Every profession has certain requirements that allow a person to enjoy the benefits and respect of their respective titles. I have been wondering lately about all the people who call themselves “interpreters” and whether they all deserve to attribute that title to themselves. I know we...
I will start by saying that interpreters are awesome people who have the ability to perform mental feats very few people can. For one thing, we can listen and speak at the same time in two different languages! That in and of itself is amazing,...
This article by Janis was first published in July 2017. We liked it so much that we decided to share it with our readers once again. Enjoy - by Janis Palma © It’s what we all work for. It’s where we expect to be someday: retired…...
Diplomacy does not come naturally I admit I am not a good diplomat. Although I have learned to avoid the bull-in-a-china-shop approach, I confess that my first attempt at trying to get a federal judge to understand my need to research a case before interpreting for...
I was recently in the lobby of an office building on my way to a deposition when I heard my name called. It was a dear colleague, and of course I was happy to see her, so we kissed and embraced, as is the custom...
I have been doing this for over 36 years. It is the one thing I have been able to do consistently for such a long time. I am a judiciary interpreter, and the bulk of my work throughout my entire career has been with the...
Originally published in January 2015, this post remains relevant. Please enjoy. On this blog, we dedicate a great deal of time and effort to the profession of interpreting for the courts. We tell stories, share experiences, propose new ideas, and issue calls to action. This week,...
I was talking to a colleague friend of mine recently when she mentioned she had to deliver a translation but had to get it notarized first. My brain immediately went in two different directions: (1) I know this is a fairly common practice among translators...
I was at the annual conference of the Texas Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (TAJIT) in Austin this past weekend, and was spellbound by every presenter, strongly motivated to learn new things from all of them and was even challenged to think out of...
Planning is fun. Then, life happens I had planned on writing about my experience in the Southern District of Texas, McAllen Division, interpreting for the “tsunami” of misdemeanor illegal entry cases, maybe comparing it to my experience in the District of Puerto Rico interpreting for the...