Hands that speak your language.

Since 1985, the Bilingual Access Line has recognized the community's need for qualified interpreters and translators to assist in the delivery of health care and social services. The Bilingual Access Line is guided by the philosophical belief that it is the responsibility of each agency serving the public to make its services accessible to the entire population. Our program provides, on a fee for service basis, qualified interpreters and translators in approximately 17 primary languages, either on site or over the phone, twenty-four hours a day, and also provides referrals to 90 secondary languages.

A vital service in multi-cultural Hawaii, the Bilingual Access Line interpreters are often called upon to assist people in some of the most dramatic moments in their lives. According to the 1990 Census, 31.8 million residents living in the United States (14% of the total population) spoke a language other than English.   Bilingual Access Line makes every effort to ensure that our interpreters are prepared to help families’ bridge language and cultural gaps with their knowledge and humanity.  By helping people to overcome language barriers, the Bilingual Access Line helps strengthen and redefine communities.

In addition to call-in requests for assistance, the Bilingual Access Line currently provides interpretation services to hospitals, hotels, corporations, as well as government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. As we move towards creating a global village through developments in information technology and international business, Bilingual Access Line allows organizations to reach-out to Limited English Proficient (LEP) speaking populations and help provide equal access to services.The on-staff "primary language" interpreters for the Bilingual Access Line follow HIPAA standards and a professional code of ethics that places fundamental importance on maintaining accuracy, confidentiality, and neutrality.