American Sign Language (ASL) & CART Services In Arlington

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.

Arlington, VA ASL & CART Services You can Trust

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 Arlington

Arlington, VA wasn’t called Arlington at the beginning. When Arlington, VA was first established back in 1847, it wasn’t known as Arlington. Instead, the area was originally called Alexandria County. It remained that way for more than 70 years. In 1920, the name Alexandria was changed to Arlington, and it’s been called that ever since.

Arlington was named after a house owned by George Washington Parke Custis, who was the adopted son of George Washington. Custis was a plantation owner who lived in an estate called the Arlington House. It was named after the Earl of Arlington. Custis lived in the Arlington House until the time of his death. His daughter Mary Anna Randolph Custis and her husband Robert E. Lee, the infamous Confederate commander, inherited the home after Custis died. But the U.S. government seized the property following the Civil War and eventually used the land surrounding it to build Arlington National Cemetery. Today, the Arlington House is a museum.

Way back in 1791, the plan was for the area that eventually became Arlington, VA to be a part of the nation’s capital. It was part of a 10-mile square of land that was surveyed for Washington, D.C. It wasn’t until 1846 that the U.S. Congress agreed to turn over that land to the Commonwealth of Virginia so that it could become Alexandria and, later, Arlington.

There are lots of different neighborhoods located in Arlington, VA. But one of the things you’ll notice is that there aren’t any individual cities or towns. That’s because of a decision that was passed down by the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 1922. They determined that Arlington was a “continuous, contiguous, and homogeneous community,” which meant there wouldn’t be any incorporated cities or towns in the county.

At just under 26 square miles, Arlington, VA is believed to be the smallest self-governing county in the entire country. There are a few counties smaller than Arlington, like Kalawao County in Hawaii and Bristol County in Rhode Island. But they don’t govern themselves like Arlington does.
Many people are under the assumption that the Pentagon is located in Washington, D.C. But it’s actually situated in Arlington. The Pentagon is the biggest office building in the entire world with about 6.5 million square feet of space. It houses more than 25,000 employees every day and stretches across six zip codes.

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina gets a lot of the credit for being the birthplace of flight. And rightfully so. It’s where the Wright Brothers took their first flight. But Arlington played a big part in the Wright Brothers’ success as well. They tested their early planes in Arlington and taught those in the military about how to fly. If not for those tests, the idea of flying may have remained a novelty rather than a reality for the Wright Brothers and so many others who were interested in and invested in flight.

There is a lot of controversy over where the internet was “invented.” Many people have argued that, because of the way the internet works, it’s impossible to credit one particular place with helping to invent it. But the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, or ARPAN, was originally funded by the United States Department of Defense, which operates out of the Pentagon in Arlington. The ARPAN helped lay the foundation for the modern-day internet. Therefore, Arlington is often credited with playing a key role in the birth of the internet.

The EPA considers growth within a place to be “smart” when that place is able to create a community that includes an array of housing and transportation options that are located near jobs, shopping, schools, and more. Despite its relatively small size, Arlington has been recognized as one of the country’s leaders in “Smart Growth” over the years. In 2002, the county even received one of the highest awards from the EPA for its commitment to “smart” development.

There are about 230,000 people living in Arlington, VA today. That represents a growth of more than 8 percent since 2010. And by 2040, the population is expected to spike to almost 290,000. In addition to experiencing rapid growth, Arlington is also becoming more diverse each year. About 15 percent of the population in Arlington is Hispanic, and almost 30 percent of the people living there speak a language besides English when they’re at home.

Eleven of the 86 stations in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metrorail system are located in Arlington.

The Rosslyn Metro station in Arlington features one of the longest continuous escalators in the world (194 feet, 8 inches). It takes 140 seconds to ride from top to bottom.

About 15 percent of Arlington’s population is Hispanic or Latino — the third highest percentage (after Prince William County and Loudoun County) in the Washington metropolitan area.

About 30.9 percent of Arlington households speak a language other than English at home.

75.3% of Arlington’s population 25+ has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
26,895 students are enrolled in Arlington County Public Schools (September 2020).

Arlington has 62 registered civic and citizen associations, dozens of commissions, and more than 178 community service organizations.

Arlington has many recreational and other community amenities including:
- 52 miles of multi-use off -street trails
- 148 county owned parks
- 12 community centers
- 93 basketball courts, 92 tennis courts, and 13 volleyball courts
- Eight libraries
- 401 restaurants

Reference Sources: ArlingtonVA.us, kids.kiddle.co, jakesmoving.com

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

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 Arlington

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