Posted by Alex on October 7, 2009 under Translation News | 
About a year and a half ago, Missouri was experiencing a sudden increase in immigrants and refugees that were not able to speak English efficiently. Not only was the line of communication blurred in everyday conversation, but also in doctors’ offices, where patients couldn’t describe their ailments to the staff.
Until recently, individuals were bringing in friends, family, and children to help them translate what their doctors where telling them and vice-versa. While this method worked for most patients, it was ultimately risky, as these individuals did not posses a broad enough vocabulary to translate the full breadth of medical terminology.
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Posted by Mike on September 21, 2009 under Translation |
Interpreting can be a lucrative profession, but for some children in Western Kansas, it’s just another chore.
Children are typically not used for interpreting, as they are not as reliable as adults for a number of reasons. In many cases, a child’s vocabulary may not be broad enough to encompass the full meaning of the original phrase, or he or she may simply not be educated enough.
Child interpreters have been used in a cinch, however, such as on crime scenes or in other situations where information is needed quickly. Additionally, as Rachael Gray reports for the Belleville News-Democrat, children can also become “interpreters” inadvertently, when their parents don’t speak the native language of their country. A good example is Dolores Pedro of Garden City, Kansas…
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Posted by Mike on September 1, 2009 under Translation News |
The War on Terror is being hampered by a lack of translators, according to a recent, exclusive report by Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times.
Translators and interpreters are increasingly important in the War on Terror, yet paradoxically the numbers of people in the translation field working with U.S. intelligence agencies is becoming fewer and fewer as the war continues. Being able to read emails and text messages and understand telephone calls being made between terrorist camps is key to understanding the enemy’s motives and preventing potential terrorist attacks.
Interestingly, according to Scarborough, the problem apparently does not stem from a lack of funding…
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Posted by Alex on August 13, 2009 under Translation |
There has always been controversy regarding immigration, and with thousands of immigrants coming into the United States every year the controversy grows in regards to providing these individuals with language accommodations. Many government agencies and businesses have gone out their way to provide these immigrants with the language accommodations they need. In 2003 the Equal Access to Human Services Act was passed, this law gave city agencies fives years to provide translation services to individuals either by phone or by person. But a New York City welfare office is being sued for not providing these services to the immigrants that go there. The case has outraged many Americans who believe that America is an “English -speaking” country and that these individuals have to learn the language in order to feel part of society and argue that the government agencies providing translation services to these individual are wasting tax payers money.
Many immigrants come to America not knowing any English. Many still have never finished their basic education and never had the opportunity to learn the English language. Also the ones who are learning English are not proficient in the language enough to understand what is being told to them so they need to relay on translators and interpreters in order to fully understand whatever is said. Either way, America is a melting pot of many ethnicities and cultures. Our country was a haven for people from different countries to start a new life or escape persecution. Interpreters, therefore, can be more than just a service, but a necessity that help many individuals comprehend what is being said in different agencies, and can ensure that these citizens’ rights are not being abused.
Posted by Mike on August 4, 2009 under Translation, Translation News |
An interesting story in the Columbus Dispatch recently:
County court interpreter fired over mistranslations
Man allegedly made up terms, misdescribed proceedings in Spanish.
A Spanish-language interpreter for Franklin County Municipal Court was fired last month because he couldn’t interpret legal terms, possibly jeopardizing the constitutional rights of thousands…
When you get something translated, you’re putting a lot of trust and faith in the translator to do a thorough and proper job of accurately conveying your words so that they can be understood by a foreign-speaking audience. And particularly when sensitive information—and though this case refers to interpreting, having court documents translated, for instance, would be just as serious—the more trust you have to put into a translator that he or she will come through and translate your words not only as you’d intended, but as required by a third party, be it the court, the state, the DMV, or what-have-you.
Imagine if you were put on trial and could not understand the language being spoken by the judge, your attorney, or anyone. You’d have to rely on someone who was not only honest and impartial, but who could properly translate not only conversational speech, but any kind of technical or legal terms being used as well.
Translation Services USA has years of experience translating important documents (including legal ones) to and from dozens of languages, providing accurate certification when necessary, and delivering them on time to our customers. Our reputation is built on our accuracy and speed—just ask any of our return customers!
You can always trust Translation Services USA to do your job and do it right, and if you ever have any questions, someone is always ready and willing to listen and reply to your concerns.
Read the full story here: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/31/misinterpreted.html
