Interpreting and Translating – A Summer of Celebrations and Challenges
Minnesotans of all walks of life embrace and appreciate our glorious summer months. August is around the corner, and K-12 students soon will return to their schools and classrooms. While news reports of the conditions and events in the Twin Cities and other communities nearby have slowed since the end of Operation Metro Surge in February, many communities continue to experience fear and disruption in all aspects of their daily life. Our interpreting and translation partners, clients and vendors have continued to support and advocate for our immigrant and limited English proficient (LEP) neighbors in many impactful ways.
In May the people of the Twin Cities were awarded the 2026 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. The award recognized the extraordinary courage and resolve exhibited by Minnesotans in their response to the unprecedented federal immigration enforcement this winter. The four Minnesotans that received the award on behalf of the Twin Cities were Imam Yusuf Abdulle, co-founder of the Somali American Leadership Table; Natalie Ehret, founder of Haven Watch; Carolina Ortiz, associate executive director of COPAL MN; and Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools.
Our nonprofit partners including the Advocates for Human Rights and the Volunteer Lawyers Network, the Minnesota Council of Churches and many more continue to provide critical resources to Minnesota’s immigrant and LEP populations. Last month members of our team were fortunate to attend the Advocates for Human Rights annual Human Rights Awards dinner in Minneapolis. We are proud of our language access work with the Advocates and we stand in solidarity with the non-profit’s commitment to dignity, freedom, justice, and equality for all human beings.
Research shows that overall experiences and outcomes for LEP patients improve when they are provided with professional language support. Our clients including the Mayo Clinic, Gillette Children’s, North Memorial Health, and Health Partners continue to prioritize language access and healthcare equity for their immigrant and LEP populations. This commitment matters more than ever, as many of these patients continue to postpone or avoid medical appointments and healthcare environments out of fear.
We are in our fifth decade as a leading local languages service provider in Minnesota, and we remain committed to providing the highest level of standards, quality and reliability in all our client and vendor relationships. We are grateful to our hundreds of professional interpreting and translation experts, our industry partners, and our immigrant communities. Learn more about our history, language list and services.