Americans Against Language Barriers

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Americans Against Language Barriers

AALB is a nonprofit dedicated towards improving the quality of life of those with language barriers. Learn more by visiting the our website at www.AALB.org.

Americans Against Language Barriers (AALB) is a charity that is dedicated to improving the quality of life of deaf and limited English populations. We help address the shortage of professional interpreters by training medical interpreters with an extremely high degree of efficacy; our medical interpreter training course is accepted by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. AALB works to connect trained interpreters to volunteer their time in an effort to help other charities, such as free health clinics, provide free services reach those with language barriers. Through these efforts, we hope to improve both the quality of healthcare and healthcare access for patients with barriers to care. In addition, we are working to help protect the civil rights of those with language barriers by defending the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Nondiscrimination Provision of the Affordable Care Act; AALB is facilitating systematic change to work towards greater equality of access to essential services for deaf and limited English populations.

01/30/2026

Today we decided to explore phrases that, when translated from their original language, either make absolutely no sense or sound incredibly funny.

It's a perfect reminder that true communication is about capturing meaning, not just swapping words.

What's a phrase that only makes sense in your language and you always find yourself explaining? Drop it in the comments!

01/23/2026

Your bilingual skills can open doors and change lives. Train with AALB.

Join us this Monday, January 26th by registering now at www.AALB.org/register or through the link in our bio.

01/20/2026

Did you know there’s no exact translation for the word “apapacho” in English?
This word has a very visual origin, linked to the banana and the shape of its leaf.

Banana leaves are large and heavy. When they don't have enough water or it's very hot, they bend and droop languidly to the ground. This is where the analogy with a person who lacks the strength to stand upright or be active comes from.

These kind of words remind us that language isn’t about just communication, it’s about connection, care, and culture.

Do you want to learn more untranslatable words that make our work so powerful? Hit that (emoji fav), follow for more and share your word with us.

01/15/2026

Shiro explains how technology is helping break language barriers and changing how living beings communicate.

Thank you to our trainer Kelly Henríquez for sharing Shiro’s photo and button communication setup.

Sources:
Amici, F., Caicoya, A. L., & Monsó, S. (2025). How do soundboard-trained dogs respond to human button presses? An investigation into word comprehension. PLOS ONE, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315555

Bastiaansen, C. (2025). When dogs talk: Technologically mediated human-dog interactions as semiotic assemblages. Signs and Society, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1086/723868
Hunger, C. (2020). How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World’s First Talking Dog. William Morrow.

12/31/2025

Thank you for standing with the AALB community as we work to improve lives through language access.
Happy New Year! We can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together in 2026.

12/30/2025

Your bilingual skills can open doors and change lives. Train with AALB.

Join us this Sunday, January 4th by registering now at www.AALB.org/register or through the link in our bio.

12/29/2025

Attention dog lovers and language enthusiasts! Our ‘Pet of the Month’ series is back.

This time, our friend Jackie, the sweet and intelligent sidekick of our Interpreter trainer, Yuliya Speroff, traced the origin of the English language.

Swipe to learn more.
Do you have a furry friend too? Drop a photo in the comments.
Let’s celebrate connection: human, animal, and everything in between.

Sources:
Baugh, A. C., & Cable, T. (2013). A history of the English language (6th ed.). Routledge.

12/11/2025

Did you know there’s no exact translation for the word “gigil” in English?
It's related to “apapacho” in Spanish, but not quite. “Gigil” is Tagalog and roughly translates to "cuteness aggression".

It's that feeling that you get when you see something cute and you just want to squeeze it! You might feel like clenching your teeth and your hands.

We thank Kelly Henriquez, Interpreter Trainer on our team at AALB, for sharing this Tagalog word with us.

Do you want to learn more untranslatable words that make our work so powerful? Hit that 💖, follow for more and share your untranslatable word with us.

12/02/2025

Oops!
Our last post had a tiny human error, but luckily, we have the best backup. Zeke, the adorable and loyal sidekick of our Interpreter Trainer, Robin Ragan, sniffed out the right data and is here to the rescue! 🦸‍♂️🐶

He took it upon himself to correct this edition of our “Pet of the Month” series to make sure we learn how to say “dog” correctly in the most widely spoken languages in the U.S.

Swipe to see the corrected info (Zeke-approved, of course). 👉🦴

Do you have a furry friend too? Drop a photo in the comments.

Let's celebrate connection: human, animal, and everything between.

Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). Nearly 68 Million People Spoke a Language Other Than English at Home in 2019 (ACS Data). Retrieved from: https://www.unesco.org/es/communication-information/data-center?hub=370

Cambridge Dictionary. (2024). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/

11/26/2025

Your bilingual skills can open doors and change lives. Train with AALB.

Join us this Thursday, December 4th by registering now at www.AALB.org/register or through the link in our bio.

11/21/2025

At AALB, our mission is to train qualified medical interpreters to ensure everyone can access safe, effective healthcare.
If you speak Thai and English, you can make a real difference.
Train with us and become a professional medical interpreter: www.aalb.org/register

Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). American Community Survey (ACS). U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://www.census.gov/acs

CCHI - Healthcare Interpreter Registry: https://cchi.learningbuilder.com/ . Retrieved November 20, 2025.

NBCMI Interpreter Registry: https://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/search-cmi-registry. Retrieved November 20, 2025.

11/07/2025

Your bilingual skills can open doors and change lives. Train with AALB.

Join us this Monday, November 10th by registering now at www.AALB.org/register or through the link in our bio.

Address

1 East Erie Street
Chicago, IL
60611

Website

http://aalb.org/

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