By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator In the past few months, as Canada started vaccinating the first few eligible groups of people against COVID-19, provinces, including Manitoba, have chosen to prioritize Indigenous knowledge keepers for the first batches of jabs. In Ontario, this prioritization applies to all First Nations, Métis and Inuit adults. The policy was well-received by local Indigenous communities, as knowledge keepers serve are vital in preserving their languages and cultures, which, until two…
By: Ashley Tulio, Communications Specialist After a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are still learning to live with the stress, anxiety, fear, frustrations, and uncertainty. People have to constantly adjust to the changes in rules and regulations and adapt to the personal circumstances occurring in their lives. Feeling less productive and having a shorter attention span is common during these times. Research shows that concentration, memory, and cognition suffer when people are under stress…
By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator Among the thousands of languages spoken in today’s world, only around 100 can be translated using machine translation. When technology really can’t do it all for us, we rely heavily on human translators and interpreters for the huge volume of information exchange that’s happening every day. While thanking them and appreciating their commitment, it’s also important to acknowledge that translation and interpretation are not easy jobs. To honour the…
By: Latha Sukumar, Executive Director And now finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. But as the saying goes “it is darkest before dawn..” We have to keep our marbles about us during this darkest hour of what still seems like a perpetual lockdown. `It has been a while since I reflected on MCIS and how it has weathered this global crisis. In a word, MCIS and its staff have been spectacular….
By: Deanna Nemeth, Communications and New Business Development Manager Over the past decade, there has been a push to celebrate women and their achievements on International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8 every year. However, the origins of International Women’s Day date back way earlier, right to the early 20thCentury, and stem from labour and socialist movements. Why, though, are we limited to officially celebrating women on only one day of the year? I…
By: Omega Menkir February is a month that the world has dedicated to reflecting and remembering the histories and contributions of Black people to society, as we know it over the centuries, decades, and including their most recent innovations and contributions. This month includes updating the curriculum for children to take some time to reflect on what Black scientists, businesspersons, activists, and more have added to the world we had to make it the world…
By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator If there has been one common goal for people all around the globe in the past year, it would be to end the COVID-19 global pandemic. The disease doesn’t discriminate. Since last March, we have witnessed people from all walks of life with different social statuses and cultural backgrounds falling into its trap. A year has passed, and the virus still doesn’t seem to want to stop. What is…
By: Craig Carter-Edwards The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a stress test for many essential services offered in Ontario. It has brought to light the challenges, inequities and structural flaws within systems designed to support the health and well-being of Ontarians. These challenges, of course, existed before COVID-19, but this crisis has increased the level of public’s awareness of them. Among these are translation and interpretation services. Many Ontarians with limited knowledge of English and/or…
By: Sanah Matador, May 2019 Updated by: Ashley Tulio, December 2020 **MCIS originally posted this blog in May 2019 to bring awareness to Mental Health Week. Given the ongoing pandemic and an increase in mental health crises around this time of year, we felt that it was important to repost this article with some updates.** COVID-19 has brought many changes within our lives, forcing us to adapt and integrate ourselves from within our homes. The…
**Update** When MCIS first published this blog on February 19, 2020, the subject of the interview was in the process of appealing his refugee status. In order to protect him, and the confidentiality of his case, we did not publish his name. However, in November 2020, he successfully appealed and received refugee status. The judge in the case accepted the chapter translation of Colombia Diversa that MCIS provided free of charge, as key evidence to…
