Interpreter Training & Testing

At Verb-A-Team, we are leading researchers in interpreter training & testing methodology.

Our courses incorporate the latest technologies and methods in the field of interpretation. Many of these technologies and methods were developed by our own research team through more than 20 years of experience in both interpreting and training. This means that our students get the most advanced, efficient, and authoritative training available right from the source.

We offer Online Training Modules designed to stand alone, to be taken in combination with other modules, or to be followed up by an On-Site Course (recommended for organizations). Our courses cover such areas as Introduction to the Profession, Ethics and Standards of Practice, Techniques, Terminology, Professional Development, Legal, Medical, Telephonic, and Community Interpreting.

Individuals, whether beginners, experienced or advanced, may sign up for one or more courses fully online, in order to:

• Find out how to get started in the profession
• Develop professionally and expand your career horizons
• Prepare for qualification / certification exams
• Receive continuing education credits for maintaining accreditation

Organizations, such as hospitals, government and private agencies, and interpretation service providers, may purchase online training packages and tailored onsite workshops, in order to:

• Train and/or screen new interpreters and employees
• Train bilingual staff as screened and qualified interpreters
• Improve quality of service to limited English proficiency (LEP) clients
• Address liability exposure arising from inadequate communication with patients or clients
• Comply with current Title VI federal regulations concerning language services, equal access, and non-discrimination for individuals of limited English proficiency (LEPs).
   

Courses – Registration - Information

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Interpretation Services

We specialize in English ßŕ Spanish ßŕ Portuguese.

Other languages are available upon request.

LEGAL

• Federally Certified Court Interpreters
• Legal Depositions
• Tape Transcriptions & Translations
• Expert Testimony
• Certified & Notarized Translations

BROADCAST MEDIA

We specialize in broadcast-quality voice-talent interpreting, whether for media productions or live broadcasts. Our live simultaneous interpretations of TV programs, satellite transmissions, news and media events have included: The State of the Union Address, Primaries and Presidential Debates, Diplomatic Summits, Pentagon News Briefings, as well as informational programs and motivational speakers. We have interpreted live international TV broadcasts for personalities such as:

• President George W. Bush
• Senator John Kerry
• General Tommy Franks
• British Prime Minister Tony Blair
• President Vaclav Havel (Czech Republic)

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS & NEGOTIATIONS

We provide simultaneous conference interpreting and equipment, at very competitive rates, for all types of conferences, seminars, and negotiations, including:

• Academic Conferences
• Business, Corporate & Marketing, Accounting & Finance, Labor & Trade Agreements
• Legal & Law Enforcement
• Medical, Health & Self-Improvement
• Military & Security
• Technical & Industry
• All Others

Get a Quote

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Translation and Copyediting

We specialize in publishable quality English ßŕ Spanish ßŕ Portuguese translations, copyediting and correcting of existing texts for accuracy

as well as stylistic and cultural appropriateness.

All our translations are:

• Edited by a master linguist and published author
• Corrected for the highest accuracy and style
• Produced in the standard variety of the target language
• Free from regionalisms for broadest intelligibility and readership appropriateness.

Is your organization being poorly represented to the public?

due to:

• errors of grammar, punctuation, spelling, or usage
• a lackluster or ineffective writing style, or
• sub-standard translations 

If in doubt, send us your texts for a quick diagnostic proofreading,

full copyediting, or retranslation.

For a FREE ESTIMATE

send us your text by e-mail attachment or Priority Mail,

or simply describe your project and get an online quote.

E-mail your Text

Get a Quote

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Communications Consulting

We offer consulting, customized testing, training, and solutions

in all aspects of language and communication, including:

• Survey Research
• Marketing, Advertising & Media
• Public Speaking
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Bilingual Screening
• Communication Skills Assessment
• Cultural & Linguistic Competency Programs
• Multicultural Personnel Management
• Customer Relations and Human Resources
• Cross-Cultural Healthcare
• Organizational Language Services
• Needs Assessment and Risk Management

Is your organization getting the results it should? 

Is there a script that needs fine tuning? 

If in doubt, write or call with a description of your project or problem!

We will reply with a FREE ESTIMATE and a plan to deliver
CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS, including:

1)   Diagnostic Assessment

2)   Customized Solutions

3)   Implementation and Contingency Plans

4)   Measuring the Results

Contact Us - Get a Quote

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Expert Witness & Litigation Support

Expert / Consulting Services in language, translation, and communication issues:

• Forensic Linguistics, Semantics, Stylistics, and Phonetics
• Analysis of Documents and Speech as Legal Evidence
• Tape Transcription, Translation, and Analysis
• Case Development

Knowledge, Experience, and Integrity

Ironclad Credentials – Harvard PhD / US-Certified Interpreter

Civil or Criminal

English or Spanish

CHALLENGE - written or spoken Language Evidence in:

• Recorded Interviews & Investigations
• Surveillance Tapes, Transcriptions & Translations
• Miranda Warnings
• Recorded Admissions & Confessions
• Pleas
• Suppression Hearings
• Documents, Forms & Transcripts
• Depositions & Interrogations
• Trials & Appeals

“The accuracy of any given transcript or translation should not be taken for granted.”
 

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AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Forensic Linguistics – Analysis of spoken or written language to help answer questions in legal disputes. Expert opinion on any aspects of language relevant to legal matters (e.g.: analysis of speech and written texts; comprehensibility of instructions, cautions, and waivers; discrimination on the basis of language skills; voice analysis and comparison; etc), based on acoustic phonetics, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, dialectology, and conversational analysis.

Forensic Semantics – Analysis and expert opinion on the meaning of words, phrases, clauses, paragraphs, etc., detection of ambiguities and equivocations, in legal, personal, and commercial communication (e.g., contracts, wills, cases of copyright infringement or plagiarism, transcripts and recordings).

Forensic Stylistics – Analysis of the style, syntax, word choice, spelling, punctuation, rhetorical strategies, and other features of anonymous, ambiguous, disputed, or forged documents (including e-mails); expert opinion on authorship and authorial characteristics, meaning, and intent.

Forensic Phonetics – Use of speech science and phonetic research for investigative and legal purposes, including: Speaker Identification: Through the analysis and comparison of voice and speech to give evidence as to whether a recorded voice was produced by a particular person, or whether the sound of voices come from the same individual, as well as the speaker’s likely place of origin and where the person may have lived since. Phonetic analysis can even suggest the speaker's underlying intent, psychological condition, educational level, and cultural background. It is also used to give evidence as to the extent to which a witness's identification of a person from their voice alone should be considered reliable. Transcription: To create a transcript of a recording and extract evidence from the portions that are difficult to understand (noisy, garbled, mumbled, etc.), or to challenge the accuracy and reliability of such a transcript. Authentication of a Recording: To give evidence as to whether a recording has been tampered with or falsified in some way.

Case Development – To advise the attorney about the linguistic principles relevant to the case or issue at hand (or whether there are any), so as to help determine possible strategies and the best way to proceed, or to assist the attorney in preparing trial presentations or appellate briefs. Expert opinion, analysis, and conclusions may be rendered through private consultation (in person or by phone), in writing (via e-mail or written affidavit), and/or as expert witness testimony. Expert analysis may also offer a prudent attorney a second opinion about some other linguist's written report.

for a CONFIDENTIAL consultation.

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