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US Courts and Immigration at Loss for Words with Need for Mayan Language Translation

The United States has always been home to large waves of immigration, and the government has systems in place to help those who arrived. United States immigration officials provide interpreters in hundreds of languages, such as Chinese, Haitian Creole, Arabic and especially, Spanish

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What's the Hardest Language to Learn? Probably not the One You Would Expect

If you have ever tried to learn a foreign language, unless you learned as a young child, it can be a very frustrating experience. Gender, tenses, expressions that have no direct translation--language learning can feel like an uphill battle.

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Have Your Ever Heard of Tagalog?

Let's first establish that Tagalog is a language spoken in The Philippines, and is an official language of the country's over 100 million people, along with English and Filipino. The term Tagalog came from ”taga ilog,” which means the people who lived next to the Pasig River during the Spanish inhabitation of the Philippines. The Pasig River is a large river that connects Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay




Tip Your Hit to the Bengali Language for International Mother Language Day

On February 21, 1952, forming part of a movement promoting the Bengali language, numerous activists and students were martyred in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following that atrocity, UNESCO decided to honor those who lost their lives through International Mother Language Day.


What is a Certified Translation?

One of the most in-demand segments of the translation industry are "official translations" -- translations that are in some way authenticated to be used and accept by the government of a country. Are all official translations the same? Are all official translations valid everywhere?




Cantonese vs. Mandarin. What is the Difference?

All Chinese speakers speak the same language, right? Not so fast! Although both Cantonese and Mandarin are widely spoken in China, one is not a variation of the other. 


Turkey's Curious "Whistling Language" Faces Threats From Mobile Phones

A special branch of the United Nations, in charge of world heritage, has issued an imminent warning that the fabled bird language "spoken" by a group of villagers on the shores of the Black Sea is at risk of extinction. 




Why Is Portuguese Spoken in Brazil, and Not Spanish?

Do you have an upcoming trip planned to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival and are brushing up on your Spanish? Before going any further, it's important to remember that Brazil is the black sheep of its Latin American family, given that it is the only country in Latin America that speaks Portuguese. But why?



Can I Get One Day Translations?

Quick, good and cheap -- pick two. The old adage has consistently proven to be true. Quality and speed are not exclusive of one another, but receiving a product or service quickly does come at a price.  




Can I Get One Day Translations?

Quick, good and cheap -- pick two. The old adage has consistently proven to be true. Quality and speed are not exclusive of one another, but receiving a product or service quickly does come at a price.  




Is a Free Translation Worth the Risk?

In all aspects of our daily lives, technology is advancing and being more complex. The world of translations is no different, with free translation tools such Google Translate getting better and better, along with myriad others. With that said, can you, as a consumer, trust a free translation tool for your language needs?



The Spanish Language in the U.S.

When you think of the United States, you probably think of an English speaking country. While English is, of course, spoken in all facets of American life, the U.S. has no official language. As the 21st century advances, Spanish is becoming an important language in everyday life.




10 Fun Facts about the English Alphabet 

Do you have an interest in language? Are you a speaker of English? Here, we give you 6 fun facts about the language of Shakespeare.



Chinese vs. Japanese. What is the Difference?

On paper, Chinese and Japanese look equally foreign, both consisting of intricate symbols that look nearly impossible to draw, let alone guess on their pronunciation. But, just how similar are these two languages?




What is Interpretation?

Interpretation and translation are two terms that are often used interchangeably.  However, translation is the transfer of written text from one language to another, and interpretation is the transfer of spoken word from one language to another. Let's look at this in more depth.



Why is the United States of America Called EE.UU. in Spanish?

It makes sense that in different languages, places are called in different ways, to reflect that language. There are some countries, cities or towns whose names are nearly universal, but there are many others that aren't.




Fun Facts About Haitian Creole

Haitian Creole is a fascinating language spoken primarily in Haiti by approximately 8.5 million people, and another 3.5 people around the world as a result of Haitian immigration. Mixing grammar and vocabulary from French and myriad African tongues, what are the unique features of this language?



What is Arabic?

As a language filled with richness and a long literary tradition, Arabic is one of the most widespread languages in the world. Here, we present to you some fun language-related facts.




Flemish vs. Dutch

Dutch and Flemish. One in the same, or two distinct languages? Many seem to think the former, with the only difference between the two being that Dutch is spoken in The Netherlands, whilst Flemish is spoken in Belgium. But is that really the case?


My Translator is on Vacation, Now What?

Let's set the scene for today's article: it's summertime, the living is easy, and everyone is on vacation. Your trusted translator, with whom you have worked closely for years, is taking her summer vacation, and you urgently need a translation. What do you do?




Fun Facts about the Hindi Language

What language is spoken in India? We'll give you a clue in saying that it isn't Indian. In fact, there are dozens of languages spoken in India, with one of the country's official language being Hindi


Medical Degree Translation

Are you a physician or other medical interested in moving to the US for work? If so, you will need to go through a process in order to validate your degree in order to practice in the United States. The organization before which your documents must be submitted is called the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). You must submit your documents (diploma and transcripts, etc.) to them in order to take the USMLE, and said documents documents must be translated to English by a certified translation company such as Idiomatic Translations. We are always on the forefront of any changes in legislation and offer ISO 9001:2015 quality standards.





Do I Need a Notarized Translation?

Within the translation industry, there are many different types of translations to be used for many different purposes. One such type is "official translations", which are typically presented before government bodies. But what is actually needed for this type of translation to be accepted?


Why Do Translation Companies Charge Rush Fees?

When buying a service or a product -- whatever it may be -- we all like to have things delivered to us as quickly as possible. Mostly we want things as quickly as we can out of desire, not necessity. Whether your purchase is received today or tomorrow usually won't make a difference -- until it does. In the case of translations, if you need a translation urgently, why might you be charged a rush fee?





Is an ATA Certified Translation Really Worth It?

When searching for any product or service, companies always explain how their products are head and shoulders above the rest, backed by this guarantee or the other. When confronted with so many choices and so much marketing, how can we, the consumer, wade through all the hype? In the translation world, is there a seal of quality that we should look out for?



Are Spanish from Spain and Spanish from Latin America the Same?

Is the same language actually the same, no matter where it is spoken? The resounding answer is absolutely not. All languages change over time, and though they may come from the same root, thanks to geographic and other cultural factors, they evolve away from each other. An example of a common language that is actually very different depending on where it is spoken is Spanish.






Why Do I Need Spanish Translators in the USA?

The United States is considered to be an English speaking country, even though, curiously, the country has no official language. Traditionally, English has been the go-to language for day-to-day communication, from schools, to government to grocery shopping. Over the last years, however, that has begun to change, mainly thanks to the rapidly growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States.



What Are the USCIS Translation Guidelines? 

When going through the United States immigration process, it is normal to be stressed about your application. After all, you want to make sure that all your time and effort pays off, and is not delayed due to any sort of bureaucratic problems. An important part of the USCIS application process for many includes the translation of personal documents. What exactly do the USCIS guidelines for translation say?





Why Do We Have Accents?

Your accent is essentially the way you sound when speaking. Accents can be classified as a  'foreign' accent, which occurs when a person speaks one language using some of the rules or sounds of another one. This is why a person's manner of speaking can sound "wrong" to native speakers of the language.


Translations for the Import - Export Industry

Let's set the scene: you have an excellent product or service that has triumphed domestically, and now you would like to enter into foreign markets. Your new business adventure brings with it great excitement, but also a new set of barriers to jump, in the way of labeling and documentation.






Translations for COVID-19

Over the past two years, the world has changed. All of us, in one way or another, have experienced some sort of alteration to our daily lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that we move, go on vacation and even on how we work. A perhaps unexpected result from all this is the increased need for paperwork and bureaucracy.


Can I Get a Translation Notarized Online?

What makes a translation valid?

How can I assure that the translation I have paid for is true and correct? When working with a translation company -- or any sort of professional company, for that matter -- the client expects that the completed work received will be of a certain standard and will be acceptable for its intended purpose.





Translations of Last Wills and Testaments

What is a Last Will and Testament?

A last will and testament is an estate-planning document explaining and clarifying your wishes regarding your property at the time of your death, among other details. Your will provides all the pertinent details of who will inherit your property. For most people, drawing up these documents are not at the top of their to-do list, but are extraordinarily important, especially in the case of multiple heirs or beneficiaries. Distributing property and other assets on a domestic level is stressful enough, but what about on an international level?


Are Human Translators Going to Become Obsolete?

Will humans eventually be replaced by machines? What was once relegated to the realms of science fiction is now something quite real. The future is now, as they say. In our daily lives, artificial intelligence is now able to perform increasingly complex tasks, from answering the phone to performing medical interventions. According to some, computers will one day be able to do all and every task that a human can do, but is that just exaggeration? And within the world of translation, will human translators ever be replaced by a computer?






Get Italian Citizenship By Descent

Jure Sanguinis (or Jus Sanguinis) is Latin for “right of blood” and can be also synonymous with “by descent”. Many countries across the world have laws granting citizenship to people based on the fact that their forefathers were from or born in that country. The United States, for example, is a country that has legislation favoring Jure Santuinis. 



Non-Lucrative Visa for Spain

The Spanish lifestyle is famous across the world, but there is more than just a sunny social life on offer here. HSBC has ranked Spain as the second in the world in terms of enjoyable lifestyle, and the country appeals to those ready and with the time to enjoy it. Approximately half of expats living in Spain are retired, but following the aftermath of the pandemic and remote working, a constantly growing number of foreign residents are remote workers. 






2022 Translation Industry Insights

Welcome to the New Normal. Since the initial outbreak of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the world has changed -- and evolved-- in ways that we didn't imagine as possible. Business was one such facet of life that has experienced big changes, and as a smaller subset, the translation industry has as well. Below, we explain what may happen in 2022.



The Truth About Subtitling

Subtitling is more art than science, and an extremely important one at that. With Netflix finding success through global hits like Squid Game and Call My Agent, why isn’t it trying harder to find the right words?





Idiomatic Case Study: Working with a translator vs. with a translation company

The translation industry has been frequently called the biggest industry that you’ve never heard of. Translations form part of a $47 billion language services market that, when done well, should not be noticed -- after all, we only see the internet memes related to funny phrases poorly translated, not good ones.