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.

Trusted CART & ASL Services in St. Louis, MO

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 St. Louis

• St. Louis is an independent city and major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, on the border with Illinois. The city had an estimated 2016 population of 311,404, and is the cultural and economic center of the Greater St. Louis area (home to 2,916,447 people), making it the largest metropolitan area in Missouri and the 19th-largest in the United States.
• Prior to European settlement, the area was a major regional center of Native American Mississippian culture. The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau. In 1764, following France’s defeat in the Seven Years’ War, the area was ceded to Spain and retroceded back to France in 1800. In 1803, the United States acquired the territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase. During the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River. In the 1870 Census, St. Louis was ranked as the 4th-largest city in the United States. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries. In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics.
• The economy of metro St. Louis relies on service, manufacturing, trade, transportation of goods, and tourism. Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Ralcorp, Monsanto, Scottrade, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich. This city has also become known for its growing medical, pharmaceutical and research presence. St. Louis has 2 professional sports teams: the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. The city is commonly identified with the 630-foot (192 m) tall Gateway Arch in Downtown St. Louis.
• St. Louis is named for King Louis IX. The city was founded in 1764 as a French fur-trading village by Pierre Laclede who honored the patron saint of then-French king Louis XV by naming what would become a 2.8 million person metropolitan area after him.
• The first steamboat arrived in the town in 1817. By the 1850s, 5000 steamboats would travel through the city each year.
• One of the city’s early nicknames was “Mound City,” after the number of Native American mounds scattered throughout the region.
• St. Louis was already a 40-year-old river town when Thomas Jefferson signed the Louisiana Purchase. Explorers Lewis and Clark began their westward trip from the area in 1804.
• St. Louis has more free major tourist attractions than any other city in the country outside Washington, D.C. Visitors pay nothing to visit the art museum, the history museum, the science center and the zoo.
• Speaking of the zoo, the attraction was born after a bird exhibit for the 1904 World’s Fair proved to be hugely popular. The flight cage was originally commissioned by the Smithsonian, and instead of dismantling and shipping it back to D.C., St. Louis bought the exhibit for $3500.
• One of the most popular tourist attractions in St. Louis is the Gateway Arch. On a clear day, visitors can see almost 30 miles in each direction from the top. While you’re taking in the views, don’t panic if the arch feels like it’s moving. The structure was designed to sway as much as 18 inches and to withstand earthquakes.
• Artist Bob Cassilly created the City Museum in 1997. Housed in the former International Shoe Company building, the museum is a giant playground/jungle gym made from salvaged architectural and industrial objects.
• Besides being where the St. Louis Zoo got its start, the 1904 World’s Fair, held in the city’s Forrest Park neighborhood, was the first time the world saw electric plugs, the X-ray machine, and the ice cream cone.
• The same year, St. Louis was the first U.S. city, and only the third in the world, to host the modern Olympics. However, the games are remembered mostly for their mismanagement, including scheduling the marathon on a dust-covered road during 90-degree heat.
• The musical movie Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland, takes place in the city and tells the story of a family who doesn’t want to leave town, or the World’s Fair, for a new life in New York.
• Brown Shoe Company, known today as Caleres, was founded in St. Louis in 1875. The company was one of the first in the industry to create different shoes for men and women and the right and left foot.
• Professional baseball team the St. Louis Cardinals is one of the most successful baseball franchises in history. To date, the team has won 11 World Series championships, 19 National League pennants, and 12 division titles.
• From 1902-1954 an American League team called the St. Louis Browns also called St. Louis home, but their record wasn’t nearly as successful as the Cardinals’. St. Louis was once nicknamed “First in booze, first in shoes and last in the American League” for the team’s lousy record. 
• Alums of Sumner High School, the first high school for African Americans built west of the Mississippi, include Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, and Arthur Ashe.
• Rapper Nelly, born in 1974, is a proud St. Louis native. Five years after he was born, across the river in East St. Louis, a local radio station made hip hop history when it became the first in the nation to play Sugar Hill Gang’s now-classic, “Rapper’s Delight.”
• The city hasn’t forgotten its French roots and hosts a huge Mardi Gras parade and festival every year, which is said to be the second-largest in the country after New Orleans’.
• While St. Louis’ culinary tastes were once the butt of a Wikipedia joke, the area known as the Hill offers some of the best Italian food in the country, and is the birthplace of the St. Louis specialty toasted ravioli.
• Follow your ravioli with a St. Louis-style pizza, boasting a cracker-thin crust, just enough sauce, and a ton of provel cheese, a processed blend of Swiss, provolone and cheddar cheese created in the city.
• Don’t forget dessert. The city is also known for its gooey butter cake, a dense confection invented in the 1930s after a baker added too much sugar to a butter cake recipe.
• Or stop by Ted Drewes, a city institution, known for its frozen custard. Ted Drewes has been serving up concretes and sundaes on Route 66 since 1929.
• Brewing company Anheuser Busch has called St. Louis home since 1852. Its signature Clydesdales are housed at Grants Farm, a local tourist attraction.
• The chain that the rest of the country knows as Panera started as the St. Louis Bread Company in 1993. The company retains its original name in the St. Louis area.
• St. Louis University was the first university west of the Mississippi. Its mascot is the “Billiken,” a creature invented by an art teacher that represents “things as they ought to be.”
• Professional hockey team the St. Louis Blues are named for the W.C. Handy song “Saint Louis Blues,” which is also why the team uses a music note as their team logo.

Reference Sources: MentalFloss, Kiddle Encyclopedia

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

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 St. Louis

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

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.