Listen
Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. so it's fitting for it to have hosted the Fifth Annual International Language Services Conference on Friday.
Over 90 different languages are spoken within Houston.
The conference brought together translators and interpreters to work on providing the most effective communication services in health care.
Cody Francisco is a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) and medical interpreter. He is deaf himself and provides a cultural understanding in his translating.
"So my job as a CDI is to provide that cultural information and become bilingual and bicultural, so I can provide both of those, which is required for me as an interpreter," said Francisco, translated by an interpreter.
The conference was sponsored by MasterWord, a language service provider company.
Mila Golovine, the president of MasterWord, wants people to know the importance of using a professional interpreter versus friends or family.
"The difference between speaking a foreign language and being able to interpret can be compared to the difference of knowing how to drive a car and knowing how to repair your car," said Golovine.
Every year thousands of international patients come to the Texas Medical Center increasing the need for language providers.