Coming into the language industry and not speaking a foreign language, I did not realize the importance of interpreters. More importantly, I did not know about the seriousness of documenting interpreting services in order to comply with the law. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects people from discrimination based on race, national […]
The market for translating and interpreting is awash with new technology, which is great for patients and providers—when it works. As a primarily face to face interpreter, I have often heard doctors and nurses complaining about poor connection or sound quality when using a telephonic or video interpreter. Luckily, interpreter technology, along with broadband speeds, […]
As we advertise to recruit qualified medical interpreters, the question we commonly ask is, “Are you bilingual?” Well, this is a start to know if someone speaks another language fluently. However, is this enough to recruit and send someone on a medical appointment? The answer is a resounding “NO!” As Interpreter Operations Manager of Affordable […]
In many professions, effective communication is essential for a successful provider-consumer interaction. Particularly, healthcare providers rely on verbal and nonverbal communication as the primary tool for obtaining patients’ health history. Language and cultural barriers can lead to miscommunication, which can further lead to under- or over-diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Over the past few decades, the […]
The Question: How much will my translation cost? The Answer: It depends! Not all translation projects are created equal. Translation projects can range from simple documents to medical consent forms to localizing entire websites. In general, the following 5 factors play the largest roles in determining the overall price of a translation project: 1. Language […]
The interpreting profession for spoken languages has come a long way since it began using volunteers to national certified interpreters of today. The demand all over the United States for all languages has skyrocketed in the past 10 to 12 years. In the past, interpreter services were provided by volunteers, children and other community members […]
In our global world, translation is a fact of life. If your customers can’t read about your product in their language, they won’t buy it. If they can’t get support for the product in their language, they probably won’t come back. Many companies have hired bilingual or local employees to solve this problem. Excellent choice. […]
JV Almeda is the Internal Operations Manager at ALS “Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become your character. And watch your character for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become.” ―Margaret Thatcher I […]
We’ve spent the past few months trying to put into words what it is we do every day. For some, we translate marketing materials into Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. For others, we help them call customers who don’t speak English. For many, we help ensure they get the medical care they need. And we’ve finally […]
On August 27, 2013, I had the privilege of attending the 2013 Goering Center Family & Private Business Awards Celebration with Lynn Elfers, CEO and founder of Affordable Language Services. Over 700 people were in attendance at the 14th annual awards celebration held at Music Hall, in the historic Over the Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, […]