Translation and Interpreting in 200+ Languages

The Professionalization of Conference Interpreting

March 10, 2020 -By: -In: Interpretation - Comments Off on The Professionalization of Conference Interpreting

Turn on your TV and you catch a clip of an international summit. There you’re likely to see heads of state or official representatives wearing headsets as they listen intently to what the current speaker has to say, though they don’t speak the same language. The information will be simultaneously interpreted by professional conference interpreters, […]

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What Type of Foreign-Language Interpreting Do I Need?

September 18, 2019 -By: -In: Interpretation - Comments Off on What Type of Foreign-Language Interpreting Do I Need?

Foreign-language interpreting ensures seamless communication when not everyone speaks the same language. Whether you have an immediate translation requirement or an important event coming up, foreign-language interpreting, also referred to as spoken translation, can make or break your communication effort. For best results, different situations will require different types of interpreting. That’s why I’d like […]

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open road in the United States

States Improving Language Access for Limited English Speaking Individuals

November 15, 2016 -By: -In: Interpretation - Comments Off on States Improving Language Access for Limited English Speaking Individuals

Slowly but surely, the United States is expanding language access for limited English proficient individuals. In some cases it’s required by law and sometimes it just makes good customer service sense. It may be time for your organization to take a look at how best to provide language services to those who could benefit. Here’s […]

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palliative

The Undiscovered Country: Interpreting for the Dying

September 14, 2016 -By: -In: Interpretation - Comments Off on The Undiscovered Country: Interpreting for the Dying

Speaking of death, in my own short-lived cancer-prone clan, I’ve buried enough of those I love to consider myself something of a hands-on expert on exit conversations. Thank God and knock on wood I’ve never been the one to have to break the bad news – end-of-life conversations of any kind are hard enough.

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hospital stay

How Translation Improves Health Literacy and Reduces Health Care Costs

March 16, 2016 -By: -In: Interpretation, Translation - Comments Off on How Translation Improves Health Literacy and Reduces Health Care Costs

Health literacy is #1. People with low health literacy have a higher risk of death, more emergency room visits, more hospitalizations, more diabetes-related problems, a higher incidence of cancer and are more likely to take medicines incorrectly. According to the American Medical Association, “poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person’s health than […]

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Affordable Care Act

Does Your Clinic Comply with the Affordable Care Act’s Language Requirements?

February 24, 2016 -By: -In: Interpretation - Comments Off on Does Your Clinic Comply with the Affordable Care Act’s Language Requirements?

Learn more about ACA language requirements. No matter how you feel about the Affordable Care Act, its provisions affect nearly everyone involved in the business of providing and receiving health care. This includes clinics and hospitals and the way they administer health care to patients who don’t speak English very well. Signed into law in […]

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language access

What You Need to Know About Language Access in US Health Care

February 17, 2016 -By: -In: Interpretation - Comments Off on What You Need to Know About Language Access in US Health Care

“English Only” isn’t the way to go. Studies show that limited English proficient patients in the United States receive better and more cost-effective care when hospitals provide health care access in foreign languages. But that’s not the only reason for hospitals and health care providers to provide foreign-language services. In fact, in the United States, […]

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States Need to Step Up for Interpretation Services

June 17, 2014 -By: -In: In the News / Awards, Interpretation - Comments Off on States Need to Step Up for Interpretation Services

Santa Fe, New Mexico is well known as a center of art and culture, as well as a multicultural city of Spanish heritage. Tourists flock to the city for its historical architecture around the Plaza, its outdoor activities and to visit art galleries and the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. However, Santa Fe, the state capital of […]

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Fifty Shades of Fluency

April 25, 2014 -By: -In: Interpretation, Language, Translation - Comments Off on Fifty Shades of Fluency

Every second-language speaker knows: You’re fluency is only as good as your last sentence. We scientists call it “B-language terror,” that moment when the words free, and you are left deaf and dumb in a world beyond your understanding. Like one of those nightmares standing naked and speechless in front of English class. Now the […]

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Telephone Interpreter Sued for Life-and-Death Address Error

April 15, 2014 -By: -In: Interpretation, Language, Translation - Comments Off on Telephone Interpreter Sued for Life-and-Death Address Error

Just a reminder of the importance of accuracy to the translator’s trade.  Translator error can kill. Even a “one” mistranslated as a “zero” spells “doom” if the ambulance goes to the wrong address. That’s according to a $3 million wrongful death lawsuit against a Spanish 9-1-1 telephone interpreter under contract to the City of Portland.  […]

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