Elvira Smith

New Jersey customer Elvira Smith has won a trip for two to Monterey as the Grand Prize winner in the Language Line Services Customer Sweepstakes announced last fall.But she won't be going to Monterey.Instead, Elvira has chosen to donate the cost of the prize to Vineland, New Jersey's Cumberland County Guidance Center where she serves as director.The Sweepstakes was part of our customer communications program to re-launch Language Line Services apart from its 10-year relationship with parent company AT&T.

Born in Germany, Elvira came to the United States with immigrant parents when she was but a year old - so she isn't new to the challenges that non-English speaking residents experience.And at Vineland, she uses interpreters to help her staff communicate to patients in emotional crisis.

"We have a fairly significant Spanish-speaking population in Southern New Jersey," says Elvira."Although we're fortunate to have therapists and counselors who speak Spanish, we do call on Language Line Services for interpretive needs in languages other than Spanish.One instance that comes to mind was with a patient who spoke Russian.It made the difference in the quality of care and attention we were able to deliver."

A 20-year veteran with the Center, Elvira holds an MA degree in Psychology from the University of Richmond, and a BA degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Villanova University.She is married and has a 6-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old stepson.

Interpreting More Than Language

Interpreters with Language Line Services often combine cultural understanding with language skills to break down the communication barrier.Here's how one interpreter handled a situation:

Doctor: