Most Commonly Spoken Languages

Just for fun….I came across this story today on MSN.com ranking the world’s most commonly used languages.  See where yours ranks…

http://specials.msn.com/A-List/Lifestyle/Top-10-most-spoken-world-languages.aspx?cp-documentid=29378638&imageindex=1&GT1=36010

SERMIC Annual Conference

Attended the SERMIC annual conference last weekend.  The location rotates to include all the member states.  This year it was in Nashville, TN; hosted by TAPIT, the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators.  We attended a very useful session on interpreting in speech pathology sessions which is a large part of what we do.  The subtle differences in working in such a setting weren’t apparent until pointed out by the presenters.  Also, received an update on national certification….

Fayette County Schools Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Spanish Immersion Program

From the Lexington Herald Leader….

Fayette County Public Schools’ Spanish Immersion Program will mark its 20th anniversary with a celebration at 6 p.m. Friday at Bryan Station High School.

The first students in the program entered first grade at Maxwell Elementary School in the 1990-91 school year. The program, which now starts in kindergarten, has grown to include Bryan Station Middle School (1995), Bryan Station High School (1998) and Liberty Elementary (2008). Northern Elementary will be added in the fall.

The program’s first class graduated in 2002. The class of 2011 will be its 10th.

Former and current immersion students and their families, and former and current teachers and staff are invited to attend Friday’s event. The reception will feature food from Spanish-speaking countries around the world.

Bryan Station High School is at 201 Eastin Road.

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/04/13/1706286/immersion-program-will-celebrate.html#ixzz1JQr1l0mg

Job Prospects for Interpreters and Translators Looking Good

• About 26 percent of interpreters and translators are self-employed; many freelance and work in this occupation only sporadically.
• In addition to needing fluency in at least two languages, many interpreters and translators need a bachelor’s degree.
• Employment is expected to grow much faster than average.
• Job prospects vary by specialty and language.

 

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos175.htm

Website for those wishing to follow progress of CCHI medical interpreter certification

Here is a link to CCHI, one of the national certification bodies.

http://healthcareinterpretercertification.org/sponsors.html

You’ll see that they have webinars to distribute info about the process
and that they are opening up for applications this month.

New Experience

This week, we are interpreting for the International Coal Preparation Conference in Lexington.  We’re providing Russian and Mandarin interpreters to help the delegates navigate the proceedings.

I always enjoy being exposed to new industries.

Business Expanding

We’re happy to be expanding our business even in tough times.  In the next 45 days we are interpreting for two multi-day conferences; one biotechnology and another for coal mining.  We are providing Spanish, Russian and Mandarin interpreters.  Should be interesting and fun…

NCIHC Announces National Standards for Healthcare Interpreter Training Programs Advisory Committee

NCIHC Announces National Standards for Healthcare Interpreter Training Programs Advisory Committee

Moving toward the development of national standards for training healthcare interpreters, the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) today announces the members of their Advisory Committee for its National Standards for Training project.  The 10 national experts on the committee were selected for their
expertise in the development of curricula in interpreter training and/or the education/training of interpreters.  The charge of the group is to draft standards for healthcare interpreter training programs, drawing upon background research commissioned by the NCIHC as well as input from focus groups conducted at conferences held around the country.

The NCIHC National Standards for Healthcare Interpreter Training Programs Advisory Committee members are:
Marjory Bancroft, MA, Director, Cross-Cultural Communications, Columbia, Maryland
Eduardo Berinstein, Interpreter/Trainer, Boston, Massachusetts
Nora Goodfriend-Koven, City College of San Francisco
Katherine Langan, PhD, Mercy Medical Center,Des Moines, Iowa
Marilyn Mochel,  RN, Healthy House, Merced, California
Elizabeth Nguyen, MA, Childrens Hospital, Los Angeles
Robert Pollard, PhD, University of Rochester, New york
Barbara Rayes, Interpreter/Trainer, Phoenix, Arizona 
Agustin Servin de la Mora, Florida Institute of Interpretation and Translation
Laurie Swabey, PhD, College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota              

The Advisory Committee will be supported in its work by the current members of the NCIHCs Standards, Training and Certification (STC) Committee which is leading the project: Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, Karin Ruschke, Maria Paz Avery, Bruce Downing, Carola Green, and Cindy Roat.

“While there has been a significant spotlight on certification lately, the fact is that unless we can ensure that interpreters receive the training necessary to result in the competencies required of their job, taking a test is not going to be the fix that everyone is looking for”, stated Joy Connell, NCIHC Board Co-Chair.   As Karin Ruschke, NCIHC STC Committee Co-Chair elaborated, “These standards for training
programs will continue NCIHCs work over the past 16 years to advance the profession of healthcare interpreting. This project is a key piece in the overall healthcare picture.”

For more information about the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care NCIHC) and the National Standards for Training project, visit http://www.ncihc.org

June 17 Conference in D.C.

Washington, D.C. is hosting the first-ever North American Summit on Interpreting. This one-day summit will be held on June 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is the first national forum that brings together key representatives from all major sectors of interpreting to discuss the profession as a whole. 

The idea behind this conference is to bring all of us together so that we can learn from each other. In this way we can support the profession as a whole and enhance services to those who speak limited English.

 This event was organized by InterpretAmerica, which is run by Katharine Allen, a former president of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association, and Barry Olsen, a highly respected professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, which hosts the most prestigious graduate interpreting program in the U.S.

For more information about this groundbreaking event, go to www.interpretamerica.net.

New Client

As we continue to expand our services, Accipio has begun supplying Spanish speaking interpreters to a Lexington Holiday Inn hotel.  We are interpreting for various HR meetings with employees.

All businesses are encouraged to contact us to explore interpreting and/or translation services for employees or clients.

Is Spring here yet???

Doug