I am not a baker. The world of yeasts and doughs, of icing, flour and exact measurements eludes me. Hand me some garlic and kale, and I’ll make you discover a love you never knew you had for green vegetables. But baking is a different...

Editor’s note: This week’s post will have a special focus. NAJIT is sponsoring the upcoming 4th International Virtual conference organized by Linguist Education Online. If you can sign up, please do so! This year, NAJIT is partnering with Linguist Education Online (LEO) to support LEO’s 4th...

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...

Definition of pivotal[1] 1: of, relating to, or constituting a pivot   Autumn is pivotal because it has a “central role, function, or effect” on the rest of the calendar year. Summer has just ended, the winter months are coming, and squirrels everywhere are going crazy making preparations....

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...

The article below was originally posted in 2017. Memory is an interpreter’s best friend; here’s to “remembering” a useful contribution. Enjoy.  or How to Forget About Interpreting and Just Listen You know how the saying goes: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. I’m sure...

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...

Have you ever taken a dash of one language with a sprinkle of another, mixed them together and simmered to taste? Of course you have! You’re bilingual. You’re bound to have stirred your languages together at one point or another. There’s actually a fancy name for...

An open or shut case? A couple of weeks ago, a woman I was interpreting for started chatting with me before an interview, and she asked me if I had heard about upcoming plans to reopen the courthouse. During this conversation, she shared her view that...

“No me falte usted al respeto, no soy cualquier cosa, soy el acusado. Yo ahí afuera tengo otro detalle, no así no se porta con uno la gente.” - Cantinflas, “El juicio,” available here No small ripple In 1992, the Real Academia Española accepted the term “cantinflear” for...