Background Growing up in Mexico, I spent all my Christmases with my paternal grandparents and with many of their fifteen children (my aunts and uncles) and their families. Needless to say, my sisters and I had tons of cousins and amazing holidays. Since all families seemed...
The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. In spite of our best efforts to train and prepare for an event, an interpretation’s success depends not only on us. A special...
The article below was originally posted in 2017. Memory is an interpreter’s best friend; here’s to “remembering” a useful contribution. Enjoy. or How to Forget About Interpreting and Just Listen You know how the saying goes: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. I’m sure...
I just attended the Arizona Translators and Interpreters (ATI) conference last weekend and am about to attend the Texas Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Association (TAJIT) conference this weekend. I had almost forgotten what a wonderland these conferences are for us! I know a few interpreters...
The Couch is a place for readers to engage in stimulating discussion. The subject of this month’s Couch is...
Have you ever taken a dash of one language with a sprinkle of another, mixed them together and simmered to taste? Of course you have! You’re bilingual. You’re bound to have stirred your languages together at one point or another. There’s actually a fancy name for...
If you grew up on a Caribbean island, or anywhere around the Gulf of Mexico, you know this is the peak month for the hurricane season. You brace yourself, hope for the best, and get ready for the worst. When I was a child, I...
An open or shut case? A couple of weeks ago, a woman I was interpreting for started chatting with me before an interview, and she asked me if I had heard about upcoming plans to reopen the courthouse. During this conversation, she shared her view that...
“No me falte usted al respeto, no soy cualquier cosa, soy el acusado. Yo ahí afuera tengo otro detalle, no así no se porta con uno la gente.” - Cantinflas, “El juicio,” available here No small ripple In 1992, the Real Academia Española accepted the term “cantinflear” for...
Uprooting While I was sitting on the couch with my mother, who is currently visiting me from Mexico, she sighed deeply, and when I asked her why she was sighing, she looked at me and said: “I so regret the decision I made years ago to...