Telephone Interpreting - Historical Timeline

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.