Did a Bad Translation Influence the Bombing of Hiroshima?
Inaccurate and culturally uninformed translations have been known to cause problems, but here is a case from the annals of history that, if true, shows the consequences can be catastrophic. A recent article by historian Sam Yamashita of Pomona College suggests that a bad translation by the Japanese War Ministry in August of 1945 may […]
ALTA Seeks Spanish Linguists
ALTA Language Services, Inc. (ALTA) is an independent firm recognized as a leader in language services and language testing in the United States. Currently, ALTA is seeking native to nearly native Spanish linguists, preferably with a strong degree of familiarity with the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scales, to be a part of a four-day panel […]
ALTA Seeks Korean Linguists
ALTA Language Services, Inc. is a recognized leader in language services and language testing in the United States. Currently, we are seeking native to nearly native Korean linguists, preferably with a strong degree of familiarity with the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scales, to be a part of a two-day teleconference panel determining the passing score […]
Updates to California Court Interpreter Exams
Effective July, 2010, the California Administrative Office of the Courts will begin using the written and oral court interpreter certification exams developed by the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts (Consortium). The decision to adopt the exams of the Consortium was based on the results of a comprehensive study conducted by ALTA Language Services. […]
ALTA Seeking Iraqi-Arabic Linguists
ALTA Language Services, Inc. is a recognized leader in language services and language testing in the United States. Currently, we are seeking native to nearly native Iraqi-Arabic linguists, preferably with a strong degree of familiarity with the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scales, to be a part of a two-day teleconference panel determining the passing score […]
Guest Bloggers Wanted
Would you like to contribute to ALTA’s Beyond Words blog? We were recently ranked by Lexiophiles as this year’s #2 language blog for language professionals and this year’s #9 overall language blog. Guidelines for Submission The article must be about language and should fall into one of the categories that we write about, from the […]
Translator Respect
Here’s an excerpt from translator Tim Park’s recent Guardian article on why translators deserve more credit than they receive. We agree wholeheartedly: What is it that a translator does? He reads with maniacal attention to nuance and cultural implication, conscious of all the books that stand behind this one; then he sets out to rewrite […]
Best Language Blogs 2010: The results are in…
The results are in for Lexiophiles’ Top 100 Language Blogs of 2010, and we’re very happy to announce that Beyond Words claimed this year’s #2 spot for Language Professionals, and the #9 spot overall!! Thanks for your vote, and thanks to the people at bab.la and Lexiophiles (a wonderful language blog in its own right) […]
Vote for Beyond Words!
Voting for Lexiophile’s Top 100 Language Blogs starts today! If you are a fan of ALTA’s Beyond Words, vote for this blog. Also, take a few moments to check out some of the other nominated blogs; Lexiophiles does a great job of compiling the best language blogs and podcasts for their contest every year. The […]
Speech Perception: Overcoming a Hidden Obstacle for Language Learners
Language learners experience a blow to their confidence when they fail to comprehend a native speaker. Many students have experienced something like this: after months or even years of diligent study and practice, they fail to understand someone during a casual conversation, and are too embarrassed or frustrated to ask that person to repeat what […]