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 Atlanta, GA

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 Atlanta

• Atlanta was originally named Terminus and Marthasville (the latter for Governor Wilson Lumpkin’s daughter.)
• The city got its current name from railroad engineer J. Edgar Thompson. It’s thought to be a shortened version of “Atlantica-Pacifica.”
• Atlanta is home to 71 streets with a variation of the word “Peachtree” in their names: Peachtree Avenue, Peachtree Plaza, etc… however, there are no peach trees in Atlanta, nor are peach trees native to the area! The name “peachtree” evolved from “pitch tree,” which is what the native pine trees were called because of their sticky sap. So take note for next time you listen to Sinatra’s “Peachtree Street” duet with Rosemary Clooney or the album Peachtree Road by Sir Elton John.
• Georgia now ranks third in the nation in US film production, and first in growth. More television and movie producers are catching on that Atlanta, with its attractive tax policies, is the place to film.
• The tallest building in the United States outside of New York City or Chicago is located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Bank of America Plaza stands at 1,023 feet tall and dominates the city’s skyline. One of the interesting parts of the design of the building is that there are no street-level pedestrian entrances, most people enter and exit the building from the parking areas located underground.
• To name a few projects that have been shot in the city, there’s Anchorman 2, The Hunger Games, Zombieland, Driving Miss Daisy, The Walking Dead, Captain America: Civil War, Allegiant, The Vampire Diaries, Insurgent, Ant-Man, Furious 7, anything on Cartoon Network, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Selma, Taken 3, and an additional 140 films and TV shows since 2008. Take that, Los Angeles and NYC!
• Atlanta is the only city in North America to have been destroyed as an act of war when General Sherman burnt it to the ground in November of 1864. Only 400 buildings survived the razing, but the city rebuilt itself from the ashes — which is why the city symbol is the phoenix.
• Buckhead, one of Atlanta’s most affluent neighborhoods and shopping mecca of the South, owes its unusual name to 19th Century local general store owner Henry Irby.
• Irby killed a large deer and prominently mounted the buck head on the wall of his establishment, a popular outpost for locals and travelers. The name stuck, despite efforts to change it in the late 1800s.
• The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has held the title of “world’s busiest airport” for 18 years now. Lots of airports claim to be the world’s busiest, however, its 101 million passengers trumps any “passenger movements” in other airports around the world. It’s just a three-hour flight from most major American cities and its terminal is as big as 45 football fields!
• Atlanta is Georgia’s fifth capital. Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, and Milledgeville boasted the title earlier.
• The Georgia State Capitol building is gilded with 43 ounces of locally-mined gold.
• The Continental Divide out west gets all the love, but Atlanta is home to the Eastern Continental Divide, which separates water draining into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.
• One of the largest Hindu temples outside of India is located in the Atlanta metro area.
• It was once illegal to put an ice cream cone in your back pocket in Atlanta.
• Atlanta also outlawed tying a giraffe to a telephone pole.
• Want to ride your bike to Alabama? The Silver Comet Trail starting in Smyrna will get you there.
• In 1996, Terry Hitchcock ran from Minneapolis to Atlanta in just 75 days. He covered over 2100 miles!
• Stone Mountain outside Atlanta is one of the largest blocks of exposed granite in the world.
• Stone Mountain’s etching of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis is the largest bas relief in the world, too!
• Atlanta had some tough competition when it nabbed the 1996 Olympics hosting duty. The city beat out Athens, Toronto, Melbourne, Manchester, and Belgrade for the spot.
• The fastest baseball game in history happened in Atlanta, when the Mobile Sea Gulls beat the Atlanta Crackers 2-1 in just 32 minutes.
• Atlanta also played host to the greatest rout in football history—a 1916 contest in which Georgia Tech blew out tiny Cumberland College 222-0.
• When pro football moved to Atlanta, the owners considered over 500 names. A schoolteacher came up with the Falcons nickname, a bird she endorsed because it was “proud and dignified, with great courage and fight.”
• Why did Atlanta resident Margaret Mitchell write Gone with the Wind? Because an ankle injury kept her from walking and she was really, really bored.
• In terms of the largest concentration of the Fortune 500 companies in the USA, the city of Atlanta ranks third.
• American English is the primary language spoken in Atlanta followed by Spanish and Korean. Need to brush up on your English before heading to Atlanta? Check out our English Bundle Course to make sure you’re ready for your trip!
• Atlanta is one of two cities in the world to have housed two Nobel Peace Prize winners.
• Atlanta has the second-most shopping center space in the U.S.
• The Varsity is the world’s largest drive-in restaurant in Atlanta and it serves more Coca-Cola by volume than anywhere else in the world.
• What do Outkast, Ludacris, Gucci Mane, Childish Gambino, CeeLo Green, Waka Flocka, and Killer Mike all have in common? Atlanta. But not only do some of the most famous rappers and hip-hop artists call Atlanta home, other bands such as the Black Lips, Manchester Orchestra, and Deerhunter, have gotten their start here.

Reference Sources: Cudoo, MentalFloss, GPB.org

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

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 Atlanta

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

ASL Interpreting or CART in Atlanta: Which One Better Suits Your Needs?