Global Wordsmiths: Advancing Language Accessibility and Opportunity in Central PA, Home of America's Refugee Capital

Pittsburgh-based language service provider, known for its commitment to social impact and language access, extends its mission and expertise to the Commonwealth’s Capital Region as the company’s first expansion into Central Pennsylvania.  

January 6, 2025, Pittsburgh, PA – Lancaster, PA, known as "America's Refugee Capital," resettled significantly more refugees per capita than the rest of the U.S. From 2002 to 2019, the city welcomed nearly 5,000 individuals, and in 2024 alone, Church World Service helped over 500 refugees resettle there, along with 613 refugees in Harrisburg. The same year, neighboring York County, PA, passed a “Welcoming and Access to Immigrants and Refugees” ordinance and is home to a population that’s nearly 40% Hispanic, including 11 percent who identify as limited English-proficient. Lancaster also recently renewed their commitment for the third time as a “Welcoming City.”

Although this region is culturally rich, the need for quality, local interpreters to help facilitate meaningful access to mainstream services, resources, and information for LEP individuals is significant and well documented. Without reliable communication, these individuals do not have equitable access and experience poorer outcomes overall, directly impacting the health and vitality of the region. 

As a certified woman and disability-owned social enterprise and one of the most respected language service providers in Western PA, Global Wordsmiths has expanded its operations into the capital region. This involved collaborating with local resettlement agencies and cultural organizations, like Church World Service, to identify, onboard, train, and contract with highly-trained linguists to advance language access through the company’s comprehensive services, including professional translation, transcreation, interpretation, localization, training and consulting services. “When I was an interpreter, I saw firsthand the struggles LEP families and individuals face when navigating simple things that many of us take for granted due to the lack of support systems in place,” said Mary Jayne McCullough, President and CEO of Global Wordsmiths. “I started Global Wordsmiths to help build stronger communities by closing these communication gaps and addressing these disparities because I believe language access is both a human right and is at the heart of human connection. I have witnessed families and communities thrive when individuals are heard, understood, and validated, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to do this work and spread our mission beyond Western PA.” With a strong presence already developed in Harrisburg, York, and Lancaster, Global Wordsmiths attributes its success to its core team and their interpretation vendor managers. They are responsible for identifying and collaborating with partners, onboarding and training for local interpreters, and understanding distinct cultural and population dynamics to best serve the needs of local communities in a safe and effective manner. “I’m incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated team that works tirelessly to accommodate our clients’ needs, while also ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our nearly 300 linguists who are translating and interpreting for individuals from all cultures, making our communities truly unique and special,” said McCullough. “It’s an honor to serve Central, PA and we look forward to advancing language access through our local partnerships, career opportunities for local linguists, and through our multilingual communications solutions to support local clients in the private, nonprofit, healthcare, education, and government sectors.”

To learn more about Global Wordsmiths’ language access services or to learn how to become an interpreter, visit www.globalwordsmiths.com, or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

About Global Wordsmiths Global Wordsmiths is a language solutions partner offering sophisticated multilingual communication services to mission-aligned organizations, powered by a deep commitment to advancing the widespread understanding and importance of language access. For nearly 10 years, organizations across the public, private, and government sectors have trusted our team of cultural experts to deliver fast, accurate, and culturally relevant language solutions through professional translation, interpretation, localization, training, and consulting services to help them break down language barriers, connect with diverse communities, and expand into new markets. 

As a mission-driven social enterprise, we reinvest profits into programs that create lasting change. These include free language services for selected nonprofits through our flagship social impact initiative, The Language Access Project, expanding access to critical services for non-English-speaking immigrants, migrants, and refugees. Creating quality jobs and providing extensive training and growth opportunities for our diverse team of over 300 linguists is also a core value, because Global Wordsmiths strongly believes that the quality of our words begins with the fair treatment of the people who translate them. To learn more, visit www.globalwordsmiths.com.  Media Contact: Nikki Bandurski Communications Manager nbandurski@globalwordsmiths.com 412-641-0558