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After a career as a systems analyst in the petroleum industry, John Estill found himself working as a translator and interpreter while enjoying retirement in rural Ohio. I’ve had the pleasure of working with John on the Ohio Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Interpreter Services. John...

09 March, 2012 /
My apologies for the slightly off-topic salute to this year’s Academy Award-winning Best Song. The question I really want to ask is, of course, less silly and more important: is interpreting a technical profession or a practice profession? Think of each of the following groups of professions; then consider which group you would place interpreting in: 1. Astronomy, medical research, product safety inspection, archaeology. 2. Medicine, law, law enforcement, pedagogy, ministry. Can I get a show of hands?

So why the pop quiz?

I’m going to bet that most people would instinctively place interpreting into group #2, and therein lies the problem. It's not that #2 is the wrong answer (actually, I would argue that it’s more correct than we know!), but that we interpreters (of all stripes, but particularly court interpreters) relate to our profession as if it belongs in group #1 ... causing ourselves no end of headaches, backbends, self-justification, defensive posturing, and guilt. (Really!) Let’s explore what the professions in each group have in common.The professions in group #1 are all scientific and objective in their approach; they are called technical professions. A technical profession follows a specified process to reach an unspecified end result. (For example, the Scientific Method: “First, define the question. Second, gather information and resources. Then, formulate a hypothesis...”) If the process is not strictly adhered to, then the end result is invalid. The second group is a list of practice professions, which are extremely context-dependent and subjective in their approach, despite requiring technical skills. A practice profession employs various processes to reach a specified end result. (For example, the Hippocratic Oath: “...I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism...”) A physician may get from point A (sick patient) to point B (applying required measures while avoiding over- and undertreatment) through many different techniques, based on the circumstances, and the context in which he or she works; but the goal is always the same.

Why does this matter to me?

Why do I say we treat interpreting (especially court interpreting) as if it were a technical, rather than a practice, profession?
02 March, 2012 /

Now that you have an idea of how to attach value to your time and activity, it is time to  figure out how to best use banking and government tools to determine your taxes. No, this is not an accounting course. Relax and enjoy. In my...

17 February, 2012 /

                                                          In honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day celebration let’s take a moment to examine how we interpreters and translators can continue to stay deeply in love with our professions.   As a staffer at a busy courthouse and a moonlighting translator, you would think that...

10 February, 2012 /

The Supreme Court and the interpreting profession weigh in on the answer, but they may have to agree to disagree. By Barry S. Olsen and Katharine Allen Seasoned interpreters and experienced translators alike are keenly aware of the different skill sets required for interpreting and translation. Both...

03 February, 2012 /

 After reading my colleague Gio Lester’s informative blog last week (How Much Is My Time Worth?), you know how to put a dollar value on your time. Now how do you make it pay? How do you learn to manage your time efficiently to accomplish...

26 January, 2012 /

Translators and interpreters are a very creative bunch, and creative folk usually do not make good administrators. Yes, it is a generalization, so take it with the duly recommended grain of salt. We have all heard of ROI (Return on Investment). That is what you get...

20 January, 2012 /

Breaking into the world of interpreting and gaining acceptance as somebody who learned Spanish in college and beyond has been a quite a journey in self-discovery.  Although I’ve learned the language and culture well enough to succeed as an interpreter, the fact is that I...

13 January, 2012 /

The NAJIT blog has a name: The brainchild of the NAJIT Public Relations Committee, TNO was created in 2011 in response to NAJIT's members need of a tool to share information, first-hand experiences, and the occasional fun moment with our colleagues and users of our services. We...

19 October, 2011 /