Evaluating a Spanish Translator Certification Program

Spanish translator certification programs are becoming more and more prevalent as more and more people realize the importance that Spanish translation plays and will continue to play now and in the future. In order to take advantage of all the opportunities brought about by an increase in Spanish speakers, those with a solid grasp of English and Spanish are taking advantage and looking for ways to become translators.

In order to better their prospects for getting business, translators often turn to Spanish translator certification programs to prove their abilities to future clients and employers. Spanish translator certification programs take many forms, but most are geared towards helping you pass various certification tests given by various translation organizations.

The translation industry, at least in the United States, is not governed as tightly as other industries, such as law, medicine, or accounting, and so a lot of confusion has arisen over time about what it really means to be certified as a translator. For other industries like the ones I just mentioned, there are national standardized tests that are rigidly controlled, and these tests must be passed before a person can be employed legally in that industry.

Translation is different. Because there is no body that has the legal right to enforce translation standardization, many people become confused with all the noise from various organizations offering their version of a Spanish translator certification program. Not only can it be confusing to (would-be) translators, but it is also confusing for potential clients.

So what should you look for if you become interested in taking part in a Spanish translator certification program? Well, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is that although there is no federally recognized organization for governing translators in the U.S., there is a national organization that offers tests for translator certification. This organization is called the American Translators Association (ATA) and is generally recognized by most translators as being the de facto organization for translator certification in the United States.

Most Spanish translator certification programs, therefore, try to give translators enough knowledge and experience to be able to pass the ATA certification tests. There are other organizations throughout the world that offer translator certification, and in order to find them you can do a search for the country you are interested in.

If you are want to become an ATA certified translator, my suggestion would be to look for a Spanish translator certification program that will give you the best opportunity of passing the tests given by ATA. These programs can be offered as university degrees, night school classes, or even online courses. Whatever the method, becoming certified takes a lot of study and a lot of practice, but can reap big dividends throughout your translation career.

Clint Tustison is a Spanish <--> English translator interested in helping businesses and translators better understand the translation industry. If you're interested in how to improve your translation business or your relationship with translation companies, check out his website at http://www.spanish-translation-help.com.

Establishing Metrics For Green Certification

Imagine the extrapolated vision of the Green business problem, if you will. If Green businesses are left to any device to earn a Green status, what is the value of Going Green? As it sits today, a Green business can self-certify in the most ridiculous ways imaginable. The first way to self-certification is to make any of a dozen Green improvements to the business, and to declare your business "Green." Perhaps the business now uses recycled paper and prints on both sides to conserve paper use. Meritorious, but far from a serious effort to transition to a Green operation. This is what is now termed a "Token Green" approach to Green business, and it is also part of the well-known form of Greenwashing.

The second misguided process for Green business certification is purchasing a Green business certification online. The fees range between $500 to $1500 depending on the size of the company, but don't be fooled by a well-designed website offering an impressive logo. These operations are obviously money-driven websites that justify their contribution to society by asking their "members" to complete various forms of self-assessment online. Regardless of the obvious invitation to "Game the System" offered by these online Green business certifications, hundreds upon hundreds of businesses will sign up for these scam-like programs.

Frankly, both of these forms of clandestine Green certifications are designed for ONE PRIMARY REASON, and that is to fool and deceive the public. Consumers who are seeking to spend their money with reputable Green businesses do not want to be deceived by a greenwashing program that fosters unproven Green claims. What prevents any misguided business from paying the fee, filling in the forms with lies, and proudly displaying the purchased logo to unsuspecting customers? Nothing, because the goals these websites set are negligible standards intended to attract more gullible businesses to pay a big fee for a pretty logo.

In a day of crisis issues and calls for transparency and ethics to properly address these world-threatening concerns, shouldn't there be a backlash of sharp rebuke for unproven and falsified claims of environmental compliance? Would we not be appalled at a doctor with false credentials treating us when we were sick? Does anyone want an amateur working on their car when the only real credentials were a correspondence course that he had his brother do for him? What if the meat department of your local grocery no longer required a physical inspection because a worker had completed an online certification course? Ridiculous, right?

Green business certification by self-acclamation or by online purchase is cheating at worst and greenwashing at best. Nonetheless, these two methods of Green certification are popular and widely practiced. Business people are pragmatic and tend toward the expedient solution when it seems feasible. Expedience is often the fool's path because the environment is such a serious issue. Eventual exposure will cause a serious backlash when the public eventually discovers how businesses are literally cheating the system.

Every business thinking about an imitation Green certification need only think forward a little to the day when that logo now showing on your website or store window gets some negative press. Eventually, it will come out that numerous businesses use the same purchased logo, but now are busted by an investigative reporter. We all know this will eventually happen because there are no checks and audits. Everything is secretly and privately accomplished by "online assessments" that are also falsely called audits. Audits cannot be conducted by the one being audited. That is a scam!

Presently, there is one program that has required a live audit for every single Green business certification. The Green Business League has never taken a fee for a blind certification. Every certification is assessed, Green improvements are documented, and certification is awarded based on audited achievements as a Green business. The Green Business League is the only company that has a trained field force of more than 300 Certified Green Consultants across America and Canada. These professionals provide an invaluable service. After the initial assessment, they map out a clear plan to achieve a verifiable Green business certification.

The choices are becoming more clear because the issues of ethics and transparency allow only one kind of decision. An audit cannot be a self-serving, clandestine, or deceptive decision. All the good done by a Green business certification will cause worse damage when the facts eventually come out. Many shallow Green business certifications will eventually become badges of shame because they were purchase to deceive the public, and the public will not be fooled for long.

To the credit of the Green Business League, the fact is that Going Green is not a token effort or one time purchase. Every GBL member has a Certified Green Consultant as a partner in its business success. Green certification is now part of a successful business plan. Greater efficiencies allow Green businesses to be more profitable and more attractive to other Green businesses. Certified Green Consultants assist all certified businesses throughout the year to maintain and improve the Green values that will pay large dividends for many years to come. In the larger view, the environment of the community, the country, and the world deserve more than a token or fake certification. This is not just another marketing ploy. If a business is seeking to Go Green, it should be an authentic Green business certification.

Michael Richmond is the director of the Green Business League, and primary trainer for the Certified Sustainability Officer program that trains in-house Green or Sustainability officers.

Six Sigma Certification - Team Building

Proper team building can be learned through Six Sigma certification courses. This can be taught through Six Sigma green belt training or lean Six Sigma courses. Productivity is the ultimate goal within a team, but sometimes some people cannot work together. There may not be a person on the team that is a leader who can ensure all tasks are getting done. Maybe communication is not occurring so one team member is waiting on another for completion of a task before they can get started with their work. The right team includes many things like a good team leader, an abundance of skills, communication, and more. A person must carefully decide which people would successfully complete a project or it could lead to a disaster.

When you carefully select a team, it is important to choose people who think differently than one another. Creativity is important. You might think you are choosing creative people but then find everyone you continue to choose seems to think the same way. Six Sigma certification courses can help you determine how to properly choose the right creative minds for projects and which people you want to put together. This will help you have the most creativity possible with your teams.

In addition to creativity, skill sets are vital in teams. If you choose a team of people who all are entry level with no skills then no one is going to learn anything and most likely the team won't be able to accomplish the task. A Six Sigma certification will teach you how to mix different skill sets together to get the best results. You can even learn this through Six Sigma online training courses too.

Team building is very important but there are many vital factors that must be considered prior to telling a group of people they must work together on something. You can learn about team building through a Six Sigma Certification program. You will learn how to get maximum productivity by choosing a team with the most creativity and widest range of skills.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Home Staging - Game, Art Form Or Marketing? the Definition of Today's Real Estate Necessity

Because the concept of home staging - preparing a home for sale in a specific way to appeal to the maximum number of buyers - people are always asking me what it is.

Is it purely marketing? I know that the presumption there would be : if home staging is marketing then why can't my realtor just do it as part of their marketing scheme?

Alright then, you hear people talking about the art of staging.... so then, is it an art-form? i.e. Do I need a real designer, with years of interior design training and an ASID certification? After all, this is my biggest asset, with a lot of money on the line.

Or is it a game? In which case, don't I need a coach, a playbook and a set of rules to follow? Are there boundaries? Who refs the thing?

Here's my answer:

For sure, it's a game. There's competition, a race against time, and the perception that if one side wins the other has lost. There's a better way to play, but I do define staging as a game. A game where when everyone wins the game has been played correctly.

Certainly it's an art-form, it's all about design. But it's a general form of design, so that the house appeals to the maximum number of people. Interior design is all about using the vast array of options to create the perfect space for one person/family.

Absolutely it's marketing, because it's all about presenting a property in its best light. Maybe you could even see it as "spin"... identifying every possible asset and putting it forward... and presenting every negative in a way that doesn't cover it up but shows you the "up" side.

So, what is home staging? It's a form of marketing that incorporates elements of design into a game where everyone wins. That game? The Home Appreciation Game - adding value to a cherished property now being offered for sale.

And now I'd like to invite you to pick up your free copy of my Seasonal Showing Tips for Home Sellers at http://www.JulietJohnsonStaging.com/tips where you will learn how to use all that we associate with each season to reach buyers on an emotional level. (These tips change seasonally, and once you are registered you will receive the new season as soon as they're available.)

From Juliet Johnson, author, speaker and leading authority on home staging luxury real estate in suburban New Jersey.

General Computer Skills Certification - Will it Help Your Job Search?

Computers are a major part of today's world, and they play an even larger role in the business world. Computers have replaced rolodexes, paper appointment schedulers and filing. Large corporations as well as small businesses have began utilizing computers for quicker, easier and more organized data tracking and their use undoubtedly makes the business day run more smoothly. With so many businesses making use of computers and their many means of software, knowledge of computers is essential to anyone in search of employment.

The Importance of General Computer Skills:
Most places of employment are fast paced and they want employees who won't fall behind. However, it is easy to fall behind when you aren't the least bit familiar with computers and at least the most frequently utilized software programs (such as Microsoft Word). When an employee doesn't know where to begin when it comes to computer usage, others fall behind as well because they have to take the time to teach that employee the basics of computers. Most businesses are not willing to train employees who lack general computer skills; therefore they will not hire the job seeker whose resume fails to display such knowledge.

Businesses expect employees and candidates for employment to be able to turn a computer on and off, sign in and out of programs, enter data into a database, compose documents and create presentations, get online and navigate the Internet for use of email and research at the very least. Many particular positions and companies will also ask that employees and potential employees be familiar with more advanced computer programs and means of use (such as the latest computer operating systems, Excel, Access and PowerPoint).

Why a General Computer Skills Certificate Won't Guarantee a Job?
Knowledge of computers is obviously helpful and even necessary to succeed in your search for employment, yet acquiring a general computer skills certificate won't guarantee you a job. This is because employers expect candidates to possess general computer skills, and many who have this general understanding of computers didn't acquire those skills through a training course unless they were veteran employees and received training through the company that new employees would not be afforded. Chances are if you use a computer at home you have these general skills. You can list the software programs and functionality you are familiar with on your resume and it would hold as much meaning as a certificate. However, if you don't utilize computers in your daily life, like many veteran employees and job seekers, a general computer skills certificate can help you in your job searchand show employers that you are as competent as your competitors.

Get Ahead in Your Job Search and Place of Employment with General Computer Skills:
Whether or not you are going into a field that is directly related to computers, it is likely you will use them on a regular basis. There are many courses offered that teach general computer skills, as well as advanced skills and software specific courses and they are worth taking; they help obtain and sustain a job. Knowing computers well comes with the frequent use of them, but a general knowledge is all you need to get ahead in your job search and get your foot in a place of employment's door.

A. Harrison Barnes is the founder and CEO of CareerMission, the parent company of more than 90 job-search websites, employment services, recruiting firms and student loan companies. CareerMission (originally Juriscape) employs several hundred employees in 14 offices throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. These companies were literally started from Harrison's garage several years ago after Harrison quit his job.

Harrison resides in Malibu, California. He is a sought-after career advice guru and writes articles relating to the legal community. Harrison is an active philanthropist and advocate for people reaching their full potential in their careers. Given his passion for job seekers and them reaching their full ability, Harrison recently started offering a limited number of coaching engagements to job seekers.

Phlebotomy Certification Organizations - Which To Choose?

There are a number of organizations which offer phlebotomy certification programs and courses. However, not all are reputable or teach according to standards set by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).

When deciding on a suitable phlebotomy certification training program, look for an organization that is accredited or approved by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), uses materials and examinations that reflect CLSI standards, and qualifies graduates for an examination through an external certification agency.

There are ten nationally recognized certifying agencies in the United States. Some of these agencies include the American Certification Agency, the American Medical Technologists, and the National Center for Competency Testing, the American Society for Clinical Pathology and the National Phlebotomy Association. The requirements to become a certified phlebotomist vary by agency and are outlined below.

The American Certification Agency (ACA) for Healthcare Professionals offers two types of certification for phlebotomists; phlebotomy technicians and phlebotomy instructors. To be eligible for the phlebotomy technician exam, applicants must have completed 100 clinical hours, 100 successful venipunctures and 10 successful dermal punctures (although 25 are required in Louisiana). The exam is written online in combination with a practical component. Phlebotomy instructor applicants must be phlebotomy certified or a registered RN or LPN. No written exam is required; however applicants must provide documented proof of three years phlebotomy experience and one year teaching experience.

The American Medical Technologists (AMT) offers phlebotomist certification. Applicants must have graduated from a phlebotomy program accredited by the US Department of Education, a program accredited by the Regional Accrediting Commission, a phlebotomy program consisting of 120 hours of instruction and 120 hours of clinical practicum, or have completed at least 1,040 hours of acceptable work experience in the last three years. In each case, the applicant must have completed a minimum of 50 successful venipunctures and 25 successful skin punctures. AMT offers a number of resources to applicants, including a downloadable candidate handbook, exam outline, reference materials, and practice test.

The National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) offers phlebotomist and donor phlebotomist certification. Both certification types require the applicant to possess a high school diploma or equivalent. Phlebotomy applicants must also be graduates of an approved phlebotomy program or possess one year of experience. The NCCT also requires a phlebotomy performance form. In California and Louisiana, additional performance forms are required. To become a certified donor phlebotomist, the applicant must possess six months of donor phlebotomist experience, including 80 successful donor collections. Applications can be submitted electronically or in hard copy, both forms are available on the NCCT website.

For more information on phlebotomist certification, visit the "Phlebotomy Certification Guide" website. Here you will learn how become certified, find jobs, and information about the phlebotomy certification organizations. If you are interested in becoming a phlebotomist, this is the site for you!

Massage Therapy Schools In Georgia

Interested in certification in massage therapy from a massage therapy school in Georgia? You can prepare for a massage therapy career in any of the fine Georgia massage therapy schools that can be found independently or in association with vocational and trade schools and community colleges. You can also find massage therapy schools housed in four-year private or state colleges and universities.

Programs in Georgia massage therapy schools will provide foundations of massage that can prepare you for employment as a massage therapist who provides therapies of various kinds for various purposes. You can learn the arts of Western massage for providing sports massage, spa massage, wellness massage, and medical massage. You will get extensive hands-on experience in the various massage techniques of reflexology, stone therapy, cranio-sacral massage, maxiofacial release, and kinesiology. Perhaps you will prefer to focus on the Eastern methods of massage, such as shiatsu, lomi lomi, and acupressure. It's all possible in your choice of massage therapy schools.

Programs of study may cover subjects of anatomy and physiology, making clinical evaluations, and providing medical, sports, and other forms of massage. Massage therapy schools in Georgia may also teach nutrition, effects of personal lifestyles on overall health, and ways of promoting optimum health. Oftentimes, a massage therapy education will touch upon other areas of natural healing, such as acupuncture or chiropractic, for instance.

Certification is required to practice massage therapy in the state of Georgia, but only after 500 hours of massage therapy education is obtained. Massage therapists are required to gain certification by passing NCETMB examinations. Information about massage therapy schools in Georgia and state requirements is available from the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy. You should also ask about laws and requirements for practicing massage therapists.

To learn more about Massage Therapy Schools in Georgia [http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/1/massage_therapy_schools_georgia.html] and even Online Massage Therapy Schools, search our site for more in-depth information and resources.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2007 - All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

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Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. Find Massage Therapy Schools, Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, Chiropractic Schools and other Alternative Medicine Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your educational resource to locate schools.