The Spanish preposition "ante" is used in different contexts and depending on how it's used it translates in different ways in English.
Ante meaning in front of, before [something/someone]
Ante can literally mean in front of something or someone (physically). Here are some examples:
Rodrigo tuvo que presentarse ante un juez para prestar declaración.Rodrigo had to appear before a judge to make a declaration.
As you can see, this use of ante can frequently be translated by before and is used to indicate "location", it does not have a "time" meaning (i.e. before = in the presence of, and not before and after).
Ante is normally used in slightly more formal contexts than the more common "enfrente de".
Ante meaning in the face of/faced with [something]
Ante can also be used when we talk about facing problems, a specific situation, a difficulty...
Here are some examples:
Ante la imposibilidad de reclamar sus derechos, recurrió a un abogado para que lo ayudara.Faced with the impossibility of claiming his rights, he resorted to a lawyer for help.
In this context, the sentence using "ante" implies the cause of the action in the main clause, e.g.:
Ante tal situación, decidimos no involucrarnos más.
Because of what the situation was, we decided not to get involved anymore.
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