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LanguageLine Solutions, formerly known as Language Line Services, is an American company headquartered in Monterey, California. It provides language interpretation and document translation services worldwide for law enforcement, healthcare organizations, legal courts and businesses in over 200 languages. The company handles the majority of the over-the-phone interpretations for 9-1-1 emergency calls nationwide (about 90 percent)[citation needed]. LanguageLine is the largest interpretation services provider in the world.[1]

The company employs approximately 5,000 interpreters and support staff globally who answer 40 million calls each year.[2]

Company history

In its earlier years, the company was known as CALL (Communication And Language Line) and was formed by Jeff Munks and Michael McFerrin. Jeff Munks was a San Jose, California, policeman[3] Michael McFerrin mastered the Vietnamese language as a US Marine stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He returned to Northern California and worked as a refugee advocate.[4] The two men founded Language Line Services in 1982 to help police officers communicate with 65,000 Vietnamese refugees.[5]

AT&T officially announced the inauguration of its 24-hour AT&T Language Line Service on February 14, 1990, providing on-line interpreters in more than 140 languages and dialects. McFerrin stayed on as operations manager and Munks as marketing manager of AT&T Language Line.[6] Providence Equity acquired Language Line Services from AT&T in 1999.[7] In 2004, ABRY Partners acquired Language Line Solutions from Providence and is still owned by them as of 05/09/2014.[8]

Scott W. Klein was named CEO on June 21, 2012.

On January 7, 2013, Language Line Solutions acquired Pacific Interpreters.[9]

On August 22, 2016, Teleperformance announced their plan to buy LanguageLine for $1.52 billion, expecting the deal to close by the end of 2016.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ "The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters". Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  2. ^ Gonsalves, Antone (2011-10-14). "Language Line Plans a Roll-Up as Translation Demand Soars". Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 November 2011. Language Line's 5,000 employees and freelancers handle roughly 40 million phone calls a year in more than 170 languages, close to half of the languages spoken at the U.N.
  3. ^ "Munks, Jeffrey". China Education Resources Inc. Reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 1 December 2011. Mr. Munks was a co-founder of Language Line Services, a company which allows interpreters in 140 languages to be available via the telephone to support virtually any application.
  4. ^ Beers, David (8 June 1986). "Tower of Babel". San Francisco Examiner.
  5. ^ Munks, Jeff. "Jeff Munks". Spoke Software. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  6. ^ Howe, Kevin (15 February 1990). "Monterey Telephone Translation". The Herald.
  7. ^ "Portfolio: Language Line Services". Providence Equity. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  8. ^ "Investments: Portfolio". ABRY Partners. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  9. ^ "LanguageLine Solutions Acquires Pacific Interpreters in New Year's Deal". Language Line Solutions. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  10. ^ "Buying LanguageLine for $1.52 Billion". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
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