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
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Do you want to contribute a post? Send us an email at TNO_editor@najit.org.
Enjoy The NAJIT Observer!
08 Mar A Healthy Dose of Sense + Sensibility=Responsibility
I believe that the hierarchy and macrocosm of nature, should be reflected in its many microcosms, one of which is the interpreting profession. Accordingly, to be successful, the values exhibited at the apex must be mirrored in the other. Today I am going to write about...
01 Mar Back to High School: Career Talk for Kids
Have you ever thought about sharing your profession at your local high school? Sound like a good idea? In Me, You and the Next Generation of Interpreters on the NAJIT Blog back in September (https://najit.org/blog/?p=580), Kathleen Shelly said, “…wouldn’t it be great if more of...
15 Feb A New Approach to Interpreting Witness Testimony
Warning: trick question ahead! What is the best mode for interpreting witness testimony? If you said “Consecutive, of course,” then I disagree. And if you said “Um, simultaneous, maybe?” then I disagree even more strongly. (See, I told you it was a trick question.) What interpreters...
08 Feb Health and Performance as an Interpreter
Posted at 00:50h
in Community Interpreting, Court Interpreting, Medical Interpreting, Past Posts
0 Comments
[caption id="attachment_1024" align="alignleft" width="238" caption="Bulging disc. Click on image to enlarge."][/caption] Our mental and physical wellness can affect our performance as interpreters. It is likely that the following affect our output: diet, exercise, family issues, finances, overall health, etc. All of these can significantly impact the...
01 Feb Changing it Up: New Year, New Perspective
One year ago this month, when the NAJIT Blog was just getting started, I ended my post with these words: Whether you call it love, passion or simply enjoying your career, I think we can all agree that having a true calling and affinity for this...
25 Jan Code-switching and the Interpreter
I am interpreting consecutively. I am well-rested, fully focused, alert and engaged. Almost effortlessly, I allow the equivalent words,phrases and structures to flow through my brain and out my mouth. An interpreting instructor of mine once called this being “in the groove.” It doesn’t happen every...
18 Jan Less Is More: What a 17th Century Mathematician Can Teach 21st Century Interpreters
I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead[1]. So said Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Christian philosopher in a letter to a friend in December 1656.[2] The quote, often misattributed to Mark Twain and Abraham...
11 Jan When to say NO
Posted at 00:50h
in Community Interpreting, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Medical Interpreting, Odds & Ends, Past Posts, Translation
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Sometimes my first answer is NO if I know I am not qualified to perform a task. However, if the authorities persist due to the nature of an incident, that incident is likely to be documented. It comes down to personal ethics; more precisely, it...
28 Dec No Longer Just a Voice in the Wilderness
Posted at 21:09h
in ASL, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Interpreting, Medical Interpreting, Past Posts
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[caption id="attachment_839" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="Roseann Dueñas González"][/caption] Dr. Roseann Dueñas Gonzalez is a 21st Century luminary in the field of language access in the U.S. She was the founder and long-standing Director of the University of Arizona National Center for Interpretation, Testing, Research and Policy. I...