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Witness the earthquake in Turkey: how to live next to the disaster

On the day of the earthquake on February 6, 2023, a catastrophic natural disaster struck Turkey, leaving thousands of people injured, homeless, and grieving. But the impact was felt far beyond the areas of the country that were directly affected by the physical destruction. For many people, the trauma of the earthquake was deeply felt, whether it was through the emotional toll of witnessing the devastation, or the physical toll of living in temporary shelters or dealing with disrupted services.

It’s difficult to overstate the magnitude of this experience, which left its mark on individuals and communities across the country. Whether felt morally or physically, the earthquake had a profound impact on the lives of many people, and the healing process will take time and perseverance.

Among those affected was our language partner Ashraf, who lives with his family in the eastern part of Turkey. We’ve been eagerly waiting to speak with him to gain a better understanding of the impact the event had on the country.

Despite the overwhelming challenges, the people of Turkey have shown remarkable resilience and solidarity in the aftermath of the earthquake. Through their words, we hope to learn more about the impact of this disaster on the local community, and the ways in which we, as language services providers, can continue to support and stand in solidarity with the people of Turkey. So, let’s dive into the interview directly with our language partner about their experience of this life-changing event:

Homeland Language Services: Where were you and your family on Monday, February 6 when the earthquake happened?

Ashraf: We were at home sleeping when the earthquake happened around 4:15 am.

Homeland Language Services: Have you known about the evidence of earthquakes before? Are there any special alerts?

Ashraf: No, there were no prior alerts.

Homeland Language Services: What support are you receiving these days?

Ashraf: The government has been very supportive of the affected people, providing shelter as much as possible and necessities such as food, clothes, water, and healthcare. The government will also start giving a small amount of allowance to these families. The long-term plan is to rebuild the houses as quickly as possible.

Homeland Language Services: How are you handling your work duties these days?

Ashraf: Since all my work is mainly remote, the loss of electricity and internet didn’t affect me much, although my concentration was affected. My team steps in to cover for me during these times.

Homeland Language Services: You are a language services provider, did you notice any changes in requests? Is there an increase in the need for interpretation services?

Ashraf: Yes, there is an increase in requests for certain languages because rescue teams with different nationalities have stepped in, which causes a language barrier between foreign doctors and the affected people.

Homeland Language Services: In your opinion, how can language services be useful in such situations?

Ashraf: Most of our support as a language services provider comes from the medical field since thousands of people were injured. Many doctors, nurses, and health practitioners came to support from all over the world. Interpreting between the victims and the health practitioners is a must to better diagnose the victims. On the other hand, the areas that were most damaged are occupied by two major nationalities, Syrians and Turks, who speak two different languages. Assistance is really needed to interpret and translate between the two languages, Arabic and Turkish to English.

We highly appreciate Ashraf’s time and the possibility to talk with us about the situation in Turkey. We empathize with the challenges that the earthquake has brought upon the community. As a language services provider, we can offer our support to ensure that communication barriers are overcome and that the affected people receive the help they need in their native language. Our Homeland Language Services team of professional interpreters and translators can provide fast and accurate language services to aid in the recovery and rebuilding process. We stand with Turkish and Syrian victims of the earthquake during these difficult times. If you want to help Turkish abd Syrian victims, find here some aid resources.

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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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What are the skills of a good translator?

Homeland Language Services has a professional team of translators. For more than 6 years they provide our clients with high-quality translation. We definitely know what skills a good translator should have and our translators have these skills!

Translators don’t just convert words from one language to another. They are working with the meaning of the text, considering the specifics of the industry and the culture of the original and target languages. So, the basic translator’s skills are:

  1. 1. Language knowledge.

It is an obligatory skill for language specialists. The ability to speak and write fluently in at least two languages is the main characteristic of a translator’s profession. The best specialists are usually bilingual.

  1. 2. Cultural awareness.

Studying languages: translators are studying cultural peculiarities as well. It helps to understand and translate idioms, references, and slang from one language to another language. The cultural awareness of the translator makes communication smoother.

  1. 3. Writing.

Writing skills have a few components: grammar, punctuation, and style. Grammar and punctuation rules are different in various languages, that’s why good translators should study them carefully. And in terms of examples of writing styles, there are descriptive, persuasive, narrative, and argumentative.

  1. 4.Research.

The translation requires research all the time. The translator should be very confident during the word conversion from one language to another. That’s why he or she should confirm the rules for different languages and the meaning of different cultures.

  1. 5. Computer skills.

Translators generally use several computer programs to work on their projects and be organized. Among them are Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, and CAT tools. CAT or Computer-assisted translation tools are used to refine the pre-final translation. There are different types of CAT software, such as Language search engine software, Terminology management software, Translation memory software, Interactive machine translation software, and Text alignment software.

  1. 6. Reading comprehension.

This skill can boost translation skills. Translators should have a deep understanding of the text they are translating to optimize text value correctly.

  1. 7. Attention to detail.

“Details make the difference”, that’s why they are so important. Accuracy is one of the top-skills of a good translator. He or she should be eager to avoid even small errors in their translations because sometimes can cost a life, especially when we are talking about medical or judicial translations.

  1. 8. Specialization.

Industry specialization comes along with cultural awareness and accuracy. The best translators knows the particular industry and the better quality he or she performs in their projects. The majority of specialized translators have degrees in their fields of expertise. Homeland Language Services gets the largest amount of requests for translations in the medical, business, and legal industries.

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Happy International Translation Day!

September 30th is a special day for our team of translators and their team leads. International Translation Day is an opportunity for us to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding, and cooperation. We are proud to have such strong and high-skilled language specialists on board. With their help, we provide high-quality translation services in the USA and worldwide. 

We talked to our Translation Department team to discuss why this day is so important for them. 

Florencia Gomez, Localization-Translation Department Supervisor:

“Today we celebrate the International Translators’ Day in reference to St. Jerome, a priest who translated the Bible from Hebrew into Latin.

His journey in translation could spread the word into all different cultures and make it accessible to a wider audience.

Translators play a fundamental role in bringing the world together, from Peace Treaties to your favorite Pop Song; they make science available to different countries so everyone can access all the most advanced literature.

That’s why, as the Project Manager and Translation Department Supervisor, and translator myself, in Homeland Language Services, I would like to congratulate our staff on their day and remember that your role is greatly appreciated in bringing peace, knowledge, development between nations and cultures all around the globe.”

Martina Viegas, Linguist Quality Specialist:

“As translators, we have a huge and important responsibility and we are liable for our works. We’re living in a globalized world and that’s where our role lies. We connect cultures, we build bridges between cultures and people for them to communicate, we make it possible. We must have the ability to transform everything so nothing changes, what an irony, right? And to be where we are, all of us experienced situations that -good or bad- strengthened our powers. 

Personally, becoming a translator was not easy at all, but acting as a professional translator when graduating was the difficult part, almost the most difficult part of my life! (The most  difficult was to study translation while being a single mom of a disabled child). Anyway, at college you have your guiding people, but after that, you’re left alone in the world. Fortunately, I soon became part of this amazing Homeland Language Services team and I love it. And it doesn’t matter if you’re working freelance or in-house, but you love so much what you do that you wake up happy thinking you have to work, this is called passion. This profession requires passion to succeed, and of course lack of sleep and tones of coffee. I had to fail to succeed, make a mistake to learn, fall to stand up. I could tell many stories to demonstrate it’s not a fairy tale, but each of us has to pave our own way. 

In my experience, every time I had to make a hard decision and I said NO, something better came to my life. So don’t be afraid of valuing yourself and valuing and honoring our profession, happy day for all translators who make the world a better place!”

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How to provide high-quality translation services?

Homeland Language Services’ translators have enormous experience working with different types of texts. With their help, we gathered some tips and advice for novice or freelance translators to become successful in their job.

Any professional translator can’t be excused from learning to use new tools and studying new techniques to provide better translations. In Homeland Language Services the translation process involves several stages that freelance translators are often not aware of.

There is much more to translation than simply typing in a foreign language and using CAT tools or translation memory tools. A professional translation service typically requires both a revision (or edition) and proofreading. These are two essential stages that need to take place before we can say that a document is ready to be delivered to the client.

In other words, the professional translation service includes the Quality Control stage in the process. The final text is read (or proofread) additionally before sending it to the client. Of course, we have a team for this, that’s why one document is translated and checked by several specialists. If you are a freelancer, you should implement the quality control stage in your working process. You should never send a project to your client without additional checks and reading it beforehand. 

Nevertheless, it is not the only piece of advice we want to share with you. Familiarize the following list: 

  1. 1. Review the document or files before starting a translation and check all the requirements from the client. Make sure that you received the right copies before starting translation. 
  2. 2. Work with the texts from your expertise industry. This way you can guarantee the quality of the translation. If you don’t specialize in the topic of a proposed project, think twice before agreeing on this job. 
  3. 3. Check the file format. Generally, files should be sent in a translation-friendly format with a translation memory. Also, don’t change the CAT tool, if the client specified it. By doing this you will save time and money using a tool that gives full compatibility with the initial formatting. 
  4. 4. Try to use glossaries, style guides, and terminology databases as much as possible. Sometimes, clients can send you a glossary or database together with material for translation. Use it! You can import it into a CAT tool and use the right terminology. 
  5. 5. Be honest. You should ask all questions, evaluate the deadline, and set and confirm the price before starting to provide translation service. 
  6. 6. Check your finished translation against the source for missing text or formatting issues. 
  7. 7. Check your finished translation (yes, once again). You should proofread it by yourself if you are a freelancer. If you work together with the editor, forward the project to him/her. 
  8. 8. Leave notes or comments for the client or editor. When you send the final version of the material, write a shorе accompanying letter. Even if there were no issues to mention, write that the process went smoothly. Clients appreciate it when you pay attention and show your concern about the project. 

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The Department of State Hospitals – Napa started a partnership with Homeland Language Services

This year Department of State Hospitals – Napa started a partnership with Homeland Language Services. We became a reliable partner providing Over-the-Phone interpretation services for the patients and staff at the Department of State Hospitals.

Interpreters at Homeland Language Services are ready to assist immediately on an as-needed basis 24/7. Every day our language specialists provide comprehensive interpreting services in 200+ languages.

The Department of State Hospitals’ vision is “Caring today for a safe and healthy tomorrow”. They aim to provide evaluation and treatment safely and responsibly, by leading innovation and excellence across a continuum of care and settings. To do it appropriately, they need a dependable language partner, because some patients of Department of State Hospitals speak different languages, but English. More than 2,000 employees at the Department of State Hospitals – Napa need language assistance to provide care and services twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The clinical staff includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, psychiatric technicians, and registered nurses. Our professional Over-the-Phone interpreters became their helpers to provide patients with high-qualified support and treatment.

Interpreting services are a bridge for non-English speaking patients and medical staff in Napa. Despite new pandemic rules, modern technologies help provide interpreting services when needed when face-to-face contact should be minimized. Over-the-Phone interpreting services are easily accessible via phone. Homeland Language Services has a great team of world-class interpreters. With successful experience and continuous training, they provide our clients with the best telephone interpretation.

Our client, the Department of State Hospitals – Napa, can be sure that all the information is interpreted accurately. Moreover, Over-the-Phone interpreting allows limited-English patients to feel confident and safe that their conversations with doctors and nurses are handled consistently.

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A Good Translator Should Be Passionate About His or Her Job

It is widely thought that speaking a foreign language gives you the ability to be a translator, but this job is not as easy as it seems. We gathered a list of qualities that a good translator should have, as well as a story from one of our personnel who created the meaning of a new word.

So, the question is: what are the characteristics of a good translator?

  1. 1. Passion and curiosity: Professional translators are passionate about what they do and try their best to deliver high-quality projects.
  2. 2. Skilled in linguistics and rich in vocabulary: Certified translators at Homeland Language Services have undergone extensive education and have considerable experience. Our professionals are constantly trained, gathering new knowledge to provide the best services.
  3. 3. Accuracy and honesty: Providing accurate information is essential for translations. The goal of professionals is to express the source text as clearly as possible without ambiguity.
  4. 4. Appreciation for other cultures: Diplomacy is their motto. They break down misconceptions, stigmas, and other language barriers, so as to prevent misunderstanding between different cultures.
  5. 5. Time management skills: Tight deadlines are part of the daily challenges; every minute can make a difference. Our certified translators cope with high-stakes situations when major projects need to be completed in a record time, which is usually in the medical and social industries.

 

At Homeland Language Services, we are proud of our translators, who possess these great qualities. Fortunately,  Ahmed Ali — one of our Arabic-English interpreters from Egypt— has shared with us the story about his translator experience:

“During my college days, I’ve had two major military translation projects. The first one was when my professor chose three of my colleagues —who had top scores in the exams— and myself to assist him with a military translation for a training project report between Saudi and American Air forces.

It was a challenging project, as it was a new field of translation for me and it was the first time I had a deadline to finish my share. Additionally, it was a classified document, so we could only work in our professor’s office with him.

The second project I’d worked on was my graduation project, where he asked us to translate a book in the military field that had not been translated before. I managed to find a book about Military siege tactics across history up to the modern ages.

One of the main challenges I have ever faced was a new word that was not found in any dictionary. After researching in vain, I informed my professor who advised me to fashion a new meaning out of the context. After he approved it, he decided to add it to his own Dictionary, which he was about to release.

Later on, I managed to put a glossary together after I finished translating the book. As a glossary was extra work and I was the only one who included it, my professor gave me the highest score and I managed to graduate with excellence.”

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World Refugee Day in 2022

Can you imagine that you need to leave your home, your country, and flee to another? And it wasn’t your choice. Every minute 20 people undergo this awful experience and become refugees.

It is very important to support refugees. But how we can do that if we even don’t know about them? Today the topic of refugees is more spread and visible in daily news due to the war in Ukraine. Russian invasion highlighted lots of world problems and the problem of refugees is among them.

The concept of seeking a place to save a life dates back as far back as Ancient Egypt was. But the international efforts to protect refugees started only at the beginning of the 20th century. The High Commission for Refugees was founded by the League of Nations in 1921. Again it was intended to help people escape the Russian Revolution.

During the past century, people have fled terror and oppression all over the world, from such countries as Armenia and Germany, Spain and Turkey. In recent years many refugees were displaced from Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria. At the end of 2021, there were 70 million displaced people all over the world, and now this number increases enormously.

The ultimate goal for refugees is to return to their home country when it is safe for them to do it. Unfortunately, often it is impossible for years. Meanwhile, refugees aim to integrate into their host nation. Frequently, people, who leave their native country don’t know foreign languages. So their adaptation process becomes even more complex.

It is a simple practice when refugees use language services. Moving to another country people often need translation services. They need to translate their documents, and application forms. Moreover, lots of countries require personal presence to apply for refugee status in special organizations. and this is the case when refugee needs interpretation services. Nowadays, it is a great opportunity to get different interpreting services. The refugee can choose the onsite interpretation, so the interpreter will be next to him, or Over-the-Phone interpretation, so the refugee will receive interpreting services in any place he needs.

The integration process in a new country is difficult and lengthy. The basic needs: food and shelter are covered the first of all. At these locations, volunteers work, and often they know the native language of refugees or are bilingual. Such practice for interpreters and translators is a priceless experience, considering what a great job they are doing. After refugees are accommodated, social and cultural integration starts. It depends on the mental and physical state of the refugee, so the process can also be long and not so easy.

Interpreters and translators at Homeland Language Services have huge experience in working with such sensitive situations. They all worked with clients on social issues, the healthcare and insurance sphere, and career-building. Moreover, they can be a confidential helper during the legal processes too.

Language specialists together with social and medical workers, volunteers, and government officers like no one else know the painful issues for refugees and can advise them partially.

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How is the process of immigration to the USA bound by language services?

In January 2022, the total immigrant population in the USA hit 46,6 million people according to the Census Bureau’s monthly Current Population Survey. It is the highest number ever in the history of America. Despite the Covid-19 travel restrictions, the foreign-born population rebounded dramatically after President Biden’s victory. Reasons for that were restarting of visa processing overseas and the surge of illegal immigration at the border. However, the 1,6 million increase over the last year is quite large and significant. 

Whenever we speak about immigrants or foreign-born people, we mean people with native languages different from English. Of course, some of them have learned English at school or University, so they can freely communicate in English and solve their problems. But the majority don’t know English. That’s why there is a huge network of language providers. Homeland Language Services, one of them, provides non-English speaking people comprehensive interpreting and translating services in different spheres of their “new life”. For example, interpreting services are very much needed for legal and social issues (from filling in the form in order to get the Green card to getting food stamps for the family), in healthcare and medical support (from taking out the insurance to visiting the doctor’s appointment). 

Going back to the background of immigration process development, we need to state that the United States of America has been the main country destination for international migrants since 1970. Since then, the number of foreign-born people residing in the country has more than quadrupled – from less than 12 million in 1070 to near 50 million in 2022. This amount is the highest percentage in 112 years – immigrants are 14,2 percent of the total population. 

More than 40 percent of all international migrants worldwide in 2020 (115 million) were born in Asia, with nearly 20 percent primarily originating from six Asian countries including India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, and Afghanistan. Mexico was the second-largest country of origin, and the Russian Federation was the third. Several other European countries have sizable populations of emigrants, including Ukraine, Poland, the United Kingdom, Romania, and Germany. 

States with the largest increase in the immigrant population from January 2020 to January 2022 are Florida (up 531,000), Virginia (up 268,000), Texas (up 263,000), California (up 212,000), Indiana (up 205,000), Tennessee (up 198,000) and New Jersey (up 183,000). 

Nowadays, it is much easier to access the language needed by means of interpreters and translators. Homeland Language Services has a huge team of professionals who work remotely. We provide interpreting services that can be accessed from any city or state. The foreign-born individual can get the needed social service in his native language with the help of an Over-the-Phone interpreter or attend a telemedical appointment with a doctor with the help of a Video-remote interpreter. These services are affordable and easy to use because the certified interpreter can be in touch at any time and in any place, just a device, like a smartphone or computer, is needed. Our services are available in more than 100 languages.

Furthermore, our company has offices in California, Florida, New York, and Texas states. We can provide onsite interpreting services as well. There are some cases when an interpreter offline is needed for the meeting. Homeland Language Services offers simultaneous and consecutive interpretations. 

Taking into account the current world situation, which has been changing since February 24th, 2022 when Russia started the military invasion in Ukraine, we expect an increase of Ukrainian and Russian-speaking refugees all over the world and in America too. Day after day our sales department searches for new partners to be helpful with language services. At the same time, our interpreters and translators work 24/7 to fulfill the current demand in Over-the-Phone interpretation and translation services. 

 

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