27 Aug Brain Marathon Training

Dear Readers,

Happy September! I’ll never understand how, but time just keeps whizzing by. I hope that you have all enjoyed your summer. I spent mine in the trenches of remote interpreting (and attending Co>Lab, a peer study group for interpreting nerds!) but that will be a story for a different blog.

Today I’d like to write about brain marathons, which is an apt label for most of the challenges we interpreters take on. Our brain muscles truly do get a workout, and like any good gym rat, we need to make wise choices to stay healthy and on top of our game.

This topic feels particularly relevant right now because the FCICE oral exam is slated to happen next spring. That may feel far away, but the best time to start preparing is right now. If you’re not a Spanish interpreter trying to crest that particular metaphorical summit, my words of advice can still aptly apply to any big project you may be trying to undertake.

Preparing for a huge goal is a process that necessitates preparing body, mind, and spirit. We need to identify our goal and the path we’ll take to get there. What tools will we need on our journey? Which things should be done first? And most importantly, how will we make the time?

What follows are some pieces of advice that will serve us all well no matter what we are trying to accomplish.

• Identify your motivation: Why are you studying for this particular exam, or training for this particular achievement? Do you want more money? Freedom? The ability to have quality time with your family? Take time. Ask yourself Then ask yourself why again. Once you have that deep-seated reason, write up your “why,” decorate it with pretty colors, and post it somewhere prominent that you will see it on a daily basis: The wall behind your desk; the refrigerator; your bathroom mirror. This is the reason behind all your hard work and sacrifices, and you’ll want to keep it close to your heart when you feel like throwing in the towel.
• Identify the things that will take the longest to accomplish: When studying for an interpreting exam, we need to consider the skills that take time and training to achieve. For instance, note-taking is not a skill you can develop overnight. It takes time to change and develop habits. So, if you know that your consecutive note-taking is lacking, now is the time to begin. But only pick one or two things to study this far in advance so you don’t get burnt out before true crunch time even starts.
• Identify the things you like doing least, and do them first: Schedule these things on your calendar. Schedule them for early in the week. Schedule them for early in the day. Get them out of the way first. If you wait until the last minute, it will be too easy to keep procrastinating, until “later” becomes “tomorrow” which becomes “next week” which becomes “the week after” which becomes “next month” which becomes “never.”
• Identify the things you can say “no” to: We all have tremendously busy lives. If we want to make room for some things, we will have to make space. I like to write out a list of every single project I am involved in, personally and professionally. Then, I take a hard look at that list. What is making me money? What is bringing me joy? What is stressing me the heck out? What can I delegate? And if there’s really nothing that can budge from your list, it may just not be the right time to try to join the brain Olympics or hike Brain Everest.
• Reward yourself with down time and brain breaks: Rest your brain muscle at least once a day for a little while, and at least once a week for a couple of hours. Let yourself integrate everything you’ve been doing. Then, schedule things you can look forward to. This can be as simple as a bubble tea/fancy coffee or as luxurious as a spa day.

Most goals we have as professional interpreters are extremely taxing and require a tremendous level of mental fortitude and emotional endurance. We have to study a lot. We have to be ready for glitches during exams and for judgy court staff at assignments. We have to be ready to put our professional integrity before our ego, eat humble pie, and constantly try to be better. These things are all possible, but they are certainly not easy. Hopefully, keeping some of the “Brain Marathon Training” tips in mind will help you go the distance. Feel free to share your own ideas in the comments below!

Athena Matilsky fell in love with languages the year she turned sixteen. She majored in Spanish interpreting/translation at Rutgers University and also studied French. After graduation, she taught elementary school in Honduras and then returned home to begin freelancing as a medical and court interpreter. She later became a staff interpreter for the NJ judiciary. She has gone on to earn certifications as a healthcare interpreter and a federal court interpreter for Spanish and as a court interpreter for French. Most recently, she received her Master’s Degree in Conference Interpreting from Glendon at York University. She currently works as an interpreter and teacher, training students to acquire the skills necessary to pass state and federal interpreting exams. When she is not writing or interpreting, you may find her practicing acroyoga or studying French. Website: www.athenaskyinterpreting.com

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