About Helen Eby

Helen Eby grew up in Argentina, the land of the gauchos. She is certified as an English Spanish translator by ATA and as a Spanish interpreter by the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts and by the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. She co-founded The Savvy Newcomer and the ¡Al rescate del español! blogs, both of which are team efforts to provide resources for other language professionals. She is also a founding board member of the Spanish Editors Association.

Spanish writing, translation and interpreting classes

Spanish writing for fluent speakers of Spanish Starts on September 4, 2018 By teleconference This class focuses on the issues that help Spanish speakers write better text. We will study the structure of a piece of writing and a paragraph, analyze statements for effective communication, see how different words fit in the puzzle of a [...]

By |2019-02-03T17:22:42-08:00August 24th, 2018|Updates|

Filling out forms with a client

Issues to consider when filling out forms a. Medical providers need the medical intake forms in a language they can  understand. Typically, medical interpreters have been involved in this process, b. Medical interpreters have a limited scope of practice. They are not expected to give medical advice (explain the meaning of medical terms, which can [...]

By |2019-02-03T17:21:27-08:00August 23rd, 2018|Interpreting, Interpreting Standards|

New trainings. Spanish Writing and Translation for Certification

New classes On September 4 we start a Spanish writing training for fluent speakers of Spanish. ($530 to $675, see details at course link) In January, we start the 2019 Spanish translation course.  ($720 to $900, see details at course link) I send applicants a short evaluation before I accept them for the translation course. [...]

By |2019-02-03T17:23:10-08:00August 20th, 2018|Updates|

My Argentine Heritage

Argentine gaucho on horseback. Argentina and the United States had similar independence processes. The United States kicked it off with the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, and later formally declared its independence on July 4, 1776. Argentina started the process with a week-long series of community discussions the week of May [...]

By |2018-07-09T16:25:04-07:00July 9th, 2018|Helen Eby|

Celebrating my US heritage on the 4th of July

United States Declaration of Independence. Image from US Library of Congress My maiden name is Helen Slack. James Slack is a direct ancestor of my paternal grandfather. He helped George Washington cross the Delaware River and win the Battle of Trenton on Christmas Eve of 1776. He was the operator of the Johnson Ferry House, and [...]

By |2018-07-05T13:22:53-07:00July 4th, 2018|Helen Eby|

Serving our interpreter colleagues

My colleagues in the ATA Interpreting Division received the following email from the ATA office today. Why did Lorena and I step up? We have been involved in the Division and in other areas of interpreting for a number of years. We work together well. We thought it was time to work together to help [...]

By |2018-12-15T11:24:01-08:00June 28th, 2018|Updates|

A translation provider, according to ASTM

The ASTM Standard Guide for Quality Assurance in Translation, F2575-14, lists some key considerations when choosing a translation provider. They apply both to hiring a company and an individual translator. Responsibilities need to be assigned for each task. At Gaucha Translations, we have spelled it out in a Work Order. The client needs to be assured [...]

By |2020-03-10T14:19:42-07:00April 3rd, 2018|Translation Standards|

Translating into Spanish for the United States

Translation is teamwork. In the United States, I am often asked if my translations will be understandable by people from different Spanish-speaking countries. I tell them my practice is that teams include people of different nationalities. Why? In the US Spanish-speaking community, speakers are familiar with a variety of registers and variants of the language. [...]

By |2018-04-02T20:54:07-07:00March 28th, 2018|Spanish, Translation|

Evaluating a dictionary for translation

There is a new dictionary of colloquial Spanish in the United States published by the Instituto Cervantes at Harvard University: Diccionario de anglicismos del español estadounidense. What does it say about itself, and what is my response? The prologue states that the terms come from oral Spanish. I believe Facebook and Twitter could be viewed [...]

By |2018-03-13T11:51:11-07:00March 21st, 2018|Spanish, Translation|
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