Improve Parent Involvement Today!
Language Line Services®
Over-The-Phone Language Interpretation
You are only 60 seconds away from interpreters in more than 170 languages:
Afrikaans, Akan, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Ashante, Asl, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Azeri, Bajuni, Bambara, Basque, Behdini, Belorussian, Bengali, Berber, Bosnian, Bravanese, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cakchiquel, Cambodian, Cantonese, Catalan, Chaldean, Chao-chow, Chavacano, Cherokee, Chin, Chuukese, Cree, Croatian, Czech, Dakota, Danish, Dari, Diula, Dutch…and more.
Click here for complete language listing.
School-to-Home Communication Made Easy!
- $1.50/minute or statewide contract pricing, whichever is less
- Access to 170+ languages within seconds
- Professionally trained & tested interpreters using TransACT K12 glossaries
- Includes online account management feature to monitor usage
- To get started, click "Request Info"
- Registration and Welcome Center
- ELL Parent Meetings
- Parent-Teacher Conferences
- IEP Meetings
- Discipline Hearings
- 24/7 Availability for Emergencies
- Parent Involvement
- Dual Handset Telephones
Complete List of Available Languages
- Afrikaans
- Akan
- Albanian
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Armenian
- Ashante
- Asl
- Assyrian
- Azerbaijani
- Azeri
- Bajuni
- Bambara
- Basque
- Behdini
- Belorussian
- Bengali
- Berber
- Bosnian
- Bravanese
- Bulgarian
- Burmese
- Cakchiquel
- Cambodian
- Cantonese
- Catalan
- Chaldean
- Chao-chow
- Chavacano
- Cherokee
- Chin
- Chuukese
- Cree
- Croatian
- Czech
- Dakota
- Danish
- Dari
- Diula
- Dutch
- Estonian
- Ewe
- Farsi
- Fijian Hindi
- Finnish
- Flemish
- French
- French Canadian
- Fukienese
- Fula
- Fulani
- Fuzhou
- Ga
- Gaddang
- Gaelic
- Gaelic-scots
- Georgian
- German
- Gorani
- Greek
- Gujarati
- Haitian Creole
- Hakka
- Hakka-china
- Hassaniyya
- Hausa
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hmong
- Hungarian
- Ibanag
- Ibo
- Icelandic
- Igbo
- Ilocano
- Indonesian
- Inuktitut
- Italian
- Jakartanese
- Japanese
- Javanese
- K'iche
- Kanjobal
- Karen
- Kashmiri
- Kikuyu
- Kinyarwanda
- Kirundi
- Korean
- Kosovan
- Kotokoli
- Kpelle
- Krio
- Kurdish
- Kurmanji
- Lakota
- Laotian
- Latvian
- Lingala
- Lithuanian
- Luganda
- Luo
- Luxembourgeois
- Maay
- Macedonian
- Malagasy
- Malay
- Malayalam
- Malinke
- Maltese
- Mandarin
- Mandingo
- Mandinka
- Marathi
- Marshallese
- Mien
- Mina
- Mirpuri
- Mixteco
- Moldavan
- Mongolian
- Montenegrin
- Navajo
- Neapolitan
- Nepali
- Ngr Pidgin Eng
- Norwegian
- Nuer
- Oromo
- Pahari
- Pampangan
- Pashto
- Patois
- Pidgin English
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Portuguese Creo
- Pothwari
- Pulaar
- Punjabi
- Putian
- Quichua
- Romanian
- Russian
- Samoan
- Sango
- Serbian
- Shanghainese
- Sichuan
- Sicilian
- Sindhi
- Sinhalese
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Somali
- Soninke
- Sorani
- Spanish
- Sudanese Arabic
- Sundanese
- Susu
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Sylhetti
- Tagalog
- Taiwanese
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Thai
- Tibetan
- Tigre
- Tigrinya
- Toishanese
- Tongan
- Toucouleur
- Tshiluba
- Turkish
- Twi
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Uyghur
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
- Visayan
- Wenzhou
- Wolof
- Yiddish
- Yoruba
- Yupik
How It Works
There Are 3 Ways You Can Use Language Line® Over-the-Phone Interpretation Service With Limited English Speakers
Note: Depending on your organization's requirements, the following process may be somewhat different. If you have any questions please contact your account manager or Customer Service at 1-800-752-6096, Option 2
Scenario #1: You Receive a Call From a Limited English Speaking Parent
- Place the Limited English Speaker on conference hold.
- Dial the Language Line Services designated toll-free number you have been provided at sign-up.
- Request the language your caller speaks through our easy-to-use interactive voice response (IVR) system.
- When the interpreter is connected, explain the situation.
- Conference in your limited English-speaking caller.
Scenario #2: You Need to Make a Call to a Limited English Speaking Parent
- Dial the Language Line Services designated toll-free number.
- Request the language your client speaks through our easy-to-use interactive voice response (IVR) system.
- When the interpreter is connected...
- Call your limited English-speaking client...
- Or the interpreter can place the call for you within the U.S. or Canada.
Scenario #3: You Are Face-to-Face With a Limited English Speaker
- Dial the Language Line Services designated toll-free number.
- Request the language your client speaks through our easy-to-use interactive voice response (IVR) system.
- When the interpreter is connected, use the Language Line® Phone, or your speakerphone, or pass your handset back and forth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Download a printable (PDF) version of this page here
http://www.languageline.com/main/files/OPI_QandA_071708.pdf
What is language interpretation?
Interpretation is the oral transmittal of a message from one language into another language. Language Line Services provides accurate and complete first-person interpretation regardless of country of origin or level of education of the speaker.
Our interpreters analyze the original message and select words that most accurately convey the true meaning of what is said. See "How It Works"
How is my call connected to an interpreter?
It's easy! You...
- dial a toll-free number,
- provide your account information, and
- request the language you need.
In seconds you will be connected to an interpreter. Your account information can be collected by a Customer Agent or via our self-service automated platform.
If you need help at any time to identify the limited English speaker’s language, just ask or say “Help” and a Customer Agent will be happy to help you.
How long does it take to reach an interpreter?
We connect you to an interpreter within seconds once we have your account information. We consistently achieve these results because of the advanced technology we have developed over 25+ years.
Occasionally the connection time for a less commonly requested language may be slightly longer.
When can I reach an interpreter?
We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Your interpreter is available within seconds. On rare occasions, all interpreters for a particular language may be busy.
When this happens, we’ll ask you to please wait, or if not an emergency, to call back. We consistently service more than 99% of all requests for interpretation.
Can I just transfer a call to your interpreter?
No, the interpreter serves as a communications conduit between you and your limited English-speaking customer and is dependent on you for direction during the call.
You will take the lead and provide the subject matter expertise regarding your business or organization; the interpreter relays the information back and forth.
Once I reach an interpreter, what happens if I accidentally hang-up?
Unfortunately, this does occasionally happen. This is why, when you sign-up for our service, we ask you for your "24-Hour Call Back Number". This should be the number we use to reach your agent directly. We make every attempt to reach you so you can complete your transaction with your customer.
How do we identify the language that a caller is speaking?
If you do not know which language to request, simply say, “Help” and you will be automatically transferred to a representative trained to help in language identification.
If you are face-to-face with the limited English speaker, you may be able to guess what part of the world the person comes from and use the Language ID Card to pinpoint the language needed.
What if I requested the wrong language?
If you find that the language you requested is incorrect, simply ask the interpreter to route you back to the Customer Agent for assistance.
If you know the correct language, say the name of the language and proceed as usual. If you’re unsure of the correct language, say, “Help”. You will automatically be transferred to a live Customer Agent trained to help in language identification.
What happens if we have a problem hearing one another on a call?
Relay the appropriate instructions to the limited English speaker as to how you will re-establish contact. Say “end of call” to your interpreter and hang up. Then redial Language Line Services and say, “Help”. Your call will be immediately connected to a Customer Agent whom you can request to place the call and monitor it for sound quality.
What should I do when the interpreter joins the conversation?
Summarize what you wish to accomplish and give any special instructions to the interpreter.
Don’t assume that the interpreter or limited English speaker knows more about your organization or its procedures than what you tell them.
Take the lead in the conversation by giving the interpreter specific questions to relay.
Group your thoughts or questions to help the conversation flow naturally and quickly. For example, ask for an address and phone number as one question.
What should I do to facilitate the interpretation?
Remember, to communicate directly with the limited English speaker, avoid slang, jargon, acronyms or technical terms that may not interpret well into other languages and cultures.
As you would in any conversation, you may have to clarify points the limited English speaker doesn’t readily understand. If you need to clarify a point, ask the interpreter right away. All of our interpreters are trained to ask for clarification if you use a term they do not know.
Are your interpreters trained in our industry terminology?
Yes. Language Line Services works with industry experts to provide our interpreters with specialized training on medical, court, insurance and financial terminology, among others. In addition, our interpreters are required to be familiar with police and 9-1-1 procedures.
We also provide training on customer service skills. Our veteran interpreters have hundreds of hours of experience interpreting and tailoring the interpretation to the various requirements of our customers.
Note: If you use highly specialized terminology, discuss this with your customer service representative beforehand. We may request that you provide us with additional information for training interpreters.
Why do the limited English conversations seem longer than the English?
We require that our interpreters be accurate and to the point. They interpret in first-person for simplicity and brevity. It is important to recognize that they interpret not only across languages, but also across cultures.
You can help facilitate the interpretation by making your message easy for the limited English speaker to understand. Clarification and/or elaboration are sometimes needed to explain concepts that do not have an equivalent in other languages or cultures.
What guarantee of confidentiality do I have?
All of our interpreters are covered by professional liability insurance with extended coverage.
In addition, each interpreter signs a confidentiality agreement and is bound by a strict Code of Ethics ensuring that all information pertaining to the work we do for you remains strictly confidential. Interpreters routinely destroy all notes.
Do you monitor calls for quality?
Yes, we have a group of Quality Specialists who regularly monitor calls to ensure interpreter quality. They are bound by a strict Code of Ethics and are trained to focus on the performance of the interpreter, not the conversation.
Do you record calls?
No. However, you are free to record calls consistent with any legal stipulations.
I need an interpreter's name. How do I get it?
When the interpreter joins the call, you will be given a unique Interpreter Identification Number for your interpreter. Although interpreters will also identify themselves by first name, the Identification Number is how we track our interpreters.
Write down the Interpreter Identification Number for future reference. If you need additional information about an interpreter or a particular call, please call Customer Service at 1-800-752-6096, Option 2.
How do you bill for this service?
The call to our 800 number is free. Usage is billed in one-minute increments and charges begin when the interpreter comes on the line.
Your paper or electronic bill will list the date, time and duration of the call, language, interpreter number, the personal code of the person placing the call and our internal reference number.
About the Partnership
Dear TransACT Customers,
Today, I am pleased to announce a new partnership between TransACT and Language Line.
Imagine being able to provide telephone interpreting support in 170+ languages to any parent or parent group with less than a 60-second wait. Then imagine doing that on a school budget of $1.50 per minute.
Language Line has a rich history of providing over-the-phone telephone interpreting services. With the benefit of TransACT K12 glossaries, Language Line is now prepared to serve our school district customers with interpreting support in more than 170 languages.
Providing telephone-interpreting services builds capacity to support low-incidence languages. We recommend that this service be used when local employee/volunteer support is not available, or when the drive-in interpreters are just too expensive. If you only need a 5-minute interpreting session, just pay for five minutes ($7.50) rather than pay for portal-to-portal fees with other services.
The special offers are only available to TransACT customers via our website, www.transact.com. Look for the Language Line tab on the home page. By completing the "request more information" page, you will qualify for the discounts and special offers listed above. The deadline for the special offers ends May 15.
Thank you in advance for giving Language Line a try. We know you will have a great experience, save money and serve your ELL families with pride.
Respectfully,
Rick Passovoy
President/CEO
TransACT Communications, Inc.
About Language Line®
Language Line Services is the global leader in telephone interpreting and language solutions. With Language Line Services, you will be quickly connected to your customers (parents) in over 170 spoken languages.
Quick Facts:- Consistent access within seconds to the highest quality interpreters
- Complete confidentiality
- Interpreters available in over 170 languages
- 24-hour service, every day of the year
- Cost-effective
- Dedicated customer service, expert training and user tools
- Emergency surge capabilities to deliver interpreter services in times of severe need
About Language Line Interpreters
Language Line Services comprehensively tests ands evaluates all interpreters to ensure each interpreter possesses both a high level of language proficiency and interpreting skills. All interpreters are able to demonstrate:
- Educated native speaker proficiency in both English and target language
- Adherence to highest ethical standards, such as confidentiality and accuracy
- Industry-specific knowledge through participation in industry-specific training and certification testing programs (using TransACT K12 glossaries)
- Compliance with customer requirements, such as customer service skills
Interpreter Code of Ethics
Click here to see the complete Code of Ethics.
