Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center [NV AHEC] specializes in working with hospitals, health and human services agencies, and more. We speak, read and write more than 40 languages.

Our professional staff of language experts have helped more than 15,000 members of our community communicate with medical and human services professionals, trained more than 4,500 medical and human services providers on effective cross-cultural communications, professionally trained more than 1,000 interpreters, administered language proficiency tests to more than 1,200 bilingual personnel, and interpreted for more than 125 hospitals, health and human services agencies, and schools.

Contact us at 703-549-7060 to find out how we can help you.

Ethiopia is credited with being the origin of mankind after bones that date back 3.2 million years were discovered in eastern Ethiopia. U.S.-Ethiopian relations were established in 1903. The 2000 U.S. Census estimates the number of foreign-born Ethiopians in the U.S. at 69,530.

An Amharic translation consists of the transmission of a written message from the Amharic language into the target language – English in this case, since we are located in the United States - or vice versa. The Amharic translator who is doing the Amharic translation is usually a native of Ethiopia. The translator who is completing the Amharic translation must have fluency in both the source and the target languages. An Amharic speaking translator, who is not a native of Ethiopia, must be knowledgeable of the culture as well, in order for the Amharic translation to be precise and in order for him to be able to clarify any cultural misunderstanding or concepts in his Amharic translation.

An Amharic translation may cost the client more money because of the complexity of the language combination. In order to ensure accuracy of the Amharic translation, the translator must ensure that he has access to resources, dictionaries, and Amharic alphabet computer software in order to be able to submit the Amharic translation electronically because that is how most if not all translations are not done nowadays.

In December 2003, the U.S. Census bureau released data for the first time on the Arab population of the United States. The cities with largest Arab American populations are Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

In the language services profession, the word translation refers to rendering a written message from one language into another. The word interpretation is used to describe the process of rendering an oral message from one language into another.

Arabic translation requires a specific set of skills which are not the same as those required for oral interpretation. A competent Arabic translator may not be a good Arabic interpreter. The converse is also true. A competent Arabic translator must possess:

1. An excellent command of both Arabic and English.
2. The skills necessary to do Arabic translation into Arabic, which should typically be the native language of the translator
3. A working knowledge of the concepts and terms used in the field covered by the document (e.g., medical, legal, education, immigration).
4. Excellent research skills.

The ability to render a good Arabic translation involves the ability to understand and relay ideas as well as words in Arabic. An Arabic translation is not simply finding the equivalent word in the language for the document and stringing those words together. A good Arabic translation requires the translator to understand an idea, place it in context of the overall document and then translate it using the proper structure for an Arabic translation, leaving behind the structure of the source document.

NVAHEC can assure you that our Arabic translation work is accurate, reliable and that your document will be written in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner. NVAHEC can translate from and into over 30 languages. Our translators are all experienced, trained and certified by the American Translators Association (where such certification exists).

The American Translators Association ( ATA ) is a translation and interpretation association that works to advance the profession of oral and written translation. ATA was founded in 1959 and today has more than 10,000 members in over 90 countries worldwide. ATA is a highly recognized association and its certification process ensures the professionalism, expertise and knowledge of whomever passes ATA 's test and gets certified.

NV AHEC is a member of ATA. ATA holds annual conferences in which interpreters and translators from all over the world, but especially from North America meet, network and advance their professions. ATA also has numerous ATA chapters in all the major cities in the US. These ATA chapters hold their monthly or quarterly meetings and events to keep their ATA members up-to-date with the latest updates in the translation profession.

The primary goals of ATA are to advance the interpreting and translation professions and to foster the professional development of interpreters and translators. ATA 's membership is open to anyone who has worked and is working in translation and to anyone with an obvious interest in these two professions.

It might be important to first start by differentitating between the ability to interpret and the ability to translate. To translate is to render a written message from a language - the source labguage - into another - the target language. To interpret on the other hand is to orally transmit a message from a source language into a target language. These two words are usually used interchangeably but it is very important to educate the community about the difference and when to use the word "interpret" and when to use the word "translate".

So what is required of you in order to be able to interpret? The ability to interpret goes beyond the ability to speak two language fluently. Indeed, being bilingual does not necessarily mean that a person can interpret completey and accurately the message that is being said. So what are the requirements needed in order to interpret well?

First, you want to make sure you fluently speak both English and the target language to be able to understand the message that is being delivered and to interpret it correctly and accurately in the target language. Second, you want to be familiar with medical terminology because you will mostly interpret in medical settings if you work for NV AHEC. You will also interpret for social services, and in educational settings, as well as health and human settings, so you want to be well prepared to interpret in any of these settings. Third, try to get as much information as possible about the assignment you're going to interpret for, because this will help you be better prepared to interpret and boost your self-confidence. Fourth, get more information about the client or patient you will interpret for and about the condition they have. Do some reasearch on the condition and you can be sure that you will interpret everything and do a great job.

For more information on interpreting trainings, call NV AHEC and we will train you and help you become a professional interpreter.

To translate is to render a written message from one language into another language. Not every person that can interpret can also translate, because to translate is to have a combination of skills that do not necessarily have to be present to the same extent when interpreting. So what are the skills that a good translator has to have when he or she has to translate medical documents?

1. A great command of English and of the target language.
2. The ability to translate into the target language, which generally has to be the native language of the translator.
3. A good knowledge of medical concepts and terminology.
4. Strong research skills.

The ability to translate lies in the ability to understand and relay ideas instead of words. To translate is definitely not to find the equivalent of each word and putting these words together to form a sentence. To translate is more to read an idea, situate in the context of the whole text, and translate it using a good structure of the target language while leaving behind the structure of the source language. In other words, when you translate, you don't want to copy paste the structure of the source language into the target language.

At NV AHEC, we assure you that our translations are accurate, reliable and that they transmit your message completely. We have translation teams made up of a translator and a proofreader who translate your documents in a timely manner while keeping the same format as the original. We translate from and into over 40 languages and our translators are all certified and experienced translators.

A translator is someone who transmits a written message in one language into a written message in another. Prior to being hired at NVAHEC, the translator must successfully complete the translation proficiency test. Following the completion of the proficiency test, the translator is then eligible to attend the 16 hour translation training.

Although the Translator may be certified by the American Translation Association, NVAHEC Translator must complete the 16-hour translation course. The translator must be fluent in both English and the target language in order to accurately translate the document.

When translating the document, the translator must follow all “Translator Codes of Ethics.” A qualified translator is someone who is knowledgeable and must have the following skills: a deep knowledge of the source and target languages, excellent cultural fluency, excellent writing and editing skills, knowledge in areas of specialization, good computer skills and good research skills. A translator should also have good computer skills. The translator works with a team of two proofreaders.

After the completion of the translation, the translator forwards his/her work to the 1st proofreader. After the 1st proofreader has reviewed the work of the translator, then the document is forwarded to the 2nd proofreader for a final review. Once the proofreading has been completed the proofreader sends the completed document back to the translator to be turned in to NV AHEC.

Chinese people were some of the early immigrants to live in the U.S. They make up the largest Asian population in the U.S. today comprising of 1.2% of the whole population.

Ethical standards are essential to the success of any profession. With NV AHEC, you are assured that you will get the best services provided by some of the most professional and competent interpreters in the area. NV AHEC interpreters all strictly adhere to a set of principles and values which govern their conduct.

Our standards include provisions on confidentiality, accuracy, completeness, professionalism, compensation and more.

For a complete copy of NV AHEC's Interpreters Code of Ethics, click here.

Call us at 703-549-7060 to find out how our services can increase the benefit and effectiveness of your customers' appointments. Ask us to explain how we can help you reduce costs and lower risks.

We look forward to speaking with you!

Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center
3127 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA 22305
703-549-7060 (voice)
703-549-7002 (fax)
info@nvahec.org

For interpretation and translation inquiries, contact our Language Services Department at 703-549-7060 or by e-mail at interpreters@nvahec.org

Translators are those employed to render written works into another language. Translators are the written version of interpreters. Translators can be computer programs or applications at times, which also translate or render one language or data format into another.

Translators essentially transfer messages from one written language into another. Translators are needed for important medical and legal documents. Translators are often used by lawyers and others who need translators for significant documents.

Language translators and interpreters provide vital services to those that don’t speak English well or have foreign documents. People with birth certificates from other countries need translators to translate the document into English so they can receive identification documents. Translators make possible immigrants’ integration into the U.S. legal and social systems. Hospitals need translators for health records coming from overseas. Translators help facilitate written communication. Translators are always in need. Many companies and organizations hire translators. Good translators get paid well.

Call us today at 703-549-7060 to ask for a translation quote.

The 2000 U.S. census estimates that 1.6 million Americans over the age of five speak French at home, making it the third most-spoken language in the country, behind English and Spanish.

In 2006, of the 1,266,264 immigrants to the U.S. from all the countries, 58,072 were from India. Indians, along with other Asians, have one of the highest educational qualifications of all ethnic groups in the US with almost 67% of all Indians with a bachelor's or high degree.

We help your patients communicate quickly and effectively in English and your health care staff communicate fluently in over 40 languages.

NV AHEC provides dozens of interpreters each day to leading hospital networks in the Washington DC Metro area. Our professional medical interpreters and translators ensure:

• Faster communication: Bridge the communication gap between your health care providers and your non-English speaking patients and improve health outcomes.


• Reduced risk: Reduce liability issues caused by medical errors at your institution.


• Lower overall costs: Avoid malpractice lawsuits and cut down on costs caused by longer stays at the hospital, unnecessary tests, more repeat visits and medical mistakes.

Call us today at 703-549-7060 and ask us how we can help you bridge the communication gap between your health care providers and your Limited English Proficient clients.

NV AHEC provides hundreds of interpreters each week to health and human services organizations in the Washington DC Metro area. From social services, to mental health, to workman's compensation or immigration, our professional interpreters and translators help you:

• Increase your communication efficiency: We improve health outcomes by helping your patients and providers communicate quickly and effectively in over 40 languages.


• Reduce legal risks: Avoid lawsuits and reduce risks for liability issues caused by miscommunication with your non-English speaking clients.


• Save money and time: Cut down on costs and save time through better communication with your clients.

Call us now at 703-549-7060 and ask us how we can help you.

Through our workshops,health and human services professionals learn how to more quickly and effectively communicate with patients or clients who aren't fluent in English.

Participants learn from experts how to:

• Help patients and clients clearly state problems and symptoms
• Overcome cultural barriers to open communication

Our two-hour workshops are packed full of practical information, and can be held at your convenience on site, as webinars, or in one of our training facilities.

Call us today at 703-549-7060 for more information or to schedule a workshop.

For over 10 years, NV AHEC has set the standard in the community for expert interpretation in medical settings. Our clients include the largest network of hospitals in the area and health and human services agencies.

Our clients choose us because of our:

• Expertise in medical terminology and in health and human services settings
• Professionally tested, trained and certified interpreters who swear to uphold NV AHEC's Code of Ethics
• In-person interpretation available 24/7
• Interpretation services in more than 40 languages
• Bilingual, bicultural interpreters who are highly sensitive to linguistic and cultural barriers influencing encounters between providers and clients

At NV AHEC, we even accomodate your last minute requests. Call us today to schedule an interpreter at 703-549-7060.

An interpretation is an explanation of the meaning of an object of attention. It also refers to making ideas more understandable, which includes translation. Interpretation deals exclusively with oral communication. Interpretation renders a message from one language into another. Interpretation does this naturally and fluently. An Interpretation must adopt the delivery, tone and convictions of the speaker. Interpretation must be spoken in the first person.

Interpretation can also be defined as the facilitation of dialogue and communication between parties who use and speak different languages. Language interpretation is the facilitation of oral and sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages and forms of communication. Interpretation, professionally, denotes that act of facilitation of communication from one language or form into its equivalent, or approximate equivalent in another language or form. Interpretation is the actual product of this communication process. Interpretation is done by interpreters.

In interpretation, every semantic element must be conveyed, such as tone and register. Interpretation also captures the intentions and feelings of the message from the source language speaker and directs it to the target language listener.

Here at NV AHEC, we provide interpretation services, interpretation specialists, interpretation training and interpretation testing. Medical interpretation is the focus of our organization. Interpretation facilitates communication and at NV AHEC we facilitate access to interpretation.

Medical interpreter certification is not part of Virginia’s requirements yet. We are working hard and long to explain why medical interpreter certification is so crucial.

Medical interpreter certification can create safer environment with more accurate communication. Medical interpreter certification also guarantees the use of trained interpreters that are aware of and familiar with medical terminology.

Medical interpreter certification can be obtained from NV AHEC; however that certification only is such semantically. It is called “medical interpreter certification”; however, we present the trainees with certificates upon completion. That is the only formal way of medical interpreter certification. Completion of this course does not achieve national or even statewide medical interpreter certification because no medical interpreter certification is yet being offered or has been developed on either a state level in Virginia or a national level for that matter.

Medical interpreter certification can only truly be achieved when local and national authorities take the appropriate steps in requiring such a medical interpreter certification. And the state or Virginia is luckily on the way to regulating the profession of medical interpreting so that it can be treated and viewed just like any other profession with rules, regulations and medical interpreting code of ethics.

The interpreter must follow a certain code of ethics if they are to work for NVAHEC.

First of all the interpreter must treat all information as confidential in all circumstances, including community social settings. Secondly, the interpreter must transmit the full message accurately, omitting nothing and relaying the tone and spirit of the original message. Thirdly, the interpreter must convey everything said by all parties present and no side conversations, opinions or advice by the interpreter are to be allowed.

In addition, the interpreter will make every effort to insure that the client has understood all information, instructions and questions transmitted by the provider. The interpreter should attempt to create a trusting and respectful (but not personal) relationship with the client. The interpreter must reveal any conflict of interest which might affect his/her ability to deliver the message objectively. The interpreter may only accept the fee agreed upon by him/her and the agency. No personal gifts to the interpreter are permitted. The interpreter must conduct himself/herself at all times with professionalism. That means the interpreter must be prompt, well prepared and dressed appropriately. Lastly, the interpreter must be prepared to withdraw if he/she finds that the situation violates the Code of Ethics.

An intensive, interactive, 40-hour course in professional interpretation, our Interpreting in Health and Community Settings (IHCS) training is designed for bilingual individuals seeking to enhance their interpreting skills for employability, job retention, or career change.

The course covers the code of ethics, interpreting modes and techniques, cultural competence, memory development, professional conduct, human anatomy and physiology, and the health care system in the United States. IHCS is taught in English for multilingual groups. For IHCS Frequently Asked Questions, click HERE.

The next IHCS training will be held:
October 14-15, 21-22, 29

Click HERE to register for a phone or translation test. Upon receipt of your registration information, we will contact you to schedule a test.

We offer a variety of interpreting and translation courses throughout the year. On-site trainings are also available upon request.

Why attend our trainings?

• Our trainings are specifically tailored to multilingual groups
• Trainings are condensed into day-long classes
• Classes include plenty of demonstrations, practice time and role-plays
• Pre-tests and post-tests ensure comprehension and qualification of attendees
• All trainings are taught by experts in their fields

Don't wait! Click HERE to register for a phone or translation test. Upon receipt of your registration information, we will contact you to schedule a test.

When interpreting, there are essential guidelines that must be followed in order to establish a professional environment. Successful interpreting requires that the stage be properly set including the procurement of information concerning the assignment, establishing ground rules, adjusting the seating arrangement and maintaining the appropriate amount of eye contact. Interpreting guidelines establish that an introduction to the client and provider be made and that all parties are aware of the ground rules. Utilizing the first person while interpreting is an established technique and essential for accuracy and clarity.

Interpreting requires the mastering of these four techniques: transmitting, intervening, mediating and representing. Each of these interpreting techniques demands particular skills and is increasingly difficult. Interpreting in the transmitting mode is most common.

An overview of interpreting would necessarily include that the party interpreting stay calm, identify and clarify any problems, make sure the client is always aware of what is going on during the interpretation and always use your best judgment while interpreting. Interpreting is a demanding and specialized profession that is very rewarding and beneficial to the community when done properly.

The Introduction to the Art of Translation (IAT) course is an intensive, 2-day course covering the basics of the translation profession. It is designed for bilingual individuals, and is taught in English for multilingual groups.

In order to qualify for the IAT training, all candidates are required to take and pass the two-hour Translation Proficiency Test. This test examines an individual's ability to transmit a message accurately in a written format from English into the target language, and familiarity with vocabulary, grammar and syntax of both source and target languages.

Our next IAT training will be offered on April 10 and 17, 2010.

Click HERE to register for a phone or translation test. Upon receipt of your registration information, we will contact you to schedule a test.

The April class is currently full.

Need to know more? Please check our list of FAQ.

Are you a fluent, bilingual individual with a strong desire to serve your community? You may qualify to become a professional NV AHEC interpreter.

All professional NV AHEC interpreters must fulfill the following requirements:

• Fluency in English and one or more foreign language, both oral and written
• Passing the NV AHEC Language Proficiency Test with a minimum score of 80%
• Successful completion of the NV AHEC 40-hour Interpreting in Health and Community Settings training

If you are interested in beginning the application process, and if you live in the Washington DC Metro area and speak fluent English and one of the following languages (check list below), please download and email us a completed Interpreter Application. We will contact you if your qualifications meet our needs.

We are currently looking for individuals who speak one of the following:

Albanian Cambodian/Khmer Cantonese (in Maryland) Creole Greek Gujarati

Hungarian Japanese Mongolian Tagalog Tamil Thai/Lao Turkish

Los Angeles, with its Koreatown district, is home to the largest population of Koreans outside of Asia. In a 2005 United States Census Bureau survey, an estimated 432,907 Koreans in the U.S. were native-born Americans, and 973,780 were foreign-born.

Want to become a medical interpreter but need to prove you have the necessary linguistic skills first? NV AHEC's interpreter language proficiency test helps you do just that. The test assesses your:

• Fluency in English and a second language
• Familiarity with basic anatomical and medical terminology
• Ability to transmit a message accurately from one language into another

The test is a prerequisite for admission to all interpreting classes and is available in two formats: an express phone test and a written test.
For Frequently Asked Questions on our proficiency testing protocol click HERE.

Click HERE to register for a phone or translation test. Upon receipt of your registration information, we will contact you to schedule a test.

NV AHEC offers two language testing otpions: a medical interpreting language testing and a translation language testing.

The interpreting language testing helps determine a candidate's ability to render an oral message from one language into another in an accurate and timely manner. NV AHEC currently offers two convenient language testing options: the Express Phone Language Test or the Written Language Test. Both language testing examine the candidate's fluency in both english and the target languages, their ability to transmit a message accurately and their familiarity with basic anatomical and medical terminology. On-site language testing is also available. Just call our language testing department at 703-549-7060 and we will schedule a day to go conduct our language testing at your site. The Express phone language testing was developed to meet the local needs of providers and to assess thei bilingual staff language skills. The Express phone language testing requires 15-20 minutes to complete and is conducted over the phone.

The written language testing requires 2 hours to complete and must be taken at NV AHEC's office or at an agency site. The written language testing is divided into oral and written segments. The translation language testing on the other hand is a two-hour language testing that is administered in our office and that helps determine your written translation skills by emphasizing on your grammar, style and use of vocabulary.

If you are interested in registering for any of our language testing to determine your proficiency in English and your target language(s), please call our language testing department to schedule an appointment, or you can register online.

Language translation refers to rendering a written document from one language into another language. In the Language Services professions, language translation refers to written documents as opposed to language interpretation, which refers to oral communication.
Among the competencies necessary for a person to produce an excellent language translation are:

1. An excellent command of both of the languages involved in the language translation.
2. The ability to translate properly into the target language, which is typically the native language of the translator.
3. A good understanding of the terminology and concepts involved with the subject matter of the document to be translated (e.g., a medical report).
4. Strong research skills. Language translation requires the ability to accurately communicate ideas and concepts, not just words.

A quality language translation is far more than merely finding the linguistic equivalent of a series of words and putting them verbatim into a sentence. For example, certain words and even certain concepts that one might take for granted in English do not even exist in some other languages and cultures. You cannot merely “copy and paste” the structure of one language into that of another.

As in the case of medical translation, legal translation requires its own set of specialized skills. In any translation work, the translator must have a native command of the two languages involved, strong research skills, and an understanding of the culture for which the translation is being done. Legal translation requires all of that, plus a good understanding of legal terminology and concepts in both languages and cultures.

Legal translation must be clear, accurate, and precise. The very nature of legal documents requires that everything they contain must be included in the legal translation, with nothing additional added. As they may be used in courtroom, administrative or other legal venues, precision in the legal translation is essential.

With so many immigrants moving to the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. area in recent years, and with many of them being Limited English Proficient or LEP, the need for legal translation has definitely increased. Many of these immigrants need to have their legal documents translated from their native language into English, or even from English into their native language sometimes.

At NV AHEC we proudly offer you professional services in legal translation in over 30 languages and we assure that our legal translators are certified and experts in providing the most accurate and complete legal translation possible. Call us today at 703/ 549-7060 to receive a quote for your legal translation request.

A trained medical interpreter isn't only competent in both source and the target language but is also culturally sensitive. Due to this trained medical interpreter, the provider is also able to do his/her job well by providing quality language services to the clients/patients who are limited English proficient. The trained medical interpreter is also able assist the LEP patient or LEP client obtain resources and other services through the role of a mediator, intervener and advocate when necessary.

An untrained medical interpreter is an untrained bilingual staff member at the hospital, a friend or a family member. It is advisable not to use an untrained medical interpreter; however, when a provider has no other choice but to use an untrained medical interpreter, the provider can help guide the encounter. Along with fluently speaking both the source and the target languages, a trained medical interpreter must know all the medical interpreter terminologies in both languages.

Interpreters are advocates who represent someone else's policy or purpose. In the case of NV AHEC interpreters, our interpreters bridge gaps in communication. Interpreters mediate between speakers of different languages. Interpreters are people who facilitate communication between two or more people who speak different languages.

Others define interpreters as those who interpret, explain, or expound. They tend to call them translators; but interpreters are people who translate orally between two parties as opposed to translators who translate written documents from one language into another. So in other words, interpreters are oral translators.

Interpreters need to be proficient and fluent in more than one language, and interpreters must have such a level of fluency in the cultures of the languages as well. Interpreters working as such professionally often also need college degrees, unrelated to interpretation. Interpreters help low English proficiency clients communicate with their doctors, social workers, lawyers and much more. Interpreters are extremely important in medical settings, also.

We show health professionals how to more quickly and effectively communicate with clients who aren't fluent in English.

Participants learn from experts how to:

• overcome cultural barriers to open communication
• help patients and clients clearly state problems and symptoms
• effectively communicate through trained and untrained interpreters

Our two-hour workshops are packed full of practical information, and can be held at your convenience on-site, as webinars, or in one of our training facilities.

Call us today at 703-549-7060 for more information or to schedule a training.

NV AHEC’s 40-hour intensive interpreter training is also designed as a medical interpreter training. NV AHEC’s interpreters must successfully complete the medical interpreter training in order to be hired as a professional interpreter. In addition to providing interpretation services in community settings, such as schools, legal services, and human services, NVAHEC primarily caters to the medical institutions in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. Therefore, each NV AHEC interpreter must complete the medical interpreter training portion of the 40-hour course as well.

It is also advisable that all medical institutions that provide interpretation services to their patients, should consider requiring all their bilingual staff to attend the medical interpreter training at NV AHEC.

At NV AHEC, the medical interpreter training is conducted by a trainer with medical background, i.e nurse or doctor. The medical interpreter training is given on a bi-monthly basis. It is critical for all interpreters providing medical interpretation to patients to have good knowledge of medical terminologies and the human anatomy through the medical interpreter training. The medical interpreter training also teaches the “Codes of Ethics” to the interpreters. At the medical interpreter training, the participants are also expected to play an active role during the “role play” sessions. NV AHEC’s medical interpreter training is recognized not only in the Washington D.C. Metro Area, but in other states as well.

Medical translation is a highly specialized field. Not all translators are qualified to provide a competent medical translation. In addition to the general skills necessary to do any translation, medical translation requires a thorough knowledge of medical terminology in the two languages involved in the translation, and a real understanding of the concepts involved in the given medical field.

A good medical translation will have a translator with linguistic and conceptual skills involved and a native understanding of the culture at which the translation is aimed. It is not uncommon in medical translation, for example, for the translator to encounter terminology and/or concepts that do not exist in the target language and culture. Thus, a good medical translator must utilize his/her knowledge of both cultures and languages in order to render a medical translation that makes sense and is understandable to the person(s) for whom the document is being translated. In these situations, a quality medical translation is often not a verbatim rendering of the document’s source language into the target language. Such a medical translation often would be incomprehensible to the person(s) it is directed to.

Medical translation requires extensive research skills on the part of the translator to make certain that all the concepts in the source document are clearly understood.

NVAHEC has been providing quality medical translation for over a decade and has highly skilled and certified translators in over 30 languages, who can make sure that your document(s) are properly rendered into the languages you seek. Please call us today at 703/ 549-7060 to request a quote for your medical translation.

Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center [NVAHEC] is one of the region's most respected providers of professional language services in health care and human services settings. NVAHEC's goal is to improve community access to quality health care by improving access to primary health care for underserved communities such as the limited English proficient populations of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Area hospitals, health and human service agencies, and community organizations know to rely on Northern Virginia AHEC services to help better meet the needs of our increasingly diverse population.

Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center specializes in over 40 languages. NVAHEC is unusual among Area Health Education Centers in Virginia in that it is a language services oriented Health Education Center, given the needs of the diverse populations of the Northern Virginia region. NV AHEC's areas of expertise extend beyond interpreting in health care and human services settings to include written translation in over 40 languages, interpreter and provider trainings, and language proficiency testing for bilingual employees.

.

NV AHEC's reputation as a trusted provider of professional language services resulted in clients clamoring for us to provide language expertise in more settings. Not only do we set a standard in medical interpretation and translation, but we have also tested, trained and certified a team of top-notch interpreters and translators to provide professional language services for:

• Local and regional interpretation and translation agencies
• School meetings and conferences
• Law firms
• City council meetings
• Job fairs
• Community events

Call us today at 703-549-7060 to request our professional services for all your events.

NV AHEC specializes in providing interpretation, testing and training for health care and human services organizations. We provide

• Professional contract interpreters: Professionally trained interpreters provide around-the-clock, on-site services in more than 40 languages
• Bilingual staff testing and training: Our experts test your staff for proficiency in English and a second language, and train them to become professional interpreters in health settings
• Written translation services: Communicate effectively with your patients by converting your written documents, outreach flyers or educational material into any language you need

For more specific information on the services we provide, just click on the links below:

• Hospitals and health care
• Human services organizations and agencies
• Other organizations

At NV AHEC, we interpret and translate in the following languages and more:

Acholi Albanian Amharic Arabic Bengali Bosnian Bulgarian Burmese Cambodian Cantonese Dari Dinka Ewe Farsi French Gujarati Hindi Japanese Kisi Kono Krio Kurdish

Korean Lao Mandarin Marathi Mende Mongolian Pashto Portuguese Punjabi Russian Somali Spanish Swahili Tagalog Temne Thai Tigrinya Turkish Twi Urdu Vietnamese

Do you need interpretation or translation in another language? Just call us at 703-549-7060.

NV AHEC offers a unique blend of language services for all your needs. Whether you are looking for an interpreter, a translator, language testing or trainings for your staff, you can find it all at NV AHEC.

Not only do we set a standard in medical interpretation and translation, but you can also count on our top-notch team of professionals to provide services for your school meetings, legal hearings, community fairs and events and more.

Services we provide include:

• Interpretation
• Training and Education
• Language Proficiency Tests
• Translation

For upcoming trainings and events, go to our events page.
Call us at 703-549-7060 to request an interpreter, schedule a training, or ask for a translation quote.

Our dedicated staff works hard to fulfill NV AHEC's mission of increasing access to primary health care by recruiting, training and supporting providers. The people who make up the Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center are:

Dallice M. Joyner, H.Ed., M.Ed., Executive Director

J. Dent Farr, Director of Operations

Ruma Bhowmik, MSW, Director of Language Services

Adelya Carlson, M.Ed., Director of Training and Outreach

DeLana Browning, Ph.D., Communications and Special Projects Manager

Valerie Makepeace, Interpreter Scheduler

Sona Gyulamirian, Testing and Training Coordinator

Julia Wills, Interpreter Scheduler

Do you want to reach out to your community through translation services? Are you trying to have your services accessible to an increasingly diverse population in your area? NV AHEC's translation services will help you reach your goals through converting your written documents into any target language you request.

At NV AHEC, our translation services are based on keeping the same meaning of the original text, while taking into account any colloquialisms, regionalisms and cultural differences of the translation's target audience. Our written translation services are available in over 20 of the most spoken languages in the united states today, including: spanish translation, vietnamese translation, arabic translation, chinese translation, amharic translation, french translation, farsi translation, hindi translation, urdu translation, korean translation, russian translation and somali translation, just to name a few of our translation services.

Through our professional translation services, we guarantee the highest quality translations, delivered in a timely manner and in any document format you require. Our translation services is run by our Language Services department, whose members work on hiring certified translators who are experts in their fields, notably the medical translation field.

To request a translation estimate from our translation services department, please contact our translation services department at 703/549-7060 and we will provide you with a same-day quote for any of your translation needs.

Russia covers about one-eighth of the world's land surface, making it the world's largest country. In the U.S., Russian is frequently spoken in areas of Alaska, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, San Francisco and New York City.

Many schools have found a need for a school translator. The students that don’t speak English well need a school translator, as do their parents. Parents need to be able to communicate to school administration as well as teachers and other parents via the written documents exchanged, and a school translator helps with that. Students bring home papers from school and the parents have no way to respond, and need to use the school translator. The school translator is essential in rendering written messages from the school to the parents and vice versa. A school translator should exist at every school and should be constantly available to translate documents.

The school translator serves the growing immigrant population. More and more of the population is low English proficient and a school translator ensures that the children and the parents in this population and community have the same knowledge, rights and opportunities as others who speak English. A school translator must do their best to render the written message exactly as it is written into another language. If parents don’t know what a piece of paper says from the school, they contact the school translator that provides them with the same writing, but in their native language rather than English. Every school should have a school translator.

Many people confuse the word school interpreter for school translator. Instead of using the term school interpreter, people tend to say translator. A school interpreter is the person who is present at IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences and any school meeting to interpret orally the message that the school is trying to transmit to the parents who don’t speak English or who are limited English proficient.

At NV AHEC, our services include simultaneous interpretation, consecutive interpretation and written translations. So what is the difference between a simultaneous interpreter and a consecutive interpreter?

A simultaneous interpreter has to interpret the message being said almost simultaneously as the speaker says it. A simultaneous interpreter barely has a few seconds pause after the source message is emitted before he or she should start interpreting. Therefore, a simultaneous inerpreter has to be able to listen to the source message and interpret in the target language at the same time. He or she also has to have a very good hearing and a pleasant voice. A simultaneous interpreter also has to build a very wide and diverse vocabulary for each topic that he or she is interpreting for. Being prepared before each assignment is crucial for a successful simultaneous interpretation. A simultaneous interpreter should make sure to get as much information as possible about each assignment and to research the topic extensively so as to be very well prepared for the interpretation. Generally speaking, a simultaneous interpreter works in a booth with another simultaneous interpreter, and has to use a headphone and a microphone. A simultaneous interpreter always works in pair with another simultaneous interpreter and they each have to alternate optimally every half an hour.

As for the consecutive interpreter, his or her job consists of listening to the speaker emit a message in the source language, waiting for them to pause and then interpreting what they said in a consecutive mode. Some say that a consecutive interpreter's job is not as difficult as a simultaneous interpreter's job. This is not completely true however, because both a consecutive and a simultaneous interpreter share the same responsibility of making sure they serve as conduits of communication bewteen a limited english proficient client and their providers by staying as accurate and as loyal to what has been said as possible. And this is an equal challenge to both a consecutive interpreter and a simultaneous interpreter.

Between 1992 and 2005, 64,439 persons born in Somalia were admitted to the United States as refugees. Today, Minnesota has the highest population of Somalis in North America.

According to the U.S. Census, the estimated number of Hispanics in the U.S. as of July 1, 2005 is 42.7 million. This figure means that the U.S. has the fifth largest Hispanic population worldwide (trailing Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Argentina).

Translating a text from Spanish to English or from English to Spanish is rendering the text from a source language into a target language. Our organization can help translate your documents from Spanish to English. We can also interpret from Spanish to English in any setting you need.

Spanish to English translation is not difficult to find, however, accurate and precise Spanish to English translation can be rare. Spanish to English translators need training to do their jobs well. Spanish to English interpreters are not rare. However, just as Spanish to English translators, Spanish to English interpreters that do their job accurately are hard to find. Spanish to English interpreters must also be trained.

Spanish to English is most likely the majority of interpretation and translation that happens in our community and surroundings today. Many immigrants need documents translated from Spanish to English and their speech interpreted from Spanish to English because many of the immigrants in the USA today are Spanish speakers. Often, Spanish to English translation and interpretation takes place in hospitals and schools.

NV AHEC has Spanish to English translators and interpreters and they are all trained to provide Spanish to English translations and interpretations in medical and community settings such as schools and social services settings.

NV AHEC was the first agency to offer health care and community interpreter trainings in the Washington DC Metro area, and remains a leader in the field. In the past 10 years, we have trained more than 1,000 interpreters for more than 125 organizations.

NV AHEC clients benefit from our teaching experience, practical expertise and continuous performance evaluation. Our courses are tailored to your needs. If you are interested in receiving more information about the various training courses, please complete this online form.

We offer trainings for:
Medical staff
Human services professionals
Interpreters and translators

NEW!! NEW!! NEW!! NEW!!

NV AHEC is offering a five-part Webinar Series, Healthcare Beyond Words and Barriers. This continuing education program is designed for health care providers and managers. The next webinar, Building a Linguistically and Culturally Competent Workforce on Wednesday, August 4 12:00-1:30 pm.

For more information about this series please click here.

View a recording of the most recent Webinar here: Health Literacy

NV AHEC provides training for interpreters. It is called the Interpreting in Health and Community Settings. This training for interpreters is detailed and medically oriented. Interpreters must seek such training for interpreters.

Training for interpreters can be done online or in a classroom. Training for interpreters is important so that the interpreters know what they are doing. Training for interpreters provides them with information about the code of ethics, what to do and what not to do in a interpretation setting, how to interpret correctly and where to find more training for interpreters. Training for interpreters is essential for producing competent interpreters that can convey an oral message accurately and in a timely, conversation manner. Training for interpreters teaches many skills that even experienced, but untrained interpreters, don’t have.

We provide training for interpreters so that those entering this new career do so with the appropriate skills that only a training for interpreters can provide. All interpreters should take part in a training for interpreters so that they can be competent and don’t cause dangerous, unsafe and confusing situations.

NV AHEC provides a training for interpreters in the DC area. There probably are other training for interpreters in DC but NV AHEC gears its training towards a medical setting. Our training for interpreters in DC is focused on medical, health and community settings. The training for interpreters in DC covers codes of ethics, what to and not to do as well as medical information such as anatomy and physiology. The best part about the training is that it is located in DC, as there is a high need for training for interpreters in DC because of the high number of immigrants who are limited English proficient and who therefore need interpreters.

Local training for interpreters in DC is quite useful so that they don’t have to travel to learn. Training is vital, and having a training for interpreters in DC is just so much more convenient and useful. All interpreters in DC should attend training for interpreters in DC so as to become better communicators and interpreters. There need to be regulations requiring interpreters to attend some sort of course and now that there is training for interpreters in DC, close by in the region within at best an hour or two drive, interpreters should have no excuse for not seeking a training for interpreters in DC.

For over 10 years, NV AHEC has provided accurate, reliable medical translations to some of the biggest hospitals and health and human services agencies in the region. NV AHEC will help you reach out to and engage your community with written materials in a wide range of languages.

At NV AHEC, we know that a good translation is one that keeps the same meaning and spirit of the original text, while taking into account any colloquialisms, regionalisms and cultural differences of the translation's target audience. Our written translation services are available in more than 40 languages.

Call us at 703-549-7060 to request a same-day quote for your translation needs.

A quality translation agency must take great care in its work. When seeking a translation agency, there are a number of factors you should look for.

First, a quality translation agency must have the highest possible standards in its selection of people to do the translations. Those translators should be tested in their language proficiency in both languages. Assuming the translator demonstrates a thorough grasp of both languages, (s)he should be trained in the art and skill of proper translation. The translator should be certified by the American Translation Association when possible. ATA does not certify all languages. Secondly, a translation agency must provide a qualified translation team to work on the document to be translated. At a minimum, there should be a translator to do the original work and a proofreader to review and edit the translation. Where the two disagree on wording or phrasing, they must work together to arrive at an appropriate wording. Thirdly, a translation agency should also make available a “back translation”, in which a third translator renders the document back into the original language from the translated version. This is a further way for the translation agency and its client to verify the accuracy of the translation.

A translation agency should provide you with a clearly stated fee per word for its work and should give you a firm estimate of cost before proceeding with the translation. The translation agency should offer formatting services when needed. NVAHEC is proud of its work as a translation agency. We offer qualified translators in over 30 languages and promise timely delivery of the final product. We work closely with clients to make certain that our translators, proofreaders and other staff understand clearly what your needs and requirements are.

Translating a document is transmitting a written message from the source language into another written message into the target language. When translating a document, the translator must keep in mind that fluency, accuracy, grammar, spelling, and correct terminologies must be applied. If the translator is not knowledgeable about the culture and terminologies of the type of translations that he/she is doing, translating the particular document can be quite challenging.

Translating programs are unfortunately not offered in many schools around the country in the USA. This might be due to the fact that English is the first most spoken language in the world, and therefore there was no real need to translating it into another language in the USA before. This has however changed a lot in recent years. Since more and more immigrants who are limited English proficient have moved to the USA recently, the need for translating especially legal and medical documents for them has dramatically grown. Therefore the profession of translating has become more and more in demand and translating programs have consequently been developed to cover the growing need for certified translators.

Hopefully, the trend will continue to grow and translating will be acknowledged as a necessary and important profession that needs to be regulated and taught.

Services for translation in VA include: consecutive interpreting, simultaneous interpreting - with or without equipment -, written translation in VA and sight translation. The Northern VA Area Health Education Center offers languages services in interpretation and translation in VA. It has been providing translation services in VA for the past 12 years and is renowned for hiring and training professional translators and interpreters who are experts in their respective fields.

The American Translators Association (ATA) provides certification for translators in VA and in different states around the country. A good translation in VA is usually provided by translators who have been certified by ATA.

To access services for good and reliable services for interpretation and translation in VA, call NV AHEC today at 703-549-7060. We ensure the most professional and best trained interpreters and translators in VA, and assure you that you will receive the best interpretation and translation in VA.

Do you want to reach out to your community through translation services? Are you trying to have your services accessible to an increasingly diverse population in your area? NV AHEC's translation services will help you reach your goals through converting your written documents into any target language you request.

At NV AHEC, our translation services are based on keeping the same meaning of the original text, while taking into account any colloquialisms, regionalisms and cultural differences of the translation's target audience. Our written translation services are available in over 20 of the most spoken languages in the united states today, including: spanish translation, vietnamese translation, arabic translation, chinese translation, amharic translation, french translation, farsi translation, hindi translation, urdu translation, korean translation, russian translation and somali translation, just to name a few of our translation services.

Through our professional translation services, we guarantee the highest quality translations, delivered in a timely manner and in any document format you require. Our translation services is run by our Language Services department, whose members work on hiring certified translators who are experts in their fields, notably the medical translation field.

To request a translation estimate from our translation services department, please contact our translation services department at 703/549-7060 and we will provide you with a same-day quote for any of your translation needs.

NV AHEC's translation proficiency test is available to organizations wishing to professionally train their staff in translation and for individuals looking to become certified translators.
The test is:

• Two hours long
• Administered at NV AHEC's office by one of our staff but may be given at your organization's site upon request
• Reviewed by professional evaluators and translators

Test results are confidential and will be returned within 2 weeks

To qualify for NV AHEC's translation training, all individuals are required to pass the bilingual translation proficiency evaluation. The test examines the candidates' fluency in both English and the target (non-English) language, their ability to transmit a message accurately from one language into another in a written format and their familiarity with grammar, vocabulary and syntax of both source and target languages.

For questions or to sign up for the test, please contact our Testing and Training coordinator.

For over 12 years, NV AHEC has been providing interpreters and translators in DC mainly in medical, educational, social services and legal settings. NV AHEC's translators in DC are renowned for their professionalism and great and continuous trainings that they have to go through before these translators in DC can join NV AHEC's team of interpreters and translators in DC and VA and MD.

It is very important to differentiate between interpreters in DC and translators in DC. Interpreters relay a message from a language to another in an oral manner, whereas translators in DC relay a written message from a language to another.

To become a translator in DC for the Northern Virginia AHEC, you have to first prove that you have been certified by ATA. But if you wanted to become oral translators in DC with NVAHEC - or in other words an interpreter - who specializes in medical interpreting, then all interested translators in DC should take NV AHEC's language proficiency test and pass it with a minimum score of 80%, then attend the 40-hour Interpreting in Health and Community Settings training that NV AHEC offers almost every 2 months. Call us today at 703-549-7060 to request more information and to register for our test and training.

Call us today at 703-549-7060 for more information or to reserve your spot at one of our trainings.

Our trainings and workshops include:

• 40-hour Interpreting in Health and Community Settings
• 8-hour Refresher Course for Trained Interpreters
• 24-hour Interpreting in Community Settings
• 24-hour Introduction to the Art of Translation
• 86-hour Training of the Trainers program for "Interpreting in Health and Community Settings"
• Medical Reserve Corps: Introduction to Interpreting for Emergency Responders
• Health Literacy and Cultural Competency provider's Webinar series: "Health Care beyond Words and Barriers"

Call us at 703-549-7060 for more information.

Urdu translation is important in the Northern Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland regions. Many of the immigrant residents of this region need Urdu translation and interpretation because this area is home to many people that have moved recently or a long time from Pakistan. Their children in schools need Urdu translation. There needs to be Urdu translation of documents and materials the children bring back from school. Medical settings also need to provide Urdu translation so that the patients can understand what is being asked of them. Urdu translation needs to exist for forms patients sign and need to read either at the hospital or at their children’s schools or when they need to receive health and human services. Agreements and contracts need to be in Urdu translation.

NV AHEC has Urdu interpretation and Urdu translation services. The difference between the two is that Urdu translation is done on written documents while Urdu interpretation is the oral rendering of a message. But people generally tend to use the words Urdu translation and interpretation interchangeably. Urdu translation is hard to find and accurate and concise Urdu translation is even rarer.

Provide your clients and patients with Urdu translation to keep their environment, care and treatment safe and fair. Urdu translation helps everyone get the same, fair and equal treatment. Call us at NV AHEC to get quotes for your Urdu translation requests or to request an Urdu interpreter and one of your staff members will help you.

VA interpreters are growing in numbers by the day. That's because the state is seeing a growing numbers of immigrants from all over the world--many of whom speak no English or have limited English proficiency--which requires that VA interpreters be more and more available. VA interpreters can be found for over 50 of the most spoken languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese, Korean, Amharic, Urdu, Farsi and much more. However, VA interpreters still do not have a state certification available for them. All VA interpreters have to rely on 40- or 60-hour interpreter certification programs provided to VA interpreters by private companies and local colleges. But right now, the state of VA is trying to standardize the profession of medical interpreting and hopefully national and state certifications will eventually be provided to VA interpreters.

For its part, the Northern VA Area Health Education Center is trying to be part of the state effort of standardizing the medical interpretation profession for its medical VA interpreters so that a unified Code of Ethics for medical interpreters can be implemented and followed, and so that VA interpreters can be regarded as professional and highly knowledgeable individuals who can uphold their code of ethics and be held liable for misinterpretations.

There are over 988,000 foreign born from Vietnam in the U.S. Even though they represent the 5th largest immigrant group in the country, Vietnamese immigrants account for just over 3% of the total foreign-born population.

A Vietnamese translation refers to written words indicating materials written in a Vietnamese translation language. Many people use the terms Vietnamese interpretation and Vietnamese translation interchangeably, but the truth is that the two are different: a Vietnamese interpretation is one that is done orally from Vietnamese into English and from English into Vietnamese. On the other hand, a Vietnamese translation is one that is done with written documents, and usually it must be done in one combination of languages: from English into Vietnamese by a native Vietnamese translator. When the Vietnamese translation is improperly done, this can result in misuse of terms or misunderstanding of contextual information in the new language.

Vietnamese translation requires an 8 – 10 business-day turn-around time. Requesting a Vietnamese translation from the Northern Virginia AHEC’s Metropolitan Translation Service is a simple and straightforward process. Vietnamese translation is one of 20 languages conducted. Vietnamese translation requires specific characters and cultural context is very important.

The process for a Vietnamese translation is that teams are assigned to each job (translator, proof reader and reviewer). A completed Vietnamese translation will be returned in the same format and layout as the original document (in so far as possible). Requests for extensive formatting or layout of the Vietnamese translation may incur additional fees. Specialized graphic, font or formatting needs will be honored (in so far as possible) for the Vietnamese translation and will incur additional fees, so will a faster turn-around time to submit the final Vietnamese translation.

Please call our office at 703-549-760 to request a quote for your Vietnamese translation.

Do you have a strong desire to serve your community? Want to put your trained interpreting skills to good use while doing so? Volunteering at a local clinic is a good way to satisfy both of these desires.

Most free clinics are volunteer-dependent organizations. Donations of time and service allow clinics to provide quality health care to those in need while keeping costs low. Many local free clinics have a need for volunteer interpreters.

Click HERE for contact information to a few clinics in the Northern Virginia area that regularly seek volunteer interpreting services.

Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center (NV AHEC) is one of the region’s most respected providers of professional language services for hospitals, health and human services agencies, schools, and more. We provide hundreds of professional interpreters and translate numerous highly technical documents for the top hospitals and human and health agencies in the Washington DC Metro area.

We speak health care and human services in more than 40 languages.

What makes us different:

• We are experts with more than 10 years of experience in providing professional language services
• Our interpreters and translators are professionals - tested and trained
• Our customer satisfaction rate is consistently higher than 99%

Call us at 703-549-7060 to find out more.