History of Interpretype®

Improving customer service was the premise on which Interpretype was developed. In an effort to improve the level of service in his auto repair shop, Ken Gan listened carefully to the requests of his front line employees. In March of 2002, his staff requested a better way to communicate with their Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. When conversations turned technical, pen and paper proved inadequate. After nine months of research and development, Mr. Gan invented an extremely flexible solution for instantaneous face-to-face communication. He named his device Interpretype, or ITY™ for short, and deployed it at his Mechanical Service counter and in his Collision estimating office. As a result, Interpretype has proven to be so effective in promoting clear communication that his shop has seen a tenfold increase among Deaf customers.

Ken Gan, President Realizing the demand for his product early in the research stage, Mr. Gan created a company by the same name, Interpretype, LLC. He then sold his first units commercially in January of 2003. Since then, Interpretype has rapidly become a significant communication tool for organizations that want to maximize their human value within the organization, as well as providing extraordinary service through the use of this assistive technology. Some of the first customers to embrace Interpretype were colleges and universities. ITY™ devices are now being used by schools across the U.S. Rochester Institute of Technology which houses the National Institute for the Deaf has over 30 Interpretypes on campus.

Since the first successful implementation at Mr. Gan's auto repair shop in Rochester, New York, many organizations have provided their front line employees with Interpretype to improve customer service. Interpretype can now be found across the country in banks, grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, libraries, hospitals, government agencies and colleges and universities. Anywhere instant face-to-face communication needs to take place, Interpretype can help.

In May, 2004, Interpretype, LLC received a GSA (General Services Administration) contract. Interpretype can now be purchased by government and other agencies that can buy through the GSA. As a result, many government agencies are looking to Interpretype to help them solve communication issues, bring them into compliance with ADA and Section 508, and help them reduce expenses dramatically.

In June of 2004, Concept Northern located in Scotland launched a new web site www.deafhelp.com entirely devoted to Interpretype. Concept Northern has been approved as the exclusive reseller for Interpretype for Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Flexibility of the design has been at the forefront of the Interpretype project since inception. Although it was originally designed for face-to-face communication between two people, there is good reason Interpretype is not a one piece unit. First of all it's more comfortable and personal for each person to have their own keyboard and screen, but more importantly is the ability to communicate between more than two users. In addition, PC software was developed to communicate with the ITY™ devices so that preexisting workstations can be incorporated into the mix. Interpretype has also developed a hub that can be used to connect 4 ITY™ devices and one PC together for larger group conversations. The hubs can also be linked together (daisy chained) to accommodate up to 120 users in a single conversation.

Interpretype has a great deal of potential that is not readily apparent. In addition to helping Deaf and hearing individuals communicate, it is being used for non-verbal communication in police and military applications. Hostage negotiation teams are beginning to use ITY™ devices for internal silent communication. Hospitals are looking at Interpretype to solve communication issues with intubated (ventilated) patients. Interpretype can also be used by audiologists to help their patients who have lost their ability to speak.

Finally, Interpretype has developed a language translation module. When connected to a Windows PC, the Interpretype Translation Module enables a Spanish speaking person to communicate accurately and instantly with an English speaking person. Conversations can be saved and printed in either language. Other languages plan to be developed depending on demand.

Interpretype - Assistive Technology for Face to Face Communication.