American Sign Language (ASL) & CART Services In Manhattan, NY

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.

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 Manhattan

Manhattan is the most densely populated borough of New York City, its economic and administrative center, and the city’s historical birthplace. The borough is coextensive with New York County, founded on November 1, 1683, as one of the original counties of the U.S. state of New York. The borough consists mostly of Manhattan Island, bounded by the East, Hudson, and Harlem rivers, and also includes several small adjacent islands and Marble Hill, a small neighborhood on the U.S. mainland.
Manhattan is often described as the cultural and financial capital of the world and hosts the United Nations Headquarters. Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City has been called both the most economically powerful city and the leading financial center of the world, and Manhattan is home to the world’s two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization: the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Many multinational media conglomerates are based in the borough. It is historically documented to have been purchased by Dutch colonists from Native Americans in 1626 for 60 guilders which equals US$1050 today. Manhattan real estate has since become among the most expensive in the world, with the value of Manhattan Island, including real estate, estimated to exceed US$3 trillion in 2013; residential property sale prices in Manhattan typically exceeded US$1,400 per square foot ($15,000/m2) as of 2017, and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan commands the highest retail rents in the world, at US$3,000 per square foot ($32,000/m2) in 2017.
Twice a year around May 28 and July 12, the sunset aligns with the east-west streets of the main street grid of Manhattan, filling the horizon with an unrivaled cityscape. This event has become known as Manhattanhenge–as coined by NYC native Neil deGrasse Tyson.
The subway musicians are known as buskers and they have to audition in order to play here. That’s because the subway stop at Time Square can see 173,000 pass through, which is 10 times the audience of a sold out show at Madison Square Garden.
Buskers have been auditioning to fight for a two-week permit that allows them to play at prime locations throughout the subway since 1985. Some of them have gone on to play Carnegie Hall.
Times Square uses 161 megawatts of electricity every year.
That’s enough energy to power approximately 161,000 average US homes and twice the electricity required to power all of the casinos in Las Vegas.
To compare the difference of life here before the “Disneyfication” of the city, just look at the facts. 1992 saw 2,154 murders occur, while 2012 cut that number down to 414.
Times Square is named after the New York Times building.
It take approximately 75,000 trees to print a Sunday edition of The New York Times newspaper.
The largest printing of the New York Times was a Sunday edition that was delivered on September 14, 1987. With 1,612 pages, the paper weighed a whopping 12 pounds. That’s twice the size of the average weight of a newborn baby.
When you think of large, sparkly lights in Manhattan, you probably think of the famous New Year’s Eve ball, but you should probably think of the star at the top of the beloved Christmas tree at 30 Rock. This 550 pound Swarovski star is made from 25,000 crystals, 720 LED bulbs, 44circuit boards, and about 3,000 feet of wire and is worth an estimated $1.5 million.
The first Christmas Tree went up in Rockefeller Center in 1933 during the Great Depression. The workmen were so grateful to have the job, they decorated the tree with strings of cranberries, garland made of paper, and tin cans. On Christmas Eve, they lined up under the tree and received the greatest gift of all: paychecks.
How does Rockefeller Center manage to find the perfect seven-story spruce tree each holiday season? They conduct aerial searches by helicopter, of course, and have it shipped to the city during the night when the streets aren’t as gridlocked.
After the Rockefeller tree is taken down for the year, it continues to get put to good use. In 2005, Habitat for Humanity used the wood to make doorframes for houses for the needy and in 2012, the paper went towards publishing a book called The Carpenter’s Gift.
It costs $1 million to be licensed to operate a cab here. No, that is not a typo.
When Philippe Petit walked 61 meters between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on a tightrope nearly 1,300 feet above the street in 1975, he not only broke records, but he broke laws as well. It has since been called the “artistic crime of the century.”
Philippe Petit planned his tightrope stunt for months. He conducted internal research on the buildings by dressing up like a construction workers and office employees and forged ID cards to get through security. He and his team used a bow and arrow to pass large ropes across the divide of the buildings so that they could string the steel cable which he used.
Petit was offered to be cleared of all charges in exchange for doing community service in the act of a public performance for children in Central Park. He did a high-wire walk over Turtle Pond and has gone on to perform all over the world, including New York City, numerous times.
Permits to sell hot dogs from the much beloved food carts in the city can cost as much as $289,000 per year in the Central Park area.
The Empire State Building has its own zip code, 10118.
Madison Square Garden’s lease is set to expire in 2023. If the lease is not extended or renewed, the venue that has been there for generations will be forced to move.
The price of a slice of pizza versus the cost of a ride on the subway has stayed equal to each other for the past 50 years.
The difference between an On-Broadway show and an Off-Broadway show has nothing to do with location, but rather the seating capacity. Broadways shows must have seating of 500 or more, while Off-Broadway falls under any seat capacity that falls in the 100-499 range.
Women can walk around Manhattan with their shirts off just like any guy can and it’s perfectly legal, according to a 1992 landmark ruling by the New York Supreme Court. Although the very high majority of women keep their shirts on, every August, a group of half-naked women gather in Central Park to celebrate International Go Topless Day.
The 10021 zip code of Manhattan has generated more money for presidential campaigns than any other zip code in the country.
In 1994, Howard Stern made even more headlines than before by running for Governor of New York on the platform of promising to limit road work to night-only hours. He withdrew from the race, but the Howard Stern Bill was signed into law later that year, taking construction off the streets during the daytime hours.
Manhattan is actually made up of eight islands, each with its own purpose.
Liberty Island is home to the Statue Of Liberty only – no one lives there.
U Thant Island is a 100 by 200 foot-sized artificial island along the East River. It was created as a sanctuary for birds.
The World Trade Center actually consisted of a total of seven buildings in 2001. All seven were destroyed by the events of September 11. Six are being rebuilt.
The M&M store in Times Square has a two-story-high wall of chocolate that is made up of 72 candy-filled tubes and is the largest candy store in New York City.
There are more than 200 art galleries just for modern art in Manhattan alone.
The East River is actually an estuary.
Oscar The Grouch of Sesame Street fame got his name when Muppet creator Jim Henson and Sesame Street director Jon Stone frequented a now-defunct Oscar’s Tavern in midtown Manhattan and were served by a particularly grouchy waiter.
Chinatown in Manhattan is the largest Chinese enclave in the Western hemisphere.
Pinball was banned in the city until 1978, a law which was actually enforced with police-led raids and busts.
In order to go more green, the New Year’s Eve Ball, which is made up of 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs, was replaced with a more energy efficient ball in 2008.
The New Year’s Eve Ball is a sphere weighing a whopping 11,875 pounds and measures 12 feet in diameter. It’s covered with 2,688 Waterford Crystal Triangles.
Millions of people visit the New Year’s Eve festivities at Times Square every year. Because it’s so crowded and there’s such a lack of public restroom facilities, some people have been known to wear adult diapers in order to celebrate.
Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park was once used as a mass graveyard for the victims of those who were killed by the yellow fever epidemic. Creeeeepy.
Toilet paper was invented here by Joseph C. Gayetty in 1857.
Commercial delivery companies like UPS and FedEx are slapped with nearly 7,000 parking tickets every single day, raking in up to $120 million in revenue for The City.
The Gangs of New York movie was actually a fictional dramatization of real events and people. The Dead Rabbits and other gangs named in the film were real gangs during the 19th century. Bill “The Butcher” Cutting in the movie is based on the real person, Bill “The Butcher” Poole.
More than two million people visit the city every holiday season simply to see the world-famous Rockettes’ show at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
The Rockettes, who wear microphones in their shoes to amplify the sound of each step, do their own makeup and hair and actually have rehearsals in a church, not Radio City Music.
Contrary to popular belief, The Rockettes are not the same height. Each Rockette can vary in height between 5’6 and 5’10 1/2 inches. The disparity is offset by an optical illusion of putting the tallest girl in the center and the shortest on the ends.
If Manhattan had the same population density as Alaska, there would be an estimated population of 28 people in Manhattan.
Central Park’s rivers and streams are completely man-made, and have the ability to be turned off and on.

Reference Sources: Movoto, Kiddle Encyclopedia

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

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 Manhattan

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