Want to reach more customers, grow your business, and improve your bottom line? The ATA Compass publishes articles and provides resources to show you how language professionals can help you achieve these goals.
When AI Doesn’t Replace Jobs: The Case of Visual Dubbing in Watch the Skies
Artificial intelligence (AI) is often framed as a threat to all kinds of jobs. Many believe automation and AI will fully take over a wide array of professions, and that…
Breaking Intercultural Communication Barriers in Business
Have you ever sensed that you offended someone in a work setting without understanding why? Or have you ever worked with someone from another culture and found their behavior confusing,…
7 Tips for Crushing an International Meeting Remotely, According to an Interpreter
As millions around the globe have moved their classes and even social gatherings online, international business and meetings between speakers of different languages look a lot different. In a pre-pandemic…
What’s the Difference Between a Translator and an Interpreter?
If you’re looking to hire a language professional, the first thing you need to ask yourself is whether you need a translator or an interpreter. Although the terms are often…
5 Steps for Translating Official Documents
If you’re starting the U.S. immigration process, applying to an American university, or considering a career opportunity in the United States, you will need certain legal or official documents translated…
How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Free Online Translation Tools
Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Chinese authorities conducted a city-wide correction campaign to fix embarrassing translation gaffes. The mistranslations included signs labeling people with disabilities as “deformed”…
6 Reasons to Subtitle Your Social Media Videos for Better Engagement
I’ve been a subtitler and translator for well over a decade, working with streaming giants like Netflix and businesses of all sizes to help make their video content more engaging…
How to Avoid Misinformation: Cross-Border Strategies PR Pros Should be Thinking About
At a time when misinformation and fake news are running rampant, communication, and more specifically the written word, is arguably more important than ever. The last thing public relations (PR)…
25 Million Americans Don’t Speak English: Translators and Interpreters Essential in Pandemic
At the time of this writing, millions of Americans are have been ordered to stay home, instructions that are hard enough to grasp if you speak English—even harder still for…
Content Marketers: Time to Call in the Language Professionals?
The U.S. is the largest consumer market on earth, but did you know that 96% of the world’s consumers reside beyond the country’s borders (according to the U.S. Small Business…
Hiring an Interpreter? 9 Dos and Don’ts to Get the Most Out of Your Partnership
From Mari Kondo to the tiny house movement, the concept of “less is more” is undergoing a resurgence of sorts. Yet, in one area at least, the practice of “more…
How to Win at Customer Service: 3 Strategies for Converting Customers into Brand Devotees
When Scarlett hung up the phone, she was close to tears. Even more unexpectedly, so was the customer service representative on the other end. How did a seemingly simple inquiry…
5 Website Features That May Be Working Against You
Contrary to popular belief, your website is not about the products you sell, the services you provide, or the information you share. It’s actually about the people who visit it…
From Blunder to Wonder: How Companies Successfully Bounce Back from Mistakes
1993 was a terrible year for a particular major national fast food chain. It was an even worse year for four families who suffered unimaginable losses after their children ate…
What Your Signage Says about You
Ben could hardly wait to set up his own business after years of working for a large company. Knowing the demographics of his market area, Ben wanted to market to…
The Bots Are Coming! Automated and AI-Driven Programs for Business
Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are all the rage these days, and for good reason. The technology behind once too-good-to-be-true tools like facial recognition and 3D printing has advanced by…
How to Establish a Real “Worldwide” Web Presence
It’s a well-known fact that people prefer to shop in their native language. Naturally, they feel more comfortable when they completely understand what they’re reading. The same goes for searching…
(Bilingual) Help Wanted
Janet, a personnel manager at a fast-growing start-up, hoped to give her company a competitive edge in an international field by recruiting bilingual employees. She got some unexpected results. Her…
Customs Clearance for Your Content Marketing: How to Get Your Message Across the Border
The U.S. may be the largest consumer market in the world, but did you know that 96% of the planet’s consumers don’t live here? With purchasing power on the rise…
When It Comes to Communication, More Is More
In our world of information overload, less is often more. This old adage still applies in the world of communications—think website or marketing copy that is best short and sweet.…
Not Connecting with Consumers? Maybe You’re Not Speaking Their Language
You may think your company’s products and services speak for themselves, but building a brand beyond borders takes more. If you don’t speak your customer’s language and understand their culture,…
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Client Assistance
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What are the basics of a certified translation? In the United States, anyone can certify a translation. A translator does not need to be certified in order to provide a…
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Buying Language Services
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Choosing a Certified Professional is the Smart Choice A certified translator or interpreter ensures effective, accurate, and culturally sensitive communication that truly bridges the gap between languages and cultures. Accuracy…
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Know Your Rights to Language Access
Is English Not Your Primary Language? If you have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English, you are considered to be Limited English Proficient (LEP). As an…
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Machine Translation
What is machine translation? Machine translation (MT) is the use of automated software that translates text without human involvement. Adaptive MT is a technology that learns and adjusts in real-time…
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