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 Knoxville, TN

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 Knoxville

• The man who invented one of the world’s most well-known bulk trash containers—the Dempster Dumpster—once served as Knoxville’s mayor.
• It’s home to the Forensic Anthropology Center. The center contains a “body farm” where fresh human remains are placed in natural settings so budding forensic scientists can study their decomposition.
• Actor and comedian Johnny Knoxville is actually from Knoxville, but his real name is Philip John “PJ” Clapp.
• Proving it’s a diverse and dichotomous place, Knoxville has been called “The Streaking Capital of the World” and “The Underwear Capital of the World.” The former, coined by newsman Walter Cronkite, has to do with a mass streaking incident that occurred in the 1970s, the latter a reference to the undergarment textiles industry that was once huge in Knoxville.
• In 1982, Knoxville was the smallest city to have ever hosted a World’s Fair.
• Cherry Coke, the branded prepackaged version of the longtime soda fountain favorite, was introduced at the Knoxville World’s Fair.
• The now-ubiquitous touch-screen was first demonstrated to the public at the 1982 World’s Fair. Attendees might have laughed at the notion of carrying around such screens in their pockets one day.
• It’s against the law to lasso a fish in Knoxville.
• Knoxville played a key role in the early success of Elvis Presley. An RCA talent scout heard a local record store blaring the future King’s Sun Studios single “That’s All Right” and brought it to the attention of the label, who ended up buying out Presley’s contract from Sun Studios.
• Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino was born in Knoxville.
• The Oliver Hotel was originally built to house an ice cream saloon.
• “Rocky Top” isn’t the official fight song of the UT Volunteers.
• And Volunteer is a nickname, not a mascot.
• The UT Volunteers official mascot is a bluetick coonhound named Smokey.
• The man who yelled the famous words “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” during the Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay—Union Admiral David Farragut—was born in Knoxville in 1801.
• It’s where the soft drink Mountain Dew was invented in 1940.
• Knoxvillians have their own name for Labor Day, Boomsday, named after the Boomsday celebration that features one of the country’s largest and most impressive fireworks displays. It takes place over the Tennessee River and includes a waterfall of fireworks.
• It’s where Hank Williams, Sr. spent the last night of his life, at the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Now an office building, it was once the tallest structure in Knoxville.
• According to an episode of “The Simpsons,” the Sunsphere is filled with a surplus of unsold wigs.
• In reality, the golden globe of the Sunsphere houses offices, an observation deck and event space.
• Author Kurt Vonnegut, a counterculture literary hero of the 1960s and ’70s, was an alumni of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
• Nashville gets all the glory when it comes to country music, but it wouldn’t exist without Knoxville providing the seedlings. It’s known as “The Cradle of Country Music,” the place where hillbilly music came out of the hills and found new footing.
• Seminal country music legends Roy Acuff and Dolly Parton got their start in Knoxville.
• The Everly Brothers also spent their formative years here.
• Open-air Market Square was once dominated by a large building in its center called the Market House.
• Market Square has served as a memorable setting in American literature. James Agee wrote about it in his Pulitzer Prize-winner novel “A Death in the Family,” as did Cormac McCarthy in “The Orchard Keeper” and “Suttree.”
• City Hall used to sit at the north end of Market Square, approximately where the outdoor stage sits today.
• The Knoxville Gazette was the first newspaper published in Tennessee. The first edition appeared in 1791.
• WDVX, a popular local radio station that champions regional and Americana music, now calls the Knoxville Visitor Center home, but it began operation in a pull-trailer stationed in a campground off Interstate 75.
• Knoxville is technically considered an international port. It’s possible to travel by boat from downtown to the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes.
• Knoxville and Fort Knox in Kentucky are named after the same person, Henry Knox, the first Secretary of War for the U.S.
• In addition to inventing the dumpster, George Dempster was the first steam shovel operator to begin moving earth to create the Panama Canal.
• Mayor George Dempster was instrumental in removing Market Hall from the square (maybe some of his dumpsters helped in the process?), as was a fire.
• One of Knoxville’s nicknames is “The Marble City,” but the Tennessee Marble that came from the quarries around town was really limestone.
• The quarries in the Ijams Nature Center became garbage dumps when the quarrying stopped. Today, they’re being reclaimed by nature and are some of the more scenic spots in town.
• Revolutionary War hero David Henley was sent by President George Washington to Knoxville as an agent of the U.S. Dept. of War to be the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, among other duties in what was then known as the Southwest Territory. Henley Bridge is named after him.
• The National Conservation Exposition held in Knoxville in 1913 planted the seeds for the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which opened in 1933 and is America’s most-visited national park.
• UT was founded as Blount College in 1794. It wasn’t called the University of Tennessee until 1879.
• In Ross Quarry inside Ijams Nature Center there’s a passageway called the Keyhole that leads to an otherwise inaccessible part of the abandoned quarry. And it feels like you’re on King Kong’s Skull Island when visiting.
• The quarried rock formations above the Keyhole resemble a giant stone sitting place locals are fond of calling “God’s Chair.”
• Adolf Ochs, who would go on to become owner/publisher of the “New York Times,” began his newspaper career at 11 years old as an apprentice typesetter for the “Knoxville Chronicle” in 1870.
• Knoxville saw a bit of Old West-style outlaw mayhem in 1901 when a member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, Kid Curry, shot two deputies, was captured, thrown in the Knoxville Jail, escaped, and galloped out of town on the sheriff’s horse.
• It’s very much a water town. Not only does the Tennessee River cut through Knoxville, it’s surrounded by 7 lakes, with many more nearby.
• Norris Dam north of Knoxville was the first major project of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930s.
• Bowling was a more common sport in Knoxville in 1859 than baseball, basketball and football, because none of those other now more prominent sports had been introduced yet. There was once a bowling saloon on Market Square.
• Knoxville was more divided than most Southern cities over the issue of secession. During the Civil War, there was even a pro-Union newspaper in town.

Reference Sources: Movoto

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

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 Knoxville

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