By James Heffernan -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — Every day, Americans who speak little or no English buy groceries, apply for loans, shop online, purchase new homes, enlist the help of government agencies, and show up in local hospitals and jails.

Businesses and organizations have a choice when it comes to dealing with this growing demographic: They can politely turn them away, or they can work with them to bridge the language gap, and in turn gain their trust — and their business.

"The impact of immigration has forced organizations to change the way they conduct business and broaden their knowledge of other cultures," says Kathleen K. Diamond, founder of Language Learning Enterprises, which helps organizations communicate with their limited English-speaking markets.

More than 56 million people in the U.S. — nearly 20 percent of the population — are classified as limited English proficient, according to the Census Bureau.

Diamond, who speaks English, French and Spanish, created LLE in 1979 after turning down a teaching position with a commercial language instruction firm in Washington. LLE was awarded its first government contract two years later. Since then, the company has expanded its offerings to include 24-hour over-the-phone interpretation, document and e-mail translation, and instruction.

"We went from being an instruction-based company to instruction and translation, and now we consider ourselves to be a full-service language company," Diamond says.

LLE's main offices are in Washington, but it also operates a 24-hour technology center in Kernstown, where operators connect callers with one of more than 800 translators under contract with the firm worldwide. The company has about 45 full-time employees.

The Winchester location was born out of a need to have some infrastructure outside of Washington to maintain operations, according to Diamond, who has a home in Frederick County and splits her time between the two offices.

"We went looking for space, and we stumbled upon Winchester," she says, adding that "we have fallen in love with the valley."

The over-the-phone translation service has become LLE's bread-and-butter. Since moving into the local call center on Sulky Drive two years ago, the firm's revenues have increased by 50 percent, Diamond says.

Callers dial an 800-number and enter a language code. Within about 30 seconds, they are connected to a native speaker who is also fluent in English.

"It's a very seamless communication," says Matthew Swain, the firm's marketing administrator.

Today the company boasts support for 150 different languages, from Arabic to Zulu. The most frequently requested language is Spanish, followed by French, Mandarin (Chinese), Russian and Korean.

LLE also recruits interpreters based on census information and world events that may affect immigration patterns. Diamond says the company has a significant clientele in Great Britain, whose immigrant population is largely Polish.

"The beauty of [the service] is that the interpreter, the non-English speaker and our customer can all be in different places," she says. "You take that bridge and make it happen in real time."

The health care market currently makes up about 40 percent of LLE's business.

"Doctors are bound to take care of someone, and they can't take care of them if they can't talk to them," Diamond says.

LLE's services also are in demand as industries reach out to prospective buyers whose first language may not be English.

The Virginia Association of Realtors recently partnered with LLE for the ability to conduct face-to-face meetings, phone conversations and closings with their non-English-speaking clients, as well as to provide translators for documents such as contracts, property listings, e-mail messages and Web sites.

In addition, as U.S. companies compete in a global marketplace, they may have a need for a translator or an interpreter to communicate with their customers.

General Mills, for example, may receive an e-mail in Spanish from a woman in Costa Rica whose biscuits aren't rising, Diamond says.

"We'll translate it and send it right back, and they're in business."

The company's language instruction service, including testing and proficiency assessment, is done in its Washington office. The courses, which cater to individuals and small groups, are intensive — generally five days a week, five hours a day for about six months.

By 2012, language interpretation, translation and instruction is projected to be a $12 billion industry.

Swain, who travels to trade shows and conferences to promote LLE's services, says it's interesting to talk with representatives of organizations that are encountering language barriers.

"They'll say, 'We have this problem with our non-English speaking customers.' ... In some cases, those folks are being turned away," he says. "Or they'll say, 'I'm not international yet,' but the majority of our clients are right here in the U.S."

"It's like a light bulb goes off in their head," he adds.

The true value of LLE lies in its delivery of multilingual communications, Diamond says. Firms that use bilingual talent, while a step in the right direction, "are putting their firm, their message and their customers at a disadvantage."

"I think our mission of excellence in foreign languages resonates in a much broader and almost universal sense," she says.

* Contact James Heffernan at jheffernan@nvdaily.com