Spanish isn’t always the right choice!

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When scheduling interpreters it’s easy to assume the language of the speaker based on the country of origin. If your client is from Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, or Peru it’s tempting to order a Spanish interpreter, especially if the client speaks Spanish during initial interactions. But reality isn’t as simple. South and Central America contain a plethora of indigenous languages, many which are still is use today! In South America alone there are more than 370 identified languages! With another 21 Mayan languages used in Central America. In addition, other European languages are spoken, like Dutch in Suriname, French in French…

Language Barrier 2020

When traveling in foreign countries, have you ever struggled to understand (and be understood) with a pocket dictionary? How about using a more modern translation program like Google Translate to communicate? Technology has improved our ability to communicate, whether on a vacation or in a business meeting, with people who don’t share our language. This ability has opened up new worlds and opportunities within our global community. But anyone using these technologies has also experienced mistranslations, inaccuracies, and just poor delivery. The 2015 Skype Translator glitch that turned innocent English into Mandarin swear words comes to mind. Will there be…

Machine vs Human

It is no surprise that machine and neural network translations have improved greatly in the last decade. On many levels, they seem to approach human translation capabilities. This has mainly occurred due to the extraordinary breakthroughs in machine translation and artificial intelligence. How are machine translations assessed? Studies conducted using these methods found few differences between machine and human translations. But the problem with these assessments is that they are done at the sentence level. They do not take into account the document as a whole. So, researchers started conducting studies that looked at adequacy and fluency at the document…

How are you going to examine your witness?

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What do you do when your client or witness doesn’t speak English? Hire an interpreter! Some attorneys frequently work with clients who don’t speak English at all or are just not fluent enough to testify under oath or understand the legal jargon. However, for most lawyers, working with such a client/witness is an occasional occurrence. So, what do you need to know when working with an interpreter? Who provides the interpreter? Usually, courts provide interpreters for hearings and trials. While the attorneys will need to hire interpreters for depositions, mediations, witness prep, client/attorney meetings, etc. However, the rules vary from…

Secret languages

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Secret languages (also called cants or cryptolects) are languages devised by minority groups (travelers, criminals, youth, workers, entertainers, etc.) to confuse, mislead, and exclude others not in that specific in-group. Even though they may be derived from a majority language or languages, they are unintelligible to the majority language(s) speakers. After evolving in the 19th century in the Russian partition among Polish inmates, Grypsera, a secret criminal language, is constantly evolving so only select criminals (not wardens or informants) can understand it. Its basis is Polish but it is also influenced by Yiddish, German, Ukrainian, and Russian, and heavily impacted…

Don’t make this mistake!

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Don’t make this mistake! We’re all guilty of using online translation tools. It seems easy and quick, but be careful! These free online options may seem appealing but are only able to translate word for word, not meaning for meaning. They struggle to discern the grammatically correct way to compose a sentence, ESPECIALLY if it contains cultural metaphors or idioms. To avoid embarrassing blunders, use quality translation services. A cheaper, faster option may turn out to be a time-consuming, expensive mistake! Scroll down to see some of these hilarious examples of online translation fails! translation translation translation translation

An agency saves you time by doing the work for you!

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Hiring your own linguist may seem enticing since, mainly, it is cheaper to do so. In reality, agency fees cover a lot of the work that you would have to put in yourself. Between locating and vetting qualified linguists, including those rare language finds, to project management, editing, proofreading, and quality assurance, the cost of time spent will outweigh any agency fees. The main benefits of using a language agency: – Would you rather spend hours locating a Soninke or Fulah interpreter than outsource the work to a professional? – What will you do if your only linguist cancels his/her…

Does your translation need to be certified?

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A translation becomes certified when a translator or language agency attaches a document to the translation attesting that to the best knowledge of the signer, it is an accurate translation of the original document performed by an experienced and professional translator. It can also be referred to as a certificate of accuracy. It depends on the country. Some countries have “sworn translators” regulated by a government body, and empowered to call their translations “certified.” In the US, there is no government body regulating translators. A translator can obtain professional certifications through an association, such as the American Translator’s Association (ATA),…

What is Spanish?

Spanish is… Poetic & Expressive, Loooong, Quirky Unique and … Native Spanish speakers can identify which country another Spanish speaker is from by the way they speak Spanish. Since Columbus bumped into the Caribbean and Cortes landed in South America, Spanish has spread throughout the continent. But due to geography and lack of modern communication tools, such as Facebook and Skype, each region cultivated its own dialect. These dialect differences are reflected in: The pronunciation of the word Yo varies from country to country. Click here to listen to the different pronunciations! Argentina: De donde sos? Other countries: De donde…

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About us

LEGAL INTERPRETERS LLC is an interpreting agency founded by an actual interpreter with a broad and extensive interpreting experience. Agata Baczyk has been working as an independent interpreter for several years and decided to start her own interpreting agency in order to address the industry's need for professional and experienced interpreters. Most interpreting agencies are not able to screen or assess their interpreters effectively because they don't have the needed tools and knowledge of what that job entails. As a company led by a professional interpreter we are able to ensure that the linguists we contract with are knowledgeable and experienced.