This is the second 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...
It’s the last week of April and NAJIT’s Annual Conference is just around the corner. Before we know it, we will be in San Antonio, polishing skills, learning what’s new in the field, catching up with old friends and making new ones. And although I...
– by Giovanna Lester ©2015 That question has been whirling around the minds of many Florida interpreters since Rule 2.565 went into full effect on October 1, 2015. Among other things, Rule 2.565 defines new professional designations for interpreters (see definitions below) and who is allowed...
The phrase itself should set off an alarm. Or perhaps “militant” is too strong a word. How about “the advocate interpreter”? Merriam-Webster defines militant as "having or showing a desire or willingness to use strong, extreme, and sometimes forceful methods to achieve something,” or, in...
Today we welcome a post from guest author Catalina J. Natalini. Catalina works as an interpreter and translator in legal, medical and school settings. She holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Linguistics from the University of Zurich and is a certified court interpreter in the...
- by Giovanna Lester © 2015 Claudia Villalba serves on the NAJIT Board of Directors and, until a few weeks ago, was the Supervising Court Interpreter for the 7th Judicial Circuit in the State of Florida. She wears many hats, but that is the nature of...
Prima donna: A very temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance. (Oxford Dictionary) We all know at least one of those, don’t we? Or maybe we have been one at some point or another in our lives (gasp! Do we dare...
“Respect yourself and others will respect you.” ― Confucius The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines protocol as “a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations.” There were no such rules, standard procedures, or protocols for interpreters in courts of law within the...
**First Friday Flashback! Here's a fave from early 2013. Comment below!** Today, a judge compared trial interpreters to a piece of furniture. I couldn’t be more pleased! Happily, this judge has had enough experience with good interpreters to know that our role is, indeed, much like an...
The NAJIT conference in Atlanta was intellectually stimulating and for some of us—or maybe all—it was also very good for the soul. We laughed, we sang, we danced, we ran into old friends and made new ones. In short, a lot of those present thought...