Breakthrough advancement affirms company’s commitment to being the world’s leading provider of interpretation for telemedicine
MONTEREY, CA – May 6, 2020 – LanguageLine Solutions, the world leader in on-demand language access, announced today the debut of LanguageLine for Telehealth. The breakthrough service gives healthcare providers the much-needed ability to invite professional, medically trained interpreters into their telemedicine sessions. As a result, telehealth is now available to all patients, regardless of language, culture, or ability.
Through LanguageLine for Telehealth, linguists can be reached on-demand in more than 240 languages, including American Sign Language. The solution delivers direct access to LanguageLine’s 11,000-plus interpreters and is compatible with most commonly used teleconferencing and telehealth platforms.
“LanguageLine for Telehealth has been in development, but we accelerated our launch plan when we saw a tremendous need arise due to the COVID-19 crisis,” LanguageLine CEO Scott W. Klein said. “To provide urgent support to healthcare partners and the diverse communities they serve, we’ve created a solution that deploys easily, has 24/7 technical support, and can be used on the platforms our clients prefer.”
LanguageLine for Telehealth has been piloted by several leading healthcare providers around North America, with seamless integration and strong reviews. It is now being made available to all providers across the continent.
The solution makes professional, on-demand interpreting instantly available in video and audio-only formats. With just a few simple steps, LanguageLine for Telehealth can easily be implemented on services like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, WebEx, Skype, and GoToMeeting, as well as most major telemedicine platforms. More information is available on the LanguageLine website.
“We have poured more than $30 million into Olympus, our cloud-based language-access platform that has allowed us to redefine on-demand interpreting,” Klein said. “That investment, along with around-the-clock work by our technology team, has resulted in this revolutionary advancement, which now makes telehealth available to everyone.”
Even prior to the COVID-19 crisis, telehealth usage had increased 100 percent in just three years, according to the American Medical Association. But technological barriers have kept several significant communities – including limited-English speakers, as well as the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing – on the outside of this revolution, looking in.
“The coronavirus pandemic has shined a light on the minority health disparities that have challenged our society for decades,” Klein said. “These vulnerable populations cannot get left behind as telehealth advances. Giving healthcare providers the ability to add an interpreter to a telehealth session can be transformative for the 25 million limited-English speakers living in the U.S. today, as well as the 10 million residents who are deaf or hard of hearing.”
LanguageLine encourages those interested in its telehealth-interpreting solution to call (800)-752-6096 or schedule a conversation via the company’s website. LanguageLine has also produced an ebook on the importance of language access to the advancement of remote medicine.
About LanguageLine Solutions
LanguageLine Solutions has been the world leader in innovative language-access solutions since 1982. The company sets the global standard for phone, video, and onsite interpreting, as well as translation, localization, and testing and training for bilingual staff and interpreters. LanguageLine is trusted by more than 28,000 clients to enable communication with the limited English proficient, deaf, and hard-of-hearing communities. LanguageLine provides the industry’s fastest and most dependable access to more than 11,000 professional linguists in 240-plus languages. The company provides support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.