12 Dec And Away We Grow…

As 2013 comes to a close, we all who have participated actively in keeping the blog current, appealing and meaningful are asked to share our feelings and lessons learned. We believe that sharing is closely related to learning and a very important part of the synergy created through social media. That’s because while searching for the right words and imagery to convey concepts and ideas, we all end up looking at things from the perspective of those who will eventually read them. That is a very humbling and enriching process.

Now, we give the virtual floor to our contributors to share their views as readers and creators. In this installment, we have three contributors: two authors – Kathleen Shelly and I, and our Blog Manager, Kevin Mercado.

Thank you, our readers, for entertaining us these first two years and we look forward to celebrating more milestones together.

NAJIT Blog- What did you learn from your participation in the blog?

Gio Lester	First, I learned that I need to organize my time better. This year my participation was much less consistent than I had anticipated. Then I learned that many of my perceptions, ideas and fears are not unique to me – and that strengthened my feeling of belonging and my confidence in overcoming the obstacles that present themselves to us in different guises. The best part of my learning experience, though it was not a surprise, was the reaffirmation of commitment to the profession and to each other’s success that we all were a party to by critiquing and correcting each other’s work before they were published. Oh, I “look” so much better after my colleagues take their editing eyes to my articles!
Kevin Mercado	I have to hand it to the authors. Coordinating the calendar is one thing; putting our individual experiences in common terms everyone can relate to is something else. I’m inspired by our colleagues and as always encourage them to keep up the great work.
Kathleen Shelley	I have learned so much! First of all, I was so impressed with my colleagues’ ability to communicate new and fascinating points of view so clearly and well. As for my own writing, words can’t express how very much I appreciate the time and thought so many of my fellow bloggers spent so generously in critiquing my work, often making me rethink, review and rewrite it to make it that much better. I learned that once I get an idea and once I get started, I really like writing! After years of having to write term papers and later scholarly articles, I thought that I hated writing, but the blog gave me so much freedom to say what was on my mind! Great experience!

NB – How did the articles published in the blog impact you professionally?

GL – I learned about technological developments, performance anxiety, how to handle difficult situations and personalities, became aware of the emotional tool our profession exposes us to and how to deflect its effects. So many things I learned from my colleagues that would have taken years of practicing the profession or in a classroom to gain a glimpse of what has been shared in the blog.

Reading the NAJIT blog is a ritual for me. And I am very proud to share it with my other colleagues and social media followers – here and in other countries, by the way.

To paraphrase my daughter: The NAJIT Blog rocks!

KM – We are not alone.  In reading and proofing each blog post it’s evident, even if we come from different walks of life, there is a common ground and common experience we share as professionals in the language service arena. 

KS – I can’t say more than what Gio has expressed so well. In addition, I was fortunate to have two of my pieces published in the Blog Trekker section of the ATA Chronicle. This was a real professional boost for me, but what pleased me most was the extra publicity for the NAJIT blog.

Stay tuned for more from our other authors.