“Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating based on national origin by, among other things, failing to provide meaningful access to individuals who are limited English proficient (LEP)” (lep.gov). In state courts, where Title VI...
THE FOLLOWING IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL DAY IN COURT. What do you do when you are challenged? Is it professional of an interpreter to request a break? Dilemma in the courtroom! What would you have done? The following is an experience I had in a Superior Court in Georgia...
During my years of interpreting in many different areas, mostly in court and other legal settings, I have observed situations that seem, at the very least, inappropriate, unfair, and perhaps even illegal. One of the first and simplest examples I can give is an assignment I...
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, without the remotest fault on interpreters’ part, a crowd can have its suspicions aroused against them...
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. Interpreter ethics exist to keep the language professional from getting enmeshed into what can become very convoluted situations. But what...
I am very passionate about being an interpreter and translator. Some of you may have noticed. I just turned sixty-seven years old and am still spending most of my waking hours volunteering for NAJIT. Since my very early days as a federally certified interpreter, thanks...
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. Although interpreter ethics exist in part to prevent interpreters from getting into sensitive situations as much as possible, sometimes...
We can’t ask for more than we’re willing to give. This is a maxim for everything we do in life. A common outcry I hear more and more often from judiciary interpreters is that the workplace is becoming unresponsive to the specialized nature of the...
The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. In spite of our best efforts to train and prepare for an event, an interpretation’s success depends not only on us. A special...
I just attended the Arizona Translators and Interpreters (ATI) conference last weekend and am about to attend the Texas Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Association (TAJIT) conference this weekend. I had almost forgotten what a wonderland these conferences are for us! I know a few interpreters...