February 1, 2016
translation-process

9 Step Translation Process

All translated documents must undergo a multi-step process from beginning to end in order to be of the high quality that is expected from translators at Executive Linguist Agency. This process might look something like this: Review the original document – Before even thinking about how the document will need to be translated, the translator reads over the original document in depth to get familiarized with its content. Preparing the document – The translator will make notes about any tricky spots that might require some research (such as terminology they are unfamiliar with) or how to accurately translate idioms or […]
January 15, 2016
translation-interpretation

Difference between Translation and Interpretation

Interpreters are not translators and translators are not interpreters. The two are not interchangeable. Specifically, a translator reads documents in one language and translates them as a new document written in a second language. An interpreter listens to spoken words in one language and speaks the equivalent of what was just heard into a second language. A Deeper Look at Interpreting Since an interpreter must come up with spoken interpretations on the fly, this does mean that an interpreter can never be quite as accurate as a translator, who has time to sit down with a document and rework it […]
January 6, 2016
spanish-translation-cognates

4 Common English to Spanish Translation Errors

At Executive Linguist Agency, we are frequently asked by clients in the Los Angeles area to translate manuals and other documents from English to Spanish. Here are four common errors we have witnessed with English to Spanish translations:   English-Spanish Cognate Confusion Words that have similar design in two languages are known as cognates. Since Spanish and English contain a huge vocabulary derived from Latin, more often than not words that are associated in both languages have equivalent meanings. This is not always the case, however, and sometimes this can cause inaccurate translations. For example, embarazada sounds like it would […]
January 1, 2016

Translation Tips

Even if you primarily translate technical materials, legal contracts, resumes, and so on, keep reading and writing. Why? Good translation is an art based on good reading and writing skills. Read as often as you can in all your languages. This will help keep your non-native language skills up to par. For example, consistent practice reading and writing in your second or third language will increase your ability to understand idioms and the latest terminology. Read and write in your native language, too, because these are skills that are necessary no matter which language you are dealing with. If you are looking […]
December 23, 2015
spanish_translation_los_angeles

Spanish Translation Tips

At first glance, it may seem that Spanish and English use a similar sentence structure except, most notably, in English the adjective is before the noun and in Spanish the noun is before the adjective (see first bullet point below) and, therefore,  creating the illusion that Spanish translation is easy.  If you know both languages translating into Spanish is a ‘slam dunk.’   However, Spanish translations are tricky not just due to the differences but often due to their similarities.   First, Spanish and English share the same Roman alphabet. Second, approximately 30% of all words in Spanish have a related word […]
December 4, 2015
spanish-translation-cliches

Lost in Translation: Top Challenges with Language Translations

At Executive Linguist Agency, we have done numerous written translations over the years with most of them being English-to-Spanish translation and vice versa.  It is the job of a skilled translator to recreate a document in the target language without distorting its meaning. Translating from one related language to another (from Spanish to Italian, for example) can minimize inaccurate translations, but nuances still exist. Here are some of the typical language translation challenges that arise: Sentence Structure In English, a simple sentence is structured with the subject, verb, and object – in that particular order. For example, “Pablo translates documents” […]
December 1, 2015
med-legal-interpreter-los-angeles

Workers’ Compensation Interpreter Types

In addition to our translation services, there are a few common types of interpreters we provide here at Executive Linguist Agency for Workers’ Comp cases. While most cases require Spanish interpreters, there are occasions where Vietnamese, Korean, and other exotic languages are needed. Medical Interpreters Our medical interpreters bridge the communication gap between medical staff offering a diagnosis and treatment plan and their patient, who have had a work injury. Accurate interpretation is extremely important because the patient obviously filed the claim for a reason and could be seriously injured. Medical interpreters must be familiar with medical terminology in both English and the […]
November 20, 2015
spanish-interpreter

Analysis of Spanish Speakers in Los Angeles

At Executive Linguist Agency, we do a lot of Spanish interpretations nationwide, but especially locally in the Los Angeles area.  Therefore, we have a huge network of Spanish interpreters. In fact, all of our in-house interpreters are fluent in Spanish. Why do we need so many Spanish speaking interpreters? The answer is simple: Los Angeles County has the nation’s highest percentage of Spanish-dominant speakers, creating an urgent need for interpreters. Ever since 1848 when “Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,” from Mexico, this city has been deeply influenced by […]
November 13, 2015
spanish medical translations

A Closer Look at Medical Spanish Translations

The challenge in doing Spanish translations for the medical industry is to make sure the Spanish conforms to the level of English used in the original document.   Trying to make the Spanish compatible with the language used by the Spanish speaking population in the United States, is a whole different question. There are dozens of different national and regional Spanish speaking populations residing in the United States and all their preferences cannot be accommodated when translating into Spanish.  Fortunately the Spanish language taught in the schools in Spanish speaking countries is substantially uniform as far as the grammar is concerned, […]