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 El Paso, TX

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 El Paso

  • The El Paso Chihuahuas got their name from a name-the-team contest. The finalist entries were the Aardvarks, Buckaroos, Chihuahuas, Desert Gators and Sun Dogs. The Chihuahuas won and the name was announced on October 22, 2013.
  • El Paso is a true slice of the Wild West. El Paso Street is the city’s first and oldest street. It’s old enough to have seen the likes of Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid among others from the lawless days. It was also where the infamous “Four Dead In Five Seconds” gunfight occurred.
  • El Paso is reputed to be the birthplace of everyone’s favorite tequila mistake-maker, allegedly invented at Tommy’s Place Bar in 1945.
  • Pat Garrett was a law man from El Paso who lives in infamy for gunning down Billy the Kid.
  • The alt-rock band At The Drive-In got their start right here in El Paso. After forming the band, they played their first live show on October 15, 1994, at the Loretto High School Fair.
  • Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw were all guests at the El Paso International Hotel, which has since turned into a Doubletree Hotel.
  • The famous statue of Christ that sits on Mount Cristo Rey is not a traditional crucifix since the palms of Christ face downward in the gesture of a blessing.
  • Established in 1930, the El Paso Symphony is the oldest performing arts organization in El Paso as well as the longest continuously running symphony orchestra in Texas.
  • The Tigua Indian Reservation Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso is one of only two Indian reservations in the whole state.
  • El Paso has seen the following movies filmed full or in part: “Traffic,” “Courage Under Fire,” “Lolita,” and “Wild At Heart” among others.
  • Before El Paso was nicknamed the Sun City, the city was known as the Six Shooter Capital because of its cowboy ways.
  • “Ore Diggers” and “Muckers” were names considered for the UTEP team before they became the beloved “Miners.” “
  • Obviously, an antiquated leftover from the old days, El Paso has a law that requires churches, hotels, stores, markets, banks, and railroad depots to provide spittoons.
  • Running for 85 years, El Paso is home to one of the oldest and most prestigious rodeos in the world, The Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo. It is the 17th oldest rodeo in the country and ranks as one of the top 50 shows by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
  • The Wyler Aerial Tramway takes riders on a four minute trip in the sky, dropping them off at the top of Ranger Peak at 5,632 feet above sea level.
  • El Paso is known for their rolled tacos at Chico’s Tacos. After serving up Tex-Mex to the people in El Paso, Chico’s has appeared on Foot Network shows like “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
  • The Texas Tattoo Showdown Music Festival is the largest tattoo and music festival in the U.S. with 300 of the best tattoo artists from around the world.
  • Actor Sherman Hemsley lived in El Paso before he started moving on up in his show “The Jeffersons.”
  • Concordia Cemetery is home to the grave of John Wesley Hardin who died in 1895 and is said to have killed more men than Billy the Kid or Jesse James. Legend has it, he once killed a man for snoring too loud.
  • The Buffalo Soldiers memorial in Concordia Cemetery is dedicated to the black soldiers who served in the military after the Civil War.
  • San Jacinto Plaza downtown used to be a hotbed for alligators in the late 1800s through the 1960s.
  • If you’re cheering for the Miners, put up your pickaxe! It’s the favorite (and only) call of the real wild ones here.
  • The original colors of the University of Texas El Paso were orange and white, because they were closely affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin. But UTEP voted to add blue into the school colors in the 1980s.
  • New students at UTEP were once encouraged to wear beanies on their heads to distinguish them as the freshman around the school campus.
  • It’s hard to miss the giant star illuminated above the night El Paso sky. That’s because this manmade star is more than 400 feet tall and more than 300 feet wide, lit up by more than 300 light bulbs. The man-made Gigantic Star can be found on the side of the Franklin Mountains glowing with 459 light bulbs.
  • The city’s landmark Plaza Hotel opened in 1930 as a Hilton by hotel mogul Conrad Hilton.
  • One of El Paso’s most famous landmarks is the Plaza Theater, which has hosted great Broadway shows since 1930. Back in the day it was the place to be and considered the grandest theater in the region. It’s still awesome today and hosts the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
  • The Rio Grande River is one of the longest rivers in North America and acts as a natural border between the United States and Mexico. It travels 1,900 miles from the mountains of Colorado (and through El Paso) to the Gulf of Mexico.
  • El Paso is the only major city in Texas that works on Mountain Standard Time.
  • Franklin Mountains State Park is the largest urban wilderness state park in the country. Visitors have traveled here for over 12,000 years to see the pictograms and mortar pits which prove its age.
  • Ysleta Mission is known as the oldest continuously operated parish in Texas.
  • Think Texans only like twangy country music? The Sun City Music Festival, held at Ascarate Park, is a two-day event of EDM music, lights and dancing in the streets with big names like David Guetta, Tiesto and Martin Garrix.
  • El Paso is home to a giant house of sugar, La Casa de Asucar. It was built by Rufino Loya Rivas between the years of 1973 and 1998 and is filled with many religious-theme statues.
  • The Fiesta Del Las Flores or Festival of the Flowers is the oldest Hispanic festival around the Southwest attracting up to 30,000 people annually.
  • Every year at the KLAQ Balloonfest, dozens of balloons take to the sky filling up the blue with bright colors and a whole lot of hot air.
  • The Amigo AirSho is ranked as one of the top ten air shows in the country and has brought thousands of people out every year.
  • The Hyundai Sun Bowl is a huge event in El Paso and has been since it opened for its first game in 1935. In 1974 a winter storm the night before the game left frost on the field, and as it melted in the sun the next morning it looked like fog was covering the field and was known as the “Fog Bowl.”

Reference Source: Movoto Real Estate

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

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 El Paso

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

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