About Prism Linguistics
A US translation & interpreting agency built on human expertise.
Prism Linguistics is a US-based translation and interpreting agency headquartered in Manhattan, New York, serving clients in all 50 states for more than 15 years. We cover 326 languages with native, background-checked human linguists, prepare USCIS-compliant certified translations, and run a 24/7 scheduling desk for urgent legal and medical work.
Who We Are
Prism Linguistics exists because language mistakes in the United States carry real consequences. A mistranslated birth certificate can stall a green card application at USCIS. A missed nuance in a deposition can change a case. An ER intake without an interpreter can become a patient-safety incident, and a Title VI language-access problem for the hospital.
So we built the agency around one rule: every project is handled by a qualified human linguist. Not machine translation with a light polish, and not anonymous crowdsourced output. A named translator or interpreter, matched to your subject matter, accountable for the result.
Law firms send us discovery documents on Friday evenings. Hospitals call the desk at 3 a.m. for a Karen interpreter. Families bring us the papers their whole immigration case depends on. That mix keeps our standards honest.
Prism Linguistics in Numbers
Years of US language work, in four numbers.
The Prism Linguistics Story
Prism Linguistics has served the US market for more than 15 years from our office at 100 Church Street in Tribeca, Lower Manhattan. The firm started with document translation for New York law firms and immigration attorneys, then grew as clients asked for more: court interpreters for depositions, medical interpreters for hospital systems, subtitling for media companies.
Today the roster covers 326 languages, the document counter has passed 250,000, and the scheduling desk runs around the clock. Growth was steady rather than dramatic — we added languages and sectors as we found linguists good enough to represent us, not before.
What has not changed is the shape of the company: US-based project managers who answer their email, a vetted network of native-speaker linguists, and a quality process that treats every certificate we sign as our reputation on paper.
How We Vet Our Translators and Interpreters
Getting into the Prism network is deliberately hard. Here is what we check before a linguist takes a first assignment.
Native Fluency, Proven
Translators work only into their native language. We test writing quality in the target language, not just bilingual comprehension, before anyone touches client work.
Professional Qualifications
We verify degrees, credentials, and documented experience. Certifications from bodies such as ATA, NAJIT, CCHI, and RID are recorded, and certified linguists are assigned where the setting requires it.
Background Checks
Every interpreter working in a courtroom, hospital, school, or police setting is background-checked. Sensitive assignments go only to linguists cleared for that sector.
Ongoing Review
Editors score translation quality on live projects and clients rate interpreters after assignments. Linguists who fall below standard come off the roster.
Our Quality Process: Translate, Edit, Proofread
Every certified translation moves through three independent stages before it leaves our office.
Translation
A native-speaker linguist with documented subject-matter experience produces the full translation, including stamps, seals, and handwritten notations.
Editing
A second, independent bilingual editor reviews the draft against the source for accuracy, terminology, and completeness.
Proofreading
A final pass checks formatting, layout fidelity, names, dates, and the Certificate of Translation Accuracy before delivery.
If a US institution requests a correction to a translation we produced, we revise and re-issue it at no charge. In practice that free-revision policy is used rarely; the translate-edit-proofread cycle catches most problems before you ever see them. Interpreting assignments get the same discipline in a different form: briefing material reviewed in advance, terminology agreed with the client, and a debrief when something in the assignment needs flagging.
Confidentiality, HIPAA, and How We Handle Your Data
Most of what we translate and interpret is sensitive. These are the controls that protect it.
NDAs on every assignment
Every linguist in the network signs a non-disclosure agreement before receiving any client material. Sensitive files are shared on a need-to-work basis, never posted to open job boards.
HIPAA-aware medical workflows
Medical records, consent forms, and patient-facing material move through HIPAA-aware workflows, and we sign Business Associate Agreements where a healthcare client requires one. Hospitals also use our interpreters to help meet Title VI and Section 1557 language-access obligations.
Court and law-enforcement discretion
Deposition transcripts, discovery files, and police interview work are handled by sector-cleared linguists who understand privilege and chain of custody.
Secure delivery
Certified translations are delivered as PDF through secure channels, with hard-copy originals available by USPS or FedEx on request.
Who We Serve Across the United States
Six sectors account for most of our work. Each has its own specialist team and page.
Legal
Depositions, hearings, discovery translation, and court interpreters for law firms and US federal and state courts.
Legal interpreting servicesHealthcare
Medical interpreting and HIPAA-aware document translation for hospitals, clinics, and clinical research teams.
Medical interpreting servicesFinancial
Statements, audit reports, and KYC documentation for banks, insurers, and accounting firms.
Financial translation servicesBusiness
Contracts, HR material, marketing copy, and technical documentation for US companies trading internationally.
Business translation servicesMedia
Subtitling, transcription, and translation for broadcasters, streaming platforms, and production companies.
Media translation servicesPolice & Government
Interview interpreting and evidential translation for police departments and government agencies.
Police interpreting servicesIndividuals come to us too, most often for USCIS-ready certified translation of birth certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas, and academic transcripts. The busiest services sit alongside the sectors: document translation services for files of any format, telephone interpreting connected within minutes, and scheduled face-to-face interpreting in major metros.
Government work follows the same pattern: state agencies, school districts, and social services book our interpreters for benefits interviews, parent-teacher conferences, and public hearings, usually on standing arrangements that make repeat bookings a two-minute phone call.
Nationwide Coverage in 326 Languages
On-site interpreters are available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Phoenix, and Philadelphia, with phone and video interpreting covering the rest of the country, usually the same day. See the full list on our locations page, or browse all 326 languages we cover.
That range includes the languages US institutions find hardest to source: Mam, Mixteco, Haitian Creole, Dari, Pashto, Burmese, and other lower-diffusion languages regularly requested by hospitals and EOIR immigration courts. Availability for any specific pairing is confirmed at quote stage.
Every project, wherever it lands, is managed from New York. That matters more than it sounds: one project manager owns your job from quote to delivery, so the interpreter who walks into a Houston deposition or the certified translation that reaches a Chicago hospital was booked, briefed, and checked by someone you can actually call. Out-of-hours requests reach the same 24/7 desk, not an answering service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last reviewed August 23, 2026 by the Prism Linguistics editorial team
Is Prism Linguistics a US-based company?
Yes. Prism Linguistics is headquartered at 100 Church Street in Lower Manhattan, New York, and serves clients in all 50 states. Interpreters work on-site in major metros, and phone and video interpreting cover everywhere else.
How many languages does Prism Linguistics support?
We currently work in 326 languages and dialects, from Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic through to lower-diffusion languages such as Karen, Mam, and Tigrinya. Availability for a specific language pair and deadline is confirmed when you request a quote.
Are your certified translations accepted by USCIS?
Our certified translations are prepared to meet USCIS requirements: a complete, word-for-word English translation with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy. They are commonly accepted by USCIS, courts, and universities, though acceptance always rests with the receiving institution.
How do you vet your translators and interpreters?
Every linguist is a native speaker of the language they work into, professionally qualified, and background-checked before their first assignment. We verify credentials and subject-matter experience, and we assign court-certified or medically credentialed interpreters where the setting requires it.
Can you handle confidential legal or medical documents?
Yes. Every linguist works under a signed NDA, files move through access-controlled systems, and medical projects follow HIPAA-aware workflows. We can sign a Business Associate Agreement when a healthcare client requires one.
How do I get a quote?
Send your document or interpreting request through our quote form and we reply within 60 minutes during business hours. You can also call +1 (833) 282 8883; the scheduling desk answers 24/7.
Talk to a real person about your project.
Free quote within 60 minutes during business hours. Human linguists, every time.
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