a budget. How much money are you willing to spend? Then, compare quotes you get from different companies.
You might have a gut impulse to pick the cheapest service possible; however, this is not always the best route. Sure, you do not want to spend more than you have to. But, you also want to get good value for your money.
That is why you need to think about why some services might be more expensive than others. Are they providing something that the other services are not? If so, you might need these services to help your company meet the needs of your customers and employees.
Compare the services you receive to how much the company is charging. This will help you figure out which service gives you the best value for your investment.
Considering Your Requirements
Next, you should also think about your individual requirements. A few questions you need to answer include:
- How many interpreters will you need to hire? Think about how many employees or customers you have. Then, think about how many of them require sign language interpreters. Finally, consider how long each interpretation session will last.
- How often are you going to use the service? There might be some situations where you need a sign language interpreter every day. Then, there might be other situations where you only need them sparingly.
- How are you going to use your sign language interpreters? Are you going to use them to handle face-to-face interactions with employees and customers? Or, are you going to use them to handle virtual meetings and presentations?
Think about your requirements ahead of time. Ask these questions as you review your options. Most sign language interpreters will be upfront about their services. This will help you provide the best service possible to your employees and customers.
Thinking About the Skills, Qualifications, and Experience
Before you make a decision, you need to think about the skills, qualifications, and experience of the service you might hire. A few questions you may want to ask include:
- How long have you been working as a sign language interpreter?
- Where are you most comfortable providing your services?
- Are you comfortable with a specific type of slang or dialect?
- Where have you worked in the past?
For example, some sign language interpreters might be more comfortable interpreting public speeches. Other sign language interpreters might be more comfortable in a one on one setting. Other interpreters might be more comfortable attending pitches or interviews. Consider this before you decide to work with a specific service.
Consider Compatibility for American Sign Language Interpretation
All interpreters need to build strong ties and relationships with anyone they are working with. Interpreters must bond with any deaf or hard-of-hearing individual with whom they might be working. You need to consider this before hiring an interpreter.
Ask how long it takes the interpreter to bond with someone. You might want to ask for specific examples of people they might have worked with in the past. Everyone has a slightly different way of saying things. Some people sign faster than others. Everyone has a specific way in which they form certain letters, words, or phrases. A strong interpreter should be able to pick up on these nuances quickly, providing efficient translations.
Think About Industry-Specific Needs
You should also think about any specific needs your industry might have. Your sign language interpreter has to be able to handle whatever jargon you have in your industry. A few examples include:
- Medical sign language interpreters have to interpret disease and drug names
- Education sign language interpreters have to interpret specific curricula information
- Business sign language interpreters might have to interpret finance and accounting jargon
- Research sign language interpreters might have to work through specific steps related to experiments
Find a sign language interpreter who has experience in your specific field. That way, you don’t have to worry about jargon getting lost in translation.
Ask for Reviews and References
Any sign language interpretation service that wants your business should provide reviews and references. Take a look at a few reviews shared by other clients. Then, ask if the American sign language interpretation service provides references.
Give these references a call. See what their experience was like. A few questions you might want to ask include:
- How long did it take the service to get back to you?
- Were there any challenges you encountered along the way? How were they addressed?
- Are you satisfied with the working relationship you developed?
- Were your employees and customers happy with the interpretation service?
- How accurate was the service?
- Would you recommend this service to someone else?
If they had a good experience with the service, you should have a good experience as well.
Contact Accurate Communication for Help with American Sign Language Interpretation
If you are looking for help with American sign language interpretation, you need to trust professionals. That is where our team can help you. We are Accurate Communication, and we place the needs of our clients first. That includes you.
We have an unparalleled level of experience with American sign language interpretation. Accuracy is our top priority.
If you need to communicate, you need to do so accurately. Our team will help you do exactly that. You matter what your needs are, we can meet them. We work with you personally, matching our services to meet your needs.
Accurate Communication has worked with a wide variety of clients in the past including medical facilities, government programs, corporations, and more. We not only value each relationship, but also work hard to ensure our clients benefit from the breadth and depth of our knowledge. Our interpreters stay on top of the latest developments in our field. This allows us to provide you with the best service possible.
Furthermore, we also pride ourselves on transparent pricing. We know that you have a budget your need to meet. We will be upfront and honest regarding all of our experiences. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you, please contact us today at (646) 873-4000 or (310) 401-3998!