Historical Timeline
- 1973: Australia introduces telephone interpretation as a fee-free service to respond to its growing immigrant communities.
- 1981: The first Over-the-Phone Interpretation (OPI) service is offered in the United States.
- 1981–1990: Telephone interpretation enters major U.S. industries including financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, and public safety.
- 1990's: The demand for telephone interpretation grows significantly; contributing factors include decreased prices in long distance calls, toll-free number access, and immigration trends.
- 1995: Language services company Kevmark, later known as CyraCom, patents a multiple-handset phone adapted for telephone interpreting.
- 1999: AT&T sells language services company Language Line Services.
- 2000's: Telephone interpretation becomes more sophisticated; quality of interpretation, faster connection speeds, and customer service become important to consumers.
- 2005: The U.S. telephone interpreting market is estimated at approximately $200 million.
- 2013: Language Lines Services acquires Pacific Interpreters.
Read more about this topic: Telephone Interpreting
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