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When you need a bridge across languages and cultures . . . we are your Culture Guides.

Founded by an anthropologist in 1996, Culture Guides provides comprehensive language and culture related services. Culture Guides utilizes a holistic approach to solving problems related to barriers of language and culture. Our goal is to provide culturally sensitive and appropriate responses to the needs of our customers. We focus on cultural meaning and context rather than literal meaning in everything we do: interpreting, document translation, language instruction and consulting. Our case management and team approach ensure that all the parties we serve have the opportunity to achieve a best outcome for all involved. At Culture Guides, we collaborate using our knowledge of specific languages and cultures to create innovative, effective and humane solutions for our customers and their clients. Our customers find that our approach fosters genuine understanding and takes a lot of the guesswork out of relating with people from other cultures.



Why use Culture Guides, Inc.?

  • Prescreened and pre-qualified. Culture Guides’ selection process assures you that each interpreter/translator has been carefully prescreened and pre-qualified to work in his or her language(s). We apply due diligence in our selection process through background checks, references, qualifications reviews and live language skills assessments. Our ability to assess the suitability of a candidate as an interpreter/ translator relieves you of the burden of determining whether someone who claims to be an interpreter/translator actually is qualified to do the job.
  • Holistic approach. A trained anthropologist with experience in interpreting and translation oversees Culture Guides’ cases to ensure that clients receive appropriate, holistic support and that all services are delivered in a professional and ethical manner. Staff interpreters and translators often offer onsite coordination when working in teams and on long-term assignments. All interpreters and translators are expected to follow the code of ethics applicable to the setting to which they are assigned.
  • Trained. Our interpreters and translators participate in a variety of professional development opportunities. Two interesting programs some of our team members have participated in include:
    • State Court Interpreter Certification. These seminar and examination programs are offered through Missouri’s Office of State Courts Administrator for Spanish interpreters working in the state courts. One of the first two participants to become certified in Missouri was a senior staff interpreter from Culture Guides, Dr. William Clary.
    • Mental Health Interpreters Resource Project (MHIRP). The Missouri Department of Mental Health Office of Deaf Services provides interpreter training for psychiatric settings through MHIRP. Several Culture Guides interpreters including the supervising anthropologist have received certificates for attending the MHIRP training, the only linguistic interpreters in Missouri to do so thus far.

      We are committed to increasing the number of trained and certified interpreters available to meet our customers’ growing needs for qualified interpreters in specialized settings.
  • Available. We meet our customers’ requests for interpreters 98% of the time in the more than 40 languages we offer. We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and our interpreters are available when needed. For intense or long engagements such as court hearings and conferences, we can send a qualified team to cover your event.
  • Scheduling interpreters is a snap! One call to the Culture Guides office at 573-442-6216 is all it takes to request an interpreter. Or you can use our online request service. Once we receive your request, we make the arrangements for the interpreter which you can access in our online scheduling service or we can send you a confirmation by fax or e-mail. All you have to do is get back to your own organization’s work!
  • Affordable service. Our fees are very competitive with other for-profit language service companies in major metropolitan areas such as St. Louis and Kansas City. No monthly retainers are required from customers as Culture Guides operates on a fee-for-service basis.
  • Non-exclusive service agreement. In accordance with our customer-centered philosophy, our customer service agreement is non-exclusive and allows customers to use other service providers as they wish. We realize that no one company can provide 100% of the interpreting and translating needs of every customer.

    • The Culture Guides Team

    Culture Guides’ diverse team of language and culture experts work under the guidance of a professional anthropologist. Together we utilize a holistic approach to cultural mediation. Our team members understand that simple literal translation at times can inhibit rather than facilitate genuine communication. When we bring cultural knowledge and context to light, participants have a better chance to understand one another.

    Our linguistic interpreters and translators are either native speakers of non-English languages who are professionals in their fields or native English speakers who hold advanced degrees in the target language and have lived abroad immersed in the target language and culture. Although most of our interpreters and translators are concentrated in Missouri, others live in several other states plus countries such as Canada, France, Japan, Bolivia and Argentina. We network worldwide with cultural experts, interpreters, translators and other professionals to meet the needs of our customers no matter where they are in the world.

    Our rigorous selection process includes background checks, references, interviews and various evaluations. At Culture Guides we understand the importance of client confidentiality and professional ethics. We work hard to ensure that our team members conduct themselves according to our values and high standards. To download a copy of our Selection Process in PDF format, please click here. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download a copy for free from Adobe’s web site.

    Who uses Culture Guides’ services?

    Our customers come from many different fields, including, for example: various hospitals, medical clinics and mental health centers, state agencies, municipal and circuit courts, private and public attorneys, city and county governments, law enforcement, engineering and other industrial corporations, agriculture, entertainment, publishers, advertising and public relations firms, insurance agents, and even the FBI upon occasion. We specialize in medical, mental health, legal and social services settings. Culture Guides/Missouri Interpreters has provided services to state agencies all over Missouri through its contracts with the State of Missouri since 1998. Click here to see who should have used our services!

    Information for Missouri State Agencies

    Our interpreting and document translation services are available to all Missouri state agencies and cooperative procurement members. Culture Guides, Inc. currently holds the following Missouri State contracts:

    Language Interpreter - Verbal #C301176003

    Language Translation - Written #C301181001

    You may find more information about our statewide contracts on the web through the Office of Administration, Division of Purchasing and Materials Management. Our Missouri State Vendor number is #43174768500.

    Culture Guides, Inc. is Missouri-based and woman-owned corporation, certified by the State of Missouri’s OA/OEO as a Woman-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) certification #W01055. Using our services may help your agency reach its procurement goals for utilizing MBE’s and WBE’s.

    Confidentiality and Privacy Practices

    Please visit again when we have updated this information. This section is under construction.

    OpenAir.com: Our secure online billing system for clients with internet access

    In order to serve our customers better, Culture Guides, Inc. launched a new online billing system in January 2001 through an application service provider (ASP) called OpenAir.com. Our customers with internet access have found our online billing service quick, convenient and efficient. We feel confident that your organization will also benefit from the advantages of receiving your invoices and statements online.

    Advantages for your organization:

    • Access to invoices and statements using your normal web browser
    • Improved tracking of invoices and payments—no more lost invoices!
    • Forwardable to coworkers and supervisors
    • Online convenience 24 hours a day
    • Secure access through state-of-the-art secure socket layer (SSL) and encryption technology
    • Environmentally friendly and economical—saves time, energy, postage and paper (no envelopes)
    • Helps to meet goals established by government and many organizations to increase efficiency through the use of available technology

      No additional cost

      To get started with OpenAir billing for the first time, please designate the billing contact for your organization and send an e-mail with your billing contact’s name, title, address including zip code, phone, fax and e-mail address. Then follow these three simple steps:

    • Your designated billing contact will receive an e-mail notification each time a new invoice is ready. Open the e-mail notification message in your usual e-mail program.
    • Click on the OpenAir web link highlighted in the body of the e-mail message. Your web browser will take you directly to the invoice on the OpenAir system.
    • Securely view, download and/or print your invoice or click on the statement link for your statement through OpenAir’s links just for your organization. It’s that easy! You can also revisit the invoice any time through the link supplied in the e-mail notification message or e-mail the link to coworkers to allow them access too.

    OpenAir improves our service to you. OpenAir allows Culture Guides to track all aspects of an invoice’s history, including when you view it, unlike invoices sent via US mail. If an invoice needs adjustment, we can send it immediately by e-mail and avoid delays in processing. OpenAir gives you peace of mind knowing that you can access your own information easily and conveniently anytime you want.

    All customers with internet access—including Missouri state agencies and cooperative procurement members—receive our invoices through the OpenAir billing system. We must have your billing contact’s e-mail address on file prior to providing services except in cases of true emergency.

    Culture Guides, Inc. wants your organization to enjoy full advantage of this powerful technology. Should you have questions or need help, please contact us by e-mail or call us at (573) 442-6216 and we will gladly assist you. We believe that you will enjoy the ease and convenience of the OpenAir system. Your cooperation will allow us to serve you better. We appreciate your assistance!


    White Papers

    Here you may download various PDF documents to learn more about our services.

    Selection Process for Interpreters and Translators
    OpenAir.com: Our Online Billing System for Clients with Internet Access
    Credit Policy for Customers


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