Our Mission
Across Languages exists to eliminate
language barriers to communication between people of diverse languages and
cultures. Our mandate is to advance
intercultural understanding and assured exchange of meaning so that together,
people may achieve fundamental needs and rights.
Ends
Further to this Mission,
we work to ensure that:
Communication
- Service
providers, decision makers, and clients are able to communicate accurately and
confidentially with each other through effectively managed, qualified
interpreters, translators, and other language service professionals and
services.
Accessibility
- Service and
decision making systems respond effectively to the needs of our diverse
community by becoming more accessible to those who do not communicate
effectively in English.
- Service providers
work interculturally to assure communication in providing services to
ethnically, culturally, and socially diverse populations.
- Communication
across language barriers is effective, giving all people equal opportunity to
access and participate in our societal processes, services, and
institutions.
Equity and Fairness
- People are able
to communicate effectively to achieve basic human needs with equity and
fairness
Independence
- Communication
across language barriers is effective, allowing parties to speak on their own behalf and make their own decisions.
Interpreter Standards
- Professional
standards for interpreters and triadic communication are developed, implemented, and disseminated.
Our Values & Beliefs
- We value efforts to end discrimination in any form
and believe that the diversity of cultures and races of the community
should be reflected in its organizational structure.
- We believe that individuals should be able to act
for themselves and should be able to become full participants in
community life.
- We believe that tolerance, understanding, education,
and advocacy are all necessary for achieving justice, equity, and
participation of all members of the community.
- We believe that service providers are responsible for ensuring effective communication to their clients.
- We believe that Canada and our community are
enriched by immigration policies which provide safe haven to the
oppressed and opportunities for immigrants of all economic and social
levels.
- We value efforts to end violence in all its forms.
- We recognize that we are part of a community and wish to work together with others who share our values and mission.
- We value coordination and cooperation among service providers.
- We are committed to continuous improvement of our services.