History
Translation has been necessary since ancient times when people virtually left messages written in stone and on papyrus. Fast forwarding to the twentieth century, IBM launched their Selectric typewriter in 1961 with its erasable backspace button, and translators were ecstatic! When FLS was founded in 1979, translating into Chinese or Arabic still required hand calligraphy, a method not much different from those of medieval scribes. The PC along with the continuous evolution of sophisticated translation tools have transformed the industry, which now keeps pace with twenty-first century technology.
It's been 33 years and we're still growing strong! NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal's Missile Command were the backdrop for starting Foreign Language Services in Huntsville. In the early years, founders Judith Smith and Caroline Myers believed providing a single source for professional translation services would benefit the many high tech companies moving their national and international headquarters to Huntsville. In the early 1980's, FLS found plenty of work in two areas:
- Developing proficiency tests for the Defense Language Institute
- Translating technical documents for the Department of Army's Foreign Science and Technology Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, the Peace Corps, and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Honored as Small Business of the Year in the Business Services division by the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce in 1994; a finalist in the same competition in 2006; and twice featured in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Governor's Trade Education Tour publication, The Faces of Trade, FLS has experienced steady growth over the past 33 years.
Utilizing the most advanced processes while staffing exceptional in-house project managers, finding indefatigable translators and precision editors who never settle for an "almost accurate" translation, FLS refuses to quit until the right translation is in print!
From 2009 to Present. In 2009, Judith Smith retired, and Caroline Myers took over as President and COO. It was a turning point for FLS who had become the primary statewide interpreting resource for the Alabama Department of Human Resources (ADHR). This service proved vital during the 2009 Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis; in the aftermath of the Alabama tornado outbreak in 2011; and is crucial to the well-being of many Alabama citizens today.
Also in 2009, FLS expanded our offerings to include statewide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting.
Certified in 2010 as a women-owned business under the auspices of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and its southern affiliate, FLS is currently experiencing a substantial burst in growth. This new certification is recognized by the SBA for government contracting, and by early 2012, FLS will be on the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule — all signs that our history is still in the making!
With the world growing smaller and U.S. trading partners expanding, FLS has kept pace with the growing demand for language services. Today, FLS provides translation and interpreting services for a variety of customers, including:
- Numerous government agencies
- Numerous state agencies
- Large corporations nationwide
- Small businesses nationwide
- "Walk-in" individuals needing certified translations
