American Sign Language (ASL) & CART Services In Seattle, WA

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 Seattle

Seattle has a real-life superhero. Phoenix Jones leads the Rain City Superhero Movement, a citizen patrol group. Jones wears a “supersuit” to avoid being mistaken for a criminal by police. He has been stabbed and had his nose broken before, all in the name of heroism.
Seattle hosts the largest pot rally in the world.
The Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman lives in Fremont. His comics, full of murder-plotting cats and lessons on how to suck at religion, has gained a steadfast international following.
People wear shorts a lot here, even when it’s cold. They wear shorts in frigid November air, and they have even been known to wear shorts to work.
Seattleites don’t use umbrellas. This part is a bit befuddling, considering that, during winter months, it basically drizzles non-stop.
Sir Mix-A-Lot is from Seattle. He actually attended high school at Roosevelt High with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan.
And Seattle’s KEXP FM (formerly KCMU) was the first radio station to play Grandmaster Flash. It also went on to become the first radio station to stream high-quality content 24/7.
When asked to bring someone a bag of Dick’s, don’t take offense. They are merely asking for a bag of some of the most scrumptious sliders ever.
Despite popular conviction, Jimi Hendrix is not buried in Seattle. He is buried in Renton. But he did hail from Seattle and attended Garfield High School for a spell before dropping out.
The alternative weekly, “The Stranger,” hosts an annual amateur porn festival for all genders called Hump!
Bruce Lee’s grave can be found at Lakeside Cemetery. His son, Brandon Lee, is buried next to him.
In a city known for its oddities, Seattle’s Gas Works Park is no exception. It contains pieces of an old gas plant that was repurposed into a play barn in the 1970s.
Adam West, known for his lead role in the TV series “Batman,” graduated from Lakeside High. He is also known and loved for playing a cartoon version of himself on “Family Guy.”
Harbor Island is the largest man-made island in the nation.
Archie McPhee’s is home to the punching puppet nun. The novelty mecca is also the place for all your other quirky toys, including glow-in-the-dark aliens, Edgar Allen Poe tattoos, and giant unicorn masks.
Seattle’s Pier 53 is the busiest ferry terminal in the nation.
Seattle was the first U.S. city to outfit its police force with bicycles in 1987.
The longest continually run farmer’s market in the U.S. is right here in Seattle’s very own Pike Place Market.
And while at the Market, if you ever want to find yourself in a sticky situation, head to the Post Alley Gum Wall. It is a wall covered completely in chewed gum. It can be found under the Pike Place Market, on Lower Post Alley. While there you can even add a bit of your own DNA-coated Juicy Fruit.
Seattle has the largest houseboat population in the country and ranks second in the world only to Asia.
Kenny G grew up in Seattle. He started out in a funk band named Cold Bold and Together. He was a stellar student underneath all that hair, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Washington.
Yet despite its reputation for being a rainy city, Seattle received less rainfall than both New York and Chicago.
The bridges of Seattle are record-setters. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is the longest floating bridge in the world and the Mercer Island Floating Bridge lays claim to being the world’s first.
There are annoying roundabouts everywhere in town. Some drivers treat them like traffic circles and others treat them like an exploding target that they must get around fast.
There exists a climbable public art statue of a one-eyed Troll crushing a Volkswagen Beetle under the bridge at North Street and Troll Avenue North.
There is also a 16-foot bronze statue of the Communist leader, Lenin.
Everyone knows about Wyatt Earp’s epic adventures in Tombstone and Dodge City. But he also holds a claim to Seattle. He opened a gambling house here in the 1890s on Second Ave. S. Gambling was illegal in Seattle at the time so the local newspapers basically smeared Earp. Good thing that part of history didn’t stick.
Retro pinball is back in fashion. Especially at the Unicorn Bar.
Seattle has the most glass-blowing studios in the world, second only to Murano, an island in Italy.
The very first Starbucks originated in Seattle, and while the Pike Place Market Starbucks isn’t the first ever, it is currently the oldest.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis think Seattle is “f*cking awesome.” So awesome in fact, that they call Seattle home.
Seattleites are dog lovers. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are 140,000 dogs in Seattle, compared with just 93,000 children of the human variety.
There’s a bit of rivalry between Portland and Seattle. Seattleites get a little tetchy when they overhear people extolling the virtues of Portland while, in the same breath, knocking Seattle.
The view from Mt. Rainier is stunning from town on a clear day.
On the rare times when it snows in town, Seattleites take to the streets like maniacal little children armed with cardboard boxes and trash can lids.
There are hidden stairways all over town. You just must look to find them.
Did you know Seattle is haunted? Take the Market Ghost Tour and find out for yourself. It’s a walking tour that explores the macabre side of Seattle. Sites include the city’s first mortuary, a graveyard, and the bassinet of Isaac, a baby ghost.
Kurt Cobain’s old house on Lake Washington Blvd. is the official “unofficial” memorial site for fans.
Flannel is considered “every wear” here. As in you can wear it for every occasion, even formalwear.
Ivar’s Salmon House has the best salmon, smoked with alder wood, which gives it a unique and delicious flavor.
Seattle boasts the highest ballet attendance per capita than any other U.S. city.

Reference Source: Movoto Real Estate

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

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 Seattle

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