Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Choose a Professional Medical Translation Company

Over one-fourth of medical translations are performed by freelance translators. Although it’s a growing industry, many of these medical translators work in their field sporadically. Hence, it is prudent to work with a professional translation service that will ensure the quality and accuracy of the medical translation.

IU has access to over 7,000 language interpreters nationwide. Among this pool of language interpreters is a long list of qualified, experienced, and timely medical translators. Since IU provides medical translation all over the nation and for a wide range of size and type of medical facilities, IU has the luxury of being quite selective with the translators we choose to trust with our medical translations.

IU selects only translators who have proficiency in medical and colloquial terminology in both languages as well as sensitivity to cultural practices.

Do not rely on just someone you know is bilingual. There is no room for error in medical translations. Contact IU today to learn more about our medical translation division.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

¿Tienes leche?

Many companies are allocating a large portion of their marketing budget toward online marketing. This is an obvious decision as so many consumers turn to the Internet for product research. With this comes the decision to extend toward global online marketing. This would mean that any given website would need to be translated into multiple languages. As some websites are hundreds of pages, the question at hand would be whether to hire a professional translation service or use one of many translating software available. The answer is obvious right? [A: Use a professional translation service.] Still perplexed on why the answer is so obvious. Take the following example:

"A similar cross-cultural faux pas was averted before the "Got Milk?" campaign was launched in Hispanic markets," said Ms. Ballance. "As it turns out, the phrase translates as "¿Tienes leche?", which can mean "Are you lactating?"

Disaster avoided. It is only the human factor that can catch such a mistake. Translation software does not account for cultural transcreation where factors such as dialect and cultural nuances are taken into account. This skill can only come from a professional translation service that has language translators with various skills sets above and beyond proficiency of a target language.

The Hispanic market is sizable and a focus for many corporations today. This is why using a Spanish translation service, not some free online translating tool is your only solution. Why spend millions on branding when that image can easily be ruined just by asking "¿Tienes leche?"

Thursday, June 3, 2010

My Baby: A Sign Language Interpreter?

Is it possible to teach my baby Sign Language as she is starting to learn muscle movement? Of course it is, in fact, it’s encourage. Some studies have shown that babies that learn Sign Language have a larger vocabulary at an earlier age. It’s quite fun to watch too.

But how do I go about teaching my kids to Sign? You have several options. First, look out for classes that are specifically for teaching babies Sign Language. There are many Sign Language classes available, however, many are for people who want to become language interpreters or work for a professional translation service. There may even be classes that are quite inexpensive and taught by a language interpreter as a volunteer.

Second, look for flash cards for Sign Language. Again, these cards may be quite sophisticated and geared toward someone wanting to be a language interpreter. Find flash cards that are colorful and very simple. Babies have an aptitude to learn many words and/or phrases in Sign Language, but you want to make sure the flash cards are easy for them to understand; that they have drawings that they can interpret.

Third, work with someone who already knows Sign Language, like a Sign Language translator. If you find someone who would be willing to teach a class, talk with your local library to see if they will help promote a series of classes for those wanting to teach their children Sign Language.

Learning any new language at an early age is quite beneficial. Many professional language interpreters IU works with have been submerged in the language they interpret since early childhood. Teaching your children a new language could put them on a path toward being a professional language interpreter.