MAGNUS was founded in 1993 by Richard W. Antoine, MIB/MBA as a language services company with a sole focus on healthcare. For over 20 years, MAGNUS has been dedicated to providing language services for diverse clients specifically within the healthcare industry. MAGNUS initially focused on serving commercial health plans, providing the translation of vital documents, patient handbooks and health plans’ Evidence of Coverage. The company quickly added clients within the research field and public health sector, as well as the hospital industry.
In 2002, MAGNUS joined forces with eight of its competitors to create the Association of Language Companies (ALC), the first trade association in this field in the U.S. As the association’s first President, Mr. Antoine led a collaborative effort to create an environment where a wide range of issues could be addressed. One of the most of important of these initiatives is still ongoing: the procurement of federal funding for interpreter services in healthcare.
In 2004, MAGNUS added design capabilities to help clients deal with the variability and nuances of printing materials in other languages. In 2005, MAGNUS re-branded its telephonic interpreting service as the MAGNUS Language Valet, offering hospitals, health insurance companies and clinics nationwide access to professional interpreters 24/7, every day of the year in over 150 languages.
In 2010, MAGNUS began offering language testing services. Client organizations use these assessments to determine the language proficiency of staff and job candidates as well as their understanding of the terminology used in health care. More recently, the company created The MAGNUS Medical Interpreter Training Program to prepare bi-cultural and bi-lingual individuals for Certification as Medical Healthcare Interpreters.
In 2013, MAGNUS began offering Video Remote Interpreting, a service that leverages a two-way video connection to provide interpreter services on-site via trained interpreters who can communicate with patients and providers from a distant locale.