When Barb Fisher began interpreting for Marshallese-speaking people in 2011, she would never have imagined her whole family would soon be ushered into the same line of work. The Fisher family first became acquainted with the Marshallese language when they moved to the Republic of the...
It was one of those weeks when everyone hates the interpreter. Weather is bad. Call quality is awful. And tempers are slightly more miserable than the shift. Of course, everything the interpreter does makes things worse. When she asks clients to speak up over the static,...
Coming Full Circle This is one of the last blogs I will write while serving as NAJIT’s Vice-Chair, so I want to write about something that I am passionate about and that is extremely relevant at a time when we are working towards better compensation and...
I was recently looking for something to watch on TV when I stumbled upon Amer Heard’s direct testimony during the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial. I didn’t know anything about them as a couple at the time. I knew who Johnny Depp was. I...
After 17 years without a raise, the per-diem court interpreters in Massachusetts got an inflation adjustment of 50% but not a raise. It sounds great, but it isn’t. In fact, the implementation of this long-delayed inflation adjustment has been accompanied by a significant change in...
Per diem court interpreters succeed in securing a pay adjustment after 17 years! The most recent pay rate for per diem court interpreters was set in 2006. Since then, requests for an increase by individuals and the Massachusetts Association of Court Interpreters (MACI – www.maci-inc.org) to...
Have you seen what’s going on in recent news? Freelance court interpreters in Massachusetts and Colorado are mobilized and are saying “no more” to stagnant remuneration and inert policies in their respective court systems. And their efforts are getting the following headlines: Boston Globe: With no pay raise in 17...
It’s a lot of fun when you work in a venue where you can get together with colleagues to share anecdotes, ask questions, and learn new things to help you be a better interpreter. I was with some fellow interpreters recently talking about sayings in...
On behalf of the Blog team and NAJIT as a whole, we hope you are having a very happy and restful holiday, wherever you may be and with whomever you may be spending it. Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! ¡Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! 新年快乐! Bom Natal! Giáng...
I know it may seem like a tired old cliché but, come on! You have to agree with me: it has been a great year! For me it was a year of enormous challenges chairing the NAJIT Board of Directors during the first half, and...