Community Initiatives
As a Social Enterprise, CISOC is committed to using its profits to benefit the members of the community. Our financial surplus is used to help community organizations and financially disadvantaged community members, improve the services we offer, and develop new technologies. Listed below are some of the initiatives our organization has undertaken to fulfill our commitment.
Pro-bono/Subsidized Translation Services
CISOC offers subsidized translation services to multiple agencies in order to offset their costs, allowing them to better serve our community members. Listed below are some of the organizations we have helped since 2009. If you are interested in applying for a translation subsidy, please fill out and submit the Subsidy Application Form.
- South East Ottawa Community Health Centre
- Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital - Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
- West End Legal Services
- Woodgreen Employment Services
- Heywood Centre for Women
- Catholic Immigration Centre
- Catholic Immigration Youth Program
- Flemingdon Neighborhood Services
- Immigrant Services - Kingston and area
- Canadian Mental Health Association
- Children Book Bank
- Parkdale Community Health Centre
- Ottawa Police Service
- Big Brothers and Big Sisters
- Carlington Community Health Centre
- South Riverdale Community Health Centre
- Humber River Regional Hospital
CISOC has also subsidized translation services for individual community members in various languages. Since 2009, CISOC has subsidized 89 new Canadians in 14 languages.
In addition, CISOC continues to offer limited pro-bono translation services to immigrants who wish to have school transcripts translated. If you are interested in applying for a translation subsidy, please fill out and submit the Application Form.
Subsidized Interpretation Services
In order to facilitate equitable access to essential services that do not provide interpreters, CISOC has subsidized the cost of 41 private interpretation requests since 2009, relieving the financial burden on our community members.
Helpful Tools for Community Members and Service Providers
In addition to the initiatives mentioned above, CISOC has created some tools in order to better serve our clients which include CISOC's own Language Identification Card and Guide to Working with Interpreters.
Language Identification Card
CISOC has developed a language identification card that helps service providers identify a client's language. The card contains "I speak..." statement in 52 languages (subject to updates) and allows our clients to indicate their first language.
Guide to Working with Interpreters
CISOC has developed this guide in order to help front-line service providers manage their interpretation sessions and improve their communication with clients. The guide offers detailed support and information for every stage of working with an interpreter.