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French remains one of the world’s most beautiful and influential languages. With approximately 300 million speakers across five continents, it continues to dominate international discourse at major global events including the Olympics and UN General Assembly. The Democratic Republic of the Congo stands as the most populous French-speaking nation, and 21 African countries have French…
As conference interpreters who own an interpretation services company, we’ve spent thousands of hours inside interpretation booths at G8 summits, G20 meetings, United Nations conferences, and major corporate events worldwide. Our AIIC-certified team at Chang-Castillo and Associates (CCA) has worked with virtually every type of simultaneous interpretation equipment available. This guide shares what we’ve learned…
The 3 Hardest Languages to Interpret (And Why Professional Interpreters Master Them) At the United Nations General Assembly, simultaneous interpreters face languages that push human cognitive ability to its limits. While delegates speak in their native tongues, interpreters in soundproof booths process meaning, cultural context, and diplomatic nuance in real-time with a delay of just…
At a G20 finance ministers meeting, the room went silent for eight seconds after the Chinese delegation’s proposal. Western attendees shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The German delegation exchanged glances. Only the Japanese delegation remained still, their posture unchanged. From the interpreter booth, we knew exactly what was happening. The silence meant the Japanese were…
Portuguese ranks as the world’s fifth most spoken native language, with approximately 250 million speakers spread across four continents. Yet anyone who has worked with Portuguese speakers knows that “Portuguese” isn’t one language—it’s three distinct variations shaped by five centuries of divergent history. The Lusosphere—the community of Portuguese-speaking nations—encompasses nine countries where Portuguese holds official…
Few languages have experienced a transformation quite like Korean. Once spoken primarily within the confines of a mountainous peninsula, Korean has become one of the world’s most sought-after languages for business, entertainment, and cultural exchange. The Korean language learning market reached $7.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $67 billion by 2034—a…
When you wake up on Christmas morning, what do you see? Have your stockings been filled by Dun Che Lao Ren? Don’t forget to leave straw on your shoes to feed the hungry camels, who have journeyed for 12 days to see the Christ child. Perhaps your house is visited not once, not twice, but…
More than 160 countries celebrate Christmas in some form, yet “Christmas” means something entirely different in Tokyo than it does in Reykjavík. Add Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Lunar New Year, and dozens of regional harvest festivals, and the winter season becomes a mosaic of traditions that vary not just by country but by region, religion, and…
If you’re planning a multilingual event that requires the services of interpreters, you may notice that, for certain languages, your language services provider will ask you who your target audiences are or what accent they may have. You may ask – well technically, it’s the same language, right? So are accents that important for interpretation? Do they matter anyway? Do I even need to hire a native speaker? The answer to all these questions is a resounding YES….
Looking for a magnetic location for your next, multinational conference? Miami, Florida should certainly be a contender, particularly if your colleagues, clients and/or prospects are from Latin America or other Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries. According to the NAHJ South Florida, “About 70 percent of the entire Miami population are Hispanics and Latinos, and within their…