American Polyglots, Inc
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Background |
Alla Grafman is a linguistics expert and the Founder of American Polyglots, Inc.
She came to the US from Belarus where she earned a Master’s degree in Linguistics and Russian Language and Literature. In 1992, she took the certifications for NYS Court Unified system to become a court certified interpreter. She quickly developed a reputation with the Courts, Agencies and Law firms who hired her to appear in court to work on their cases. Through recommendations and slowly building her client base, she launched American Polyglots Inc. in 1994. She has a reputation for being thorough, hard working a knowledgeable. In one particular murder trial, Alla was asked by the DA’s office to translate a phone conversation which was submitted as proof that the defendant was guilty of murder. The defendant had used an idiom that, when translated literally meant the person's admission of guilt. It was the only evidence used to accuse the defendant. But Alla informed them that the idiom had a complete opposite meaning, and that made the difference of whether the defendant went to jail or not. For her, that is a representation of how essential it is to have interpreters that are experts in their languages. |
Expertise |
Alla believes that even if you speak another language, that does not mean that you can be an interpreter or translator. She only hires the best and personally screens and hires all her translators and interpreters.
Alla is also an expert in the unique, cultural differences of the various Russian ethnic groups. Her knowledge has appeared in Iphigenia in Forest Hills: Anatomy of a Murder Trial by Janet Malcolm and a series of articles in the New Yorker following the trial. |