Toronto-based MCIS Language Services was recently ranked the no.1 non-profit language service provider in North America by independent research company Common Sense Advisory.
"For us to be on the top of that list is a big achievement," says Richard Brooks, director of strategy & business management at MCIS. "Most non-profits don't get to compete against the large for-profit companies, but ours has and has done a really good job."
Not only has MCIS grown from a four person volunteer-run organization to one of the largest language service providers in the world, it did it all with no owners, and no shareholders, all while staying faithful to its community mission.
Launched in 1998 by a group of volunteer public sector employees, MCIS was born from a desire to decrease the language barriers that often barred newcomers from getting quality public service assistance.
"The goal then, which we have stayed true to, was to provide high quality, fast, and low-cost translation services to all of our clients, says Brooks. "MCIS started with 3 or 4 interpreters and now we have over 5000 interpreters in over 200 languages."
Brooks credits MCIS's growth to, among other factors, the diversity of Toronto population, MCIS's client-based philosophy and the organization's dedication to working with newcomer communities to consistently grow its interpreter base.
"Even though we have private and public sector clients, community-engagement is always central to what we do. For one, we are always bringing newcomers on board. If you're a newcomer and speak at least two languages we'll bring you on board and train you and help you find work as an interpreter or translator. It's often a first job for people who come to Canada, and in the training process our interpreters also learn other things that are useful like Canadian laws, and about the education and health systems."
The result of MCIS's thorough and extensive training program is they have an ever-expanding database of thousands of interpreters who, collectively, can speak over 200 languages.
"We can get someone an interpreter in 30 seconds over the phone, 10 minutes over video and, in most metropolitan areas, 45 minutes in person," says Brooks. "We don't only train newcomers to be interpreters, we also often provide much needed services. We're always working in public health and other public institutions to break down language barriers and make people's arrival that much more comfortable. There's very little you can do if you can't communicate effectively.
"We're so successful because our interpreters are often working with newcomer communities and are often from those very communities. And really, there's no better city in the world to build a global hub for language services than in Toronto. The whole world is here."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Richard Brooks, Director, MCIS Language Services