Oftentimes, the particulars of a case don’t make themselves known to the interpreter until he or she arrives in the courtroom. For plea hearing, the court may need the interpreter to interpret general instructions to the gallery. The public defender may need to speak with...
- by Gio Lester © 2014 Title VI was devised and implemented in the second third of the 20th century. Since then, our world has changed and so has our society. The demands and profiles of the services and tasks targeted by Title VI have also changed. We...
At the memorial for deceased South African leader Nelson Mandela on December 10, 2013, the world-wide interpreting community was stunned and dismayed when a fake sign language interpreter was shown on television and the internet pretending to interpret the words of heads of state...
Background It was November 14, 2004. A blustery winter evening in New York. The sun had gone down and the wind was gusting hard. My stomach rumbled relentlessly and I shivered in spite of my down parka. I sprinted briskly along West 63 St., to reach...
Today we welcome guest blogger Sabine Michael. Sabine was born and raised in Germany. She has the equivalent of a Masters Degree in Translation from the University of Mainz at Germersheim for Spanish and English (Diplom-Uebersetzer) and worked as a sworn translator and interpreter for the German...
There is quite a bit of talk lately among those of us in the interpreting profession about the professionalization of community interpreting. In Great Britain and Canada, community interpreting, also referred to as “public service interpreting” is an umbrella term encompassing any kind of interpreting...
Unavoidable Delays It’s a funny thing. From everything written and spoken about court interpretation, one would think that we are constantly working away—interpreting for trials, hearings, attorney/client interviews and the like, all day long, with a nice break for lunch. I think we all agree that...
In the small county seat where I work several times a week there is a traffic circle. It is a small oasis in a not-very-attractive little town. In spring and summer there are shade trees and flowers. There is a central fountain, and a number...
Maybe it was spring fever, but I don’t think so. I definitely felt what I can only describe as a breath of fresh air during the 34th NAJIT Annual Conference May 17-19, 2013, in St. Louis, Missouri. So often nowadays I hear interpreters talk about the “graying”...
“We need more pay for the work we do.” “Nobody respects us interpreters.” “Can we please stop having intruders in this profession?”[1] “When will people understand that being bilingual doesn’t mean you can interpret?” “We should boycott if they try to bring in video interpreting.” “Maybe conference interpreters can demand...
