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Are interpreters really necessary?

Agata Baczyk 18 August 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

Are interpreters really necessary? In 1980, a Florida hospital admitted an unconscious Willie Ramirez. The ER doctor recalls having trouble understanding the family but getting the “gist” of what they were saying. However, an erroneous translation of a single word from Spanish to English resulted in Willie Ramirez becoming a quadriplegic and the hospital facing a massive lawsuit. The Spanish word “intoxicado” means that something that was ingested is making a person sick (such as food poisoning). However, without a translator, the doctor understood it to mean “intoxicated” in English which led him to assume a drug overdose after speaking…

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Court Certified Deposition Face-to-face IME Interpretation Languages Simultaneous

Translation Price Logistics

Agata Baczyk 2 August 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

Have you ever wondered why translation prices vary tremendously? Maybe you paid a certain price for a translation of one document in the past and, then, when requesting a quote for a new document, you ended up receiving a completely different offer? Ask yourself the following questions in order to better understand how translation prices are determined. As with any language related services, the languages that are considered rare have a higher price tag. The good news is, the translator does not have to reside in your town, state, or even country! In some cases, hiring linguists residing outside the US…

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Wouldn’t you agree?

Agata Baczyk 14 July 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

Just like any experienced attorney would not dive into a deposition, hearing, or trial without reviewing the case and case law, no interpreter wants to show up to an interpreting assignment without at least some preparation. The more the interpreter knows about the event or case, the better and more flawlessly they will interpret. Attorneys graduate from law schools and doctors earn their medical degrees, and all the years of study allow them to become knowledgeable in their specialty. An interpreter needs to master the specialized vocabulary in 2 or more languages, without obtaining the specialized training the individuals practicing…

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Deposition Face-to-face Interpretation Quality

Language vs Dialect

Agata Baczyk 19 June 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

To begin on the same page, let’s establish a definition of language. According to the Oxford Dictionary… “Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.” It’s not something we think about often because, on the surface, it seems obvious that when two speakers cannot understand each other, they are speaking two different languages. It is also generally presumed that when speakers of two languages can understand each other, then they are, in fact, speaking dialects of the same language. Take a look at some of…

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Dialect Language Facts Languages

I bet you didn’t know these language facts…

Agata Baczyk 25 May 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

Humans are social creatures; nothing is more proof of this than the variety of languages we have invented purely to communicate with each other. See below some amazing facts from around the world: In Albanian, there are 27 words for “mustache,” including “dirs ur” meaning teenager’s newly developed mustache. Since Russian is the international language of space, all astronauts must learn the language at an intermidiate-high level before heading for the International Space Station. Even the simulator runs only in Russian! There are no vowels in the Hebrew language. Vowels are implicit but may be added to children’s books and…

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Language Facts Languages Rare Source language Target language

Taking it to the next level

Agata Baczyk 29 April 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

In general, when clients think of translation, they usually think of it in terms of technical texts requiring near-literal translations, such as: Translators try and find as near an equivalent as possible matching the tone, word complexity, technicality, etc. They may use some leeway in adapting the text to regional industry norms, but being accurate to the source takes higher priority. Localization takes translation to the next level by adapting texts for ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­regional consumption. It addresses non-textual elements which translation alone may not, such as: Localization also takes into consideration local laws, rules, and regulations to ensure the content is…

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Accuracy Editing Quality Translation

I have no idea what I’m doing!

Agata Baczyk 14 April 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

Translation is a multi-step process, so every quality translator proofreads their own work. However, it is always important to have a second set of eyes (or even a third depending on project complexity) on any translation project, especially when using an unfamiliar linguist or agency. Other, non-experienced language agencies Legal Interpreters LLC The makers of the TV show Homeland learned that lesson the hard way when their artists’ Arabic language graffiti criticized the show instead of portraying regionally accurate texts. The simple act of hiring an Arabic language proofreader would have allowed them to avoid a public embarrassment. Proofreading is…

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What exactly is a “good” translation?

Agata Baczyk 31 March 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

It might be difficult for an inexperienced client to tell if the requested document translation is of good quality, or not. It is even more difficult to judge the translator’s performance if you don’t know the language you are translating from or into. Gauging what is “good” translation is, to a certain extent, subjective since texts can be generally understood in a variety of different ways. Even after considering the writer’s intention, target audience, and the stylistic feel of a text, there is subjective leeway in how certain things can be translated without one being objectively “better” than the other….

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Accuracy Proofreading Quality Source language Target language Translation Underqualified

Did you know about these language facts? #3

Agata Baczyk 15 March 2017 Info No Comments

Did you know? Bulgarians nod their heads from left to right to convey “yes” and up and down to convey “no.” Yes, No Unlike today, at the time of the French Revolution 75% of French citizens did not speak French as a mother tongue. In the Archi language, spoken around the Caspian Sea in southern Russia, each verb has the possibility of up to 1.5 million conjugations. Even if a Japanese person doesen’t agree, they will always say “yes”, hai, to keep the listener talking. They will almost never speak the word “no”, but convey their dissent in a circuitous…

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Language Facts Languages

Did you know about these language facts? #2

Agata Baczyk 15 February 2017 Blog, Info No Comments

Did you know? The language of the Native American Zuni tribe resembles Japanese while research confirms biological similarities between the groups. The letter “E” appears in 11% of the English language. The Mazateco language (Southern Mexico) is a tonal language, the meaning of words change based on inflection. For example, the tonal differences when pronouncing “si te” change the meaning: “he spins a top,” “he will spin a top,” “she pats tortillas,” “she will pat tortillas,” “I spin a top,” “I will pat tortillas,” “I spin a top,” “I will pat tortillas,” “we will spin a top,” “we pat tortillas.”…

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