Posts

A man wearing headphones sitting in a recording studio

Translating Country Music History

/in /by

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is making history—this time in multiple languages! Known as the “Smithsonian of Country Music,” the Museum partnered with the Tennessee Language Center (TLC) to translate and record its Sing Me Back Home audio tour into French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese.

The exhibition features artifacts, photographs, archival videos, and interactive touchscreens to immerse visitors in the history and sounds of country music. The accompanying audio tour features 50 different “stops” as it walks visitors through a chronology of country music history. TLC’s expert translators meticulously converted the 9,000-word script, tackling challenges like distinguishing between “violão” (acoustic guitar) and “guitarra” (electric guitar) in Portuguese. To ensure accuracy, translators took a behind-the-scenes tour of the exhibit, asking detailed questions to capture the nuances of country music history.

Man with dark hair and beard wearing a black shirt and holding a microphone while standing in front of a presentation screen

TLC Training Specialist President-Elect for TAPIT

/in /by

TLC Training Specialist Richard Ponce de Leon has been chosen as President-Elect for the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT). TAPIT members are professional interpreters and translators of written, spoken, and signed languages across the state. TAPIT advocates for interpreters and translators, fosters ethical and professional standards, conducts training and workshops, and promotes communication and discussion about relevant topics.

TLC Translates Documents for Special Census

/in /by

TLC translated documents for a special census for the city of Smyrna, TN, into Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese so that residents who speak those languages can fully participate. If the city population has grown as much as city leaders estimate, it could mean an additional $500k a year in shared state revenue for the city.

“Eileen and her team at the Tennessee Language Center have been fabulous to work with for our upcoming special census project requiring the translation of various forms,” says Amber Hobbs with the City of Smyrna. “From initial contact, through correspondence, and up to the delivery of the translated materials, working with the Tennessee Language Center has been a seamless process!”

This project is being funded by the Language Collaborative for Municipal Officials (LCMO) partnership with the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS).

Sign explaining what a clouded leopard is

TLC Partners with Nashville Zoo

/in /by

TLC is working with the Nashville Zoo to translate some of their educational signage into Spanish to make the Zoo more language accessible.

Inspiring understanding of and discovering the natural world is central to the Zoo’s mission. Providing educational information in Spanish will greatly increase the accessibility of the Zoo to its thousands of visitors each year.

hand holding a booklet with a boat and someone fishing featured on the cover

TLC Translates Fishing Guide Into Spanish

/in /by

TLC recently translated the Fishing Guide into Spanish for the TWRA as well as a guide on boating tips with more projects planned for the future into other languages.

This will provide Spanish speakers with more information about obtaining their fishing license so they can be compliant with state laws as well as how to further enjoy the many beautiful waterways of TN.

Multiple green trees against the sky

TLC Translates Tree Care Documents

/in /by

TLC is translating the Cumberland River Compact’s Tree Care documents into Spanish, Arabic, Somali, Kurdish Behdini, and Kurdish Sorani. The Cumberland River Compact works with the three million people in the Cumberland River Basin in Tennessee to promote stewardship of the watershed and address causes of water pollution through education and restoration. Planting more trees is an important part of their programming, and translating the documents into these languages used in the Cumberland River Basin means they can reach more of the community.

Paper with Eviction Notice at the top laying on a desk

TLC Is Translating Housing Advocacy Documents

/in /by

TLC is translating housing advocacy documents into Spanish for The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands’ Right to Counsel program. The Right to Counsel is a two-year pilot program that increased the number of Legal Aid housing attorneys from two to six. The attorneys represent renters in civil cases with landlords. The documents inform Hispanic clients of their legal rights. This will allow the Right to Counsel attorneys to better assist their Spanish-speaking clients.

Navy square with landscapes of Tennessee used to color in the letters spelling out Tennessee

TLC Featured in Recent Podcast

/in /by

The Tennessee Language Center was featured in the most recent In Touch With Tennessee podcast. The podcast is produced by the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service. This one features TLC’s Interim Director of Interpretation and Translation Services (ITS) talking about our language services. It’s about 12 minutes long – check it out!

TLC Adds Two New Project Managers

/in /by

TLC welcomes Genna Linton and Aimee Dunphy as Interpretation & Translation project managers. Genna will focus on interpretation while Aimee focuses on translation.

Genna is a certified medical interpreter and most recently served as the bilingual front desk receptionist at Liberty Collegiate Academy in Nashville. She has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and geography from the University of Georgia.

Most recently, Aimee was a test administrator for Pearson Professional Centers in Brentwood. She has a bachelor’s degree in Japanese from Ball State University in Indiana.

green stained monkey pox viruses on a blue background

Monkey Pox Information Translated for TN Dept. of Health

/in /by

The Tennessee Language Center translated notices and informational documents about Monkey Pox into Spanish for the TN Department of Health. The information will be used by health departments across Tennessee.