Interpreting

Fluent? Bilingual? Native speaker? Differentiating between language proficiency terms may seem nit-picky, but it serves an important purpose: helping to avoid confusion when defining an individual’s language skills.

» Read More of Defining Levels of Language Proficiency Avoids Confusion

Court or legal interpreting gone wrong not only reflects poorly on interpreters, it can undermine the entire legal system. When proper interpretation means the difference between freedom and incarceration (or worse!), it’s vital that court interpreters are equal to the task.

» Read More of Court Interpreting Leaves No Room for Error

An increasing demand for medical interpreting is making health care providers and interpreters reconsider the best means of medical interpretation. Video interpreting is preferred to telephone interpretation, but most agree that an on-site interpreter is best of all by far.

» Read More of Medical Interpreting Trends of the Future

A lack of immigrant language assistance in the US prevents immigrants from applying for social services such as Social Security and Medicaid, inhibiting their ability to integrate successfully into society.

» Read More of Immigrant Language Assistance in US Lacking

Cued speech is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to sign language yet still sparks controversy in the deaf and hearing-impaired community. But what is cued speech, and how does it differ from more traditional signed languages?

» Read More of Setting Cued Speech Apart from Sign Language

Starting in the fall of 2010, a college in Iowa will offer its students the opportunity to earn a degree in Spanish translation and interpretation. This will be only the fourth such program to be implemented in the United States, though more may soon follow.

» Read More of Iowa Introduces Spanish Translation School

Simultaneous interpreting by skilled government interpreters is essential to facilitating communication among the political leaders of the world. Government interpreters can be found around the world, helping to strengthen cultural and political ties through their work.

» Read More of Government Interpreters Give Voice to Politics

Sign language for babies can be a wonderful way for parents to start communicating with children before they have the ability to talk.

From communicating a desire for milk to telling a parent that it’s time for a nap, a baby can use sign language for many practical purposes.

» Read More of Why Use Sign Language with Babies?

Understanding the use of sign language systems and how they compare to verbal speech is essential to improving sign language technology.

Linguists have spent years trying to figure out just how sign language speakers manage to keep the pace with verbal speech. A new study from Princeton University sheds some light on the issue.

» Read More of How Using Sign Language Keeps the Pace

When you want an accurate translation, you need a human being, not just a computer. But when technology and human translators work together, they can help solve key problems — especially in medical interpreting.

Translators can use technology effectively to make themselves more available to clients, especially those who live far away. Telephonic and video services can bring translators to you — and that immediate access to interpreters can make all the difference in medical interpreting.

» Read More of Technology Uses in Medical Interpreting