In a time of crisis like the one we are all going through today, it is easy to be overwhelmed by panic and worry. At Monterey Language Services, we found some articles which we think are thoughtful and therapeutic, and we would like to share them (along with a Chinese translation). We hope they will be helpful in this difficult time!

What is the Corona/ Covid-19 Virus Really Teaching us?

I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being bad.

As I meditate upon this, I want to share with you what I feel the Corona/ Covid-19 virus is really doing to us:

1) It is reminding us that we are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, occupation, financial situation or how famous we are. This disease treats us all equally, perhaps we should to. If you don’t believe me, just ask Tom Hanks.

2) It is reminding us that we are all connected and something that affects one person has an effect on another. It is reminding us that the false borders that we have put up have little value as this virus does not need a passport. It is reminding us, by oppressing us for a short time, of those in this world whose whole life is spent in oppression.

3) It is reminding us of how precious our health is and how we have moved to neglect it through eating nutrient poor manufactured food and drinking water that is contaminated with chemicals upon chemicals. If we don’t look after our health, we will, of course, get sick.

4) It is reminding us of the shortness of life and of what is most important for us to do, which is to help each other, especially those who are old or sick. Our purpose is not to buy toilet roll.

5) It is reminding us of how materialistic our society has become and how, when in times of difficulty, we remember that it’s the essentials that we need (food, water, medicine)
as opposed to the luxuries that we sometimes unnecessarily give value to.

6) It is reminding us of how important our family and home life is and how much we have neglected this. It is forcing us back into our houses so we can rebuild them into our home and
to strengthen our family unit.

7) It is reminding us that our true work is not our job, that is what we do, not what we were created to do.
Our true work is to look after each other, to protect each other and to be of benefit to one another.

8) It is reminding us to keep our egos in check. It is reminding us that no matter how great we think we are or how great others think we are,
a virus can bring our world to a standstill.

9) It is reminding us that the power of freewill is in our hands. We can choose to cooperate and help each other, to share, to give, to help and to support each other or we can choose to be selfish, to hoard, to look after only our self. Indeed, it is difficulties that bring out our true colors.

10) It is reminding us that we can be patient, or we can panic. We can either understand that this type of situation has happened many times before in history and will pass, or we can panic and see it as the end of the world and, consequently, cause ourselves more harm than good.

11) It is reminding us that this can either be an end or a new beginning. This can be a time of reflection and understanding, where we learn from our mistakes, or it can be the start of a cycle which will continue until we finally learn the lesson we are meant to.

12) It is reminding us that this Earth is sick. It is reminding us that we need to look at the rate of deforestation just as urgently as we look at the speed at which toilet rolls are disappearing off of shelves. We are sick because our home is sick.

13) It is reminding us that after every difficulty, there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. We do not need to panic; this too shall pass.

14) Whereas many see the Corona/ Covid-19 virus as a great disaster, I prefer to see it as a *great corrector*

新冠病毒給我們上了一堂什麼樣的課、又教會了我們什麼?

我堅信發生的每一件事後面都有一個精神層面的目的，無論我們認為是好還是壞。

當我沉思時，我想與大家分享我的心得，新冠病毒究竟對我們做了些什麼。

1) 病毒提醒我們，人都是平等的，無論我們的文化、宗教、職業、經濟狀況，或是一個人有多麼出名。在病毒眼中我們都是平等的，也許我們也應該平等對待他人。如果你不相信我的話，那就去問湯姆•漢克斯。

2) 病毒提醒我們，我們的命運都是聯在一起的，影響一個人的事情同時也會影響另一個人。病毒也提醒我們，我們建立的虛假國境線毫無價值，因為病毒並不需要護照。病毒還提醒我們，雖然我們暫時受到壓迫，世界上還有人一生都受到壓迫。

3) 病毒提醒我們，健康多麼珍貴。而我們卻忽視健康，吃垃圾食品，喝被各種化學品污染的水，如果我們不照顧自己，我們當然就會生病。

4) 病毒提醒我們，生命苦短，什麼是我們應該做的最重要的事情，特別是那些已經生病的老年人。人生在世的目的不是買一卷卷的廁紙。

5) 病毒提醒我們，我們的社會已經變得物質至上，當我們遇到困難時，我們才想起我們的基本需求是食物、飲水和藥品，而不是並沒有什麼價值的奢侈品。

6) 病毒提醒我們，家庭是何等重要，但我們卻忽視了這一點。病毒強迫我們回到我們的房子裡，所以我們可以把房子建成家庭，並建立牢固的家庭紐帶。

7) 病毒提醒我們，我們真正的工作並不是我們打的那份工，我們固然需要打工，然而上帝創造我們的目的並不是讓我們打工。我們真正的工作是互相照顧、互相保護、互助互利。

8) 病毒提醒我們，我們不能妄自尊大。病毒還提醒我們，無論你覺得自己多偉大，也無論別人覺得你多麼偉大，一個小小的病毒就能讓整個世界停擺。

9) 病毒提醒我們，自由掌握在我們自己手中。我們可以選擇合作互助、分享、付出、互相支持，或者我們也可以選擇自私、囤積和自顧自。只有在困難的時候才能看出一個人的真面目。

10) 病毒提醒我們，我們既可以耐心，也可以恐慌。我們既可以理解這種情況在歷史上已經發生過多次，但最後都過去了，我們也可以恐慌，以為世界末日到了，結果傷害了我們自己。

11) 病毒提醒我們，疫情既是結束也是開始。我們現在可以反省和理解，從錯誤裡吸取教訓。疫情也可以是一個輪迴的開始，而且還會繼續下去，直至我們吸取教訓為止。

12) 病毒提醒我們，我們的地球病了。病毒還提醒我們，我們必須看到森林消失的速度，也必須看到一卷卷廁紙從貨架上消失的速度。我們都病了，因為我們的家庭病了。

13) 病毒提醒我們，困難總會過去，然後就容易了。生活是週期性的，現在只是週期裡的一個階段。我們不必恐慌，疫情一定會過去。

14) 許多人認為新冠病毒的疫情是一場災難，但我覺得這是一次“偉大的糾錯”。

On Friday February 28, Monterey Language Services had the pleasure of attending the Middlebury Institute of International Studies Career Fair, held at the Monterey Conference Center. The entire hall was filled with representatives from some of the top language service providers and language technology services in the nation—not to mention hundreds of MIIS students all waiting to show off their impressive résumés to prospective employers. This fair is a great opportunity for companies and students alike to make connections and learn about each other.

It was quite interesting and enlightening to hear students’ stories. They come from all over the world and have incredibly diverse backgrounds, both personally and professionally. Many students have come to MIIS to begin their careers in the language industry, and show clear excitement for their current course of study and potential career paths. Other students already have years of experience in translation or interpretation, and have come to MIIS to hone their skills in a certain specialty or even to change their career trajectory entirely, for example by moving from a linguist to a project manager. Whatever the case may be, we were happy to connect with these talented people.

Students at MIIS, whether they are studying Conference Interpretation, Translation and Interpretation, or Translation and Localization Management all share a passion for languages and a keen desire to put what they are learning at school to work. We are glad to see that so many of these young professionals share our goal of bridging the world’s languages and cultures.

We are always looking for talented freelance translators and interpreters. We are also looking for Office and Project Assistants. During the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus, Monterey Language Services is poised for action – we have years of experience working remotely. For us, every challenge, downturn, or recession is an opportunity to reflect on what we can do to improve and move up to the next level. While most people and companies are focusing on the tasks at hand or cost cutting, we are thinking about what our contributions to the future would be and if we will be ready when our clients need us. Now is indeed a good time to think about all of this, and try to figure out how we can make better contributions to the environment we are in and to the people who we care about. We don’t lose faith in a crisis, and we believe those who survive the crisis will stand out when the crisis is over. To us, our career is a long journey. What’s most important is that we are ready to help when our help is needed, and staying connected to help each other out in a time like now.

We often ask ourselves, “What does the translation and interpretation company of the future look like?” When we think intentionally about the future, we are better able to predict trends and plan for them, or at least identify them early on. We are also able to foresee potential problems and develop plans for addressing these issues before they significantly impact our work. For example, California recently passed a new law (called California Assembly Bill 5) that changed the legal requirements for classifying people as “freelancers” versus “employees.” We knew that this law would go into effect on January 1, 2020, so we did our research beforehand on how to legally continue our working relationships. We prepared ourselves, and when the law went into effect it did not significantly disrupt our work.

Of course, when we are working with such new technology and subject matter, we will encounter things that we have never seen before. How do we handle the challenge of facing new things? We simply have to dive in headfirst to gather all of the information that we can, using our network of trusted resources as well as our own ability to practice and test different technologies or methods out. We keep open communication with all of our stakeholders: you never know where the next tip or trend is going to come from.

We also are always working to expand our network of linguists across the globe, both to make sure that we can cover any request relevant to new trends, and to open new channels of information exchange. Of course, one great way to keep abreast of new trends is always to research and never be afraid to address challenges. Another way is by getting the perspective of younger people who might have new, unconventional ideas, which is why we always keep in touch with the new generation of translation, interpretation, and localization students.

Modern translation and interpretation providers operate very differently than those of the past, and we can assume that they will continue to evolve and change. To stay current or even ahead of the curve, we must work hard to remain updated with today’s trends, which means we are always thinking ahead, learning, and growing. We focus on the future and accomplish things today that will set us up for success tomorrow. We rely on our hard-working staff, our network of various relationships, our technologies, and our information-gathering strategies to keep us energized and to help us stay a dynamic translation and interpretation company! Every day is interesting for us at work because no two days are the same at Monterey Language Services!

As a translation and interpretation provider, Monterey Language Services prides itself on being able to provide expert translation to our clients. We often work with expert translators and interpreters who have just the right background and specialization to complete our clients’ projects, no matter how technical or specialized.

What makes an expert translator? Generally, it’s someone with a wealth of experience in a particular field, which they can bring to translation of materials in that field. The expert translator is able to understand difficult or obscure concepts, and then convey these concepts in another language clearly and accurately while using proper terminology and discourse.

Subjects that typically require expert translators include IT, Law, Medicine, and Business Management, to name only a few. When launching a translation project in one of these fields, we start by putting together an expert team – but no mixing expertises. For example, we will assign legal projects to translators who used to be lawyers, but not IT projects. As another example, we recently translated a large tech company’s presentation into Turkish. Since the subject matter was highly technical, we limited our selection process to translators very familiar with the IT field, and also had an industry expert to go over the translation. This is because we take quality assurance very seriously, and we want to be absolutely sure that the translations we produce are completely accurate. We also take a similar approach when we work with a large volume of medical documents. We put together a team of translators who are experienced at translating such documents, and some translators even have actual medical training.

Expert translators can really shine when it comes to cutting-edge technologies that are quickly becoming the trends of the future, like artificial intelligence (AI), block chain technology, and more. These topics are constantly developing, and expert translators have to keep their knowledge and understanding up-to-date. Imagine being able to understand and express these complex, ever-evolving ideas in not one but two (or more) languages! That is the skill level of some expert translators. In fact, since some of these technologies are so new, there are no equivalent words or phrases in languages other than the one it was developed in. This means that expert translators can sometimes even be the ones to create appropriate terminology in their native language. Working on cutting edge technology provides an exciting opportunity for expert translators, who give tech companies the ability to expand and grow internationally.

For us, working with expert translators is such a dynamic and positive process! It’s a breath of fresh air which always gives us a lot of energy and momentum to keep going and provide the best possible translation and interpretation services to our clients!

At Monterey Language Services, we receive a wide range of requests for interpretation. These requests range from interpreting at a technology-related conference to patient-doctor appointments. Depending on the type of assignment, we assign interpreters who have relevant experience and skills. But we also have to make sure that our interpreters clearly understand what their assignments entail.

When explaining any interpretation assignment, we need to use the right words to explain everything clearly while still being professional and concise. Sometimes, we need to go back and forth with the client before we can start assigning interpreters. For example, we recently had a request for Triqui interpretation for a school meeting. We had to discuss with the client the specific variety of Triqui they were looking for, the exact nature of the meeting, the expected meeting length, and other relevant details before we were able to assign an interpreter. But sometimes there is still confusion. In this case, since it was a meeting to fill out some forms for school, interpreters thought that they would have to translate the forms in detail and explain them to the client. In reality, all they were expected to do was to explain simple questions and get yes or no answers from the Triqui Bajo speakers. Clarifying this confusion before the assignment was necessary to make sure that the interpreter felt confident about doing the job.

This can happen in other situations as well. For example, one client requested an ASL interpreter for a large all-company meeting. From this description, it sounded like the ASL interpreter would be interpreting in front of the entire crowd. However, there was only one deaf employee, so the interpreter actually would be sitting next to them and basically interpreting one-on-one. Distinguishing between these situations is very important for the interpreter, so they can know how to prepare themselves and do the best they can.

Confusion with assignments is not just an issue in interpreting assignments; it can happen in translation projects as well. For instance, we had a large project which involved translating many medical records. These documents are typically heavily formatted with tables and charts, but in fact the client just needed the words translated. This information saved a lot of time, effort, and resources for translators, us, and ultimately the client!

To explain assignments clearly is critical, so that any interpreter or translator can decide with ease whether or not to accept the assignment. If they do accept, they can accept with confidence that they can do the job well. This strategy helps us build trust with our translators, interpreters, and clients. It also helps speed up the process of assigning projects by reducing or even eliminating time spent asking and answering questions.

We do our best to gather all the information about a project beforehand, share it with our translator and interpreter colleagues. We strive to make everything we do simple and clear so that their time can be spend doing the great work that they do.

Did you know that English is not the official language of the United States? In fact, the U.S. has no official language at all. Of course, in reality English is the most commonly spoken and written language, but there are multitudes of other languages that people in America use every day. This language diversity adds to the culture of America, but it poses some challenges as well. Everybody in the country needs to be able to access and receive information in a language that they will understand, especially when it comes to critical information regarding health care, taxes, civil rights, etc. This is what “language access” means, and companies that provide translation and interpretation make this possible.

Some countries, like Canada, have two or more official languages. This usually means that everything is required by federal law to be provided in both languages; in Canada, these are English and French. The United States as a country doesn’t have such a law, but there are other federal regulations regarding language access that have been implemented throughout time. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that “No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,” which encompasses discrimination based on English proficiency. In 2000, Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13166, entitled “Improving Access to Services for Persons With Limited English Proficiency,” to specifically address the issue of language access for limited English proficiency (LEP) individuals in America.

Some language access decisions and regulations are left to the states to determine as well. This allows states to customize their requirements based on the actual people who live in that state. For example, a study conducted by the National Health Law Program found that in California, there are 257 legal provisions related to language access in health care alone. In Wyoming, there are only four. There are many LEP communities and a wide range of different languages that are spoken in California compared to Wyoming, which is one reason why California has so many more regulations regarding language access.

Language access has incredibly important legal implications for many types of service providers. Each one needs to be sure that they are following the law and providing support for all necessary languages. Language service providers (LSPs) like Monterey Language Services make it possible to provide services in any necessary language. LSPs usually have a great understanding of the legal requirements and can even provide consultations on how to provide linguistic support that follows the law.

Even if there are no laws specifically governing language access for your product or service, you would want to make it as accessible as possible to clients and consumers. After all, the more people who can understand your offering, the more people who are likely to use or buy it!

At Monterey Language Services we are passionate about expanding language access; we believe that everyone has the right to communicate with people and understand information in the way that is best for them, and that often means it will not be done only in English. We work hard to provide services in languages that are as common as Spanish to ones that are rare like Triqui, so that everyone no matter who they are can both listen and be heard.

To those of us who already work in the translation and interpretation industry, the importance of language service providers is obvious. However, this industry is actually pretty invisible; people don’t often think of translation and interpretation until they need it, or when they see a translation or interpretation that has gone terribly wrong. One of the most famous examples is the sign language interpreter who interpreted (or rather, gestured unintelligibly) for major political figures at a memorial for Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 2013. Instances like this are uncommon but generate a lot of negative attention.

Since the importance of language service providers’ work cannot be stressed enough, we would like to shed some light on the positives that come from working with language service providers (LSPs).

You might think, “I have a family member who speaks another language, why can’t I ask them to do it?” In some cases, if the situation is low-stakes and simple, that may be helpful. But most requests for translation and interpretation have high stakes and require training that your friend or family member probably doesn’t have: simply being bilingual isn’t enough.

Translators are excellent writers in their native language, and they are trained to research and use technology effectively to help the translation process. They know how to take into account the register, purpose, discourse, and audience of a text in order to translate completely, accurately, and fluently.

Interpreters have another refined skill set, including differentiating key information, using appropriate terminology, and using various memory and note-taking techniques. Language professionals know how to do jobs accurately and efficiently, whereas untrained people are more likely to make mistakes or lack experience in bridging the gap between two languages, which can make a huge difference down the road.

Now you’re convinced that you need a professional, but you don’t know any – where can you find such a person?

This is where LSPs come into play. LSPs have strong networks of vetted translators and interpreters whose performances are evaluated regularly. LSPs know which translators specialize in legal translation, which interpreters specialize in medical and health care interpreting, etc. They also work hard to understand the client’s request and related needs, so that they can find the perfect match for the job.

Finding the right translator/interpreter is one major function of LSPs, but they do much more. LSPs can handle large volumes of work, and they can complete projects ranging from translation of a simple Word document to video subtitling to providing interpretation for conferences. Of course, every LSP is different; some choose to focus on certain domains (such as legal, technical, or medical) and some specialize in only one or two types of projects (audiovisual localization, for example). No matter what they specialize in, the best LSPs have plenty of experience working with language-related projects and can deliver high-quality projects to client’s satisfaction!

The multilingual experience that LSPs have allows them to provide consultations and advice to clients about linguistic and cultural differences that could affect their projects. Different languages have different challenges, and LSPs have experience tackling these. Most importantly, LSPs are typically familiar with different cultures and they can spot any potential faux pas and correct them before the project is finalized.

Our final thought: Most people who find their way to working in the translation and interpretation industry are incredibly talented and passionate about languages! Whether they are translators, interpreters, LSP employees, or other language professionals, they have spent their time training and refining their skills. LSPs like Monterey Language Services are able to harness the talents and passion of these people and channel it into high quality language services for our clients!

A significant part of our work involves collaborating with clients. We take time to explain the different steps and requirements involved in the process to our clients. By doing so, we are working together to make sure that everyone is on the same page. This collaboration helps us avoid potential issues, and if problems do come up, we are better able to solve them together. The end result of this collaboration and transparency is that clients receive quality work. Taking the time to collaborate effectively also builds a strong relationship with our clients, who then would like to continue working with us.

Sometimes questions need to be clarified or potential problems need to be identified before we start work. For example, recently we had a client request a Spanish sign language interpreter. Spanish Sign Language (SSL) is different from American Sign Language (ASL), so we had to clarify: which Spanish country is the hard of hearing client from? Does he know American Sign Language at all? Will an ASL interpreter who could also interpret spoken Spanish work? We communicated back and forth with the client rather than making an assumption and potentially compromising the event. It was also a nice opportunity for both the client and for us to get exact information and serve the ultimate client in the most appropriate way!

There are some things we can do to ensure that communication remains smooth and clear. We evaluate all projects and requests when we receive them, identify any potential misunderstandings or lack of information, and speak with the client. This way, we will be able to give the most accurate quote possible. It also helps us determine if the project will run smoothly, rather than getting into the project and finding issues at a later project stage.

When questions do come up during the course of a project, it is important to be unafraid to clarify with clients. Some people might think asking questions makes ourselves look bad, but the opposite is true! Clients will appreciate our attention to detail and commitment to providing the highest quality product possible. It is our job to ask questions and make sure our team has correct information to carry out the project.

While communicating with clients is necessary and helpful, we must find a balance. We don’t want to send too many emails and overwhelm our client! To streamline critical communication, it is best to gather key questions or points of clarification first, send them all in a single (but still concise) email to the client. This makes it easy for the client to quickly answer everything, and is also a nice way to document everything in a logical way.

At Monterey Language Services, communicating with our clients is fulfilling and worthwhile. The feedback and collaboration we get from our clients keep us going stronger every day. We work hard to make sure that our communication with our clients is as smooth, understandable, and enjoyable as possible. This makes our clients happy, and if our clients are happy then we are happy too!

As the translation and interpretation industry changes, people working in the industry must learn and grow with these changes. It is a common trope to be afraid of technology or to worry about being replaced by robots, but in reality, technology is neither good nor evil. It all depends on how it is utilized.

Technology helps us make even more human connections. Thanks to the Internet and certain tools that have been developed, we can communicate with people across the world, which is helpful in locating and working with highly qualified translators and interpreters in any number of specialized domains (such as medical, educational, legal, or IT), within any timeframe, or any sizes of projects.

Technology also makes it easy for translation clients, project managers, translators, and interpreters to work together as a team. This type of expanding cooperation is a huge help for people in all sorts of limited English proficiency (LEP) communities. It is necessary to build a just and fair society, and we are happy to be able to use technology to further this goal.

In our day-to-day activities, technology plays a major role. Most of our translation and interpretation requests come in electronically, which ensures that everyone is on the same page. We are also better able to fill last-minute requests; most translators and interpreters have access to their apps, text messages and email at all times, and so we can reach them to discuss last-minute projects and especially emergencies. In all of these scenarios, technology helps us expand our reach and make more human connections than would otherwise be possible.

We are greatly appreciative of all of the benefits that technology allows us in our work. However, there are some aspects of the job and the industry that technology cannot replace. Technology has limitations.  Our main focus is helping people and the last thing we want to do is use technology as a substitute for human interaction. This is why we try to make it clear that although we are using many different technologies in our work, there is always a person behind the screen working hard to connect with people and serve our clients. In hospital settings and in most cases, having live interpreters serving clients face to face is even more valuable and worthwhile than over video or phone.

People are still at the heart of the translation and interpretation industry. After all, these services wouldn’t exist if there were no people to read or listen to the translated product! So while certain aspects of this work don’t take place face to face, the importance of people and human input is as high as ever. At Monterey Language Services, we use technology to facilitate communication with our team members and with our clients, who are always our main focus.

One of the best parts of working in a translation company is when we have an opportunity to tangibly help someone out. We recently had clients who had accidents in other countries resulting in severe injuries. All of these medical documents were in Portuguese and Japanese, and they needed to be translated so that they could be sent to their insurance companies.

Medical records often come in hard copy. When we make a quote, we count the total amount of words and base the quote on this number. Hard copy makes counting the words more complicated, so we must do our best to accurately count and calculate by hand; we might even do this process two or three times to ensure that our quote will be as accurate as possible.

These projects had several different types and lengths of documents, including handwritten doctor’s notes, medical histories, diagnosis information, receipts, itemized bills, and information sheets. We bundled these by type and had them translated in different batches, to make sure the translator wasn’t overburdened and could focus on one type at a time based on their specialization. This helped us produce high quality translations and stay organized.

This also helped us notice patterns in the documents, and come up with ideas that would make translation easier and quicker. For example, several of the documents were nearly identical, with just a few words or sentences being different. Rather than having the same content translated multiple times, we translated one of the documents. Then for all the others, we identified every piece that was different, translated these “strings,” and inserted them where they belonged. This saved our client a bunch and also helped us stick closer to the budget.

The volume of medical records is usually heavy especially for severe injuries. It requires a team to complete managing and translating all sorts of documents, and the tasks involved include selecting translators who have relevant experience and qualifications, organizing all of our files, keeping track of the status of the project, clarifying unclear parts with experts, reviewing the translations for completeness and accuracy, and preparing the files for final delivery to the client.

We work to have a supportive environment where our team members can cover for each other’s backs, so no one is overloaded. When improvements are needed, we are willing to talk about them and improve them rather than brush them under the rug. After all, accuracy and completeness are the utmost goal of our work. We enjoy medical records translation projects, because it gives us a great sense of helping our clients and also because there is always something challenging us to put in the extra effort!