CIS is celebrating 40 years in business!

Established in 1986, Community Interpreter Services (CIS) was designed to meet the growing need for language access in Boston area. The year 1986 also saw the premiere of blockbuster movies like Top Gun and hit songs such as “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Walk Like an Egyptian.” The fashion of the day was all neon colors, shoulder pads, and big hair. That year, The Oprah Winfrey Show debuted on daytime television, Halley’s Comet streaked through our skies, and technology began to change with the introduction of the Macintosh Plus and IBM’s first laptop computer.

While CIS was taking shape, here at home, the Celtics, with Larry Bird, went 40-1 at home and won the NBA championship. Unfortunately, it was the same year the Red Sox suffered a notorious loss in Game 6 of the World Series after Bill Buckner’s infamous error.

In 1986, the field of interpretation was undergoing significant professionalization with major developments in the formal certification of medical and legal interpreters and the codification of industry ethical standards.

Nowadays, language access and CIS have come a long way! With 40 years of experience, we have significant expertise in delivering professional language services. We look forward to continuing to overcome language barriers, bridging linguistic and cultural barriers, and serving our communities for another 40 years and beyond.