What makes a quality medical interpreter? The previous blog post pointed out the balance between compassion and professionalism. In reality, medical interpretation requires more than those skills. Cultural understanding and sensitivity, along with compassion and professionalism, are equally crucial in the makings of a successful medical interpreter. A Real Life Example The book “The Spirit Catches […]

A medical interpreter? What comes to your mind? Medical interpreters, like court interpreters, are considered as “community interpreters” because they usually work within a local community, serving in both public and private sectors. Last October one of our team members joined a medical interpretation training sponsored by California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA). The focus of […]

During the holiday, we saw an inspiring movie, Dancing Across Borders, about a young Cambodian dancer who came to the United States at the age 18 to learn classic ballet.  We cannot help but notice that he found comfort through a Cambodian interpreter and a Cambodian family that the interpreter introduced to him.  This reminds […]

In Celebration of Monterey Language Services’ 100 Blog Posts First post: April 14, 2010 100th post: December 14, 2012 Language: English Creator: Monterey Language Services Most viewed: Varieties of Spanish Genres: Translation Services, Interpretation Services, Language, Culture, Translation and Interpretation Technology Meet the writers: Enjoy the bloggers’ party slideshow Monterey Language Services strives to provide […]

The next blog will mark our 100th post.  A special celebration is coming up, so stay tuned!  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 […]

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 […]

I recently received a translation assignment, which consisted of only one sentence. The assignment came from a Chinese restaurant owner, who gave me a picture with the sentence in it. Many customers, including English and Spanish speakers, always asked her about the meaning of that sentence. My first reaction was, “This should be a piece […]

Recently, researchers from Microsoft Corporation gave a presentation in China, showcasing the company’s latest language software, which was able to turn an English speech into Chinese—in the speaker’s own voice. Will this software eventually replace human translators and interpreters? We think not. And here are our thoughts: The technique behind this revolutionary translation and interpretation […]

Fact: As of 2012, among the 7 billion people in the world, roughly half of them are considered to be at least bilingual. Fact: Based on the 2010 data, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics also project 58,400 translation and interpretation jobs available to translators and interpreters. Question: How many professional translators and interpreters […]

  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, […]