• Overview
• Why Choose Lingo Systems?
• Management Team
• Customers
• Languages
• Operations
• Customer Service
• FAQ
• News Room
  • Press Releases
  • In the News
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Postcards
  • Magazine Ads
• Testimonials
• Contact Us
• Careers

In The News

Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation® Partners with Language Line Services to Grant Wishes in 170 Languages

February 3, 2009 – Wishes really can come true -- and now in any language. In an effort to better serve the San Francisco Bay Area’s growing multi-lingual community, the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation has implemented a language access program with leading interpretation and translation provider Language Line Services, allowing for instant communication in more than 170 languages.

“Having support from Language Line Services will greatly enhance our ability to fulfill the wishes of Bay Area children with life-threatening medical conditions,” said Patricia Wilson, Executive Director of the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation.”  Wilson noted that her staff already had a variety of languages covered, but has seen an increase in demand for interpretation assistance in foreign languages ranging from Cantonese and Tagalog, to Punjabi and Portuguese.  “We wanted to ensure that everyone in our community is afforded the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing experiences offered by Make-A-Wish®.  Having this service only a phone call away comes as a huge comfort to our volunteers and staff who need to understand any medical limitations or concerns during the wish planning process.”  Wilson estimates that about 30 percent of the Bay Area’s wishes are for non-English-speakers and require language assistance

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about one-in-five California residents over age five speak English less than "very well,” and the Bay Area, with its large number of immigrants, has about the same proportion of limited English speakers as the state overall, the census figures show.

Language Line Services will be utilized by the Greater Bay Area chapter as needed to meet with families in their own language, to complete necessary paperwork, and for translation of correspondence and materials which will make services accessible to more patients and their families who might otherwise be unaware of Make-A-Wish. In addition, Language Line Services’ interpreters are available 24 hours a day to assist in case of any medical or other emergency for Make-A-Wish staff, who are on-call around the clock during a wish granting activity.

“Language Line Services leads the industry with the best trained talent in the country for medical interpretation,” said Wilson, adding that an emergency situation could require this specialized knowledge. “This partnership provides our staffers extra confidence and peace-of-mind to guide our clients through difficult times.”

“A language barrier should never interfere with having a child’s wish fulfilled,” said Louis Provenzano, Language Line Services President and COO. “Ensuring access and quality delivery of healthcare, civic and community services, regardless of language, is central to everything we do at Language Line Services. We are proud to partner with Make-A-Wish in an effort that is at the heart of our own corporate mission.”

About the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation®

The Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. In 2009 the Foundation celebrates 25 years of fulfilling magical wishes. During its first year of operation, in 1984, the Foundation granted 27 wishes. Now one of the largest chapters nationwide, the Greater Bay Area chapter grants over 300 wishes per year and recently fulfilled its 5,000th wish. The chapter covers 17 Northern California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Solano and Sonoma. The goal of the Foundation is to grant a wish to every eligible child in its territory, and anyone can suggest a child for a wish. In 2005, the Chapter was recognized with a coveted “Best in America Seal of Excellence” award, the first Make-A-Wish Chapter to achieve this distinction for its outstanding management and governance practices. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this Seal. For more information or to refer a child for a wish, please call 415/982-9474 or visit www.makewish.org.

About Language Line Services

Language Line Services, the global leader in telephone interpreting and language solutions, serves clients in government, health care, telecom, financial services, insurance and many other industries by quickly connecting them to their customers, patients and sales prospects in over 170 spoken languages and American sign language. Growth of the language interpreting industry has soared with increased immigration and government regulatory policies mandating that organizations provide services to limited English speakers in their own languages. Language Line Services is recognized as a trusted partner to thousands of clients throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, providing access to the industry's fastest language interpreting service at highly competitive rates. For more information about Language Line Services' suite of telephone and video interpreting, document translation, interactive software-based translation, interpreter training and certification programs, please call +1 (800) 752-6096 or visit www.languageline.com.