The ATA Compass: Your guide to translation and interpreting in the global market

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.  

Guide to Buying Interpreting Services, Part V: Interpreting Terms to Know

By ATA Compass | December 3, 2025

Interpreters help power the global economy, working with businesses, governments, non-profits and individuals. They are an integral part of global communication. Interpreters work with the spoken or signed word. The…

How to Recognize and Implement Quality Interpreting

How to Recognize and Implement Quality Interpreting (Hint: It Doesn’t Involve Your Bilingual Staff)

By ATA Compass | April 26, 2023

With a set of quality standards in place, it is possible to make healthcare accessible to limited English proficiency individuals without delaying patient care or interrupting your workflow. As many…

Blog banner showing a robotic hand pressing a laptop keyboard to illustrate the title "Machine Translation vs. human Translation: Will Artificial Intelligence Replace the World’s Second Oldest Profession?"

Machine Translation vs. Human Translation: Will Artificial Intelligence Replace the World’s Second Oldest Profession?

By ATA Compass | April 5, 2023

Translators pride themselves on being excellent communicators, and so they should. After all, it’s their job! But sometimes, even the best communicators can talk until they’re blue in the face…

Breaking Intercultural Communication Barriers in Business

Breaking Intercultural Communication Barriers in Business

By ATA Compass | March 15, 2023

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

7 Tips for Crushing an International Meeting Remotely, According to an Interpreter

By ATA Compass | February 22, 2023

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

What’s the Difference Between a Translator and an Interpreter?

By ATA Compass | February 1, 2023

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

5 Steps for Translating Official Documents

By ATA Compass | January 11, 2023

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

How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Free Online Translation Tools

By ATA Compass | April 21, 2022

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”…

The Power of Social Media

6 Reasons to Subtitle Your Social Media Videos for Better Engagement

By ATA Compass | December 3, 2020

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

By ATA Compass | November 17, 2020

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

By ATA Compass | May 22, 2020

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?

By ATA Compass | January 6, 2020

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

By ATA Compass | November 21, 2019

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

By ATA Compass | September 25, 2019

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

By ATA Compass | February 8, 2019

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

By ATA Compass | January 2, 2019

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

By ATA Compass | September 17, 2018

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

By ATA Compass | June 18, 2018

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

By ATA Compass | April 19, 2018

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

By ATA Compass | April 10, 2018

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

By ATA Compass | December 8, 2017

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…

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Recent Posts

Guide to Buying Interpreting Services, Part V: Interpreting Terms to Know
Translation and Educational Publishing: Creating Language Access in Education
When AI Doesn’t Replace Jobs: The Case of Visual Dubbing in Watch the Skies
Guide to Buying Interpreting Services, Part IV: ATA’s Credentialed Interpreter (CI) Designation
Guide to Buying Interpreting Services, Part III: Working with an Interpreter
Using AI for Language Translation: Context is Everything
Guide to Buying Interpreting Services, Part II: Interpreting Modality and Modes
The Value of Human Translation
Guide to Buying Interpreting Services, Part I: Finding and Choosing an Interpreter
Fluent Isn’t Enough: The Value of Trained Educational Interpreters
Why You Should Use a Certified Translator or Interpreter

Why You Should Use a Certified Translator or Interpreter

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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The ATA Compass

The ATA Compass

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…

Read More
Know Your Rights to Language Access

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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What is a certified translation?

What is a Certified Translation?

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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Translator vs. Interpreter: What's the difference?

Translator vs. Interpreter

Watch a Day in the Life of Translators and Interpreters See how translators and interpreters work in this short animated video. Translators do the writing Translators work with the written…

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Exploring Translation and Interpreting Services

Exploring Translation and Interpreting Services

Why Are Language Services Essential in an Internationalized World? In a world where communication knows no bounds, effective language services are paramount. ATA helps you find professional translators and interpreters…

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