Somewhere out there, if this video reaches someone in the world, and it touches their heart with hope and relief, if that happens, then that is worth all our effort made for this video!

After Thanksgiving, we spent quite some time working on this video. There was a lot of thinking involved in order to make the video exactly the way that we wanted it to be: hopeful and gentle in the new year!

The video has 6 slides, but it can be considered to be 2 parts. The first part with 3 slides is the reflection of our thoughts about changes, challenges, and how to face them. Our answers came out to be to embrace them, to seek the best of the situation, and to tackle them with a comfortable pace.

The second set of another 3 slides is about taking action. The music stops after the first 3 slides and plays again at the 4th. Everything is awakened. It’s about how tomorrow will be better, and the new year will be full of hope, joy, and success.

The pictures of nature are taken from our surroundings. They’ve touched our hearts and serve as inspirations that will guide us along the new year. These simple and soft pictures indicate what we foresee 2025 to be like, and sets the path for the next year.

The first photo: Light is cast on the mountain top and turns the mountain top from green to golden, which signifies magnificent opportunities to come.

The second photo: It’s an image that coincides with the idea of us taking a comfortable stroll into the new year.

The third photo: The text is displayed between clouds, which embraces the message of changes. A rainbow is also a great symbol stretching towards a bright future.

The fourth photo: This is a picture of dawn taken by us, which is filled with hope and beauty.

The music is relaxing, calming, and reflective, which matches our theme perfectly. Every slide is on the beat and not too strong. The music stops at the end of the first set and starts again distinguishes this year from next year.

The video is a collective expression of Monterey Language Services. Through our expression, we hope to make connections with those who come pass our path. We wish everyone a wonderful and successful 2025 and it is filled with optimism and opportunities for growth.

We also have a traditional and simplified Chinese version, which is very convenient for people to greet each other in the new year with positive, uplifting messages.

Following the celebration sound at the end slide, we open the door to the new year! Happy Holidays, Happy 2025, and Happy New Year!

We need someone who is living or willing to relocate to Antioch in California for in-person interpretation. Part time, full time, or contract employment are available for six months with possible extension.

If you are available and meet the below requirements, could you share with us your experience, rate, and how far you are from CA 94509, so we can follow up with you? You will find our contact information at the end of this post.

If you are looking to relocate, please also let us know. Please also feel welcome to refer colleagues by sharing this post.

Requirements:

1. Have completed 100 hours of CCHI approved interpreter training
2. Experienced with patients who typically have below sixth grade literacy and may also have limited vocabularies
3. Enjoy working with young children and pregnant women/mothers
4. Female interpreters preferred
5. Reliable and committed
6. Work well with others and in a team
7. Professional in conduct and appearance
8. Entry-level is welcome
9. Authorized to work in the US
10. Willing to undergo livescan background check
11. Willing to undergo some training to ensure that all guidelines will be followed
12. Willing to follow hospital immunization and safety procedures

If you are interested, please go to our website and answer the questions about your medical interpreting experience and rate, so we can follow up with you.

https://www.montereylanguages.com/send-a-resume.html

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

In this blog post, we would like to introduce an amusing fact: as neutral as numbers look, there is in fact significant and enriching information embed in them. Take the number “100” for example:

Arabic: ١٠٠ (Does this look familiar?)
Bengali: ১০০
Chinese: 佰，百
Greek: ρʹ

These are just a few examples. The truth is, the number “100” is no longer a number. Many cultures see “100” as a completion, as Arabic numbers suggest. The numeral “0” is a full circle in shape, and from both symbolic and meaning perspectives, the word “one hundred” suggests a completion, a milestone, or an achievement. For instance, in French, one hundred is “cent,” which is the prefix for “century” and “centennial” in English.

Language is a living thing. The more people interact, the more flexible language becomes. With speedy communication and instant information, it is very easy to take language for granted. That is not what we do at Monterey Language Services! We are passionate about language and appreciate language.  We express the passion and appreciation through our work and our blog.  Wow, 100 blog posts that’s incredible!

What is the link between language and mental well-being? TIME magazine offered an opinion. According to a study conducted by psychologist Ellen Bialystok at York University in Toronto, people who were bilingual for most of their lives could avoid symptoms of Alzheimer’s for four to six years longer than people who are monolingual. The study included 450 Alzheimer’s patients. In addition, the ability to use multiple languages allows people to expand their horizons as they are able to understand more books, movies, and music.

While there are many advantages of being multilingual, the training of a translator and interpreter is a lot more different. Translation often requires years of experience across different categories of texts, whereas interpreters need to possess vital techniques such as note-taking and public speaking skills. Scientists pointed out that the reason behind the unlikelihood of bilingual or multilingual people to develop Alzheimer’s is called cognitive reserve. Utilizing and switching back and forth from different languages keep the brain working, hence reducing the possibility of Alzheimer’s. As a result, it may be safe to infer that language professionals may have a lower chance of mental deterioration.

Language learning and skills can indeed help improve the quality of life in terms of either entertainment or mental health. However, in translation and interpretation industry, language skills, along with experience and techniques, can also ensure services with the highest quality. In fact, for professional translators and interpreters, language skills and background knowledge are lifetime endeavors. Language professionals with years and years of experience are more likely to give outstanding performance. The truth is that modern life would be dull without these language professionals, who bridge all aspects of life with their language skills.

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

The Thanksgiving Day can trace its origins back to 1620, when the pilgrims from Britain settled down in Plymouth, North America. Many pilgrims died or suffered hunger due to the harsh winter conditions. Fortunately, the Native Americans reached out their hands to help and teach the pilgrims to grow crops such as corn, pumpkins, and beans. To express their gratitude, the pilgrims invited the natives to a feast the next winter. This tradition has since then become the Thanksgiving Day, in which families reunite to share a feast and reiterate their gratefulness.

Have you ever wondered how the pilgrims and the natives communicate? If you think about it, it was amazing that they were able to communicate in a relatively primitive method as there was no computer or interpretation software back in the 1600s. Compared to them, our world today is much more advanced in terms of multi-lingual communication. According to the statistics, there are about 7 billion people in the world, and about less than half of them who speak more than one language.

Never Take Things for Granted
While we enjoy the fruits and convenience brought by translation tool, it is very easy to take things for granted and overlook the quality of the translation, which can be inconsistent or even inaccurate. After all, human beings created languages and only humans can master the art of translation and interpretation. So during this holiday, we would like to pay tribute to translators, interpreters, and language professionals who, through assisting with communication, have made our world a better place.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Feel free to contact us for more information.

The Illinois-based Dalkey Archive Press has been publishing international literature in English for 25 years and says the lack of literature in translation is a cultural crisis that is growing worse. This company only publishes three novellas a year, all less than 200 pages, by famous European authors who are barely known outside of their countries.

Some of these novels have received the highest honor in their country just to get translated into English, and most rarely make it that far. Danish poet and author Pia Juul said it was “a miracle” when her award-winning novel was published into English because “hardly any Danish authors are.” Because of this “cultural crisis,” there are many books that English-readers miss out on because there is no reliable market for books from another language.

Info from: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/07/books-translation

First picture from: http://bokstugan.blogspot.com/2010/09/mordet-pa-halland-av-pia-juul.html

Second picture from: http://andrewblackman.net/2012/06/the-murder-of-halland-by-pia-juul/

The English language spoken today is Late Modern English. Over the years English has evolved very much so in its vocabulary. Many words have been added to the language because of the Industrial Revolution and as technology has developed. Also, since the British Empire had so many colonies spread throughout the world the language adopted many words from other foreign languages.

It is particularly interesting when looking at how many different varieties of English there are. Some variations include Australian English, Canadian English, South African English and American English.

Although it may be difficult to clearly identify different variations. At the end of the day, it is all English, each with its own unique twist.

Memorial Day is a time for everyone in America to appreciate those who have served our country in the past, present and future. But it also means to fire up that BBQ and welcome in summer with open arms. The weather is changing—here in Monterey the ever-present fog keeps it cool—and school will be getting out.

And it all begins with the BBQ on Memorial Day. Food from around the world will sizzle on hot coals and guests at some BBQ’s may have to use their best translation skills when trying to understand what lengua and barbacoa are. Whatever language you may be eating in, branch out those taste buds and explore the universal language of food.

So enjoy the edemame and yakitori, and in the words of Andrew Zimmern, a chef who travels the world eating bizarre foods: “If it looks good, eat it!”

Picture was taken by Monterey Language Services at the Monterey Bay.

Fact: In order to interact with any person, one must have proper common ground.

Fact: People need social interaction to fully be a part of society.

Fiction: It is difficult to connect with someone of a different language origin.

Even if you don’t believe these to be true, it is still a fascinating concept to think about. Relating this to the world of interpreting and translating, it is safe to say that the role that interpreters provide in society would be similar to the role a bridge provides. Both connect two separate areas (The bridge connecting land mass, while the interpreter connects two separate languages)

There would be no possible way to consider unifying all languages into one. There is simply too much culture and barriers in the way to do this. Also, this seems drastic and extremely unreasonable. This is where an interpreter comes into play. The interpreter allows whoever may be crossing their bridge (whatever language that may be) to effortlessly be able to access the other side of things, helping find the ultimate goal: understanding.

Due to the varying differences of language, the interpreter’s bridge would have many rises and falls, mixed in with some parts that open up and split apart. However, this bridge would be the most elegant and sturdy that could ever exist. This is due to the fact that this world has been formed and shaped based on the varying languages we as a people have.

As a translation and desktop publishing company, we deal with words every day.  Font is something that we use all the time.  However, typeface is not a topic that people consider much when writing or reading.  Therefore, when we heard about the book Just My Type, it was a wonderful surprise to us.  Font is endearing to us and is very close to the heart of our work and daily life.

When you pick up Monterey County’s most widely read newspaper, The Herald, you cannot help but notice the two words, The Herald.  The two words certainly bring out the paper’s characteristics and make it interesting and lively.  But do you know which font it is?  It is called Blackletter.  Did you also know that it is the same font in which the title of The New York Times is written?

Among the other interesting facts about fonts:

• The credits of all Woody Allen’s movies since Annie Hall are written in Windsor.
• When you open a Word document in a Mac, the default font is Cambria, versus Times New Roman in a PC.
• The Google logo is written in Catull, whereas the font of the Monterey Language Services logo is Calibri.
• The Harry Potter books are set in Adobe Garamond.

Fonts can change the mood of a given text and dress up an idea.  They can make a text look official, surreal, delightful, humorous, or romantic just as much as the actual words can.  Font is part of what makes a language project appealing and fascinating.  When we pay attention to it, we can bring out the language’s full possible potential.  Go for it!