The Companies that Care podcast highlights companies and business leaders who are making a difference in the world, like David Brackett, founder and CEO of Linguava.
Linguava is a full-service language interpretation and translation company that provides health care and medical equity through language access.
David shared how he first became interested in languages, when his grandma gave him cassettes to learn Spanish when he was just four years old. After living in Spain for several years, David decided to become an interpreter.
David founded Linguava in 2010, and now the company has more than 50 full-time employees, covering more than 230 different languages, including American Sign Language.
Language access is critical for people to receive good health care services. One in five people in the United States speak a primary language at home other than English. These individuals need assistance when they receive health care. Linguava interpreters work as partners with the health care team to ensure patients receive the best services and fully understand the care they are receiving.
David defines health equity as meeting the individual where they are at in their life.
“We all have different levels of access to health care because of our socioeconomic status, where we live, and language barriers. Our goal at Linguava is to make sure meaningful language access is provided so that you can improve your health outcomes.
No matter what language you speak, no matter where you're at in your patient journey, we want to make sure that you have the right access to language interpretation or translation services.”
David shared the many important roles of an interpreter, beyond simple interpretation of language. He also shared anecdotes about Linguava interpreters truly making a difference in the lives of their clients. Linguava also provides interpretation services for mental health and document translation.
You can follow Linguava on their website.
With a real passion for creating caring companies, David is writing a book about leadership and language access.
Next week I interview Taylor Loewen, Portland general manager of Ridwell, a rapidly growing company that picks up stuff from your front door and makes sure it gets sustainably reused or recycled.
I alternate the Companies That Care podcast with my original podcast, Finding Fertile Ground, which shares personal stories of grit and resilience. On both my podcasts I strive to highlight voices from historically excluded populations, people who don't always get a platform. Find out more on my website and social media.
The Companies That Care podcast is brought to you by Fertile Ground Communications. If you like what you hear or read, wander through my website to find out more about my work.
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With 30 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry, I am passionate about sustainability and corporate citizenship, equity & inclusion, businesses that use their power for good, and doing everything I can to create a kinder, more sustainable, and just world. We help organizations and people discover what makes them special and help them share that with the world.
As a podcaster for justice, I stand with my sisters from the Women of Color Podcasters Community. We are podcasters united to condemn the tragic murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and many others at the hands of police. This is a continuation of the systemic racism pervasive in our country since its inception and we are committed to standing against racism in all its forms.
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