Language Fact File: Greek
Greek is an official language in: Greece, Greek Cyprus, Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Number of native speakers: 13.5 million
Learn some: Greet your Greek friends in the morning with ‘καλημέρα!’ (kalimera) and in the evening with ‘καλησπέρα!’ (kalispera).
Fast facts:
Ancient Greek was written from right to left, like Arabic. Modern Greek is written left to right, like English. However, between those two methods was a phase called the boustrophedon era, when it was written in rotation from right to left and then left to right! Sending translators of this era our sympathies.
It was the first written language to use vowels. Prior to this, all written alphabetic languages consisted of consonants only, much like modern Arabic.
In fact, the word ‘alphabet’ comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta.
Word order in Greek is incredibly flexible and words can pretty much go anywhere. This is helped by the fact that it uses cases, which change the endings of words to show their grammatical function.
The Linguist’s Story - November
Every month, we get to know a bit more about one of our linguists. This month, meet Candy Isufi, an interpreter working in Greek.
Tell us about the work you do for TLS
I interpret for the Greek community using a variety of services. My role as an interpreter is to render the meaning and feeling of what is said into another language in the appropriate register and style, in a range of settings. These include hospitals, GP practices, schools, workplaces and conferences but also from the comfort of my own sofa as I have been doing for the past year, since I no longer live in London.
What's been your favourite project at TLS?
To be honest it’s quite hard for me to choose between two great experiences, so I’ll mention both.
One of my favourite projects at TLS was when I would interpret for the Memory service in Enfield. The professionals there, were always so friendly and it would just brighten my day to hear lovely comments from both, clients and elderly people I was helping then. Oh God I miss that place!
Now as for my second favourite project, I must say was when I took on the role as an assessor and was called to the TLS offices in Newham. That gave me the opportunity to meet some of the lovely faces who are hidden behind the voices I many times speak to on the phone.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge I’d say was travelling and managing to get to work on time. Back in London, when I used to attend F2F bookings for TLS it came with its pros and cons. The pro was that I’d get to see the people in person. Now, the con was that I don’t drive so I was often having to run to catch buses or stay on them in traffic for ages.
Can you tell us about a time your work has made a difference to someone’s life?
Each and every time I attend assignments, I feel my work makes a difference to all of those people’s lives as I’m building that bridge of communication between the professional and the service user. But there is one time that stands out for me and it’s when a young person’s life was potentially in danger. My presence made a very positive impact as the patient felt that they could freely express themselves in their own native language. That I believe made their journey towards recovering from their mental illness so much smoother.
Tell us something interesting about you
Since I was a child, I had an aspiration to become a doctor but also loved learning foreign languages. I believe my role as an interpreter, in a way, combines both of my interests. As I am using and improving my foreign language skills whilst in the meantime gaining so much knowledge in the medical field - this is why I am considering pursuing a career in child psychology in the future. It’s never too late to chase your dreams!
Power Voice training leads to Improved Communication
Power Voice is an online video course designed to help you master clear pronunciation and effective communication techniques that will ‘elevate your vocal skills to new heights’.
When working with our interpreters, communicating clearly will help you to save time, reduce misunderstandings, keep the conversation flowing and optimise the booking.
The course can help improve other areas of your professional life too, offering the chance to hone your public speaking skills, enhance your image at work and increase your chances of career success.
If you would like to know more or apply, please email Samantha.oates@languageshop.org.uk
October dates for your diary
October’s dates at a glance
Religious/Cultural
2 – Feast of the Guardian Angels, Catholic Christian
3 – Sharada Navaratri begins, Hindu
3-4 Rosh Hashanah, Judaism
4 – Feast of St Francis of Assisi, Christian
6 – Fast of Gedaliah, Judaism
9 – Birthday of Guru Ram Das, Sikh
12 – Yom Kippur, Judaism
12 – Dussehra, Hindu
17-23 Sukkot, Judaism
18 – Feast of Saint Luke, Christian
20 – Birthday of the Guru Granth, Sikh
24 – Shemini Atzeret, Judaism
25 – Simchat Torah, Judaism
28 – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Christian
31 – All Hallows’ Eve, Christian
31 – Reformation Day, Protestant Christian
Awareness and Events
1 – Anniversary of the Introduction of the Equality Act
1 – International Day of Older Persons
5 – World Teachers’ Day
6 – World Cerebral Palsy Day
10 – World Mental Health Day
10 – World Sight Day
11 – International Day of the Girl Child
11 – National Coming Out Day
15 – International Day of Rural Women
16 – International Pronouns Day
17 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
18 – Anti-Slavery Day
18 – World Menopause Day
18 – Show Racism the Red Card’s Wear Red Day
26 – Intersex Awareness Day
29 – World Stroke Day
New languages offered as part of the TLS Learn DPSI grants scheme
We are delighted to offer grants of 50% towards the cost of the DPSI Law qualification for freelance linguists working in the languages Albanian, Romanian, Kurdish Sorani, Bengali and Turkish.
The grants are suitable for interpreters who already have experience and are now ready to gain the skills and qualifications to work in legal settings.
This will support TLS’s aims to strengthen employability and skills in the interpreting community, as well as contributing to the future of interpreting in the legal sector by helping more interpreters gain the relevant qualifications.
If you know anyone who would like to apply, find out more here: TLS Learn announces funding for new set of languages for DPSI-Law Grant Scheme
language fact file: Thai
Thai is the official language in: Thailand
Number of native speakers: approximately 61m.
Learn some: Greet people with ‘sawatdee’, which means hello. In Thai, people often add the word ‘ka’ if the speaker is female or ‘khrap’ if male to the end of their sentences, especially if they’re greeting or making small talk. This is just a way to signal politeness. So hello would be ‘sawatdee-ka’ or ‘sawatdee-khrap’.
Fast facts:
Thai is a tonal language, like Mandarin, Vietnamese and Cantonese. This means a phoneme or sound can have many different meanings, depending on the tone that’s used. This is the source of many jokes in Thai culture!
There is a language system within the Thai language specifically for referring to the Thai Royal Family. This is called ‘Rachasap’; this kind of system is known as an honorific. These are used in several languages and exist to show the relationship between speakers and to confer respect.
Thai speakers love to use repetition to show emphasis – it is not unusual to use an adverb or adjective over and over until the speaker feels their point has been made! Another way to show emphasis is to draw a word out as long as possible.
The Linguist Story - Lalida Murray
Tell us about the work you do for TLS.
I am a freelance Thai interpreter.
What’s been your favourite project at TLS?
I enjoy interpreting for mental health therapy because I have learned many valuable things from the therapists that I can apply to myself and my family.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge was encountering new technology terms that I was unfamiliar with. I prefer to know the subject before the appointment so I can study it thoroughly before the session starts.
Can you tell us about a time your work has made a difference to someone’s life?
It was very rewarding to interpret therapy sessions and witness the positive changes in the patients’ lives. It was a stark contrast from the first week when they walked in feeling sad and depressed, to when they finished the sessions and left the room with confidence and smiles. They gained hope and learned how to cope with their difficulties better.
Tell us something interesting about you.
While working in Thailand, I served as a registered nurse at a mission hospital in central Thailand, where I provided care for leprosy patients. These patients often suffered from severe deformities and were previously rejected by their families and society. Their deformities made it difficult for them to access education or secure employment, as they were viewed as contagious and avoided by others.
However, due to the dedication of missionary doctors and nurses, many leprosy patients have been successfully treated and cured. Furthermore, those in need received reconstructive surgery to help them reintegrate into society.
I am thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of this mission and to have positively impacted the lives of these individuals.
Dates for your diary - September
FREE online events
Live online conversation – 19 September 11.15-11.55am Skills first – the hidden benefits of socio-economic diversity - Diversity and Inclusion Leaders – Accelerating workplace inclusion (dileaders.com)
Reviving Anti-Racism in our Workplaces Tickets, Tue 10 Sep 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite
September’s dates at a glance
Religious/cultural
1 – Ecclesiastical Year begins, Orthodox Christian
7 – Samvatsari, Jain
7 – Ganesh Chaturthi Hindu
8 – Feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, Christian
8 – Nativity of the Theotokos, Orthodox Christian
14 – Feast of the Cross, Christian
16 – Mawlid Al-Nabi, Islam
17 – Anant Chaturdashi, Hindu
21 – Feast of Saint Matthew, Christian
22 – Mabon, Wicca and Pagan
27 – Meskel, Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
29 – Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, Christian
Awareness And Events
10 – World Suicide Prevention Day
15 – World Afro Day’s ‘Big Hair Assembly’
18 – International Equal Pay Day
21 – World Alzheimer’s Day
22 – Autumn Equinox
23 – Bi Visibility Day
23 – International Day of Sign Languages
23-29 – UK National Inclusion Week
Language Fact File - Spanish
Spanish is the (or an) official language in: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Spain and Equatorial Guinea.
Number of native speakers: approximately 500m.
Learn some: Spanish is a global super language, so many of us already know the basics – greetings, pleasantries etc. If you are too convincing with those and you need to explain to someone that you don’t really speak Spanish, it’s “lo siento, no hablo español”!
Fast facts:
- Although the language is named after its country of origin, Spain, it is actually the largest of several regional languages spoken there. What we call Spanish is castellano, or Castilian. In Spain, there are also: Basque, Catalan, Valencian and Galician. Across the world, there are also significant variations in vocabulary and pronunciation, especially among Latin American countries.
- After Mandarin Chinese, Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world, and growing! Unlike Mandarin, Spanish is written phonetically, which means that once you know the rules of pronunciation, you can read anything, even if you don’t know what it means.
- While it is no longer spoken as an official language in the Philippines, Spanish heavily influenced Tagalog, of which 33% of words are Spanish. Four languages are also based on Spanish: Papiamento, Chavacano, Palanquero and Yopará.
TLS News - August
On the ground training delivered to maternity and labour ward staff
Communication with healthcare professionals when preparing for and giving birth is vital for mums’ and babies’ health outcomes.
TLS delivered on the ground training to at least 60 staff members at Queen’s Hospital, showing them how to access our on-demand services quickly and easily via PRISM. Four virtual sessions were then offered to 32 staff who were unable to attend in person.
PRISM is our dedicated device for accessing remote interpreting services in clinical settings. It has been designed by us to make our services as easy to use and accessible as possible, both for NHS staff and patients. It provides a screen on a fully articulating wheeled stand, through which both video and telephone services can be accessed quickly and with a minimum of fuss. It can be moved to wherever required in the hospital and placed into the optimum position between a patient and clinician during a consultation.
If you are interested in hearing more about how Prism could benefit you, please contact your account manager for more information, or click this link:
https://mailchi.mp/languageshop/prism