Language Testing – When to Customize
Language testing has been all over the news lately, from new immigration policies requiring language testing for working immigrants to globalization studies on hiring multi-lingual employees to conduct business in emerging markets throughout the world. Some business and government agency leaders may be considering language testing, but may not be sure who to trust to […]
5 Steps to Become a Professional Translator
Since I work for a language services company, I often get asked whether we are hiring translators. I don’t mind the question. We’ve all had to hunt for work, and these days far too many people are without it. However, I’ve found that roughly 90% of those who inquire are not qualified to be translators […]
A Call Center Story
Conga lines, beauty pageants, happy hands, and great snack machines may not be among the first things that come to your mind when you think of call centers, but they are for me. My work with ALTA Language Services has provided me with opportunities to visit call centers all around the world to train employees […]
Google Translation: Man vs. Machine II
Mere days after my last post about human vs. machine translation, the blogosphere was abuzz with one of Google’s latest moves: AJAX Translation API. AJAX Translation API is a machine translation tool developed by Google to perform on-the-fly translations for emails, Web sites, and other basic documents on the Internet. Ostensibly, its purpose intersects with […]
Language Testing for Bilingual Employees
To verify that an employee or potential employee can speak or write another language at the appropriate level, you should use valid language testing. In most professional circumstances, it takes more than a simple interview: you need to be confident that the language testing methodology you employ is both valid and reliable. Validity requires that […]
Language Translation: Man versus Machine
As a project manager at ALTA, I’ve seen my fair share of proofreading requests from clients. Sometimes the text has changed slightly; other times, clients just want to double-check on the quality of the translation. Frequently, though, a review of the translation finds the document was generated by some sort of translation software. In my […]
Languages Across the World
Presently there are over 6,000 known living languages in the world. Over the years, I have compiled a list of several great websites that I use as starting points for language research. Recently, as part of a language testing project, I had to locate people capable of administering Speaking and Listening tests in Marshallese. What […]
How to choose a translation company
If you are shopping for translation service quotes, you know that there are many translation companies out there. How do you pick one? I realize this can be a daunting task, so I am going to kick off my sales shoes for a moment and put myself in yours. Although there are whole books devoted […]
Arabic Language Testing: Dealing with Diglossia and Other Issues
Arabic has proven to be a difficult language to test. In Western countries, the intricacies of the Arabic language are not common knowledge. The idea of a diglossia, in particular, has little context in English and other Germanic languages and Romance languages. What is meant by diglossia is the co-existence of two separate versions of […]
How Translation Services Work
Do you know what goes on behind the walls of a translation agency? Before I started working at one, I did not have a clue how the industry worked. Several years ago as I was walking toward our building for an interview in translation sales, I envisioned that the office contained a large room full […]