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I sometimes talk to smaller organizations operating on grant money with tight budgets and documents that need to be translated. Because of financial constraints, these businesses or nonprofits try to save money, often by asking bilingual employees to help translate various documents. The obvious downside to giving translation responsibilities to a non-expert is quality. At Avantpage, our translators have gone through professional training and undergo a rigorous qualification process before they join the team. We look for linguists with a deep knowledge of both source and target languages and cultures. Bilingual employees will likely not have the same experience, education, or expertise of a professional translator. However, while some organizations have considered and rationalized accepting lower quality translations to save money, many have not weighed the other effects of this questionable practice. Here are four ways tasking a bilingual employee with translation responsibilities outside of their regular duties could affect your organization. Putting aside the fact that your in-house staff members are not professional linguists, translating a document or reviewing a translation is not in their job descriptions either. When you ask them to take time away from their primary responsibilities and translate, you’re distracting them from their actual job. The cost of this distraction can be more significant than you think. According to data from the U.S. Labor Department, employees can experience 50-60 interruptions each day. That’s an interruption every 8 minutes. After each interruption, it can take an employee 23 minutes to return to his or her original task, according to a study by the University of California, Irvine. There is a financial cost to these distractions—$10,375 per person, per year, according to Harmon.ie. Distractions also take their toll on your employees’ engagement and effectiveness. Harmon.ie’s research showed that 33% of employees had difficulty working and producing because of workplace distractions and 25% had no time to think deeply or creatively as a result. One in five workers found distractions caused information overload and 1 in 10 missed deadlines because of them. So, before you ask a bilingual employee to translate that flyer “real fast,” ask yourself what unaccounted costs you may be incurring. Sometimes, in-house staff isn’t responsible for translating a document. Instead, they are asked to review a translation completed by a professional Language Services Provider. While this may seem innocent enough, there are still ways this practice can cost your organization time and money. While your bilingual employees may have grown up speaking a language at home, that doesn’t mean they have the same linguistic expertise to understand specific grammar or cultural conventions. Therefore their edits or suggestions may actually hurt the accuracy of the translation created by a professional linguist. There’s also a subjectivity of language. Professional editors and proofers know how to identify when a translation is wrong versus when it is just not quite how they would say it. When in-house staff makes their edits based on subjective concerns, they can extend the translation process longer than necessary and introduce errors or inconsistencies. Finally, it’s doubtful that your in-house staff understands how to use some of the tools that a professional LSP uses for productivity, such as translation memory and glossaries. As a result, having them review a translation can take more time for an ultimately subpar product. If you need translations completed for a healthcare organization or another industry with strong regulations concerning privacy, asking a bilingual employee to translate sensitive information could be dangerous. For example, a medical translation project will need to comply with many standards simultaneously. To comply with the Joint Commission Standards and Healthcare Compliance Law, your organization must be able to communicate with a Limited English Proficient speaker in his or her own language. However, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prohibits the unauthorized sharing of medical records and personally identifiable information without patient consent. While it is probable that any bilingual staff member is fully aware of HIPAA regulations, a professional Language Services Provider working under a BAA will have technical processes and safeguards in place to protect privacy and clarity equally. Assigning and compensating employees for “additional duties” may be illegal under the Equal Pay Act in some circumstances. For example, let’s say Sarah and Sam are both administrative assistants at your organization and that they both speak Spanish. Both have the same level of education, experience, base pay, and performance. But, Sarah receives a small bonus each month for translating documents. Seems fair, right? It’s not if Sam didn’t receive the same opportunity. According to HR Drive, pay differentials related to additional duties can cause pay disparity problems in many scenarios. More broadly, however, pay disparity issues — real or perceived — have serious implications for employee engagement and workplace culture. Considering these four factors, I strongly encourage organizations to avoid using bilingual employees to translate documents or review translations. While this may sound biased, coming from someone who works for an LSP, the data speaks for itself. By using bilingual employees to complete translation work, you expose your organization to costly mistakes. Is it really worth the risk? At Avantpage our experienced team can help guide you through the translation process and make it fast and easy. To find out more about our services call us at 1-530-750-2040 x11, or request a free quote today.

The language communities of your state impact how you think about translation projects. Looking toward elections season, it’s particularly important to identify the language communities that you serve. This can help you comply with legal regulations and engage more voters, which can lead to increased turnout and support. Florida has many unique language communities, each with its own needs for translation and communication. Here are five facts about Florida language communities that you should consider going into this election season. This piece of  2015 Census data shows that there are an incredible amount of languages and a wide variety of cultures to consider when working on a translation project. Almost three million people in the Miami metropolitan area alone are bilingual or multilingual. These facts emphasize the importance of being culturally aware when translating election materials. With such a large population speaking so many different languages, it’s important to maintain cultural sensitivity for each language community. This will help to engage voters more actively in the democratic process. While most people are aware of the active Spanish and Creole communities in Florida, few people know of the French community. As of 2017, 114,000 people speak French in their Florida homes. With French being such a pervasive language in Florida, it’s important to consider the needs of this language community when translating election materials. There are many French dialects, so you’ll need to research which dialects people speak in your area. Reaching these voters in their native or chosen language of French will help you build a trusting relationship. This may not seem like a high percentage, but it is significant! If you don’t have a strategy to reach LEP voters, now is the time to develop one. LEP voters have specific translation and communication needs. To reach LEP voters, focus on what they want to hear about, and consider how you can deliver those messages. If you need a starting point for strategizing, these four questions can help you reach LEP voters! Florida’s language communities are more varied than you might think. In 2013, 86,000 people spoke Portuguese, 70,000 people spoke German, 60,000 people spoke Vietnamese, and 58,000 people spoke Chinese. When you’re translating election material, be sure to research which communities are prevalent in your area. If you find that a portion of your community’s population speaks one or more of these languages, plan to translate accordingly. There are two federally recognized Native American tribes in Florida, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians. There are also three other tribes in Florida, the Muscogee Nation of Florida, the Perdido Bay Tribe of Lower Muscogee Creeks, and the Choctaw Nation of Florida. When translating election materials, make sure to reach these tribes effectively. Consider if the messaging and language speaks to the concerns and culture of these communities. Your voter turnout rates can increase as a result. With such diverse language communities, it’s important for Florida elections professionals to strategize and plan translation projects effectively. If you don’t know where to start, give us a call at 530-750-2040, or request a free quote today!

Emojis get a lot of credit and take a lot of criticism. These iconic graphic symbols (don’t confuse them with emoticons) are either ruining civilization or represent the future of communication. A string of these contemporary hieroglyphs can either save your relationship or make you less emotional. Linguists, scientists, and sociologists argue that they helping us to communicate better than ever despite the popular notion that they are ruining people's grasp of language. ?‍ Developed in Japan in 1999, emojis are Britain's fastest growing linguistic resource. What started as a set of 176 icons has grown to more than 2,000 symbols when taking into account variants for gender and skin tone. More than 90 percent of social media users communicate via emojis, with more than 6 billion exchanged daily. In 2015, The Oxford Dictionary selected ? as the Word of the Year. You can read The Bible or Shakespeare with emojis. Some hotels allow guests to order room service with a string of icons. They can ruin Cookie Monster's day or sum up the best day of a tennis star’s life. ??? Emojis are a way to communicate very complex extra-linguistic meaning. When we're talking in person, we express this meta-linguistic commentary with tone, intonation or stress. For example, I can speak with a sarcastic voice, but I can't type with one. However, I can put an emoji before or after a text to show that it should be understood in a sarcastic voice. These symbols support the language that somebody uses and takes it one step further. Emojis can help add back in some of the context and emotion chipped away by the communication medium that is text-only. Emojis cannot be defined as a complete and separate language for many reasons, especially because they don't have an ample lexical set or a grammar that would define word order, morphological markers, or semantic roles, for example. Instead, they're part of a variety of resources we use in written communication such as punctuation, underlining, bold, font, or text color. And like all written language resources, people do have to be socialized into the conventions to use them appropriately. That said, often, emojis are used creatively in the moment. What one emoji means in one conversation in one location or setting is not going to be the same with others. Context determines meaning. Translating emojis requires cultural competence in addition to linguistic competence. The complexity of context requires linguists to consider cultural differences because of the conventions that people develop. People learn these conventions through social interactions. If you participate in these interactions, then you know how to use language in a way that conforms with those conventions because you’re socialized into it. This is why sometimes adults don't understand teenagers’ way of talking—they haven’t been socialized into the group. The same is true for communicating with emojis. The same symbol can take on different meanings in different cultures. For example: ?: In the United States, Westerners use the "face with tears of joy" emoji to show express extreme laughter in reaction to a humorous situation. But in China, people use this same symbol to express laughing helplessly at a frustrating situation. Alternatively, some Middle Eastern cultures interpret this emoji as depicting crying and grief. ?: The thumbs up emoji is popular in the United States to express quick approval of an idea. However, in the Middle East, it is traditionally an offensive gesture. ?: While this symbol can mean “OK” in the United States, it can be offensive in Latin America. ?: The panda bear emoji is often used in China to express friendship, love, endearment, and cuteness. But, this symbol doesn’t carry that same meaning in other parts of the world. When translating emojis for social media or online chat scripts, it’s crucial to be aware of culture-specific conventions. When businesses or individuals misuse emojis, it can prove to be hugely damaging, especially when trying to reach younger audiences. ? ? ? To avoid any potential emoji translation embarrassment, look to hire a language services provider with a variety of translators. An effective LSP will select the right linguist who is culturally competent in both the source and target languages and cultures. This will ensure that the translation is culturally and linguistically appropriate to your needs.? ? ? At Avantpage our experienced team can help guide you through the translation process. To find out more about our services or to get a free quote, email us at [email protected] or call us at 530-750-2040 x11.

Starting your work with a Language Service Provider can be intimidating. There are many factors to consider when you choose an LSP, one being how your LSP measures and assures quality. At Avantpage, we consider more than 40 pieces of information to ensure you get a high-quality translation that serves you and your consumers. Each piece of data helps us to better contextualize your translation needs. While each project may not have all 40 pieces to consider, we always look for the following five pieces of information as part of our five-item quality checklist. These pieces of information provide the main context of your document and allow us to produce the highest quality translation of your document. To provide the highest-quality translation, we need to know how you plan on using the document. If your document is being printed, your translation may look different than if it is being used to make an audio recording. The function of the document helps us to communicate your message in the best way. Another piece of information we consider is the purpose of your document. What are you trying to do with the final product? For example, are you obtaining information from your end-user, or giving them information? We want to ensure your document continues to serve this purpose, even after translation. Who will receive the final translation? Your end-user is one of our biggest considerations in assuring a high-quality translation. The document will read differently if your end-user is from an area with a specific dialect of your language, or if they are in a certain life stage. Your industry, or domain, informs how we translate your document. A high-quality translation for the healthcare industry might include different terms and phrases than a high-quality translation for the elections industry. To make sure we’re using the language that your consumers expect, your industry is a key point in our contextualization process. Finally, we need to know what kind of document you need translated! If your project involves translating a letter to your end-users, it will read differently than if your project involves translating meeting minutes. This helps us make sure the tone of your translation fits the document you’re providing. Above all else, we work to ensure that the translation you receive from us is of the highest quality possible. To do so, we spend time contextualizing the document before translating it. Your translation needs are our highest priority, and we treat each project with the time and consideration it deserves. To find out more about our translation services, and our quality review processes, contact us at 530-750-2040 or request a free quote today.

Did that headline get your attention? Who really wants to waste money on a translation project? Unfortunately, we’ve had clients who, with the best of intentions, have frittered away their precious budget, all because they thought they were taking steps to save money. Sometimes, in attempting to cut corners and save costs here and there, you can actually make your translation project more expensive. Here are some of the most common mistakes we've seen. Now, we haven't seen a client ask us to translate a document written in crayon by a small child, but we often receive files that we can't easily edit. The type of file you provide matters. Whenever possible, get the editable source file for the document, often a Microsoft Word or InDesign document, and avoid .pdfs and .jpegs. A good rule of thumb is to provide a document that we can put a cursor in, and directly edit the text. This makes it easier (and less expensive) for us to do our job. If it's something we can't directly edit, it's going to cost you more time and money.  We understand of course that sometimes you have a handwritten document or simply don’t have access to an editable file—that’s completely fine! But if an editable file might exist, then spending a little time searching for it can save time and money down the road. We once worked on a huge project where our client wanted to do an internal review of all of the documents. The internal reviewer, who spoke the language the document was being translated into, took all these files, hand wrote all the edits, scanned the pages, and sent them to us. On the surface, the client was trying to be thorough and do the right thing. Unfortunately, because the edits needed to be applied by our design team who didn’t speak the reviewer’s language, we had to pay someone to translate and type up the edits. It doubled the amount of work and expense. If they had just used a PDF comment tool, it would have saved time and money. Whenever possible, try to provide comments and feedback using the PDF commenting tool. Sometimes, this isn’t possible and we understand! We always try to accommodate what works best for your organization. But, by using the PDF commenting tool, you can save time and money on your translation project. We’ve also seen instances where an organization tries to translate a document with a bilingual staff member or with a tool such as Google Translate. The client then asks us to edit this document, thinking that it should be faster, easier, and less expensive. Unfortunately, this is hardly ever the case. If the initial translation is not done well, it's going to take longer to edit it than it would be to create the translation from scratch. We know that nobody intentionally waits until the last minute to submit a project for translation. Often, it's more a consequence of either over-ambitious planning, or the simple fact that translation comes last in the life cycle of a document. If the workflow has encountered delays along the way, it’s the translation provider that is left with reduced time to turn around a final piece. Another good rule of thumb is that if a document took a week to write, it's likely going to take more than two days to translate. By keeping this in mind and by carefully planning with your translation provider, you can save your organization the expense of rush fees and eliminate the risk of missed quality assurance steps. Sometimes, a client will send a file that is not yet final. For example, the English may still be in the editing process and exist only in draft form. They think this is going to save time because it gives a head start on the translation. Or maybe they just didn't check if edits were still occurring when they made the translation request. The problem is that a stream of slightly updated versions can cause a lot of confusion, extra time, and, as a consequence, increase the final bill for translation. It’s always worth waiting until content is final before sending it to your language services provider. As you can see, none of these mistakes were made with bad intentions—just by people trying to do their jobs quickly and effectively. At Avantpage, we're here to help you do just that! So, avoid these mistakes, and you can set yourself on the path to having a translation project completed affordably. At Avantpage, our experienced team can help guide you through the translation process and make it fast and easy. To find out more about our services call us at 530-750-2040 x11, or request a free quote.

In July of 2016 I joined the Avantpage team with two primary objectives: Today I am thrilled to announce that we accomplished both of these objectives. This is the story of our rebrand journey from the beginning of finding our greater purpose, to how we got here, and most importantly why you should care. Avantpage has been in business for over 20 years, and in that time we have grown and changed with the translation industry. We expanded all three of our locations across the world, recruiting and onboarding the very best people to make sure that we could provide the very best language services to our clients. But, growing a company is no easy feat, and it comes with a lot of challenges. One of those challenges for us was defining who we are, what we stand for, and what our values are. We knew that just redoing our website and logo wouldn’t be enough. We needed first to uncover our greater purpose and stand for something more than the services we provide. To do that, we focused on our brand story. Here’s what we knew: But, what was missing was our “why.” We asked ourselves, “What is our greater purpose? Why do we do the work that we do?” To continue succeeding as a business, we needed to define our “why,” to differentiate ourselves and to fortify our company from the inside out. When we embarked on our rebrand journey, we worked with an incredible story branding expert, Park Howell, to define our brand story. As part of his process, we interviewed some of our current customers. A brand is a sum of what everyone thinks it is, and we needed information from our customers to ensure that how we perceive our brand matches with how others perceive our brand. Each one of our customers helped us to discover our brand story and their influence helped us to create a whole new look and feel for our company from the inside out. But we didn’t stop there. After interviewing customers, we interviewed our translators and employees. We pulled all of this information together and focused in on the phrases and wording that each audience used to talk about Avantpage. We used those similarities to define the core values that we now build into every aspect of our company. Here are the three values that define us as a company. Our values didn’t come from a desire to be a profitable business; they came out of our desire as an entire company to make a difference. We all want to make a difference in our communities, and we all found that we want to be more than the services we provide. We didn’t come to an answer right away, but after many brainstorming sessions, we found our purpose. We exist to help immigrants and Limited English Proficiency speakers and make a difference in their lives through our translation services. This means that no matter the type of project, size of project, or the audience, we empathetically think about the end-user. We don’t directly interact with the end-users of our customers, and we may never get to hear or see their reactions to our translations. But, we are an immigrant-founded company, and that fact, as well as our values, motivates us to provide the highest-quality and most culturally accurate translations. We do all of this because we truly care about the end-user. This empathic understanding and our promise of trust extend our customers and to their end-users. Our values mean that we’ll go above and beyond to complete your translation project and that we’re changing how we interact with our customers. Each department is building empathy into their processes, communications, and interactions with our clients. Our values and purpose are the foundation that we needed to build before redefining the look and feel of our company. We started with our story and then used that story to influence all aspects of our visual designs. With this change comes a new look and feel to the visual aspects of our brand. Our new brand is warm, inviting, and friendly. We led with the color yellow because of its eye-catching characteristic, but also because it’s a comforting color. The imagery of our new brand puts a face to the people who ultimately use our translations. Many translations are done because of legal regulations, so we wanted our brand to be a reminder of the importance and humanity of connecting with people through language. That’s what this rebrand is all about: understanding each other to build a better world through language. When we rebuilt our website, we focused on the user experience. This meant condensing the website to host only the important information you need, making it more organized and easier to access. We also created industry-specific resource pages, so you can find the content that resonates specifically with your industry. We are also building trust and demonstrating our rigorous approach to creating value for our customers through our blog content. Our blog writing will continue to focus on information that helps you navigate the translation industry, such as how to choose a language service provider or tips to get the most out of your translation budget. We’re creating high-value content that we want to share with anyone interested in starting a translation project. Sign up for our newsletter to receive our newest blog posts with content that will serve you no matter what company you choose as your Language Service Provider. Don’t forget to let us know how you feel about our new look in the comments!

You know that healthcare translation plays a critical part in providing quality care and service. However, your healthcare organization may question how to best allocate resources t0 provide the highest quality translations for the most reasonable cost. Many technologies and processes can help you complete a healthcare translation project quickly. Here is an overview of some key tools, laws, and qualifications. Translation Memory software allows you to save specific terminology and style preferences for use with subsequent translations. A Translation Memory is a database of all previous translations. Think of it as a long list of A = B, where A is a sentence from the source document and B is the same sentence translated. When you submit a new document, it is uploaded into the online translation system and analyzed against the TM. TM allows multiple translators to use the same assets in real time and facilitates simultaneous medical translation in multiple languages. This streamlines the translation process and makes each subsequent translation more cost effective for you. An online project management system lets you monitor your projects. It allows you to request quotes, upload project files, leave special instructions and assign due dates. Using a system makes your project more efficient and affordable. It also enables us to provide you with detailed reports of translation volume, languages, quality, savings, etc. As a healthcare organization, federal laws and regulatory agencies mandate that you provide language access for critical documents. Failure to provide appropriate translation can lead to regulatory noncompliance, medical errors, patient dissatisfaction and legal action. But you can avoid these potential pitfalls by choosing a professional translation provider that delivers high-quality, culturally sensitive, and accurate translations. You may think that asking your internal, bilingual employees to complete your medical translation will result in a less-expensive process. However, a professional medical translation agency will always do a better job. Translations handled by non-professionals may not be accurately conveying your message in the voice or with the branding you want. Additionally, the healthcare information may not be professionally appropriate. As with English, just because someone can speak the language does not necessarily mean that the individual is an excellent writer and accurate communicator of healthcare information! On the other hand, professional, certified linguists who specialize in healthcare translations are tested and interviewed. They can deliver accurate, localized translations for your critical documents. An online translation management system and process make completing translations convenient, fast and simple. Many services will assign your work to an account manager and a dedicated project manager. Make sure to start off your project with a kick-off meeting to discuss your needs and priorities with your chosen LSP. This meeting should include how to write a style guide and glossary. From there, the LSP should take over the process and be in contact with you every step of the way. When you start your medical translation project, make sure you have all the above items in place. Using state-of-the-art technology and resources means your translations are quick, accurate, and effective. At Avantpage our experienced team can help guide you through the translation process and make it fast and easy for your healthcare organization. To find out more about our services call us at 530-750-2040 x11, or request a free quote today.

Immigration in America is an important and relevant topic of debate. In a nation that was built by and for immigrants, it is important to gain different perspectives on the lives of immigrants, their impact on the world, and their contributions to society.

Many people have spoken on this issue, but the most important voices are those of immigrants and their loved ones. Below, three notable speakers address the topics of the immigration debate, immigrants’ involvement in democracy, and the future of immigrants in America. Journalist Duarte Geraldino delivers a powerful TED talk devoted to discussing the lives of those affected by loss as a consequence of deportation. Geraldino explains the influence deportation has not only on the individual, but on the social circles that surround them. One of the most powerful points that he deliverers incites listeners to think further into the immigration debate: "When the social circles are weakened, a country itself is weaker. We're missing a crucial aspect in the debate about immigration policy. Rather than focusing on individuals, we should focus on the circles around them, because these are the people who are left behind: the voters, the taxpayers, the ones who are suffering that loss." About the SpeakerDuarte Geraldino
@duartegeraldino
Duarte Geraldino is an American Journalist whose main focus is to travel the nation and document cultural changes and challenges. Duarte started a project called, Hear Our Stories Now, which dives into the lives of those who have lost loved ones due to deportation. When political activist Sayu Bhojwani came from India to America at the young age of 17, she began a journey she would never forget. She wasn’t initially politically involved, but a series of factors led her to become an advocate for those who needed her most. Following the terrorist attacks in 2001, a shock wave hit her community. She realized that not only did her vote and voice matter, but other immigrant votes and voices matter as well. "And it's these three things -- immigrants' votes, voices and vantage points -- that I think can help make our democracy stronger." Sayu was appointed as the first Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs for the City of New York. She is a powerful voice for those who fear to speak, and a catalyst for those who need encouragement to get involved. "We have fought to be here. We have come for economic and educational opportunity. We have come for political and religious freedom. We have come in the pursuit of love." About the Speaker
Sayu Bhojwani
@SayuBhojwani
Sayu Bhojwani is a political activist invested in recruiting immigrants to run for public office and creating an inclusive democracy for all. Sayu received a PhD from Columbia University and has focused her research on immigration political involvement. She is the Founder and President of the The New American Leaders. United States Senator Catherine Cortez Masto discusses America's future regarding immigration. Senator Masto's great-grandfather immigrated from Italy, and her grandfather immigrated from Mexico across the Rio Grande. She is a proud descendant of immigrants and highlights the importance of breaking the continuous and vicious immigration cycle in America. "We are caught in this vicious cycle if you look at history. We have this notion that once we get here, and even though we are discriminated against, we are going to discriminate against that next generation."' Senator Masto poses a question: "Are we doing all we can to hold open the door for the next generation once we succeed?" About the Speaker
United States Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
@CatherineForNV
United States Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is a Las Vegas native and was the first Latina and first women from Nevada to be elected to the United States Senate. Senator Masto is working to improve our broken immigration systems and is a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act of 2017. Avantpage exists to help all immigrants realize their American dream. We empower immigrants to achieve their goals by providing trusted language translation, and embodying the phrase “Empathy Beyond Words.” Learn how our translation services connect industries such as government, healthcare, and elections with immigrant populations.

With more machine translation services online, it’s natural that you may want to plug your translation project into an online system. After all, the process seems quicker, easier, and less expensive than hiring a Language Service Provider. However, the results can be misguided at best and dismal at worst. While there is a lot to be said about how far machine translation services have come and how much they have to offer, they still produce translation errors. These errors can stem from a lack of cultural understanding to simply mistranslating the grammar conventions accurately into another language. With that said, sometimes the Avantpage Team comes across machine translation errors that we can’t help but share. Here is a selection of our favorite mistranslations from around the web. This informational message makes perfect sense when read in Italian, but something got lost in its translation to English. The original message in Italian is “For a proper service, please turn on the exhaust fan when using the shower. Thank you.” That makes much more sense than turning on the vacuum! While the English text is an excellent reminder to be loving, it’s quite a departure from the original text’s meaning. The two other languages on the sign, Japanese and Chinese, state “Please take care of the plants.” While this translation fail is more minor than the others, it’s still notable! The original Spanish text says “It is forbidden to throw ANYTHING down the toilet.” The translation and the original text are complete opposites. It’s no wonder how this could get confusing! Another minor translation fail, the original text in Russian means “staff only,” rather than the translated English which says “stuff only.” Even the smallest of translation errors can create big problems! Finally, in recent events, these Olympic Chefs accidentally ordered 15,000 eggs! These Olympic Chefs from Norway were trying to ensure they could keep the Norwegian  Olympic Athletes well-fed, but ended up with enough eggs to feed ten times the amount of athletes! They wanted to order 1,500 eggs from a local grocery store but accidentally ordered 15,000 after using Google Translate to help them make the order. No matter what you’re using machine translation services for, you don’t want to end up with errors like these. To learn more about how we at Avantpage can prevent these kinds of translation errors from happening, contact us today! We will ensure the accuracy of your translation project, so you’ll have nothing to worry about! At Avantpage our experienced team can help guide you through the translation process and make it fast and easy. To find out more about our services call us at 530-750-2040 x11 or request a free quote.

All U.S. states have a primary election this summer or fall before the November general election, which is why now is the time to start thinking about translation requirements! Local laws determine when county elections offices must print and distribute their voter materials. For many counties, these materials need to be ready a few weeks before Election Day, for both primary and general elections.  This includes facsimile ballots, voter information guides, candidate statements, and all other written materials that provide eligible residents with the information necessary for casting their vote. As you prepare to address these translation needs, here are four questions to ask yourself and your organization: As the population of immigrants who meet the legal voting age grows, the need for election materials in languages other than English increases. China and India are now the top sources of new immigrants, according to migrationpolicy.org. These two countries have replaced Mexico, which held the top slot for decades. California translates its election documents into nine languages, including Chinese. Alaska now has a growing Tagalog-speaking Filipino population, which demands translation services beyond native language requirements. Meanwhile, several Texas counties have significant Vietnamese populations, and New York has a large base of Haitian Creole-speaking voters. Advanced technology like Machine Translation (MT) is unsuitable for the highly regulated, visible, and specialized content used during election season. Take for example the Google Translate Spanish rendition of the well-known phrase "Let's Vote" as "El voto de Let." This translation fails to recognize any context or localized usage of the original expression, and creates a meaning that is inaccurate. This is just one of many issues that arise when using MT to translate election content. For instance, did you know it’s illegal in most states to use machine translation for official elections documentation? Fortunately, computer-aided translation (CAT) tools are an option. These tools are used to translate large volumes of official election documents with fast turnaround times. They also allow better quality translation at a lower cost.  The difference between using CAT tools and MT to translate official US election documents is human intervention. Humans are superior to computers when it comes to translation because we can recognize things like context, nuance, common usage, and culturally appropriate details. Professional translators regularly produce more accurate, readable, and compliant election material translations than machines. They are able to deliver these materials on time by using CAT tools, style guides, and other linguistic assets. Unlike machines, human translation teams follow a 3-step process that includes quality assurance, such as editing and proofreading. This election season, many campaigns are looking at Asian Americans as a key voter group. The number of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters almost doubled from 2 million in 2000 to 3.9 million in 2012. What's more, almost half (47%) of AAPIs do not associate with a political party. To reach Asian American and Pacific Islander voting groups, all campaign materials need complete translation. More than 39% of AAPIs are limited English proficient (LEP) voters. Voters identified as LEP who receive voting information only in English will understand less than half of the written text. English-only marketing materials on candidates and ballot measures leave a large population of voters entirely in the dark. Candidate statements, voter instructions, and voter information require accurate translation. One wrong word, sentence fragment, or phrase can change the entire meaning of a sentence. This can negatively impact the candidate's message, as well as hinder voter understanding and participation. Avantpage provides expert elections translation across the country. We have assisted many California counties with translation, editing, formatting, and preparation of election documents and voter materials. These documents include Voter Information Guides, Candidate Statements, Ballot Measures, Voter Information Cards, Registration Cards, Ballots, and more. At Avantpage our experienced team can help guide you through the translation process and make it fast and easy. To find out more about our services call us at 530-750-2040 x11, or request a free quote.

Your medical translation project will need to comply with many standards simultaneously. For example, to comply with the Joint Commission Standards and Healthcare Compliance Law, your organization must be able to communicate with a Limited English Proficient speaker in his or her own language. However, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prohibits the unauthorized sharing of medical records and personally identifiable information without patient consent. As a result of these two policies, your hospital or health insurance organization needs a Language Services Provider (LSP) that values privacy and clarity equally. Here are some questions, ideas or concerns about HIPAA and medical translation and how you can help your organization navigate these issues. Because they are not employed by the organization using their services, translators are considered business associates under HIPAA legislation. Patient information should only be shared with a business associate for a specific purpose as stated in a business contract between a provider and hospital or clinic. To fully comply with HIPAA regulations, your LSP should incorporate the following: Under HIPAA, PHI is information that identifies an individual and relates to the following: This patient information is often shared during the delivery of translation services and should be handled carefully by vendors for a covered health care entity. Before hiring an LSP, your organization should: Your LSP should show that its staff members are trained in HIPAA compliance including how to manage sensitive information, recognize PHI and protect the privacy of your patients. The most important step your organization can take to ensure HIPAA compliance and clear communication is to hire a professional translation company with experience in the healthcare field. Make sure to assess potential vendors carefully and continually monitor their adherence to the laws. Complying with HIPAA laws can require knowing a lot of acronyms. Here are some key terms to know: HIPAA: Stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a US law designed to provide privacy standards to protect patients' medical records and other health information provided to health plans, doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers. LSP: Stands for Language Service Provider, a more current, commonly used term for a company or partner that provides a broad range of translation or linguistic services. PHI: Stands for Protected Health Information, which is individually identifiable health information held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form or medium, whether electronic, on paper, or oral. EPHI: Stands for Electronic Protected Health Information, which is any protected health information (PHI) that is covered under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) security regulations and is produced, saved, transferred or received in an electronic form. PII: Stands for Personally Identifiable Information. HIPAA uses the term Protected Health Information (PHI) to refer to protected data, but the concept is very similar to the term Personally Identifiable Information (PII), which is used in other compliance regimes. BAA: Stands for a Business Associate Agreement, which is a contract between a HIPAA-covered entity and a HIPAA business associate (BA). The contract protects personal health information (PHI) in accordance with HIPAA guidelines. NDA: Stands for Non-Disclosure Agreement At Avantpage our experienced team can help guide you through the translation process and make it fast and easy. To find out more about our services call us at 530-750-2040 x11, or request a free quote

Amour. Liebe. 爱. Though every culture and language describes it differently, love in its many forms is a universal feeling. Whether romantic love, familial love, or friendly love, this emotion unites people through kindness, compassion, and affection. To celebrate love and the bond it creates, Avantpage asked our translators around the world to share translated phrases about love in their native language. The responses were heartwarming, charming and, well, lovely. Here are some of our favorites: Original Phrase: Ես քեզ աշխարհի չափ սիրում եմ English Translation: I love you like the size of the world. This phrase is used to show how big your love is for another. The size comparison to the word shows your loved one just how big and endless your love is. Original Phrase: ស្រឡាញ់ កូន មួយ តៅ ស្រឡាញ់ ចៅ មួយ ថាំង English Translation: Love your children one bucket but love your grandchildren twice of buckets. This expression demonstrates how parents often love and care for their grandchildren more than their own children. The bond between grandparent and grandchild is held in highest esteem in many cultures. Original Phrase: 愛就是心心相印 English Translation: Love has two hearts beating as one. This phrase exemplifies how love is the conjoining of two people into one. When two people are meant to be together, their hearts recognize this and beat together. Original Phrase: Oude liefde roest niet. English Translation: The old love does not rust. This phrase is meant to show that long-standing love does not die. A love that is built between two people over a long period of time will not lose its shine, it will always be present. Original Phrase: 하늘만큼 땅만큼 사랑해! English Translation: I love you like heaven and like earth. This is another phrase used to illustrate how big your love for someone is. If you love another like heaven and like earth, you love them idealistically and with your whole heart. Original Phrase: Przez żołądek do serca. English Translation: From the stomach to the heart. This phrase refers to gaining someone's love through good food. The person who prepares the meal shows their love and care through it, and the person who eats falls in love. Original Phrase: Я достану тебе звезду с неба English Translation: I will get you a star from the sky. Usually, this phrase means that love so inspires someone that it can make that person capable of achieving anything, even getting a star from the sky. Original Phrase: Las miradas dicen a gritos lo que el corazón calla. English Translation: The eyes shout what the lips fear to say. This phrase is meant to explain the feeling you have when you cannot express your love through words, but your eyes can express it through how you look at someone. Original Phrase: Mahal kita maging sino ka man English Translation: I love you whoever you are. This phrase shows your love that you will love them, no matter the changes they undergo. If they change, you will still love them, no matter who they end up being. How about you? Is there a lovely phrase about love in your native language that you’d like to share? We want to know it! Tell us about the translated phrase on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Want to learn more about translation and language service providers? Check out our blog post on What to Look For In A Great Language Services Provider.