Each individual has his or her own daily tasks and commitments that need completed each day. If you have found yourself to be on the higher end of a busy schedule, we have quite the tips to help you control and organize the hours of the day. Follow our 4 tips to manage your busy schedule and you will feel less stressed and more in control of the workday.

1. Organize Each Day

Much of what we find stressful in the day are hours where we are overwhelmed with daily tasks. Create a plan early in the morning when you wake up and you will be more prepared for the day ahead of you. You will not make yourself less busy, yet instead; you will be mentally preparing yourself for the tasks of the day. This will allow you to manage the day more efficiently.

2. Create Time Blocks

Start each day arranging time blocks for your daily tasks. If you know that checking your email will take 3-hours each day, split it up with an hour in the morning, an hour after lunch and another at the end of the day. Try to avoid checking your email every 15-20 minutes. In most cases, emails can wait for a response later in the day. This alone will free up time needed for other tasks. Set time blocks and try your best to stick to them.

3. Take Short Breaks

Depending on your work situation, it is very beneficial to be hyper-productive for a few hours and then take a break. Make a call home, take a coffee break, walk around the office, or simply sit back from your desk and enjoy a quick recharge. This will allow you to jump back into your tasks without the sluggish feeling of constantly working.

4. Build A Strong Team

In order to efficiently take on each daily task, build a strong team that can help you in stressful times. This is a two-way street where you help your colleagues and they can return the favor. If you can work together, many times you can finish a task faster than by yourself and more ideas can be generated in half the time.

Organization and planning is key when you feel stressed. Use these tips and you will be surprised to see how some simple changes to your day can make huge improvements. You can add more productive hours to the day if you block out and build a strong foundation for each workday. At Access 2 Interpreters we find that a day without organization can quickly turn into chaos. Avoid stress by learning to juggle your busy schedule with our 4 time management tips.

Access 2 Interpreters was ranked as the top company in the city of Columbus for Fortune’s Inner City 100 Award. Access 2 Interpreters ranked 10th in the Professional Services industry category and 72nd overall on the list of 100 throughout the entire country.

The Inner City 100 program recognizes successful inner city businesses and their CEOs as role models for entrepreneurship, innovative business practices and job creation in America’s urban communities. The 2014 Inner City 100 winners represent a wide span of geography, hailing from 53 cities and 23 states. Collectively, the top 100 inner city businesses employ 8,276 people and have created 5,119 new jobs between 2009 and 2013. Access 2 Interpreters, a Columbus, Ohio based Interpretation and Translation Services Company, reported a gross growth rate of 142.1 percent from 2009-2013.

“It is such an honor to win this award and represent the great city of Columbus as one of the fastest growing businesses,” stated Yana Schottenstein, Chief Executive Officer of Access 2 Interpreters. “We have such a great and diverse staff at our company and this award is a testament to everyone’s hard work.”
The learn more about Access 2 Interpreters award, visit Fortune.com

Yana Schottenstein was recently honored at this year’s Mayor’s Women’s Business Forum held on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at the Hilton Columbus Downtown. She was recognized as one of the City of Columbus’ Top 10 certified female suppliers. Congratulations!

This year’s forum, Women, Wealth and Power: Transforming Our Communities Through Business Ownership” showcased women business owners, including Yana, who are making Columbus one of the top cities in the nation to live and work.

“I’m honored to be included in Mayor Coleman’s list as one of the top women businesses in Columbus,” stated Schottenstein. “Columbus is such a great market to own a business and this city has been great to all of us at Access 2 Interpreters as we have continued to grow.”

As the official name, “International Translation Day”, we feel that adding “Interpreters” is necessary, because we all know that “translating” and “interpreting” are two completely separate things. Whenever we hear an interpreter being called a translator on television, for example, we get a cringing feeling. In honor of “International Translation Day” we think that it is only right for us to explain and give definition of the differences between Translators and Interpreters.

The key skills of the translator are the ability to understand the source language and the culture of the country where the text originated. Using a good library of dictionaries and reference materials to render material clearly and accurately into the target language will provide the translator with the best materials to complete any project.

Access 2 Interpreters is proud to offer the following translation services:

Document Translation
We translate medical and legal documents, brochures, manuals and many more.

Transcription
We provide transcription of audio or video materials

Voiceover Translation
We provide voiceover translations for documentaries, training videos and more.

An interpreter, on the other hand, must be able to translate in both directions on the spot, without using dictionaries or other supplemental reference materials. Interpreters must have extraordinary listening abilities, especially for simultaneous interpreting.

Access 2 Interpreters is proud to offer the following interpretation services:

Face-to-Face Interpretation
We offer both scheduled and emergency face-to-face interpretation sessions 24/7/365

Scheduled Telephone Interpretation
We offer scheduled telephone interpretation services 24/7/365

Instantaneous Telephone Interpretation
We offer instant interpretation services over the phone that available nationwide in over 180 languages

A translator must have a great writing background and credible reference materials to provide the most accurate work for documents, transcription or voiceovers. An interpreter must be fast on his or her feet so they can provide precise interpretation on the spot. Luckily, at Access 2 Interpreters, we offer both services to fulfill your interpretation and translation needs.

Happy International Interpreters and Translators Day!

Learning another language can be a difficult task, especially for adults. The easiest way to learn a language is while the brain is still in the developmental stage or while you are young and still growing. Even if it is harder to learn a language when you are older, there is still great benefit in developing a new skill set.

According to NBC4, “Speaking two or more languages helps protect your brain as you age, even if you learn new languages as an adult, new research suggests.”

A study conducted in the 1930’s included 835 people born in Scotland 1936 whose original language is English. They were then given mental skills test at the age of 11 and again in their early 70s. 262 participants able to speak two or more languages, 195 learned a second language before the age of 18, and the rest after that age.

As expected, participants with the ability to speak and/or write in more than one language had much higher results when they were older from the tests they took when they were younger. Areas that included general intelligence and reading had shown the largest results in comparison to other areas.

According to study author Dr. Thomas Bak, from the Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, this study is the first to take into account for childhood intelligence while examining whether learning a second language affects mental skills later in life.

“These findings are of considerable practical relevance. Millions of people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the aging brain,” Bak concluded in a journal news release.

Learning a second language further develops your general intelligence, and reading/writing skills. The ability to understand another language is a skill set valued by many. At Access 2 Interpreters we are exclusively dedicated to filling your interpretation and translation needs. We provide Face-to-Face Interpretation Services in over 70 languages throughout Columbus, Central Ohio, and Ohio. We also provide Telephone Interpretation Services in over 180 languages and Translation Services in over 50 languages nationwide. Learn more about our translation and interpretation services and contact us for inquiries.

Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are being shared with other parts of the world and in many languages. In a court of law a new aspect arises in the interpretation and translation world. Recently as social media becomes more prominent in our daily lives, text and social media messages become present, especially court rooms. A new challenge emerges in the courtroom with media messages including abbreviated text, rapid-fire exchanges, and personal messages.

Media presented as evidence in a court of law from cell phones, Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media put great difficulty on the interpreter. According to Jennifer De La Cruz of NAJIT (National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators), in less formal hearings where parties appear without representation, the offending Facebook post or text message is often brought up last minute on somebody’s cellphone.

“I’m then expected to quickly understand the abbreviations, undertones, and context since informal hearings are often about immediate issues of safety and potential loss of freedoms.” – Jennifer De La Cruz, NAJIT

During most courtroom cases, interpreters have the option of asking for a break or short recess, to have time to interpret and translate the text. Requests like these are usually for the occasional long documents or document formality but recently, interpreting short text and social media messages are now being compared at the same level of difficulty.

“Short series of messages interspersed with sarcasm, insults, disguised threats, and the lot, often reach far beyond our ability to meet the perceived expectation to quickly begin sight translating.” – Jennifer De La Cruz, NAJIT

A new trend has emerged in the interpretation and translation world, where interpreters/translators now have to understand slang, gibberish and other forms of mass media in short text. With the advent of globalization, today’s enterprises conduct business in many different languages. Whether participating in an international conference call, translating a product user manual or employee training guide, or communicating with a client or patient, most organizations will at some point require the services of a professional interpreter and/or translator. Access 2 Interpreters is proud to be an Ohio interpretation and translation company offering Columbus interpretation and Columbus translation services.

At Access 2 Interpreters, our trained professionals promise to deliver interpretations accurately and reliably. Using an interpreter does add another step in the communication process, yet by following the tips listed below, you can be set up for a successful interaction with our interpreters. 

Spoken languages are unique, and in their individual intricacies are one of the most beautiful things people have ever created – but at the same time, this individuality and uniqueness can make it hard to translate and interpret languages. For this reason, we have highlighted some of the most important tips to use when dealing with a translator or interpreter to make for a more efficient and effective experience.

Regardless of the type of interaction, we offer interpretation and translation services to fit your needs. 

• Face-to-face
• Over the phone
• Video chat

Allow the interpreter to introduce him/herself and brief them on the situation.

The interpreter will quickly explain to the person that they are a professional interpreter and will be interpreting everything they say. Not only will this clarify the interpretation process, especially in phone interpretation, but it is also very reassuring to the individual.

Once they have introduced themselves, fill them in on the key points of your specific scenario. By giving them a rundown of what to expect, your translator will have a better grasp of the situation at hand and will be able to do their job more effectively and accurately.

Speak directly to the individual and make eye contact. Speak in the first person.

Using an interpreter doesn’t mean that it has to be less personal. A great tip here is to speak to the individual as if there were no interpreters around. Speak in the first person, not the third. It is easier and way more effective for an interpreter to interpret first-person interactions.

Use short but complete sentences.

This one is difficult to get used to at first, but using short sentences will give the interpreter a chance to relay what you are saying effectively. Interpreters may take notes to remember key things you say during a more “long-winded” sentence, but short and complete sentences ensure that no detail is left out.

Avoid slang, jargon, or metaphors.

Phrases like “it’s raining cats and dogs” or “on the same page” may not translate very well into other languages. You could end up confusing a patient and affecting their understanding of treatment.  Avoid these scenarios by choosing straightforward words and analogies.

Contact us Today for All of Your Columbus Translation and Interpretation Needs.

At Access 2 Interpreters we want to make your next translation a smooth transition. As a leader in Columbus translation and interpretation, A2I wanted to give you these tips so that you can feel confident during your next face-to-face or phone interpretation. If you have questions or would like to schedule an interpretation please contact us today.

If you would like to learn more about the services we offer and how we prepare translators for every possible situation head on over to our Access Academy. This is where you will find all of the training seminars that we use to prepare our translators to be the best in Columbus. We cover every situation including, but not limited to, ethics, medical terminology, legal terminology, and general translator training.

If you have any questions about translation and interpretation services, visit our contact page or visit us online to learn more about Access 2 Interpreters.

The deaf community at Nelson Mendela’s memorial service was shocked by the “fake” sign language interpreter on stage whose signing was repetitive and unintelligible.

Millions of attendees, including President Barack Obama, watched this interpreter as he continued to make many gestures of gibberish. Hundreds of people joined the social media frenzy to express their anger. Several deaf groups confirmed his signing did not reflect the comments being made by the speaker.

Paul Breckell, chief executive of the U.K.-based charity Action on Hearing Loss, said: “We are shocked by the quality of sign language interpretation at Nelson Mandela’s memorial — if it could be called interpretation at all.”

He added, “the limited number of signs, the amount of repetition, lack of facial expressions and huge gaps in translation meant that deaf or hard of hearing people across the world were completely excluded from one of the biggest events in recent history.”

Many people easily recognized that the interpreter’s hand structure, facial expressions, and body movements did not follow what the speaker was saying. In addition to the misinterpretation of sign language at Nelson Mandela’s memorial, the same man was found signing at various African National Congress events.

Watch the video from the New York Times below.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qu1cs6Fhk8

At Access 2 Interpreters, we speak your language! One of the many languages that our experienced staff can assist you with is American Sign Language. Visit https://access2interpr.wpengine.com/languages/ for more information!

The Importance of Voice Inflection in Interpreting

When interpreting, the way we say something is just as important as what we say. Voice inflection, or the modulation of the voice, refers to changes in pitch or tone of voice. This is crucial in effectively communicating the intended message. The National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators (NAJIT) recently wrote an article on “The Power of the Inflected Voice,” highlighting the importance of this aspect of interpreting.

A study by Body Language University found that 38% of our communications are conveyed through the tone, inflection, and speed of our voices. This means that voice inflection is an important aspect of interpreting. Access 2 Interpreters, a company that provides interpreting services, recognizes this and places a strong emphasis on voice inflection during their training and services.

he CEO of Access 2 Interpreters, Yana Schottenstein, emphasizes the importance of nonverbal elements in interpreting, particularly during face-to-face interactions. She says, “The non-verbal element along with the tone of voice is vital during the interpretation process yet overlooked. During our training process, we make sure to focus on the non-verbal element. This is especially important during face-to-face interpretation, which is a big part of our business.”

Janis Palma, from NAJIT, also stresses the importance of nonverbal elements in interpreting, such as inflected voice. She explains, “The human voice can convey emotions without actual words, and as interpreters, we cannot always reproduce those nonverbal elements, such as when someone sobs, or laughs. But we can change the pitch of our voice, such as pitch going from a higher note, to a softer one when someone cries while testifying, rather than using a shrill—and incongruent—pitch.”