After Covid, everyone scrambled to adapt to the new way of life, trying to restore a certain level of normalcy. Life as we knew it disappeared, at least for a while, and although the world is slowly returning to a greater degree of familiarity, certain...
The United States District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeal have said time and again very clearly that Limited English Proficient (LEP) criminal defendants have a right to understand. This is the only reason for interpreters to have a significant place in the U.S. system...
I came to the profession as many of you did, if you started your interpreting career ten or more years ago. I had a 15-minute phone interview with an agency owner, and I was hired on the spot and given very few instructions. I started interpreting...
Well, folks, I did it! I got my dream assignment. Perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t for the United Nations, or for any other important governmental (or non-governmental) entity you may have heard of. What was it, you ask? Well, can you guess? What would your dream...
Several weeks ago, a friend and freelance colleague fell in the cafeteria of the courthouse where some of us work. The floor was wet and the “wet floor signs” were out of her line of vision. Once she was embarrassingly sprawled on the floor, the...
I know several interpreters who are terrible with computers yet exceptional with their interpreting skills, and I am sure that there are many more out there. Are some of the rules that we have discriminating against talented interpreters with marginal computer skills? Like many interpreters working...
I have to be really honest. Every time I hear about a problem here or there with some client or court who does not want to pay a fair compensation to the interpreter, or someone wondering why the interpreter needs to prep for an assignment...
The Couch is a place to exchange ideas and brainstorm, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. Sometimes, a person needs to ask a large number of people what the best course of action is to be...
We are always writing about colleagues asking us about fees, and we are horrified when we learn of new colleagues being lowballed. This is an everyday issue. Many blog writers and other guests write about this subject, and we tend to despair of ever having...
In most states, a bilingual individual who wishes to be on the court’s roster of qualified interpreters must meet certain requirements. These are not whimsical or random requirements. The first one is usually an orientation seminar about the court system in the state where the...