This is the third installment of our new feature What Would YOU Have Done? in which we bring real situations for our readers to comment on. The idea is for us to help each other overcome or prepare for unexpected situations. Drop us a line. And...

-by Gio Lester ©2016 We often hear the argument that foreigners need to learn English and that interpreting services are a drain in our justice and health care systems. Most of us who work in those fields understand the importance of language services and that...

**Flashback First Friday** This was originally posted on the NAJIT Blog back in 2012. Leave a comment about being challenged! A good, healthy session of constructive criticism by a senior colleague about our performance or skills as interpreters is something I venture to say we would all...

Gio Lester © 2014 After having interpreted at immigration court, the county jail and federal prison, I was called to interpret at the county’s psych ward. It was a long, long drive from my home; way past urban areas and the farm land to the south...

I know. The official name is “International Translation Day”. I changed it. I just have this thing about “interpreters” being included whenever anyone talks about “translators” and “interpreting” being understood as a part of “translation” in the title of such an important day. We all...

At the memorial for deceased South African leader Nelson Mandela on December 10, 2013, the world-wide interpreting community was stunned and dismayed when a fake sign language interpreter was shown on television and the internet pretending to interpret the words of heads of state...

“We need more pay for the work we do.”  “Nobody respects us interpreters.”  “Can we please stop having intruders in this profession?”[1]  “When will people understand that being bilingual doesn’t mean you can interpret?”  “We should boycott if they try to bring in video interpreting.”  “Maybe conference interpreters can demand...

Last year, InterpretAmerica published a document titled “Best Practices in the Interpreting Profession: Simultaneous Interpreting in Non-Conference Settings[1]” which I co-authored. Last month, we completed a draft document titled “Best Practices in the Interpreting Profession: The Professional Medical Interpreter”. Last night I interpreted for a local school...

[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...