Americans Against Language Barriers

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Americans Against Language Barriers

AALB is a nonprofit dedicated towards improving the quality of life of those with language barriers. Learn more by visiting the our website at www.AALB.org.

Americans Against Language Barriers (AALB) is a charity that is dedicated to improving the quality of life of deaf and limited English populations. We help address the shortage of professional interpreters by training medical interpreters with an extremely high degree of efficacy; our medical interpreter training course is accepted by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, the N

ational Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. AALB works to connect trained interpreters to volunteer their time in an effort to help other charities, such as free health clinics, provide free services reach those with language barriers. Through these efforts, we hope to improve both the quality of healthcare and healthcare access for patients with barriers to care. In addition, we are working to help protect the civil rights of those with language barriers by defending the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Nondiscrimination Provision of the Affordable Care Act; AALB is facilitating systematic change to work towards greater equality of access to essential services for deaf and limited English populations.

20/07/2025

It’s World Dog Day and to celebrate, we're excited to launch our new Pet of the Month series!

Our honorary ambassador for this kick-off is none other than Patas, our grumpy, wise, and deeply lovable ‘Pet of the Month’, and loyal friend to our Teaching Assistant, Iris Laffitte.

Today, Patas is giving us a quick language lesson… in barks!

Fun fact: It's been widely agreed that when a dog barks, it usually does it twice.

Swipe to see how dogs “speak” in different parts of the world. The best part? No matter the language, dogs always understand each other just fine. No barriers, no interpreters needed, just pure canine connection.

We want to hear from you! Drop a pic of your pet in the comments and tell us what they sound like in your native tongue (all species welcome!).

Let’s celebrate connection: human, animal, and everything in between.

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/es/blog/como-ladran-los-perros-en-diferentes-idiomas

18/07/2025

Rights written in ink are silent until living voices give them sound. Laws lie dormant until human resolve sets them in motion.

For the tens of millions in the United States who speak another language at home, the power to awaken those rights rests in their own hands.

On Saturday, September 27th, 2025, in the Chicago area, join AALB for Voices in Every Language, a free outdoor educational picnic that turns paper rights into personal power. In one shared space we will briefly teach the federal and state language access protections that already belong to you, then help you act on them before you leave. During the closing hour we will sit with you to schedule meetings with your state and federal representatives and make sure a qualified interpreter is arranged if you need one. Come to learn, speak, and move agencies to honor the law.

Details:

• Date and time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 27th, 2025

• Location: Final park site in the Chicago metro area. Confirmed site sent by August 25th to all who RSVP.

• Cost: Free. RSVP helps us plan food and interpretation.

• Interpretation: Spanish provided. Additional languages added based on RSVP requests.

• Register: www.AALB.org/picnic

10/07/2025

Did you know there’s no exact translation for the word “apapacho” in English? It comes from Náhuatl and means something like “a warm embrace for the soul.” It’s deeply rooted and widely used in Mexico and some Central American countries, and slowly becoming more familiar in other parts of Latin America.

These kinds of words remind us that language isn’t just about communication, it’s about connection, care, and culture.

As interpreters and language professionals, we carry these meanings across every barrier. Even when there’s no perfect word, there’s always a way to honor the message.

Do you want to learn more untranslatable words that make our work so powerful?
Hit that ❤️, follow for more, and share your favorite untranslatable word with us.

07/07/2025

Choose your session and register here: www.AALB.org/register

02/07/2025

One misunderstood word can change everything.
A single word taken the wrong way can put someone’s health at risk. For individuals with limited English proficiency having a qualified interpreter isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.
Swipe to learn what can happen when they don’t have one by their side.

30/06/2025

We stumbled into this monument in Santo Domingo de Silos, one of the highlights of the Route of the Spanish Language, a UNESCO-recognized journey through six key places in the history of Spanish.

It was here that the historic Glosas Silenses were written, among the earliest known texts in Spanish, a major milestone in the transition from Vulgar Latin to the Romance languages, including the Castilian.

Did you know that Spanish and Castilian are endonyms? That means they’re terms used by native speakers to refer to their own language, which is why both are basically understood to mean the same thing.

Would you love to visit this historic spot? Drop a like if it’s going on your linguistic travel list!

Source: Official Tourism Portal of Spain.

20/06/2025

According to the latest U.S. Census data, over half a million Korean speakers in the United States have limited English proficiency and are at significant risk of facing barriers to healthcare access due to the lack of qualified interpreter services.

We’ve made significant progress over the past five years by training and qualifying thousands of interpreters, but there is still much work to be done.

If you’re fluent in Korean and English, become qualified to work as a professional Korean–English medical interpreter with AALB: www.aalb.org/register

15/06/2025

Most European languages descend from a common ancestor. Basque does not.

Euskara, the name Basque speakers use for their own language, is a linguistic isolate. It has no proven relationship to any other language.

For centuries, governments tried to erase it. The people refused.

At AALB, we oppose all forms of language dominance. We stand with those who speak for themselves, in their own words, whether or not the world is ready to listen.

06/06/2025

It all started with them!

Our founding partners Kevin Thakkar, Hetvi Patel, and Kaveri Shah started Americans Against Language Barriers with a strong desire to help people overcome linguistic obstacles and improve their lives.

Huge thanks to them for laying the foundation of an organization that keeps growing its mission every single day.

29/05/2025

It’s been 5 years of AALB!

Check out how our dream began and how much we’ve grown.

We sincerely thank everyone for being part of this journey.

22/05/2025

Happy birthday to us and to our very first class of medical interpreter graduates:

🎓🎂Class of 2020🎂🎓

20/04/2025

SANTA FE — In a direct response to a new federal executive order declaring English the official language of the United States, the New Mexico Supreme Court has reaffirmed the state judiciary’s constitutional commitment to providing language services for non-English speakers.

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