Official Language(s): Technically, the U.S. does not have an official language. However, English has acquired official status in 28 of the 50 states. Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii. Some Other Languages Spoken: The U.S. population includes over 200 immigrant languages, including Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, French, Khmer, Laotian, Mandarin, Nepali, Polish, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya. Ethnic Groups: white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% Continue reading ““November 2013: United States”“
Official Language(s): Portuguese Some Other Languages Spoken: Apalaí, Arara, Bororo, Canela, Carajá, Caribe, Guarani, Kaingang, Nadëb, Nheengatu, Pirahã, Terena, Tucano, Tupiniquim
Ethnic Groups: white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% Continue reading ““October 2013: Brazil”“
TiE Ohio, the Ohio chapter of The International Entrepreneur, recently announced the winners of the 2013 International Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in two categories. The awards were created to recognize the achievements of international entrepreneurs helping to reshape and rebuild Ohio’s business landscape and to highlight how international entrepreneurs contribute to the local economy. The award additionally recognizes entrepreneurs born outside the U.S. who started a business in Ohio.
In the first category, there were three nominees for the 2013 International Entrepreneur Award. Palanivel Kuppsamy, Founder/CEO of iPinion; Joao Simoes, President/CEO of Davenport Aviation and Yana Schottenstein, CEO of Access 2 Interpreters, LLC. Award criteria considered in selecting the finalist included business success (revenue generated, capital raised, jobs created, progress with international vendors, entering new markets), impact and leadership in the Ohio community, and the innovation and creativity demonstrated in structuring the business.
Yana Schottenstein, Founder of Access 2 Interpreters, LLC received the 2013 award in a ceremony held at the OCLC Conference Center in Dublin, Ohio on September 19, 2013. “I was a finalist for this award last year and it was such an honor to just be considered an international entrepreneur making an impact on Ohio’s economy,” stated Schottenstein. “I can’t describe the excitement of actually winning the award! Having the opportunity to serve the needs of the Ohio business community and provide meaningful employment to people with diverse and international background is rewarding in itself. Being recognized for our company’s efforts is icing on the cake!”
Access 2 Interpreters utilizes the expertise of over 400 employees and independent contractors who come to central Ohio from all over the world to provide emergency face-to-face interpretation in over 70 languages locally. The Columbus based company also provides over 180 languages for instantaneous telephone interpretation services nationwide, and written translation services all over the globe. “It is important to provide equal opportunity and access to services for people who don’t speak English,” stated Yana Schottenstein. “That was my goal when I initially founded Access 2 Interpreters. The fact that we are one of the largest interpretation and translation agencies in Ohio and now the winner of this TiE Ohio Award is very rewarding.”
“While the award is gratifying, our goal is to continue to grow and serve more people throughout the world by bridging the gap in communication,” remarked Schottenstein. “Access 2 Interpreters fills an important void for many businesses and we’re going to work hard to continue serving this market.”
About Access 2 Interpreters: Access 2 Interpreters, LLC is a Columbus, Ohio based company exclusively dedicated to filling interpretation and translation needs. Access 2 Interpreters provides Face-to-Face Interpretation Services in over 70 languages throughout the central Ohio area. Access also provides Instantaneous Telephone Interpretation Services in over 180 languages and Translation Services globally.
Official Language(s): Italian Some Other Languages Spoken: Arpitan Catalán, Corsican, Emilian, Ligurian, Lombard, Piemontese, Romani, Sardinian, Sicilian. Ethnic Groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) Continue reading ““September 2013: Italy”“
Students at the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy go through an intensive language program that takes them from monolingual to completely bilingual in only 13 months. Researchers conducted MRI scans of the students as they entered the program and then after completing three months of the language studies. They found that different sections of the brain developed differently depending on how much effort students had to put into a course and how well they performed. As an example, students who had to put more effort into learning the language showed greater growth of the motor region of the cerebral cortex, while students who had better language skills had greater growth in the hippocampus and superior temporal gyrus regions. Though the study was conducted with an intensive language program, it suggests that learning new languages is a good way to exercise the brain and keep it in shape.
Official Language(s): Japanese Some Other Languages Spoken: Ainu, Amami-Oshima, Kikai, Kunigami, Miyako, Okinawan, Yaeyama, and Yonaguni. Ethnic Groups: Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6% Continue reading ““August 2013: Japan”“
Official Language(s): Arabic Some Other Languages Spoken: Ghomara, Berber languages (Tamazight, Senhaja, Tachelhit, Tarifit), French, Spanish Ethnic Groups: Arab-Berber 99%, other 1% Continue reading ““July 2013: Morocco”“
Finnish state radio has been broadcasting a weekly summary of world events and news in classical Latin. Though initially the broadcasts could only be heard via shortwave radio, they are now available on the station’s website via podcast and MP3 downloads, allowing Latin aficionados across the world to tune in. Tuorno Pekkanen, a retired Latin professor, helped to start the five-minute segment that airs every Friday. Mr. Pekkanen translates the news spots and chooses subjects that have broad significance, from the financial crisis in Cyprus to sights of the aurora borealis. Though the station doesn’t have records of how many listeners tune in, one station reporter estimates “tens of thousands”. Though many languages are becoming extinct, the station has seemingly revived the Latin language for many listeners, regardless of their proficiency in Latin.
Honors have been bestowed upon the nation’s finest and brightest entrepreneurs. In recognition of the momentous achievement, DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural social media site, has recently acknowledged Access 2 Interpreters, LLC as one of the State’s “Top Diversity Owned Businesses” and “Top Privately-held Businesses” for 2013. This exclusive ranking is a reflection of Access’s overall vision, leadership and economic accomplishments in moving the economy forward. The award, known as the Div500, represents the most unique class of forward thinking companies who have earned the distinction of fostering a culture of sustainable growth among the communities they serve.
