The Ice Chipping Phenomenon

INGCO International, Inc. is located in the heart of the United States, in the lovely state of Minnesota. A lot of locals like to call it “MinneSNOWta” due to the massive amounts of snow we typically have in the winter months. And this is precisely why I got to thinking about this blog…

If I were a translator living in, say, Brazil, and I happened to be walking through my neighborhood on any given March afternoon, like today, I would be shocked and dismayed to see what in the world goes on here in Minnesota. I call it "The Phenomenon of Ice Chipping". Yes, ice chipping. Not the kind of ice chipping that fancy bartenders do when preparing custom concocted cocktails. Not the kind of ice chipping that caterers prepare for fancy weddings to create punch fountains. No folks, the kind of ice chipping I’m referring to is the kind where we crazy Minnesotans head outside once the weather hits about 30°F to start chipping away at ice; ice that accumulates after a long hard winter and forms small but mighty ice skating rinks on sidewalks, streets, boulevards, paths, parking lots, alleys –heck, just about anywhere where people are expected to walk without killing themselves by slipping and falling on the, you guessed it! Ice.

Well we love to talk about ice chipping here in Minnesota. And we discuss ice-chipping techniques as if our life depended on it. And we discuss ice-chipping paraphernalia, and compare and contrast the variety of chippers, which what one could potentially confuse as a weapon. And we discuss remedies that hypothetically can avoid the entire presence of the ice formation in the first place. Alas, none of those remedies work so we are humbled to fall back on the tried and true art of ice chipping. And we chip away until our backs and shoulders are so sore we cannot chip anymore. But we chip so that we do not fall and break a hip, and we chip because we can, and we chip because we must.

This blog is dedicated to all of our amazing vendors that live in warm and exotic destinations across the globe that will never have the need to chip ice, ever.

The Earth's Balance

The Earth is held in constant balance by a multitude of people and languages. That balance is reinforced by the statement "It takes one of each kind to make the world go around." At INGCO International, we understand that balance and how vital it is for the Earth. The Earth is home to more than 6,973,738,433 people. And it's also home to more than 6500 spoken languages. Each one of those individuals and each one of those languages holds the Earth in this fine balance. 

Our mission at INGCO International is to preserve the art of language through interpreting and translating. We accomplish this by recognizing the Earth's necessary balance and bringing all of the 6500 spoken languages to all of the 6,973,738,433 people across the globe.

Interpreter's Take on Potsville, Iowa Raid

Erik Camayd-Freixas, Florida State University Professor, is the author of one of the most brilliant essays written in recent time. Erik's first-hand experience as a Federally Certified Interpreter during the aftermath of the ICE raids on Agriprocessors, Inc., the nation's largest Kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant, gives the reader a unique view into the challenges of the interpreting profession, as well as a number of social ills.

Please take the time to read this timely article, and share it with friends and family. Look for more information coming soon to the New York Times on the issue.

http://ingcointernational.com/viewPage.php?id=78

VotoLatino

INGCO International is proud to feature VotoLatino, http://www.votolatino.org/.

Get out the word, and get out the vote!

First Culturally-Inspired Wines for Latinos

Palmera Vinos de Pasión is aiming to celebrate the passions, interests and faces of the Hispanic community. “Our wines have been specifically developed for the Latino consumer both in taste preference and branding,” says Will Arriaga, Community Relations Director for the US-based company. “Our goal is to be the first choice in wine for Latinos...”

Largest 4th of July Celebration Outside the US

The largest Fourth of July celebration outside the United States is celebrated in Rebild Bakker, Denmark. Rebild is located in Northern Jutland, the main peninsula of Denmark. Each year, 10,000-15,000 people gather to celebrate the American Independance Day.

The founder was a Danish-American, Max Henius, who emigrated to the United States in 1881 and settled in Chicago. He never forgot Denmark and he donated the Hills at Rebild to be used as a place for Danish American relations.

During this 90 years the celebrations have been attended by many known Americans including former presidents.Raymon Burr, Richard Nixon, Hubert H Humphrey, Danny Kaye, Walther Cronkite, Victor Borge, Walter Shirra, Walt Disney are a few of the keynote speakers from the last 40 years.

For photos and more information, visit http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen/fullscreen28.html.

Interpreter Services Quality Initiative Signed by Governor

On Thursday, May 29th, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty signed into law HF1812, which contained the Interpreter Services Quality Initiative, creating an initiative to set a timetable for the development of regulation of medical interpreters.

The Interpreter Services Quality Initiative sets up a roster of medical interpreters at the Minnesota Department of Health, and requires a plan for the development of a registry of interpreters to be developed by January 15, 2010. It also provides for the implementation of a certification process based on the developments of the National Coalition for Healthcare Interpreter Certification one year after such a certification process is developed.

This is a huge step that have been many years in the making. Many individuals dedicated hours to this initiative and worked hand in hand with Kathryn Kmit, representing the health plans in Minnesota, and Rep. Cy Thao, to shape the form and language of the legislation. The Interpreting Stakeholders Group (ISG), an ad-hoc committee of the Upper Midwest Translators and Interpreters Association, led this initiative.