Language Line Services Forms Independent Global Advisory Council to Enhance the Availability of...

Health Care and Interpreter Industry Experts to Help Guide the Quality Standards and Expand the Reach of Company's Medical Certification Programs

MONTEREY, Calif. -- As part of its ongoing commitment to improve the quality of medical care provided to limited-English speaking patients,

leading interpretation services provider Language Line Services has gathered health care and medical interpreting experts, patient advocates and other language service providers to form an independent Global Advisory Council (GAC) that will help guide the company's interpreter certification programs and medical interpreting-related policy initiatives. The GAC will work collaboratively with Language Line[R] University, the company's globally recognized interpreter training and certification subsidiary, to develop and expand the availability of educational and "best practice" guidelines that simplify and standardize training and testing for interpreters working in the medical field.

"Language Line University has formed the Global Advisory Council as a means to improve both the access and delivery of quality health care to limited English proficient patients," said Louis Provenzano, President and COO of Language Line Services. "We are extremely pleased to have gathered such an impressive group of industry thought leaders who share Language Line University's desire to accelerate solutions that will eliminate costly, and often life-threatening, language barriers in the health care setting."

The nine inaugural members of the Global Advisory Council include:

* Louise Behiel, Assistant Manager, Interpretation & Translation Services, Calgary Health Region, Canada

* Janet Bonet, Director, National Association for Translators and Interpreters (NATI), Omaha, NE

* Kathleen K. Diamond, President and CEO, LLE Language Services, Washington, DC

* Winnie Heh, VP Global Operations, Language Line Services, Monterey, CA

* David Jones, Interpretation & Volunteer Services, Mercy Medical Center, Des Moines, IA

* Linda Joyce, Consultant and Language Access Specialist, Walton, WV

* Deborah Saldana, Director of Interpreter Development & Training, Phoenix Language Services, Inc, Philadelphia, PA

* Diane de Terra, PhD, Research Professor of Language Practice, University of Maryland's National Foreign Language Center , College Park, MD