Moving on.

We now have our own blogging platform at http://blog.vocalink.net/blog/ so go and check it out. New authors and company news are now being published on a daily basis, so there's plenty to get into!

We will be moving our most relevant posts and pages from blogger to the new platform asap, so you will be able to go back to them there, although this blog right here will remain up for a while to allow a smooth transition.

Now go get yourself a subscription on our new home and if you have any questions let us know. We'll see you there!

Ricardo Torres. CCI, Class of 2011.

We would like to take this opportunity to recognize Ricardo Torres, our Manager of Interpreting Affairs, for being sworn in as one of Ohio's Certified Court Interpreters this week.

Ricardo is part of the Southwest Region of Ohio roster of Certified Spanish Interpreters, having completed his certification last year on the first class of certified interpreters. On January 19th he took part in a ceremony featuring Honorable Maureen O’Connor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and Steven C. Hollon, Administrative Director of the Supreme Court of Ohio. Along with nine other interpreters, Ricardo was recognized for his dedication to the interpreting profession and commitment to language access in Ohio courts.

The Interpreter Services Program for the Supreme Court of Ohio continues to offer training and certification for interpreters in various languages including American Sign Language (ASL).

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) - Not just for Hospitals!

Post by Lisa Stokesbury

General practitioners and other general healthcare professional are currently not using interpreters to bridge communication between themselves and non-English speaking patients due to the high cost, minimum fees and wait times that are applied. Normal and customary reimbursements from insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid have already reduced revenue to the point of not being able to cover overhead to treat a patient, along with the Title VI Civil Rights Act to provide an interpreter adds cost to the appointment making a physician lose money on the appointment. So therefore, these medical providers chose not to use a professional interpreting service, allowing staff, family or even choosing not to use an interpreter to get by only increasing the risk of inaccurate communication between the professional and patient. This option opens the door for misunderstandings of patient symptoms, physician instructions or medications, resulting in extended appointments or numerous return visits.

Many hospitals have been experiencing this for some time and have engaged in using Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) to improve efficiencies in delivering quality patient care. Current interpreting industry standards of minimum time/fee requirements associated with having an on-site interpreter, hospitals looked to VRI to reduce those times and fees. In client studies we determined an interpreter is only 40% efficient in various encounters within the facility. Meaning, for an hour long minimum interpreting appointment the interpreter is only actually used 40% of the time. This is also due in part to the actual time being required for patient communication due to wait times within the facility. With the use of VRI these hospitals now have computer access to an interpreter at a click of a button, allowing immediate access to the interpreter bridging communication with the patient increasing the efficiency of the interpreter to almost 100% and reducing overall interpreting cost, by engaging them only when communication is needed.

VRI allows the same advantage for small to medium sized medical facilities! It has not been seriously looked at by these facilities due to lack of knowledge about VRI, requirements and cost. All facilities, regardless of size, can now have VRI giving them this same immediate access to an interpreter. By using an existing computer to have this technology available for improved patient communication with very low or any startup cost. Patient Confidentiality is always a concern; VRI provides a secured video conference connection between the office and interpreter meeting all HIPAA requirements. One of the critical things to manage in many facilities is keeping doctors on schedule, if communication is delayed due to not having an interpreter, the doctor now is causing other patients to wait or not seen at all. With VRI all professionals have the ability to experience the following benefits of VRI:

Reduced risk of miss-communication.

Increased efficiencies.

Skilled interpreters in the moment.

No minimum fees.

Reduction of cost.

Reduce waiting time for unscheduled appointments.

No expensive equipment needed.

Provide communication support available 24/7/365.

The medical world is competitive while delivering quality patient care is changing and demanding, how the patient is communicated with is one major component to enhancing patient care, this communication cannot be low priority or jeopardized to avoid risk. The competitiveness of the Medical world has challenges on a facility that some think are not sustainable or can cause them to be non-existent, supplying interpreters, supporting a non-English community can have the opposite effect on a facility if effectively used. If an Ethnic population knows they can come to your facility and get quality patient care and communication, they will be very loyal, bring more business to you. With VRI you can provide professional interpreters without putting the financial future of your facility at risk and most importantly improve your patient care and visibility in your community!

Lisa Stokesbury

Sales and Business Development.
Specializing in interpreting and healthcare sales support

to over 50 major hospitals, local and state governments.
Supports continued growth of company into new markets
and product development.

Any thoughts on this post? Contact Lisa!

LisaS@vocalink.net

Global English – What it is and why you should use it.

 

Post by Lisa Gleason

At the start of this New Year, many companies are testing new strategies to make 2012 a better year than 2011. For a company that is looking to expand internationally, translation is a key factor in this process. What many do not know, however, is that the company themselves can help with the translation process.

According to John R. Kohl, author of the book Global English: Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market, a document that is written in Global English makes "written texts easier to translate or easier for non-native speakers of English to read and comprehend."

What is Global English? Global English is a set of guidelines for written English that should be followed in order to publish an easily understandable document. Some of these guidelines are as basic as using shorter, more concise sentences (Kohl suggests 25 words per sentence), while others involve reorganization of sentence structure. For example, when introducing a list in the document, it should be made with complete sentences.

This would be an example of how not to introduce a list:

In addition to invoking, managing, and scrolling windows, the windowing environment can

• customize windows
• manage libraries and files
• search text.

This would be an example of how to introduce a list:

In addition to invoking, managing, and scrolling windows, the windowing environment can be used as follows:

• to customize windows
• to manage libraries and files
• to search text.

By using complete sentences in the list, the translation becomes much easier for translators whose languages have different sentence structures.

So, you may be asking yourself, why should I change the style of my documents just so it is easier to translate? If you keep the guidelines of Global English in mind while writing your company’s documents, the text will be less ambiguous and easier to translate. Not to mention, the translation process will be done quicker and be more accurate!

Lisa Gleason

Project Management intern, Translation and Localization Division.

Second year Masters student at Kent University (Translation Studies).

Expected to graduate this upcoming May.

Projects coordinator for Fortune 500 Clients.

Translation management system specialist (Vu TM).

Any thoughts on this post? Contact Lisa!

LisaG@vocalink.net

Vocalink blog initiative 2.0 - Resetting the social network.

Here we go again.
We hope you had a great Holiday season and are firmly back on the saddle heading for a spectacular 2012. It's all about keeping it simple and having clear goals, right? Ourselves, as far as the social network is concerned, are going through some major improvements - restyling our website, upgrading our tracking system and, of course, making our blog structure more flexible.

On this note, we are moving from blogger to our own platform, allowing editorial and design upgrades impossible to achieve here. Don't think that we don't love Blogger! It's an amazing platform, but we are about to have multiple authors posting and we need a perfect symbiosis between the blog and our website, plus the ability to structure multiple authors into one single platform. That's the reason for the construction sign being back up there - it's underway.

Meanwhile, our authors are getting restless and they are coming up with great posts already, in antecipation of the new blog. So here's what we'll do: starting today, we will post their contributions right here, starting a transition period that will work as a preview of our future blog. Soon we will migrate to the new platform and there you will have these posts organized by author (each will have their own section) and subject. Until then, keep an eye on us and get a taste of what's to come. Soon!

Happy Holidays!

Ho Ho Ho! Now here's a simple phrase that hardly needs translation.
Our wishes of the best Holidays ever and a great 2012! See you next year!

And here is our Video Christmas Card to you. Enjoy!
.

One of many stories...

On Dayton Children's website, a success story was told about a child named Benjamin (Overcoming Barriers - Benjamin Hernandez). Diagnosed with having too much water in his brain at birth, Benjamin developed a number of health issues that since then have been addressed by multiple specialists at Dayton Children's hospital and his parents, Avenego and Emma Hernandez, have always been able to get him the medical care he needs thanks to interpreters.

Dayton Children's is a client of Vocalink and one of the interpreters who have consistently worked with the hospital in this particular case is Fern Leland. An independent contractor working with Vocalink, Leland illustrates the fundamental role interpreters play in getting medical care to families with limited or no knowledge of English. We asked Leland to share some of her thoughts with us, in the wake of this article in the Dayton Children's website. These are her words:

I had not realized how many people are not able to communicate with medical staff and how important that communication is to the patient's well being (before I started working as an interpreter). It is challenging using your mind going back and forth from one language to another and at the end of many a day I go home mentally exhausted and at the same time energized. It has changed my life. Of all the different jobs that I have had this is my favorite one. For me it is very rewarding to be able to help patients and their families in their time of need with medical staff.

(Interpreting is not a) job for everyone as it is often fast paced, and can be difficult however it is never boring. Interpreters need to have a specialized vocabulary and be familiar with colloquial terms and sayings in both languages. As an interpreter you have to be capable of putting your emotions aside, interpret everything you hear, refrain from giving advice or expressing your opinions, be able to accurately interpret from one language to another, and respect the privacy and confidentiality of each interaction.

In emotional situations (like Benjamin's) it is easy to forget your impartiality and go into an advocate/social worker mode but I find it helps me if I visualize putting my emotions into a box and closing the top. Later when I am not interpreting I can let my emotions come to the surface. There are times when you have to give very bad news and other times when you get to give good news. In my experience there is more good news than bad.

It is extremely important for non English speaking residents to have interpreting services available to them. In addition to interpreting the words, interpreters must be able to relay concepts and ideas and be sensitive to cultural issues. If individuals do not have an interpreter present there can be important information that is not communicated or is delivered incorrectly and the results in many situations could be detrimental to that individual.

Benjamin, as part of its biblical origin, also means "last born" or "youngest son". Like Fern Leland, many independent contractors working with Vocalink interpret for many other Benjamins and their families, at Dayton Children's and other medical facilities across Ohio and beyond. Dayton Children's placed the story of Benjamin Hernandez in their "Success Stories" section and we are pleased to celebrate this and many other stories as part of our continued success in helping to break barriers through language, interpreting the spoken word with clarity.
Anyhow. Anywhere.

Around the World: Thanksgiving [USA; Puerto Rico]

"Thanksgiving Day, annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag Indians. The American holiday is particularly rich in legend and symbolism.

Plymouth’s Thanksgiving began with a few colonists going out “fowling,” possibly for turkeys but more probably for the easier prey of geese and ducks, since they “in one day killed as much as…served the company almost a week.” Next, 90 or so Wampanoag made a surprise appearance at the settlement’s gate, doubtlessly unnerving the 50 or so colonists. Nevertheless, over the next few days the two groups socialized without incident. The Wampanoag contributed venison to the feast, which included the fowl and probably fish, eels, shellfish, stews, vegetables, and beer. Since Plymouth had few buildings and manufactured goods, most people ate outside while sitting on the ground or on barrels with plates on their laps. (...) (1) (continue reading)

Thanksgiving is also celebrated in Canada (2nd Monday in October), Liberia (1st Thursday in November), Norfolk Island (last Wednesday in November) and Puerto Rico (4th Thursday in November, as in the US).

Source:
(1) Thanksgiving in Encyclopædia Britannica, primary contributor: David J. Silverman

Around the World: Halloween [USA; Ireland; Canada]

Halloween, one of the world's oldest holidays, is still celebrated today in several countries around the globe. The autumn rite is commemorated in the United Kingdom, although with a surprising and distinctive British twist. In Mexico, Latin America, and Spain, All Souls' Day, the third day of the three-day Hallowmas observance, is the most important part of the celebration for many people. In Ireland and Canada, Halloween, which was once a frightening and superstitious time of year, is celebrated much as it is in the United States, with trick-or-treating, costume parties, and fun for all ages. (1)

The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which means "end of summer", the Celtic New year. (1)

Not everybody joining in the Samhain celebrations was necessarily human ... or of our world. The night from October 31st to November 1st was a time "between years" to the Celts. And during this time the borders between our world and the otherworld(s) were flexible and open. (2)

Sources:

(1) The origin of Halloween lies in Celtic Ireland in Irish Genealogy Toolkit :)

(2) Samhain - A Very Irish Feast, The Roots of Halloween in Celtic Ireland in Go Ireland ;)

A way of life.

It takes more than having two hands to be a good pianist.
It takes more than knowing two languages to be a good translator or interpreter.

Here is a taste of an interesting article about interpreters, published on PsychologyToday by François Grosjean on his blog Life as a Bilingual, where you can find many interesting posts on the subject.

"Have you ever sat down in an interpreter's booth, put on the headphones and tried to interpret the incoming speech? I did when I was a young and rather naive student who thought that being bilingual meant one could interpret simultaneously. No sooner had I started that problems arrived. As I was outputting the first sentence, the second one was already coming in but I hadn't paid enough attention to it. I remembered its beginning but not its ending. Very quickly I fell behind and I just couldn't say anything more after a few minutes!
Many years later I still remember the scene vividly and because of it, but also because of my own research on the perception and production of speech, I have the utmost respect for interpreters and the training they have to go through to do their job well." (...) (continue reading)

References
Valdés, Guadalupe (2003). Expanding Definitions of Giftedness: The Case of Young Interpreters from Immigrant Communities. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum. Grosjean, François. Special bilinguals. Chapter 13 of Grosjean, François (2010). Bilingual: Life and Reality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

AMTS 2011

The annual Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Show (AMTS) returns to Dayton tomorrow and the following day, Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20, courtesy of the Dayton Tooling and Manufacturing Association (DTMA).

The region's only annual advanced manufacturing and technology-specific trade show presents a unique opportunity to network, assess trends and review new technologies. Vocalink is once again present and we look forward to seeing you there. Look for us in Stand 1201 - turn left as you go in the Expo Center and we are the stand before last on your right side (map here).

Location: Dayton Airport Expo Center
Dates: October 19 & 20, 2011
Hours: 10:00 am to 08:00 pm
Parking and admission are free.

Around the World: Confucius Day [Taiwan]

The Republic of China declared Confucius' birthday as "Teacher's Day", as Confucius Day is also known, in 1952 to celebrate the great sage, also dubbed "first and model teacher", and to honor his contributions to China and the world. On this day, teachers are also honored for their virtues, sacrifices and for being the pilars of culture both for their students and for society. Every September 28, Confucius temples around the island of Taiwan hold sacrificial rituals in honor of the highly respected sage. The ceremony of "Shih Tien Li" (display-presentation), as it is known, has its roots as far as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC to 256 BC).

The core of the Confucius philosophy are displayed above, over Taiwan's flag, and they are (right to left): benevolence-charity; justice-rectitude; politeness-tact; wisdom-knowledge; fidelity-trust. To the far left are the characters for Kongzi, Confucius real name - Confucius is a westernization of Kongzi.

Although many of these concepts may be found in various religions, Confucianism is not a religion but rather a set of values that establish a moral code for what the revered First Teacher considered a proper and civilized society.

About the Republic of China (Taiwan) flag:

Blue signifies liberty, justice, and democracy; red stands for fraternity, sacrifice, and nationalism, white represents equality, frankness, and the people's livelihood; the 12 rays of the sun are those of the months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours (each ray equals two hours). The blue and white design of the canton (symbolizing the sun of progress) dates to 1895; it was later adopted as the flag of the Kuomintang Party.Note: Not to be mistaken for the People's Republic of China (mainland China).

...

Paramount.

The single most important concern for buyers of translation services may be a surprise to you. According to a recent survey using a significant number of translation and localization buyers, their main concern isn't technology used, quality of content or even how much it costs! What matters most to them is the project's turnaround time.

Tick tock, tick tock...

Source: Nataly Kelly, Common Sense Advisory, Inc.

Around the World: Independence Day [Chile]

The ripples of the Peninsular War (1808-1814) were not just felt in Brazil, but throughout all of South America at the time divided between Portugal and Spain, countries that Napoleon was invading by then.

In Chile, the independent process began as early as 1810 by the establishment of a "Junta" that would in fact take the responsibilities of local government while still recognizing Madrid's royal sovereignty, albeit struck by the french invasion - Carlos IV (Charles the fourth) had recently abdicated in favor of his son Fernando, who took over the Empire as Fernando VII (Ferdinand the seventh), just in time to get imprisoned by the French together with his father who was persuaded by Napoleon to nullify his earlier abdication only to abdicate in favor of the french emperor himself, who then proceeded to name his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, king of Spain. The stage was set for the South American colonies independence.

From the initial "Junta" to the severance of all ties with the Spanish empire Chile had to fight several years, the independence itself being establish as a fact in 1818 after the battle of Maípu, in which Bernardo O'Higgins and José de San Martin coined their place in Chile's history by defeating the remains of the royalist armies.
This process also took place in Argentina, where San Martin had already become famous, and Peru would follow soon after Chile, which combined with the actions of Símon Bolívar in the northern colonies of South America illustrates the ripple effect mentioned above.

Be as it may, the date of establishment of the first "Junta" is the day that symbolizes the independence process and it eventually became Chile's national day of independence, known as "Dieciocho" (Eighteen) or "Fiestas Patrias" (National Holiday). 

About the Chilean flag:
Two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the blood spilled to achieve independence.
Note: design was inspired by the United States flag.
...

10 years...

Around the World: Independence Day [Brazil]

September 7 is the Brazillian independence day.

Originally a portuguese colony, Brazil was chosen as a safe haven by João VI (John the sixth) and the portuguese royal family and court during the Peninsular War (1808-1814), Napoleon's invasion of Spain and Portugal, which in effect transformed the colony into the Empire's center of government. When events in the homeland demanded the return of the king to Portugal, João VI left his first born, Pedro of Alcântara, as the regent prince of Brazil. As the royals left, most of the money acumulated in the state coffers left with them, along with most of the privileges instituted in brazillian society during the exile period, causing a wave of discontent that would culminate in all out revolt joined and in fact led by Dom Pedro himself. When the portuguese royal court ordered Dom Pedro to return to Lisbon, meaning to replace him by more suitable regents, the brazillian court asked him to consider staying to which he replied "Tell the people (of Brazil) I stay", on January 9, 1822, a date known to this day as "Stay Day" (Dia do Fico).

On September 7, 1822, Dom Pedro received an ultimatum from his father, demanding his immediate return to the homeland and Brazil's total submission to Lisbon. He was on the bank of the Ipiranga river (modern day São Paulo) when he got this message, to which it is said he replied crying "Independence or death!", the turning point in Brazil's emancipation struggle, this has become known as the "the cry of Ipiranga" (o grito do Ipiranga), an expression that became synonymous to revolt and independence in portuguese popular culture.

Reality or myth, this was a seminal moment in the independence process, which would come about on December 1st, 1822, when Dom Pedro was crowned emperor of Brazil, and September 7 is thus considered Independence Day in Brazil, and celebrated as such since then. 

About the Brazillian flag:
Green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress); the current flag was inspired by the banner of the former Empire of Brazil (1822-1889); on the imperial flag, the green represented the House of Braganza of Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil, while the yellow stood for the Habsburg Family of his wife; on the modern flag the green represents the forests of the country and the yellow rhombus its mineral wealth; the blue circle and stars, which replaced the coat of arms of the original flag, depict the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889 - the day the Republic of Brazil was declared. The number of stars has changed with the creation of new states and has risen from an original 21 to the current 27 (one for each state and the Federal District).
...

Vocalink in Cincinnati

Vocalink is proud to announce the opening of its Cincinnati office.

Located near Hyde Park Square, just past Edwards Road, at 2643 Erie Avenue, our office will provide close support to our many clients from the southern state area (IT, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Corporate, Judicial) and many new ones to come, in our long standing tradition of excellent service.

It is also the place where Ricardo Torres, our Manager of Interpreter Affairs, is based.

You will be pleased to know we are now closer to you, with the ability to meet your needs more efficiently and with an even more personal touch, making business easy in any language!

Vocalink . Cincinnati Office

2643 Erie Avenue, Suite 203, Cincinnati, OH 45208

Around the World: Labor Day [USA]

Set for September 5 this year, Labor Day is celebrated throughout the United States on the first Monday of September. All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories have made it a statutory holiday. It was first observed in 1882 and became a federal holiday in 1894.

Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States of America. Should not be mistaken by the international labor day, which is celebrated throughout most of the western world on the first of May.

Traditionaly, Labor Day marks the end of Summer and Summer vacations; kids go back to school, new seasons of TV shows will soon start and so will new seasons of the NFL and college football.

About the U.S.A. flag:
The 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; the blue stands for loyalty, devotion, truth, justice, and friendship; red symbolizes courage, zeal, and fervency, while white denotes purity and rectitude of conduct.
Commonly referred to by its nickname of Old Glory.

i18n : found in translation

Today we start a new series of posts made of little "capsules" from our translation division.
Literally found in translation. Here's the first one:

i18n
This numeronym (an acronym with digits) stands for "internationalization" and it is made of the first and last letters in the word itself with 18 being the number of letters between them. Pretty neat, huh? So what does it mean? Well, in short it identifies the process of developing or modifying an application or any type of software so that it can run across multiple regions with different specifications.
Is this too technical? Stay tuned for our next found in translation capsule!

Translation/Localization Division . Vocalink

Ricardo Torres: our new Manager of Interpreter Affairs.

We are pleased to announce Ricardo Torres has joined our team as manager of interpreter affairs. One of Vocalink’s corner stones, interpreter affairs designs, coordinates and executes strategies implemented to enhance the interpreting experience for our clients and our interpreters, in the tradition of excellence that has long become a Vocalink hallmark.

Ricardo Torres, a native of Colombia, is living in the United States since 2001. He has a degree in English Language by the Universidad Del Quindío and is completing an associate degree in Science at Cincinnati State University. Ricardo is a State of Ohio certified judicial interpreter and a State of Ohio certified medical interpreter. He has been working as a Spanish interpreter at UC Health University Hospital in Cincinnati.

His long and outstanding experience in this field will provide our interpreting services a broader and more effective edge, taking our vision of making business throughout the world easy in any language, in any way, at any time to new heights. We are very pleased to have Ricardo Torres on our team. Knowing his passion for making his mark in the industry, we are excited about the role he will play in driving us ever forward to achieve our goals and thus help our clients achieve theirs in an even more efficient way.