Health Benefit Exchange Gives Uninsured Consumers Access to High-Quality, Affordable Health Care

In accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, passed in March of 2010, the California Health Benefit Exchange is slated to go into effect on January 1, 2014. The Health Benefit Exchange is essentially a health plan "marketplace" where uninsured individuals and small businesses can shop for and purchase high-quality health insurance. Individuals with low to moderate incomes, and small businesses of less than 100 employees will be eligible for federal tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies previously only available to those with employer-based heath insurance.

Through the California Health Benefit Exchange, consumers will be able to shop for and purchase health insurance on the private market. They will gain greater purchasing power due to a more stable risk pool, increased competition among insurers, and the ability to "comparison shop" for healthcare.

The Exchange will operate as a web-based service that acts as a "portal" for numerous health plans, enabling health care plan shoppers to compare coverage, offerings, rates, services and more. The Exchange will provide clear, easy-to-understand information to consumers through their website, which will offer standardized, detailed information about the plans, access to health plan experts, and a toll-free number to call for more information.

If you would like to learn more about the California Health Benefit Exchange and its impact on translation needs, download our Special Report. Although the Exchange will not go into effect until 2014, many health care organizations are already laying the groundwork for ramped-up translation efforts utilizing numerous threshold languages.  Starting the translation process now will ensure that LEP healthcare consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions once they are using the Health Benefit Exchange website.

1. Who Are Avantpage's Translators?
At Avantpage, our translators are the lifeblood of our company. Their skills, knowledge, and expertise enable us to provide accurate, quality translation in well over 150 languages for a diverse client base, including healthcare, financial, education, government and more. At Avantpage, our translators are much more than just foreign language experts. They have a passion for linguistics, a gift for understanding the finer points of syntax, grammar, and style, and a profound knowledge of how language and culture affects written and oral communication, beliefs, and behaviors.

2. How Are Translators Selected?
We select our translators very carefully, and they must go through a rigorous qualification/training process before being asked to join the Avantpage team. We choose individuals based on their depth of knowledge, experience, and professionalism, and offer complete training on our online project management systems, translation tools, quality control processes, company expectations, and specific customer service guidelines.

3. What Can You Expect?
When you choose Avantpage for your translation needs, you can rest assured you will be working with the best translators in the business - experienced, focused, expert, individuals who put their heart and soul into every translation project they take on.

To find out more about Avantpage's translators, call 877-ANY-LANG or email info@avantpage.com today!

Avantpage has agreed to act as a non-exclusive agent for sales of XTM Cloud computing solutions to companies and organizations in North and Central America. Avantpage is pleased to have this opportunity to work with XTM International to reach new markets.

Click here for more information.

Avantpage recently utilized XTM International's AvantMemory product to deliver a crucial, high quality job - on time and within budget, without compromising on quality.

Read the full case study here, and learn how Avantpage served its large health care client with a 30-file, Spanish-to-English translation project, totalling one million words -- and only 9 days to complete the project.

This new case study details the task, key questions, and outcome of this project. You may also contact Avantpage at (530) 750-2040 or at info@avantpage.com for more information.

The Davis Bridge Educational Foundation is an organization devoted to promoting educational opportunities for all Davis, California students, regardless of income level, race, or ethnicity.

The Davis Bridge works with low-income, under-achieving Davis students in grades K-12. The majority of students in Davis who fit this description are Chicana/o Latina/o students. However, the Bridge serves Anglo, Asian, East Asian, and African/African-American children as well. Bridge volunteers provide tutoring, computer access, school supplies, and after-school snacks to students at four after-school homework clubs in the Davis area.

The Davis Bridge Foundation hopes to make college and academic success a realistic goal for these children by making them feel valued, showing them they have the power to achieve, and giving them the academic tools and support system to do so.

Avantpage and CEO Dr. Luis Miguel have been involved with the Davis Bridge Foundation since 2004, offering IT support, website design/hosting and email support. Avantpage provides all Spanish translations for the Bridge, and has donated several computer systems to them as well. In addition, Dr. Miguel was President of the Davis Bridge Foundation Board from 2004 to 2010. 

The Davis Bridge is a cause close to Dr. Miguel's heart, and he believes that local initiatives such as the Davis Bridge can have a significant impact on communities and their members. According to Dr. Miguel, "I see education, and all it carries with it, as the most important determinant of success for young people. My kids are just like many of the kids served by the Davis Bridge, with education being the main differentiator."

To find out more about Davis Bridge, its mission, and how you can contribute, go to www.davisbridge.org or contact Janet Boulware, Executive Director and Founder, by e-mail at janetb@davisbridge.org or call (530) 574-2804.

Today, LinkedIn announced a major milestone for its site: it's surpassed 100 million users. Congratulations!

Avantpage invites you to link with us on LinkedIn.....

Our Healthcare Language Assistance Group on LinkedIn is a powerful resource for healthcare professionals - providing answers, assistance, discussion forums, up-to-the-minute information and more for professionals looking to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers within the healthcare industry.

We bring together health plan administrators, regulators, patient advocates and linguistic experts to collaborate on the myriad challenges healthcare professionals face every day regarding language assistance.

Make new connections, get your questions answered, and expand your professional network

When you join Avantpage's Healthcare Language Assistance group on LinkedIn, need-to-know information, in-depth discussion, industry updates and more are all just one quick click away.  This group is dedicated to helping you:

• Get swift answers to federal and state compliance questions
• Address language translation issues
• Facilitate document and media preparation
• Examine cultural concerns in the healthcare sector
• Exchange vital information with your peers
• Meet and connect with other industry professionals
•  Stay on top of the latest industry changes and revisions

Why LinkedIn? 
Nothing beats LinkedIn for reaching experts, leaders and innovators in today's business world.  LinkedIn was created by professionals, for professionals, and is an excellent resource for connecting with health care industry leaders who share the same questions and concerns you do. 

Join Us Today
Go to www.LinkedIn.com, and search groups for "Healthcare Language Assistance."  Click to join - and connect online with us today!

Power up your Spanish translation program...

Spanish-speaking Americans are growing in numbers, expanding their reach and buying power, and gaining ground in numerous geographical areas. The 2010 US Census preliminary results indicate that in numerous states, the Hispanic population is on the upswing.

• In Texas, Hispanics accounted for 65% of the overall population growth.
• In Illinois, Hispanics contributed 72% of all minority growth in the state.
• In South Dakota, the Hispanic population more than doubled from 2000 to 2010.
• In Oklahoma, Hispanics accounted for nearly 51% of the overall state population growth.
• The Louisiana Hispanic population grew by over 78% between 2000 and 2010, and the Mississippi population, by 105.9%.

With more state results to come, trends definitely point to robust Hispanic market growth.

Many of these people are Limited English Proficient, and are most comfortable reading and communicating in Spanish.

What does this mean for you? If you are thinking of increasing your presence in the Spanish-speaking marketplace, now is the time to make your move.

Localizing your website and multimedia materials, translating your documents and signage and presenting marketing and advertising campaigns in Spanish as well as English will help you target and connect with LEP consumers. New Spanish-speaking prospects are out there in force, and they are ready and willing to use your services, buy your products and support your company - if you commit to reaching out to them in their own language.

At Avantpage, we excel at English to Spanish translation that is high quality, culturally sensitive and audience-appropriate. Our translation teams are experts at choosing the proper wording, sentence structure and terminology that will best get your message across.

Rolf Hecken has spent 20 years in the translation and localization industry, with a strong focus on solution building, linguistic technologies, process management and improvement, and quality assurance.

Rolf has held senior executive positions at a number of successful service organizations and brings a high level of industry knowledge and expertise to Avantpage.

His responsibilities as VP of Operations include implementation and optimization of language technologies, managing the day-to-day operations of the company, and ensuring that all processes and procedures run smoothly and efficiently.

To reach Rolf with questions or to ask how Avantpage's translation services can help your business, contact him by email or at 530-750-2040, x6.

For the first time, Avantpage will be attending the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference, held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, February 20 - 24, 2011.

We are excited to be a part of an exhibition of this size and scope, and are looking forward to offering our translation solutions, expertise and experience to today's top healthcare IT providers. As longtime experts in the healthcare translation industry, Avantpage is poised to deliver our unique blend of flexibility, speed, quality and expertise to a new roster of healthcare clients.

Accurate translation in threshold and other languages is a critical component of the healthcare industry. Integrating translation services, IT and Management Systems is vital to the continued growth and success of hospitals, urgent care facilities, hospice providers, emergency care centers, HMOs, health insurance providers and many others in the health industry.

On average, 20 to 25% of all patients or insureds in the U.S. do not speak English at home. Translated content helps to improve patient health literacy at all levels, and allows our healthcare system to support client needs regardless of language and ethnicity.

Why choose Avantpage? At Avantpage, we've fine-tuned our translation capabilities to reflect the very latest in translation technology, healthcare compliance requirements and healthcare strategy and implementation plans.

• Our focus on the healthcare industry has given us a leading edge over other translation firms: We're experienced, prepared and fully qualified to handle healthcare translation projects of any size and complexity.
• We're easy to do business with! Our web-based translation platform offers accessibility, flexibility and customization - all at a very cost-effective price point.
• Although our data and translation processes are highly automated, we've never lost sight of the "human element" of translation. You'll deal with project managers, translators and support staff who always have time to answer questions, address concerns and talk you through the project process.

We are looking forward to connecting with IT and Management Systems experts in a variety of healthcare-related fields at the upcoming HIMSS conference. Our current clients include some of the largest integrated managed care accounts and hospitals in the industry, and we'd love to touch base with interested prospects and talk a little further about our menu of translation services and solutions.

We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!

This month's Language Spotlight focuses on Khmer. We've been getting more requests for this language lately, and we thought it would be an interesting language to explore in more detail.

Khmer is the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language spoken after Vietnamese. Khmer is spoken in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, the United States, France and Australia. There are a total of about 8 million Khmer speakers worldwide, and in the United States, there are an estimated 190,000 Khmer speakers. The Khmer language is written in Khmer script, using the Khmer alphabet, which closely resembles the Thai and Lao alphabets. There are also influences from Sanskrit, Pali, French and Chinese in the Khmer language. The Khmer script has symbols for 33 consonants, 24 dependent vowels, 12 independent vowels and several diacritic symbols. Many words have more than one accepted spelling. There are no spaces between words in the written language, only at the end of sentences or phrases.

The history of modern Cambodia is a tumultuous one. In 1887 Cambodia became part of French Indochina, but following Japanese occupation during WWII, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In 1975, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and at least 1.5 million Cambodians died of execution, forced hardships or starvation under the new regime headed by Pol Pot. In 1978, the Vietnamese invaded and drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside. This began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords sought to establish democratic elections and a ceasefire, but it was not until 1999 that Khmer Rouge forces surrendered. Today, Cambodia's government is a multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy, and national elections are generally peaceful.

Cambodia's two main economic forces are textiles and tourism. This beautiful, lush country is rich with stunning ancient temple ruins, picturesque villages, seaside resorts, architecturally dazzling cities and gorgeous natural beauty. Tourism is growing, and many foreigners have made Cambodia an exciting and unusual travel destination.

Avantpage's Khmer translation experts are fully equipped to provide clients with high-quality, expert translation for a variety of needs - healthcare, government, financial and more.

For information about Khmer/Cambodian translation, click here.