About The SOS Agency
It started with wonder. It became a way of working.
SOS wasn't born from a business plan. It was born from a fascination with a language, and a refusal to accept that anyone should be left out of the conversation.
How it began
A child, a church, and a language made of presence.
As a child, sitting in a church, Tanesh Foster saw a sign language interpreter for the first time, interpreting what was happening on stage. She thought it was the most beautiful, expressive thing she had ever seen. And she never looked away.
What moved her wasn't duty. It was fascination, the discovery of a whole language made of presence, movement and expression. ASL classes followed. Then an interpreting degree. Then years in the field as an interpreter, and later as a trainer, teacher, and mentor of interpreters. The language that fascinated her became a life's work.
The company itself came from a problem she refused to accept. A Deaf patient spent days in a mental health hospital with no interpreter at all. Asked to help find coverage repeatedly, she knew there was not a lack of interpreters, but a lack of connection. The interpreters existed. The need existed. But there was no reliable system bringing the right people together at the right time.
Confident that she had a solution, she said she had a company that could help. The only problem? The company didn't exist yet, so she built one overnight. And the next day, every assignment was covered.
From 2019 to today
Built one assignment at a time.
- 2019
SOS Interpreting Solutions was founded in Atlanta. Secured its first client, providing urgent mental-health interpreting services.
- 2020
Secured a second client, a major insurance carrier. Provided interpreters for COVID-19 vaccination sites across Georgia.
- 2021
Changed its name to SOS Language Solutions. Launched its first scheduling platform. Established the Makeba Orr Smith Scholarship.
- 2022
Provided interpreting services for a major local campaign. Expanded its network to 100 interpreters.
- 2023
Officially adopted the name The SOS Agency. Introduced its first in-house scheduler. Expanded into CART services.
- 2024
Secured its first hospital and school-district contracts. Awarded a statewide DOAS contract. Provided interpreting services for the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Delivered nationwide coverage for a presidential campaign. Celebrated five years in business.
- 2025
Launched a mentoring initiative and hosted its first free in-person workshop. Completed more than 10,000 assignments. Expanded its staff.
- 2026
Hired its first staff interpreter. Grew its provider network to more than 250 professionals. Launched a company rebrand.
Communication matters both ways.
Our role is to help ensure that everyone can fully participate.
What we won't compromise
Non-negotiable principles.
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Do it right, or not at all.
The standard never bends to fill a seat. A poorly done service isn't just worse, it's a risk to the person.
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The right person, always.
Technical skill and cultural fit go together. The right match is the product, not a detail.
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Communication runs both ways.
What's signed reaches the hearing side; what's spoken reaches the Deaf side. We carry both directions, never just one.
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Representation matters.
Access is important. So is belonging. We believe people should see themselves reflected in the services they receive and the professionals who serve them.
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Show up when it counts.
Reliability is in our name. When no one else covers it, we do, and we don't fail in the moment that weighs most.
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Lift as you climb.
Growth means making room: we train, pay fairly, support our interpreters, and give back to the community that sustains the work.
Leadership
Tanesh Foster, Founder and CEO
Tanesh built SOS from the inside of an industry she knew well, and deliberately built its opposite. Interpreter, trainer, and founder, she knows what "done in full" looks like because she's done the work herself. That origin shows up in every decision the agency makes.
Nationally certified interpreter · 18+ years in the field · B.A. in Interpreting, University of South Florida · M.A. in Higher Education, Argosy University
Accessibility requires more than coverage, it requires intention and accountability.
The people behind the work
A coordinated team, built for access.
SOS isn't a switchboard. It's a team of professionals, many of them interpreters themselves, who know what's at stake in every assignment, because they've lived it.