Tag Archives: Affordable Interpretation Solution

Language services help volunteers do their work

National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate the contributions of volunteers around the world and to recognize the important role that language services play in supporting these efforts. Volunteers are critical to many organizations, from nonprofit groups and community associations to international aid organizations and disaster relief efforts. They provide essential services, from teaching literacy skills and providing healthcare to distributing food and supplies to those in need.
However, volunteering can be challenging, especially when language barriers exist. This is where language services come in. Interpreters and translators play a crucial role in helping volunteers communicate effectively with the communities they serve, and in ensuring that important messages are conveyed accurately and effectively.
There are countless examples of how language services have helped volunteers make a difference around the world.

📍For instance, during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, interpreters and translators played a critical role in helping international aid organizations communicate with local communities about the disease and how to prevent its spread. Without these language services, it would have been much more difficult for aid workers to deliver life-saving information and services to those in need.

📍Similarly, in refugee camps around the world, interpreters and translators help volunteers communicate with people from a variety of cultures and language backgrounds. They ensure that refugees receive the support and assistance they need, from medical care to legal aid to educational services.

📍In the United States, language services have helped volunteers in a variety of contexts, from working with immigrant communities to supporting disaster relief efforts. For example, after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, interpreters and translators helped volunteers communicate with residents who spoke a variety of languages, from Spanish to Vietnamese to Haitian Creole. These language services were essential in ensuring that volunteers could provide aid and support to those who needed it most.

📍During the Covid-19 pandemic, interpreters and translators have played a critical role in helping healthcare workers and volunteers communicate with patients and their families. For example, in the United States, language services have helped healthcare providers communicate with non-English speaking patients who can’t read or understand Covid-19 prevention and treatment information in English. In addition, interpreters have helped public health officials communicate with communities that may be hesitant to receive Covid-19 vaccines due to language or cultural barriers.

📍In the aftermath of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, interpreters and translators have been essential in helping international aid organizations communicate with local communities. For example, language services have helped volunteers communicate with Ukrainian refugees who have fled the conflict and are seeking shelter and assistance. Additionally, interpreters have helped volunteers navigate complex legal and bureaucratic processes to ensure that refugees receive the support and services they need.

In all of these contexts, language services have made a critical difference in the success of volunteering efforts. They have helped to break down language barriers, build trust between volunteers and the communities they serve, and ensure that important information is communicated effectively. As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, it’s important to remember the important role that language services play in supporting these efforts and to recognize the contributions of interpreters and translators around the world.

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Tips for effective week

We hope you had a great weekend and are ready for a new week filled with new challenges and opportunities. As a team of interpreters and translators, we know that inspiration is key to staying motivated and delivering high-quality work. So, we wanted to take a moment to wish you all a week filled with creativity, productivity, and success.

✅ To help you make the most of your week, here are five small tips to stay effective:

🟢 Set clear goals: Start each day by setting clear and achievable goals. This will help you stay focused and motivated throughout the day.

🟢 Prioritize your tasks: Identify the most important tasks and tackle them first. This will help you avoid getting overwhelmed and ensure that you’re making progress on the most critical projects.

🟢 Take breaks: Don’t forget to take breaks throughout the day. This will help you stay energized and avoid burnout.

🟢 Stay organized: Keep your workspace and schedule organized. This will help you avoid distractions and stay on top of your tasks.

🟢 Collaborate: Don’t be afraid to collaborate with your colleagues. This will help you generate new ideas and improve the quality of your work.

⚡️ We hope you find these tips helpful and wish you a productive and inspiring week ahead!

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Happy Employee Appreciation Day to our amazing team! 💪

Today, we join the world in recognizing the hard work and dedication of employees across all industries. This day serves as a reminder to celebrate and appreciate the contributions of every team member, and we are proud to have such a talented and dedicated group on our team.

We want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your hard work, dedication, and commitment to our company. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We appreciate everything you do and want to thank you for making our workplace a great place to be. Thank you for being an essential part of our success.

Ernesto Lanazca, COO & Co-founder, Homeland Language Services:

“The key to any company’s success is the quality of its employees, Homeland Language Services feels very fortunate to have loyal and dedicated employees like every One of you. Your tireless long hours of work and late emails do not go unnoticed!   

Our hearts are filled with respect and appreciation toward you.

Thank you!”

 

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Happy International Mother Language Day!

Today, we celebrate the unique and diverse languages that make up our world. At Homeland Language Services, we recognize the importance of preserving and promoting these languages through our interpretation & translation services.

Did you know that there are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world today? Sadly, it is also estimated that one language dies every two weeks, which means that many of these languages are at risk of disappearing forever.

Moreover, here are some interesting facts about languages on our planet:

  1. 1. There are more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, but around 40% of the global population only speaks one language.
  2. 2. According to the United Nations, there are more than 200 languages that have fewer than 10 speakers left.
  3. 3. Languages are not distributed evenly around the world, with some countries being home to a much greater number of languages than others. For example, Papua New Guinea has more than 850 languages spoken, while India has more than 400.
  4. 4. The loss of a language means more than just the disappearance of words; it also means the loss of cultural traditions, knowledge, and practices that are often passed down through language.
  5. 5. The theme for International Mother Language Day 2023 is “Language and Culture in the Digital Age”. This theme focuses on the role of technology in language preservation and how digital tools can be used to promote multilingualism.
  6. 6. The first International Mother Language Day was observed in 2000 to commemorate the language movement protests that occurred in Bangladesh in 1952. These protests sought to establish Bengali as an official language, as it was previously only recognized as a second language.
  7. 7. The UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger lists more than 3,000 languages that are considered endangered.
  8. 8. Bilingualism and multilingualism have been linked to various cognitive and socio-cultural benefits, including improved communication skills, enhanced creativity, and increased cultural awareness.
  9. 9. The most widely spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese, with more than 1.1 billion speakers.
  10. 10. English is the third most spoken language in the world, with more than 1 billion speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Our team of skilled language specialists is fluent in a wide range of languages, and we are committed to bridging the communication gap between individuals, businesses, and organizations, regardless of language barriers.

This day reminds us of the value of our mother tongues and the significant role they play in shaping our identity and cultural heritage. Let us continue to celebrate and embrace the diversity of languages that make our world a richer and more beautiful place.

If you need interpretation or translation services in any language, we are here to help. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can assist you in connecting with individuals and communities from all over the world.

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We are celebrating National Thesaurus Day!

When you’re looking for that perfect word to convey your thought, or don’t want to repeat the same word over and over again, where do you go? The thesaurus, of course!

Today we are celebrating National Thesaurus Day! As language specialists, we are very thankful to Peter Mark Roget that he created this wonderful book.

But the word thesaurus was first recorded in English as early as 1730, and it comes from the Greek thēsaurós, meaning “storehouse,” “treasure,” or “treasury.” So, we can think of a thesaurus as a “storehouse” or “treasure-trove” of knowledge (in the form of words).

Peter Roget started the book in 1848 and finished in 1852 with 15,000 words. The book’s full original title was “Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition.”

The word thesaurus was first recorded in English as early as 1730, and it comes from the Greek thēsaurós, meaning “storehouse,” “treasure,” or “treasury.” So, we can think of a thesaurus as a “storehouse” or “treasure-trove” of knowledge (in the form of words).

Our interpreters and translators love National Thesaurus Day, because:

  1. 1. It helps expand the vocabulary.
  2. Bigger vocabulary helps during translations and interpretations very much. You can easily find the equivalent in English for the message in the target language. Moreover, if you are working on texts it is always good to have several synonyms to make the lexical level of the text higher.
  1. 2. It helps avoid repetitions.
  2. 3. It helps to learn the meanings of new words by seeing what other words they are related to by comparison.
  3. 4. Compare the shades of meaning in words and pick up the best for the needed topic.
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Ventura County Medical Department Testimonial

Ventura County Medical Department started working with Homeland Language Services in 2019. Homeland Language Services provides Onsite interpreting services, prescheduled Over-the-Phone and Video Remote interpreting services, and translation services in 10 languages. Moreover, we provide this department with sufficient Sign Language interpreting services. We are happy to get confirmation of our reliability as a language partner.

“We have had fantastic collaborative and working relationships, any problems were resolved immediately and with the highest level of professionalism. The firm exceeded my expectations regarding services and is highly skilled in this area. Overall, I find them to be responsive and very professional. We are very satisfied with their services,” – Cynthia, Equity Services Manager at Ventura County Medical Department.

The scope of work covers almost 5,000 language services during the period of our cooperation. Our interpreters and translators are working in Spanish, Mixteco, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Cantonese, Farsi, Arabic, Thai, English, and American Sign Language for Ventura County Medical Departments.

The Ventura County Medical Departments provide healthcare and treatment services. They play an important role as an integrated component of the Ventura County Health Care Agency. The team of Homeland Language Services is happy to help Ventura County Medical Department provide its services and achieve its mission. They promote wellness through a whole-person care approach where clients and families are empowered by appropriate, accessible, timely, culturally sensitive, and collaborative health services. With the help of our language services, they can do that with high quality and without language barriers.

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Feedback from Over-the-Phone Interpreter, working at Homeland Language Services

At Homeland Language Services, we are sure that we need to give a voice to our employees. This way, we want to show our values not only in the corporate presentation or on our website but from real people who work in our company. 

Recently, our Business Support Coordinator Kseniya talked to Spanish-English Over-the-Phone interpreter Camila Rivas about her interpreting career. 

Camila Rivas from Argentina started working at Homeland Language Services in April 2022. Her native language is Spanish. Camila mentioned that she didn’t know a lot about Homeland Language Services, but she liked the onboarding process very much. The HR team answered all her questions and gave a clear understanding of the job. 

The first thing Camila enjoyed was not a thing. She likes our team, our people. 

Camila didn’t have experience in interpreting. She worked as a simultaneous interpreter one day. But she had all the skills to get the job at Homeland Language Services and be successful.

Camila happily recommends our company as an employee and as a language services provider. Why? Watch the interview with her and discover why:

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Happy World Animal Day!

This day aims to raise awareness about the abuse and illegal killing of animals around the world and highlight how important it is to protect them and assure their welfare. It is our responsibility to make sure that both wild and domestic animals are kept safe in their habitats.

Our Homeland Language Services Team adores animals. That’s why we share this video with you with our pets! We love them, treat them, and thank them! They help us to be happy and many times, they help us reduce our stress during busy times. And sometimes they help us to work during the meeting, while we are providing the best interpreting and translating services 🙂

Corporate pets in the video from pet-friendly language services provider:

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Basic lifehacks for interpreters

Being an Over-the-Phone or Onsite Interpreter is very challenging. An interpreter can help people communicate. Especially, interpreters must help patients to get proper medical treatments or legal advice. However, interpreters need lots of things to learn. They improve their skills and knowledge all the time.
We expect a lot from the knowledge of the second language, but it doesn’t give us the right to call ourselves interpreters. Experienced interpreters remember the lifehacks that helped them at the beginning of their careers. Here are some of them:

1. Get ready before meeting

When you check the details and get prepared before a meeting or shift, you feel more confident.
If you are an onsite interpreter, always get the address where the meeting is held, and where you should work. Check the time for a trip, places for parking, or opportunities to use public transport.
If you work online, check the platform for conferences, webinars, meetings, or calls. It is always a good idea to make a test call to be sure, that your camera, microphone, and headset work properly.
Take some time to refresh the vocabulary that can be used during your interpreting session. More information before you have about subject, speakers, companies or organizations – more effective will be your job.

Such details in preparation will save you time, money, and nerves.

2. Analyse previous experience and improve it

Make time to analyze your previous experience. It will help you to make conclusions about how to improve your job in the future. Don’t focus only on weak places and mistakes. Always take into account your strong skills and difficult cases where you performed successfully. This “homework” will help you to discover your strong characteristics and make them stronger, together with that you will see your weak places and improve them as well.

3. Ask for detailed instructions and follow them

When you are working for the agency, language provider (such as Homeland Language Services, for example), or even for an individual client, be sure that you know everything about your job position. Each of them has its own “rules of the game” and you should be ready to follow them. For example, agencies can ask for special reports or shifts, individual clients can provide the timetable of the meeting and vocabulary for it. You should be 100% aware of your responsibilities to get the work done.
Moreover, don’t forget to discover all the questions about your contract: salary, weekends and vacations and other vital conditions for you.
This way you will be on the same page with your employer or client initially.

4. Be a professional

Take one minute to think about what characteristics a professional interpreter should have. Add to them:

– improving the knowledge of Protocol
– continuous training
– development of emotional intellect and hard skills
– gaining certifications
– joining industry associations

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Note-taking tips for medical interpreters from interpreters in Homeland Language Services

The job of a medical interpreter requires a good memory, but it is still difficult to remember all the important details, especially when the speech for interpretation is long. The good news is that there are useful tips for effective note-taking, which can help a medical interpreter to catch all the details. 

  1. 1. Use keywords and abbreviations. 

It is better to focus on the KEYwords and phrases, instead of writing full sentences. You will save time and demonstrate a good speed of your interpreting. If you need to remember a complete sentence, use the abbreviations where possible. But you need to learn them and keep your glossary updated. Find one of the examples here.

  1. 2. Write down the keywords and terms in a particular order.

Try to write important terms and words in the order of a timeline. This method will help you to keep  track of the conversation and circle back to smaller details, those mentioned earlier in the conversation.. 

  1. 3. Use pictures and symbols.

If you can draw sketches and read them for interpreting, definitely use this method! Doodling improves memory, so it is an additional benefit for you. 

Moreover, with the help of symbols and  highlights you can indicate the main points of the conversation.

Our Arabic-English interpreter invented his own style of sketches. Ahmed AbouZekry from Egypt makes the illustrations from his notes for medical interpretation. Have you seen such notes before?

  1. 4. Group main ideas.

It is a good way to write down the main idea of the conversation or a part of it, and then to add supporting ones. This way you can create word clouds that will help you see all the information you need  at the same time. 

  1. 5. Use the “Subject, Verb, Object” method. 

The Subject, Verb, Object (or SVO) variant is part of a note-taking  method  first introduced by Jean-Francois Rozan in his 7 principles. It is performed exactly as its name describes..

On a piece of paper, write down the subject, verb, and object of each sentence you are listening to in descending order, diagonally to the right. Each new sentence or topic is separated by a horizontal line on a page.

Writing the main parts of the sentence, and in a way that shows their hierarchical relationship to each other, will help you better remember what was said.

 

Note-taking is one of the best tools that you can use during consecutive medical interpretation. Now you have tips on how to help yourself during the interpreting of medical calls. Try to practice them! You need some time to make it a habit and to use it in your daily work routine, so keep your head up and try to do this every day!

If you need interpretation or translation services, send us your request. 

In case you want to work at Homeland Language Services, check our Career portal. 

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