The NAJIT Observer (TNO) was created in 2011 in response to NAJIT’s members need for a tool
to share information, first-hand experiences, and the occasional fun moment with colleagues.
We are delighted with the response TNO has received from our members and subscribers. And
thanks to our dedicated and generous contributors, TNO’s archive features an amazing number
of posts that you can search by category or author.
Do you want to contribute a post? Send us an email at TNO_editor@najit.org.
Enjoy The NAJIT Observer!
I’ve been thinking about the lists of wonderful gifts children wish for when the holiday season rolls around, and what I would want on my list if I could have any of those gifts delivered, as if by magic. For one thing, I would want to...
"We are what we practice" –said Dr. Shauna's Shapiro in her famous TEDx talk. Whether we realize it or not, we result from what we choose to do every day, our belief system, the cultural roots we inherit from our ancestors, and customs we adopt...
Every career has its pathway to the top. The general consensus among court interpreters is that our gold standard is the Federal Court Interpreting Certification Examination (FCICE). The test is only offered in the Spanish-English language combination, as the test writers explain on the website:...
“Wherever you are, be totally there.” Eckhart Tolle My father is 90 years old. He recently wrote an open letter to his family that started with the words: “With so much time in my hands, I have decided to write...
On a sunny fall day in 2013, I received a phone call from Grace. Who is Grace, you ask? It is hard to say who Grace is to me. She is a colleague, certainly. A mentor. A friend. My personal interpreting fairy godmother. It was...
I don’t know if it’s the strange times we are living through, or perhaps it’s that I’m approaching retirement, but I find myself reflecting quite a bit on my career these days. It took unexpected twists and turns, and I can’t say I accomplished everything...
In this unprecedented health crisis, language professionals are fortunate because they can work remotely. But the downside is that, while videoconference platforms like Zoom and MS Teams allow us to keep working, the loss of opportunities to meet with clients and colleagues in person can...
I’m sure most, if not all, of you have heard about emotional vampires or relationship vampires. Those are the people who suck your emotional energy and leave you feeling drained after they’ve been near you for any amount of time. Well, there is something else...
I am not a big fan of Halloween, but I appreciate spooky decorations, creative costumes, and chilling activities at this time of the year. Their purpose is to stimulate anxiety, fear, and tension for fun and entertainment. Halloween can be fun and enjoyable, and the...
“The terror of performing never goes away. Instead, you get very, very comfortable being terrified.” ~Eric Whitacre I like that quote. It speaks to me. I think you could replace the word “performing” with “interpreting” and paste it on the walls of all our offices. Interpreting...