Finding a Qualified Interpreter
Finding a qualified interpreter for any assignment may require a great deal of time, effort, and sometimes frustration before you find the ideal professional. Given that the process of finding an interpreter can often be stressful and extremely time-consuming for an individual, hiring an interpreter through a translation agency is usually the best way to […]
An Introduction to Google Docs
Hey! Welcome to this week’s tip of the week. In these weekly posts we highlight some tips and tricks that we use at Translation Excellence on a daily basis. If you’ve missed some of our previous posts, you can check them out here. This week I’m going to give an introduction to Google Docs, a […]
Can One Language Define a Country? A Look at the New Ukrainian Language Law
As of February 23, Ukraine, a country that has faced four months of protest in bitter winter conditions, has been retaken by the people. The government, initially pushing ties to bring the country closer to Western Europe, raised the citizens’ ire when it cut those ties and showed signs of reopening relations with Russia, a […]
How Eliminating Language Barriers Helps People Understand the Value of Water
Let’s say you want to tackle the issue of clean water access. Around the globe, 783 million people lack access to safe, clean water, according to the UN, and you work with a group that wants to do something about it. No doubt your company or organization will plan systems to improve water treatment, quality […]
Cultural Competence is Key for Language Professionals
Key Points Why Cultural Competence Matters Language competence is a set of attitudes, skills, behaviors, and policies that enable international companies to effectively communicate and interact with overseas partners and clients. When employees of international companies possess cultural competence, they are better able to adapt to the country’s market and customer base. Cultural Linguistic Competence […]
Headers and Footers in Word: The Basics
Key Points Welcome to this week’s Tip of the Week! If you’ve missed our previous Tips of the Week, be sure to check them out here. Today we’re going to tackle the basics of headers and footers in Word. We’ll be going over how to insert headers, how to insert footers, how to remove headers […]
Simultaneous Interpretation Series Part 6 of 6: Skills Simultaneous Interpreters Should Bring to the Profession
Welcome to the final article in our six-part series on simultaneous interpretation! By now you’re familiar with many of the requirements necessary to be an effective interpreter or to evaluate an interpreter’s work, but we thought it’d be helpful to summarize these points. Interpreters who want to convey language meaning and cultural nuance must be […]
Italian Gesticulation
The fact that Italians talk with their hands is generally accepted as a stereotype, a joke, and the truth. Far from simply being an outlet for emotions, the movement of an Italian’s hands conveys depth and meaning that words may not fully express. Gesticulation has been passed down through generations, just like spoken or signed […]
Simultaneous Interpretation Series Part 5 of 6: Handling Humor During a Simultaneous Interpretation Assignment
Key Points Navigating the Challenges of Simultaneous Interpretation Humor can present unique challenges for simultaneous interpreters during assignments. It happens to everyone: we’ve all felt out of place at one time or another. Whether you’re in an unfamiliar city needing to ask for directions or feeling uncomfortable at an unexpected social gathering, such situations can […]
How Language Affects Our Perception of the World
Ask someone to describe a smell, and you will often receive an answer that is vague, confused, overly simplified, or uses other odors as a comparison. Studies aiming to determine how well people can identify smells around them have only seen success rates of 50%, even when using common scents such as coffee, bananas, or […]