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...

“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...

The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. The subject of this month’s Couch is the transition to “normal.” As in-person services gradually resume (or at least are on the horizon), what do...

The show on Netflix called The Taco Chronicles came on my radar not long ago. I started watching, enthralled with the images, history, and diversity of this tubular treat. It was right around that same time that a decision was announced by the Chief Judge...

After a year of uncertainties, fear, confusion, isolation, and staying home due to the COVID-19 restrictions, many of us are more than ready to dive into the summer vacation. But how prepared are we to take a break from our responsibilities and give ourselves a...

Other articles in the Get It Write blog discuss the confusion surrounding plurals and possessives (should we write “Happy holidays from the Smith’s” or “the Smiths”?). Making that distinction is arguably one of the trickier issues in English usage. Another is confusion about commonly used homophones: it is...

As Mother’s Day approaches, I find myself remembering my last day of training before I became a professional court interpreter. Part of my training (and the part I enjoyed the most) was sitting in courtrooms observing court procedures. “I am starving,” I thought, ready to...