Alison Trujillo

Medicinal Plants: Back to the Future

Here where I live, spring has sprung. Flowers are blooming and bees are buzzing. In celebration of springtime, take a look at this beautiful publication in Spanish about medicinal plants, called “Volver al futuro” (“Back to the Future”). It shares long-held wisdom about using plants for our health. Visit: “Volver al futuro” The author, JesúsContinue reading “Medicinal Plants: Back to the Future”

The State of Language Access in the U.S.

Happy April to everyone near and far! 🌸 As many folks in the U.S. are aware, last month our president filed “Executive Order 14224” declaring English to be the official language of this country. This revoked “Executive Order 13166” (called “Improving Access to Services for Persons With Limited English Proficiency”), which was issued by formerContinue reading “The State of Language Access in the U.S.”

English/Spanish Land Conservation Terms

About two years ago, I shared a list of important Spanish and English words related to wildfire safety. After working on several projects about wildfire prevention and forest health, I developed several go-to vocabulary lists for myself. (In fancy translator lingo, we call this “terminology management:” basically, long lists of words we don’t want toContinue reading “English/Spanish Land Conservation Terms”

Effective Communication During Emergencies

This week, I attended a webinar hosted by the American Translators Association called “Best Practices in Emergency Response Language Services.” In the wake of the Los Angeles fires, this matter is top of mind, and people are discussing ways to improve communication by reflecting on what works and what doesn’t. Eight professionals working emergency responseContinue reading “Effective Communication During Emergencies”

Keep it Simple: The rise of “plain language”

Have you ever gone cross-eyed reading your insurance documents? How about a legal topic that should seem straightforward but is filled with words and acronyms you don’t understand? The plain language movement aims to help people to actually understand what they are reading, with a new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard called “Plain language. PartContinue reading “Keep it Simple: The rise of “plain language””

Getting Ready for Giving Tuesday

Does your organization celebrate Giving Tuesday? It’s coming up next month! Around the world, the first Tuesday in December will be a day when fundraising takes center stage. If your company is asking for support on Giving Tuesday, are you reaching out to your whole community in this effort? Do people understand your message? ConsiderContinue reading “Getting Ready for Giving Tuesday”