Hi Reader, Spring is in the air, school is out – and that means the World Speaks team is getting ready for the third annual Language Access Week! This year, we’ll be focusing on how language access helps us become better neighbors – in our community, our businesses, our schools, our doctors’ offices, and more. Fostering language access means that everyone can better understand – and be understood – by the world around us. If you believe that language access helps us become a better neighbor,...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Volunteers Make Our World Go ‘Round Hi Reader, For the last ten years, World Speaks has connected our neighbors across the Omaha area, one language at a time. Helping us along the way? Our incredible volunteers! April is Volunteer Month, and we want to share how volunteers help bring language access to our community through World Speaks! First, there are our incredible native speaker mentors. These individuals come to our language classes and interact with our students. They share their...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, If you follow World Speaks – or any of our team members – on social media, you’ve probably seen posts like this: “World Speaks is looking for Vietnamese translators and interpreters! If you know someone, send them our way!”“World Speaks is looking for Korean translators and interpreters! Please share with your network.” “We’re looking for more ASL interpreters! Please pass this message along if you know someone!” Here’s what these posts don’t tell you: the need for interpreters and...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Ten years ago, we set out with a simple belief: everyone deserves to be heard. Thanks to supporters like you, that belief has grown into a movement across Omaha and beyond. In our last decade, together we’ve: Expanded Community Language Classes in Spanish, ASL, ESL, Arabic, and Korean, helping thousands of neighbors build skills, confidence, and connection.Delivered Translation & Interpretation services across the Omaha metro, state of Nebraska, as far as the East Coast, so...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, First, we’d like to thank everyone who supported us during the giving season. Thank you so much for believing in our work and the dream of greater language access to our community. In 2025, we learned that we need language access more than ever. Here’s what we’re looking forward to as we move into 2026 (our 10th anniversary year): Our next Foundations of Community Interpreting Course, where multi-lingual members of our community can begin their journey to bridge language gaps by...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Each language in our community is a gift. At World Speaks, learning about the gifts of other cultures and traditions is at the heart of what we do. To keep that spirit going, we asked our team members to share their favorite holiday traditions. Read on to find out what they are – and if you have a favorite tradition, share it with us on Instagram and Facebook! “For the last two years, we've been doing a big family matching PJ party with my mom's side of the family. This includes...
7 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, There is a shortage of interpreters in our area – and many multilingual individuals are already doing casual interpretation for family members and friends – and World Speaks aims to bridge that gap. That’s why last week, we held our first Foundations of Community Interpreting Course. 4 individuals gathered at our Omaha offices to start their journey to bridge language gaps by learning interpretation skills. It was a packed four days with 25 hours of total instruction! This...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Earlier this summer, we worked with the Health Center Association of Nebraska to help them make sure that community health center teams have the training they need to give patients the highest quality of care, no matter what language they speak. World Speaks worked with HCAN to create a 15-minute training video for health center works that covers the do’s and don’ts of working with medical interpreters so that employees can work seamlessly with interpreters in patient care. We are...
9 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Earlier this month, the World Speaks team had a great time at the NATI (Nebraska Association of Translators and Interpreters) Conference. Spending time with a group of professionals devoted to providing language access to those who need it was an incredible experience. Our team presented about the work of World Speaks – sharing our mission to advance language access and cultural inclusion through professional, community-centered services. It was a joy to talk to interpreters and...
10 months ago • 3 min read