Blog Posts

Category: Language and Culture

The Importance of Language Testing

A concierge at a resort hotel who must communicate with guests in their language… A nurse practitioner must be able to tell a Spanish-speaking patient about their medical treatment options… A legal assistant hired to provide foreign language document reviews...

Learn More

Why Do We Associate the Word Like with Stupidity, and Why Are We Wrong?

Consider the following conversation: A: “Yesterday was, like, the worst day of my life. I got home from work around five-thirty and I was, like, so hungry so I went to the fridge to make a sandwich but when I...

Learn More

Women’s Equality Day: Ana’s Story

ALTA is happy to support women’s equality through our Medical Interpreter Training course! Check out Ana’s story to learn how being a medical interpreter has helped her achieve her goals and leave a legacy for her daughter. Ana Salvadore Interview:...

Learn More

The Fallacy of Proper Grammar

News host Laura Ingraham recently brought grammar into the political spotlight during a segment in which she criticized NBA players LeBron James and Kevin Durant for a conversation they had about politics. What Ingraham criticized in this instance was not...

Learn More

Translating Harry Potter – Challenges in Translating Fantasy Literature

Lithuanian Haris Poteris and his Dutch best friends Hermelien Griffel and Ron Wemel attend a French school for magic called Poudlard (“bacon lice”), get in trouble with the Dutch Severus Sneep, and receive medical attention from an Italian Madama Poppy...

Learn More

10 Marketing Translation Fails That Impacted High-Profile Companies

Spectacular translation fails are the stuff of legend. While one of the most famous marketing translation fail examples is that of Chevy’s attempt to introduce its new car model “NOVA” in Mexico, which translates to “No go” in Spanish, this...

Learn More

A Discussion About Interpreter Ethics and Confidentiality around the Helsinki Summit

After the Helsinki Summit, it feels like the whole world is seeing the field of interpretation for the first time. Everyone has eyes on one interpreter, the only person apart from President Trump and President Putin who knows what was...

Learn More

Socio-Cultural Interactions – Small Talk in the U.S.A., Russia, and Beyond

A Russian and an American step into an elevator – let’s say the two know each other vaguely as colleagues at work. If this elevator happens to be in America, what ensues is likely a very uncomfortable (Russian) and confused...

Learn More

When the Patient is your Mother

This year, my coworker and I went to California to present at the CHIA conference. Three hours before our presentation, I got this text message from my mom: “I’m ok, but I’m in the hospital.” She’d fainted in her bathroom...

Learn More

Translation Tip of the Week: Utilize Translation Software

If the term “translation software” makes you think of paid language professionals plugging text into Google Translate, guess again! Computer-assisted translation tools are complex, varied, and integral to any seasoned translator’s daily work. This overview will help you learn more...

Learn More

The Air up There: Elevation and Phonology

Imagine someone running up three flights of stairs to convey some astonishing news to a friend. As soon as the excited speaker opens his mouth to talk, the words tumble forward in gasps and bursts, punctuated by pauses that allow...

Learn More

What do the Roma speak?

The Roma are a traditionally nomadic ethnicity with communities all the way across Europe and beyond. Often misunderstood and mistreated – a topic I won’t go into – they are typically thought to be homogeneous. Language variation is just one...

Learn More

Preparing for your test?

View our test prep materials or FAQ’s for common questions about taking a test.