Why You Need Conference Interpreting for International Development

A lot has changed in this past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In both the personal and professional realms, everyone has had to make innumerable adjustments. While many professionals across a wide range of industry would normally be attending various conferences and trade shows at the moment, those large gatherings have had to take different forms. Online conferences have largely replaced their in person counterparts. However, despite the new online format for a lot of these events, conference interpreting is still a must have, especially in the international development field. 

Online Conference Interpreting

Just as conference attendees and organizers have had to adapt to a new online format, language service companies have also had to adjust how they provide their services. At Language Connections, we have worked to find creative and functional solutions to the new challenges posed by virtual conferences by significantly increasing our online conference interpreting capabilities. It is just as important to have conference interpreting services available virtually as it is in person. By working with a professional translating and interpreting provider, you can be sure that your conference material and information will be accessible to all attendees. Especially when discussing social justice issues, global trends, and other important innovations in the international development field, having all attendees clearly understand the information being shared is imperative. Working with a professional language service company that can provide high quality conference interpretation services despite the online format can ensure that your conference presentations, panels, and workshops all run smoothly and are accessible to all attendees.

Conference Interpreting Backed By Trusted Experience

Interpreting is necessary for accessibility across languages. However, you need to be sure that you are working with conference interpreting agencies, like Language Connections, that have extensive experience providing high quality interpretation services. In a field as important as international development, you want to be sure that when you hire an interpreter for meetings or conferences that the interpreter has in depth familiarity with the common practices and terminology within the industry. By working with a trusted language service company, you are really putting your best foot forward. This conveys to your multilingual audience that you are committed to making your conference accessible to them. Additionally, conference interpreting ensures that a language barrier is not an issue when it comes to understanding the important subject matter at hand. At Language Connections, we have extensive experience providing professional conference interpreting and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure a positive conference experience for all involved.

About Language Connections:

Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, localization services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.

Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com

3 Ways You Can Help Asylum Seekers as an Immigration Interpreter

The need for more and more people to want to become an immigration interpreter is increasingly on the rise. This is a vital role that can make all the difference to those seeking asylum in the U.S., or in any other country. If you have been considering immigration interpreting, you would do well to consider an immigration interpreting program, like that which can be found here. As an immigration interpreter, you are uniquely positioned to help those seeking asylum throughout their asylum interview process. Below are three of the main ways in which you can help asylum seekers as an immigration interpreter.

1) Accurate Interpretation Ensures Clear Communication

People coming into a country seeking asylum should not have to worry about a language barrier impeding their search for safety and security. In their asylum interview in particular, the questions they will be asked necessitate clear communication and understanding, both on the part of the interviewer and interviewee. As an immigration interpreter, you can act as the bridge between the interviewer and the person seeking asylum. Following your immigration interpreter training, you can be confident that you can provide clear and accurate interpretation so that both sides clearly understand each other. You can then help those seeking asylum fully understand the questions being asked of them, and also help those asking the questions fully understand the asylum seekers’ responses. This level of clear communication and understanding can help immensely in aiding asylum seekers throughout their interview process.

2) Industry Knowledge and Experience

Furthermore, taking part in an immigration interpreting program ensures that you will be gaining valuable industry knowledge so that you will be better equipped to help those seeking asylum. Being fully familiar with the common terminology and practices related to the immigration process is key when trying to help immigrants in their asylum seeking process. You can even attend an immigration interpreter school online that offers online immigration interpreter training in addition to immigration court interpreter training. Programs with offers such as an immigration court interpreter course ensure that you will gain the familiarity with the immigration process that is needed in order to be the most helpful to those seeking asylum. Further, this industry knowledge is why enrolling in an immigration interpreting program is so important. A program like this ensures that you are fully prepared for all aspects of the immigration process, and also have the confidence and familiarity with the situation to handle the matter professionally and with increased accuracy. 

3) Enabling Deeper Connections

As an interpreter, especially in an immigration setting, you are in large part responsible for the understanding of the conversation. As such, it is imperative that you feel confident in your skills as an immigration interpreter in order to be able to be as helpful as possible. Through a well-structured immigration interpreting program, you will leave with the full confidence of being able to handle any interpreting situation you may encounter in the immigration field. Being able to provide accurate interpretation helps not only to connect a person seeking asylum with their interviewer, but also helps form a solid connection between you and your client. It is important that whoever is relying on you for interpretation feels confident that you have their best interests as a priority and that you are able to provide them with accurate interpretation for these extremely important meetings. Through your completion of an immigration interpreting program, you and everyone involved will feel confident that the interpretation will be accurate, thus enabling the formation of deeper connections between all parties involved.

About Language Connections:

Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, localization services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.

Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com

3 Key Ways Language Service Companies Can Help Your Programs

The implementation of various social programs around the world is integral to working towards a more equitable and sustainable society. When working towards implementing such important and valuable programs, you want to ensure that all of your ideas are communicated clearly regardless of who your audience may be. By working with a professional language service company with experience in every aspect of the social program implementation process, you can feel confident that your ideas will be effectively communicated, and that all of your documents and other materials will be accessible across languages and cultures. Read below for three key ways working with language service companies can help facilitate the social program implementation process.

1.) Professional Language Service Companies Ensure Document and Multimedia Material Accuracy

Working with a professional language service company comes with the confidence that all of the materials related to your social program have been accurately translated for your target audience. For instance, at Language Connections, we have experience working with materials ranging from legal document translation to brochure translation to whitepaper translation and everything in between. A professional language service company will be experienced working with all the behind the scenes processes and regulations all the way through to helping you publicize your program and translate marketing materials. At Language Connections, we have decades of experience and extensive familiarity providing translation services within the legal and bureaucratic environments related to social programming to help you be successful in your program implementation.

2.) Professional Language Service Companies Satisfy Interpretation Needs

In addition to ensuring that all print and electronic materials are accurately translated and localized, being confident that your ideas are being expressed clearly in a verbal setting is equally important. This is one area of the program implementation process for which a professional language service company is uniquely positioned. At Language Connections, we offer interpretation services in over 200 languages utilizing our wide network of certified and experienced interpreters. If you are in need of a corporate interpreter, or an interpreter for meetings or conferences, we at Language Connections are more than prepared to satisfy that need. Whether you find yourself in a meeting discussing the logistics of your program implementation, or at a conference presenting the aims and objectives of your organization and program, you can only benefit from working with a professional language service company, like Language Connections, to ensure that your ideas are communicated accurately and effectively to all audiences.

3.) Professional Translation Companies Have In-Depth Industry and Cultural Knowledge

Lastly, it is not enough to simply translate your documents and materials. Oftentimes there are extensive linguistic and cultural nuances that must be acknowledged when presenting information across languages and cultures. As a professional language service company, Language Connections offers extensive translation and localization services. In order to be fully understood in a different language we employ professional linguistic experts who work carefully with all of your material to ensure that the material is properly localized across languages. In this way, we work to guarantee that your message is not lost in translation when bringing your ideas across cultures and languages. Furthermore, all of the team members working on your project have specialized industry knowledge related to social programs and their implementation to ensure that all appropriate industry terminology and common practices are correctly employed. 

Our goal at Language Connections is to provide you with quality language services, no matter what language or culture you strive to communicate with. We offer extensive translation, interpretation, and localization services, decades of experience, and in-depth knowledge of the social program implementation process. As such, you can feel confident that you are receiving high quality language services, ensuring that your ideas are effectively communicated across languages and cultures. Working with a wide range of companies seeking to implement social programs has provided us with a strong background in all aspects of this process, and we are more than prepared to help facilitate the implementation of your next social program.

5 Reasons Why Legal Interpreting Services Can Help Your Law Firm

4 Tips for Interpreters for Public Health

Serving as a public health interpreter can be a difficult endeavor. While interpreting alone is a stressful job, the added public health implications can add an additional layer of stress. However, interpreters for public health are not alone; here are four tips that can help interpreters working in the public health sphere work better.

Interpreters for Public Health Should Clearly Communicate with Medical Professionals

This seems relatively basic, but public health emergencies require clear communication between interpreters and public health professionals. Be sure to speak at an audible level and remain calm. Anxiety and nervousness can greatly impact an interpreter’s performance and, in a high stakes environment, mistakes can be costly.

Interpreters for Public Health Should Voice Their Concerns

In a similar vein, interpreters should make sure to communicate with their supervisor or co-workers if they feel overwhelmed. Creating a respectful and calm work environment is essential to providing great interpretation services. If an interpreter feels overwhelmed by the often traumatic experience of working in an area affected by a public health emergency, they should voice their discomfort and seek help. After all, if an interpreter feels unable to perform their job because of stress, they will be unable to fully contribute to solving public health crises.

Interpreters for Public Health Should Carefully Enunciate Their Words

When a person’s health is at stake, misunderstandings can have dire consequences. Missing or mispronouncing a word (especially for tonal languages) can radically shape a person’s understanding of their condition. Therefore, interpreters should be sure to use their best speaking voices and clearly enunciate each word when talking to both patients and medical professionals, especially when providing simultaneous interpreting services.

Interpreters for Public Health Should Always Have a Positive Attitude

This goes without saying, but medical interpreters should always stay positive. Positivity can help interpreters maintain a calm state of mind and can even help patients feel more secure under the care of medical professionals. Always remember that as an interpreter, you are essentially the face of the hospital for the patient. Without a positive mindset, a patient is unlikely to feel safe and could have doubt whether or not they are receiving the best care. Therefore, providing the patient with reassurance that they will be alright is very important.

About Language Connections:

Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.

Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com

Remote Interpretation for Political Candidates

About Language Connections:

Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.

Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com

The UN at Home? – Online Interpreting Services in the Time of Covid-19

Since the onset of the coronavirus, UN interpreters have had an especially hard time tackling the challenge of operating online. Mediating simultaneously across 6 different languages (Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, French, English, and Russian) is no easy feat–certainly made no easier without equipment, coworkers, and workspaces. Surely nothing compares to in-person interaction, but online interpreting doesn’t come without its own benefits.

Online Interpreting Isn’t Without its Struggles

Distractions, sound quality issues, internet connection – things we’re all having to deal with in meetings and classrooms –  become huge obstacles in interpreting, a job heavily dependent upon clarity. In international diplomacy, easy slip-ups like mishearing “can” and “can’t” can come with disastrous consequences. Furthermore, especially in the context of U.N. meetings, undivided and continuous concentration are a must–but try telling your kids that, or worse, your neighbor’s dog. And yet, the U.N. and its interpreting team are finding its ground. Though Chief of French Interpretation Veronique Vandegans struggled in switching from the office to her apartment, “it quickly became apparent that we could adapt [to online interpreting], given the proper equipment, testing and training.”

 All Alone in Online Interpreting

Interpretation for the U.N. is too high-stakes of a responsibility for one person, so the job is usually done in teams of 2 or 3. It’s far too complicated to just move online, like a Zoom meeting or say, switching to English classes online. Catching what one person missed, pulling up important documents, switching roles–all these must happen in a matter of seconds for a successful job well done. But Covid-19 has forced interpreters into the environment of communicating remotely AND simultaneously with both clients and coworkers. Online interpreting has proven itself very different from the regular job.

Online Interpreting is a Chance to Hone Interpreting Skills

Which is exactly why many interpreters, for the U.N. and beyond, are taking this time to improve themselves to step up to the challenge. They’ve noticed a silver lining: by removing the need for travel and commuting, online interpreting has actually given interpreters more of what they’re always concerned about: TIME. Many have taken the chance to hone their abilities, focusing on all sorts of fields like language training courses for business, high-level English courses online, and so on. And what better time is there to do so? Interpretation is a multi-faceted skill that covers many spheres of life, and is constantly expanding. And training online makes it all the more accessible. From training in education, law, corporate language training and more, the avenues are as endless as the need for interpreters.

Online Interpreting has a Positive Outlook

As work slowly returns for us all, adaptive measures in online interpreting will allow for greater flexibility, and create more possibilities. Mr. Pickles, a member of the U.N.’s English Interpretation Team, has a bright outlook, realizing that interpreters “will return with a new set of skills – remote interpreting – that could be useful for business continuity purposes in the event of future unforeseen circumstances.” This is true for all professional fields, opening up opportunities for language training for employees, corporate ESL training–all sorts of avenues to improve communication and understanding in the workplace.

The amazing flexibility the U.N. has shown these past few months has more than exemplified the great need for interpretation, and not only at the diplomatic level. Communication is vital in every sphere of professional life, so whether it be corporate English training or employee language training, let us at Language Connections improve the spheres of communication in your business.

The Past, Present, and Future of Zoom Interpretation

We used to envision creativity as employees collaborating in a shared space. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, people everywhere adapted to use Zoom as our gathering place. Now most people cannot imagine returning to the office—at least, not in the same way. Zoom has become a universal solution for people around the world, and people are spreading the word about Zoom interpretation.

Zoom Interpretation Anywhere, Anytime

Zoom interpretation is popping up in unlikely places, connecting diverse groups of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoom gained traction in an oversaturated market due to name recognition and its intuitive user interface. For universities, communicating over Zoom meant supporting international students during uncertain times. Companies also turned to online interpreting services to keep in touch with foreign subsidiaries as well as to initiate relationships with potential clients. As is the case for all interpreting, remote events were facilitated by capable interpreters.

Zoom Interpretation Sets You Apart

When handled by qualified, certified remote interpreters, Zoom interpretation can go toe-to-toe with in-person meetings. Remote simultaneous interpretation is an especially competitive strategy due to its unobtrusive blueprint. As opposed to consecutive interpreting, which requires the speaker to pause to allow for interpretation, simultaneous interpretation has no noticeable delay. With simultaneous translation, everyone gets the information at the same time in their native language, which goes a long way in ensuring everyone feels included. Over the course of Zoom’s development, the company prioritized adding advanced video remote interpreting features. One way this was achieved was by adding software that accounts for the creation of up to nine different channels for professional interpreters to use for foreign language translation in Zoom.

Zoom recognized that remote translation is an important step to take in increasing accessibility for all participants, resulting in company executives dedicating their time to implementing technology that would support even the most demanding—but rewarding—interpreting strategies. Simultaneous interpretation can be achieved in Zoom, which is an impressive feat. However, all interpreting strategies hinge on the capabilities of the interpreters chosen for the event.

Zoom Interpretation with Language Connections

A reality of interpretation in the digital age is that online interpreters must learn how to work in pairs so that they understand the technicalities of the platform. That way, remote interpreting will integrate seamlessly with all kinds of virtual sessions. As an expert language service provider, Language Connections oversees the training of interpreters so that they will be able to anticipate challenges before they encounter them. Working on a team alongside the interpreters is our trained staff who will supervise the technological aspects Zoom translation for events from start to finish. Zoom interpretation is moving people in the right direction and Language Connections is prepared to expedite their journey.

Top 3 Techniques for a Company Interpreter

For any company interpreter, emotion is a tool to be skillfully wielded. During interpreter training, one learns that projecting the same emotions as your sources are a part of the job. The interpreter is more than a channel, they are an advocate and representative for another person. Interpreters have a responsibility to deliver an honest rendition of what a person is saying, and this includes expressions and mannerisms. For this reason, interpreters can benefit from applying acting techniques to not only develop their skillset, but also learn to control their emotions.

Obviously acting and interpreting are different fields, however both share similarities in practice. For both actors and interpreters, vocal techniques and physical adjustments can help enhance performance. Additionally, suppressing or conjuring emotion is equally useful for both professions. The top 3 ways that acting techniques can help a professional interpreter are the following:

1. Admitting nervousness: When working in a setting that faces an audience, such as a conference interpreter, we tend to let our nerves drive the situation. Both public speaking and acting performances can benefit from the speaker acknowledging nervousness. It lets them use it to their advantage rather than let it dominate the situation and compromise the message. The key, is to feel the nervousness and embrace the symptoms (sweating, cracked voice, and shaking) usually, after accepting the initial rocky start and its symptoms, a company interpreter or an actor will calm down. The difficulty is to overcome the first minute, and then the body realizes it is not in danger and begins to relax.

2. Emotional control: One of the most effective acting techniques is to recreate a memory in the mind that can either be the opposite or the same (it depends on the assignment) for which the person is interpreting. As a result, the interpreter can draw the emotion out or suppress it by tapping into a specific memory. In truth, interpreters face many assignments that will affect them emotionally, especially when providing legal interpreting services or medical interpreting. Oftentimes, emotional reactions come as a surprise for a professional translating bad news. However, the profession depends on a person’s ability to control these spontaneous reactions. This is why putting acting techniques into play to achieve emotional management is surprisingly effective.

3. Vocal techniques: As an interpreter for a conference or a company interpreter, enunciation and pronunciation are important. The voice is the main instrument and effective communication is the objective. For any person working with speech, training is beneficial because it provides vocal techniques that allow the person to use their voice without exhausting it too soon. Also, when working in an international setting, it is important for the person to be clear for both parties. Vocal training is a practical approach that can provide significant insight.

Must-Have Tech for Conference Interpreting

Technology is everywhere today, and conference interpreting is no exception.  For conference interpreting agencies, technology is a key addition to their offering. In fact, most apps and tools available to an interpreter for a conference are from different fields, such as speech therapy, throat care, or language learning. Additionally, conference interpreters and court interpreters handle relatively simple technology like headsets, console, receivers and booths.

Digital Equipment for Conference Interpreting

Apps recommended for conference interpreting include VBOOKZ pdf voice reader, because it allows the user to control the speed of the “audio book.”  This can help a simultaneous interpreter practice for assignment like interpreting speeches that are read. In the case of legal interpreting, iCVNet (Case View Net) has been recommended by NAJIT (National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators) since it allows the interpreter to connect directly to the Court Reporter through Wi-fi and see the text from the reporter on a different device in real-time. This app also allows the interpreter to manipulate the text without interfering with the Court Reporter’s work.

In terms of physical tools, consecutive legal interpreters tend to count on headsets to translate the presenter’s speech.  Headsets utilize a microphone to deliver output and provide the translation for the receiver. Simultaneous conference interpreting is also frequently done with a headset.  It allows one to listen to a person’s speech and proceed to translate into a microphone as they hear the words. For this reason, a corporate interpreter is often assigned to work in a booth to provide sound insulation.

How to Prepare for Technical Conference Interpreting Using These Apps

To carry out the aforementioned responsibilities, providing the best conference interpreting services involves preparing for certain technical topics beforehand. The following tools can be used by professionals to prepare for topics like healthcare translation and technical manual translation. The first is an app called ANKI.  It’s a good tool for medical interpreters, as it allows the user to prepare decks of flashcards that they can customize and share amongst different members. The second tool is called Boothmate.  It is specifically designed for interpreters to manage terminology and create glossaries for any conference.  Lastly, INTERPLEX Lite is an app that provides glossaries has a fast search feature.  It allows the user to upload new Interplex databases through iTunes or Dropbox.

About Language Connections:

Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.

Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com