Jason Courtney is the Director of Priority Translations, an interpreting and translation agency serving communities in North Texas and beyond.
“Priority Translations exists to help our clients solve problems. And in our day and age, language barriers are definitely a problem. We are here to provide professional interpreters and translators that will facilitate clear and effective communication.”
Originally from the Midwest, Jason moved to Texas in 2013, where he quickly felt the great need for interpreting and translation services.
“I saw that hospitals were not using live in-person interpreters. I come from Indianapolis, IN, where almost every hospital system in the city has an in-house language services department. In addition, outside agencies are also employed to meet the overwhelming demand for Spanish and other languages. I was shocked at the irony of the situation. A much larger Hispanic population has existed in Texas for multiple generations, yet Texas is far behind the learning curve when it comes to providing equal access and opportunity for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients.”
The burden at Priority Translations is to help its clients provide non-discriminatory and comparable access to information and services for their LEP students, patients, clients and their families.
“We really believe that as institutions in Texas become more aware of federal laws, and are educated on the vital role a professional interpreter or translator plays in society today, they will begin to feel the need, and we will be able to help them provide truly equal access and opportunity to their clients.”
Jason is a nationally Certified Medical Interpreter with over seventeen years in the interpreting and translation industry. His experience extends from medical settings to conference interpreting, and over the last several years, to ARD meetings in schools. He also specializes in simultaneous interpreting. He earned his B.A. in Spanish and Media Communications from Asbury University in 2005.
“I was in college, studying abroad in southern Spain, living with a family that spoke no English and attending classes all in Spanish. I developed a real passion for languages and other cultures. I wanted to do something with language, but I had no clue what kind of needs and opportunities were out there. For example, I didn’t know anything about Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal for institutions that receive federal funding to neglect to provide language services to their clients. I wasn’t aware that parents with special needs children had the right to understand their ARD meeting in their native language.”
Shortly after graduation, Jason began his career in interpreting and translation services working for hospitals in the Indianapolis area. He covered a wide range of medical settings from mental health, ER, and specialty clinics such as orthopedics and neurology, to speech, physical and occupational therapy.
“My years as a medical interpreter have given me a very broad range of specialized vocabulary, as well as years of experience interpreting in high pressure situations. I have now worked for county hospitals in three major US cities.”
Upon arriving to Texas, Jason soon entered a new field of interpreting: education.
“I began working on a regular basis interpreting for ARD meetings. I found that I had to adapt to a different set of vocabulary, as well as the education culture. It has been challenging and enjoyable at the same time, and I am grateful to now be experienced in this area of special education. It is a privilege to be a part of the ARD meetings, as there is such a great need to have a professional third-party interpreter involved.”
Jason has experience working in simultaneous conference interpreting as well. He has interpreted for conferences at the Educational Service Center, Region 20, in San Antonio, TX. Contact us to explore how Priority Translations could help you with ARD meetings,
conferences, and any other interpreting or translation needs.