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 Tampa, FL

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 Tampa

• The name Tampa is believed to come from the Calusa phrase “Sticks of Fire.”
• That’s probably because Tampa sees some nasty lightning each summer, which is how the local hockey team got its name.
• When it comes to sports, the city is no stranger to futility. It took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25 years to return a kickoff for a touchdown.
• Babe Ruth hit his longest home run during an exhibition game in Tampa—it sailed 587 feet.
• The Salvador Dali Museum in nearby St. Petersburg is an incredible place. To test the strength of its freestanding staircase, two rugby teams danced on it—to disco. Dali would have been proud.
• During Prohibition, Tampa was one of the top sellers of illegal liquor in the country.
• In the 1980s, the city moved on to other hobbies. It was widely considered the death metal capital of the music world.
• Tampa’s number one export? Phosphate.
• Farmers love Tampa because all that phosphate is invaluable for fertilizer production.
• Although back in the day, it was probably cigars—it’s still known as the “Cigar City.”
• In 1929, the factory at Ybor City rolled approximately 500 million stogies!
• It can get hot in Florida, but the temperature in Tampa has never hit 100 degrees.
• Still, it’s nice to stay cool. In 1851, Tampa native John Gorrie invented the first mechanical refrigeration system—paving the way for air conditioning.
• The delicious Cuban sandwich? Not Cuban. It was likely invented in Tampa.
• Tampa is home to famous authors: Jack Kerouac the beat poet and novelist of the 1960s who lived in St Petersburg, and Stephen King, the popular horror writer who lives in Sarasota. Both authors were originally from New England.
• You can visit Cuba in Tampa. Jose Marti Park officially belongs to Cuba, it was given as a gift in 1956 to the island nation. Located in Ybor City, it is only .14 acres in size.
• Pirates invade the city annually. Since 1904, every year pirates sail their ship into Tampa during Gasparilla. The whole city dresses in costume and attends the celebration.
• The Columbia is Florida’s oldest restaurant as well as the biggest Spanish restaurant in the world, capable of seating 1,700 people in various dining rooms.
• Tampa Bay is incredibly shallow at only 12-feet deep!
• Manmade channels had to be dredged to allow ships in.
• Port Tampa Bay is the largest in Florida. It is situated 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and generates over $15 billion in revenue.
• Teddy Roosevelt and his private army known as the Rough Riders sailed from Tampa to fight in the Spanish-American War.
• Roosevelt wasn’t the only big name who came to Tampa during the conflict. Clara Barton arrived in town to help organize medical relief efforts.
• Tampa’s famous mascot is only a legend
• Bayshore Boulevard has the longest sidewalk at 4.5 miles
• Tampa is home to the first scheduled commercial flight in 1914, which landed here after taking off from St. Petersburg.
• When Henry Plant was building his railroad across central Florida to Tampa, along with building his historic hotels, Henry Flagler was doing the same on the east coast of Florida from St Augustine to Palm Beach, all the way to Key West.
• The Tamiami Trail is partially named for Tampa
• Tampa is also home to Big Cat Rescue, an accredited sanctuary for big cats.
• Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base may be the second most important government building outside of the Pentagon. It’s home to U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. action in the Middle East.
• The first Florida brewery is in Tampa. Built in 1897, the Florida Brewing Company is Florida’s first brewery.  This brewery has a large selection of local Florida beers which are a must try if you are in the area.
• In February 1884 Henry Plant ran a railroad line west across central Florida to connect the Tampa Bay area to his railroad network.
• The visitors coming in modest numbers through the railroad stayed in Henry Plant’s first Tampa-area hotels.
• Plant continued his rail line across Tampa to the western side of the Tampa Peninsula, where he built the new town of Port Tampa City and opened St. Elmo Inn and Port Tampa Inn, both are long gone.
• In 1891, Henry B. Plant built a 500+ room luxury resort hotel called the Tampa Bay Hotel on the west bank of the Hillsborough River. Since 1933 is it part of the University of Tampa.
• In 1925, Tampa annexed the neighboring town of West Tampa that had been founded in 1894.
• In 1953, the city annexed the nearby communities of Sulphur Springs and Palma Ceia.
• The 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season was historically busy for all of Florida, including Tampa, four hurricanes affected it that year.
• Portions of motion pictures including Blood sport, China Moon, Cocoon, Edward Scissorhands, Lethal Weapon III, My Girl, Wilder Napalm, Sneakers, Parent Trap II, Once Upon A Time In America, Forever Mine and Oceans 11 were filmed in the Bay Area.
• Bern’s Steak House in Tampa has the largest working wine cellar in the world.
• Tampa rated in the top 10 of Runner’s World magazine’s list of best cities for runners in its January 2001 issue. The rating was due in part to the city’s number of local running clubs and road races, and its plans to create a continuous recreational trail system.
• Tampa’s Sant’ Yago Night Parade was voted the largest and most beautiful night parade in the South and one of the Top 10 parades in the Southeast by Suncoast Magazine.
• Famous rhythm and blues singer and pianist Ray Charles began his career playing dance-hall gigs in Tampa.
• Plant City, the “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World,” holds the Guinness record for the world’s largest strawberry shortcake. The 104-by-8-foot, 6,000-pound cake contained over 100,000 strawberries, 450 pounds of sugar and 600 pounds of whipped topping.
• According to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Tampa is home to the “world’s smallest park” – Snow Park.

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

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 Tampa

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