A Festive Feast: Christmas Meals Around the World

Christmas is the season of joy, togetherness—and, let’s be honest, a lot of food. Every country brings its own flavor to the holiday table, making Christmas a global potluck of culinary traditions. Let’s take a lighthearted journey through 10 countries’ holiday dishes, one for each continent (well, Antarctica might have to stick to fruitcake). 1.…

What to Do After Getting an Interpreting Qualification: A Simple Guide

So, you’ve got your interpreting qualification – congratulations! Now comes the exciting part: getting yourself set up as a freelance interpreter and landing your first clients. But where do you start? In this blog post, we’ll break down the key steps to help you get started, from registering with language service providers (LSPs) to dealing…

The Importance of Becoming a Qualified Interpreter: Ensuring Accuracy in Critical Services

In today’s multicultural society, interpreters play a vital role in facilitating communication between individuals who do not share a common language. In settings such as hospitals, police stations, and courts, accurate interpretation is critical to ensuring fairness, proper medical care, and the smooth operation of the legal system. However, not all interpreters are qualified or…

TOPIC OF THE MONTH: What is a Substantive Asylum Interview?

A Substantive Asylum interview is a detailed interview with the UK Home Office where the asylum seeker will be asked many questions as to why he cannot return to his home country and why he wants to live in the UK. It is a chance for the asylum seeker to put his case before the…

National Police Language Services Update – April 2024

A new PAIT scheme update has just been published. This update covers, amongst others: Change to NPCC Lead for Language Services Procurement Update PAIT Scheme Update PAIT List Changes to PAIT Registration Reminder regarding Confirming Qualifications/experience Compliance with GDPR Interpreting for Solicitor Consultation Vetting Requirements Integrity Issues Publicising Your PAIT Number Police Awareness CPD for…

Paving the Way With Global Partnerships

The beauty of our work as interpreters and translators lies in the fact that it is not bound by geographical borders. Hundreds of interpreters deal with customers from across the globe on a daily basis. At the same time, many linguists choose to relocate to different countries during the course of their careers, making the…

An Ode To The Medical Interpreter

A poem for all the wonderful interpreters who dedicate their time to helping in hospitals and GP surgeries. “Prescription for Laughter” In the hospital’s labyrinth, where chaos abounds, Interpreters work, with linguistic bounds. From the waiting room to the doctor’s chair, They navigate languages, with utmost care. A patient arrives, lost in translation, Their symptoms…

5 Good Reasons To Choose ISL as Your Training Provider in 2024

No price increases since 2015 We understand how tough it can be to juggle the various commitments and responsibilities we are all faced with. We are committed to making qualifications attainable and accessible to all, as we know that it is precisely through achieving these qualifications that interpreters can increase their income and improve their…

Insurance For Freelance Interpreters and Translators

The Difference Between Income Protection, Public Liability Insurance & Professional Indemnity Insurance As a self-employed or freelance interpreter, it is vitally important to ensure you are protected against the worst happening – both in your life and in your business.   There are three types of insurance products that can help you do this: 1.Income…

10 Key Points to Remember for The Level 3 Exam – And Beyond!

We know that exams can be very stressful. With the amount of knowledge that you are required to go through ahead of your exam session, it might become a bit difficult to separate most important points from the rest. Below, you will find a quick summary of the key things you need to think about…

List of Languages Available at ISL

Languages available for Level 6 DPSI, Level 6 DCI and Level 3 CIC (as of August 2023) Albanian Amharic Arabic Bengali Bulgarian Cantonese Czech Dari Farsi French German Greek Gujarati Hindi Hungarian Italian Japanese Kurdish Latvian Lingala Lithuanian Mandarin Mirpuri Nepalese Pashto Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Serbian Shona Slovak Somali Spanish Swahili Sylheti Tagalog…

ISL’s Level 7 Diploma in Translation (Dip Trans) Accepted By NRPST

Fantastic news for linguists who want to train and qualify as translators – our Level 7 Diploma in Translation is officially accepted by NRPSI as meeting the NRPST qualification requirement for a Full status. This means that anyone who achieves the Level 7 Dip Trans with ISL can apply to join the new NRPST register. Click…