Life in Loja is a trusted Ecuadorian owned and operated business. Our bilingual team members are native Spanish speakers born and raised in Loja, conversant with Andean culture, which assures that our interpretation, translation, and advisement services are accurate in and appropriate to the Loja context.
We offer accurate, confidential bilingual services to travelers, as well as Loja’s expat community, including confidential English-Spanish medical, legal, immigration, and real estate translation. A growing number of people depend on us to navigate their local interactions with plumbers, electricians, notaries, landlords, and mechanics.
Bilingual Services
Interpreting and Translating
Interpreting involves spoken language and translating involves written language.
We can make your conversations easier. We enjoy helping to bring clarity to complex cross-language conversations. We can help you understand the content of a document written in Spanish or compose a document for you that needs to be in Spanish. We can help you communicate with local people and convey the concepts you have in mind.
Let us help you with, or offer some solutions for, talking to your:
- landlord or real estate agents
- plumbers, electricians, and other repair people
- auto mechanics
- physicians, dentists, and other healthcare providers
- lawyers and legal personnel
In emergencies, we’ll be glad to assist you either by phone or in person to make sure that you get the proper attention.
Legal Interpreting
We can help you find and speak to lawyers, notaries, law enforcement, and governmental entities – to express your needs and understand their responses.
We are available on an emergency basis to interpret for you during a legal issue, if the need arises. Don’t hesitate to contact us when you are having legal difficulty as well as for routine legal issues.
Be assured our work together will be confidential.
Medical Interpreting
If you need a doctor, dentist, optician, nutritionist, or other healthcare professional during your stay in Loja, it is important to select the most qualified professional. Sometimes the most qualified professional for your needs does not speak fluent English.
We have assisted residents and visitors in finding physicians, making appointments, transport to the medical office or facility, and helping with bilingual consultations.
We are available on an emergency basis to interpret for you during medical crises. Don’t hesitate to contact us when you are having emergency medical issues, or to help during a non-emergency health appointment.
In all cases, our work together will be confidential.
Personal Assistant
Tasks that may have been simple in your country of origin may become complex because of unfamiliarity with the language, local businesses and institutions, travel infrastructure, and the like. We can assist you with a wide variety of errands and tasks in Loja.
For example, we can:
- provide a pickup and delivery service, including shopping for your necessities,
- courier documents,
- expedite payments to utilities and other public and private entities,
- trouble-shoot service and utility breakdowns or outages at your residence,
- liaise with service providers,
- arrange travel and accommodations (rental cars, drivers, hotels, tours, etc.) or accompany you while traveling to provide general assistance and interpreting
- recommend the best route and conveyances for your intended destination, and for dining or other activities.
Our team has provided these types of services for the past five years to English-speaking Loja visitors and residents. Our services are bilingual and confidential
Fixing consultant
A fixer is a local assistant or manager who gives local support to foreign businesses and professionals. A fixer provides English language and logistical support, facilitates obtaining needed permits and permissions, local location, staff, craftspeople and specialists, necessary equipment, accommodation, and transportation for foreign businesses, filmmakers, journalists, and other professionals who wish to conduct filming abroad.
Cultural Sensitivity Training
Cultural Training, cultural sensitivity, cultural awareness, or cultural competency training is the ability to appreciate and interpret accurately other cultures. Learning a new language or having someone translate (interpret) for you is not all that is necessary to successfully complete transactions as simple as buying groceries to issues as complex as making out your local will.