Interpreter's Fatigue: A Real Threat to Due Process By Hilda Shymanik Interpreting is a highly demanding and complex activity that requires a great deal of physical and mental effort. When the cognitive load becomes too much, as a result of working for long periods of time without...
Let’s Test Your Ethics The NAJIT Observer Team Welcome to “Let’s Test Your Ethics” As professional interpreters and translators, we often navigate challenging situations that test our ethical judgment. Whether it's balancing confidentiality with transparency or maintaining impartiality in emotionally charged settings, these dilemmas are part of our...
Introduction As an interpreter with over 22 years of experience, I have witnessed the evolving dynamics within our profession. In Wisconsin, there is a shortage of court-certified interpreters. However, this shortage is not due to a lack of potentially qualified professionals but rather a failure in...
Many times, I am saved by the bell. Last week I was in court, on time waiting for my early morning case to start. As we waited over 90 minutes, the ADA, judge, sheriff’s officers, clerks, and LEP defendant were understandably frustrated. The practice in...
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...
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, you want to “keep calm and keep interpreting,” but external factors make that simple solution difficult to achieve. A...