Do you want to know the funny thing about notes? The better you get at taking them, the less of them you need. I noticed this one day in court, a few years into my career when I took a look at my notepad and...
Not all of you know, but I am also the General Secretary of the Brazilian association of translation and interpreting professionals. ABRATES (its acronym in Portuguese) is a vibrant association and, unlike other professional associations I know, it also represents sign language interpreters. Add to...
Have you ever met the interpreter who knew everything? I have. Well, not really. As a matter of fact, it’s not possible to have met such an interpreter, because nobody knows everything. That is the sad reality of being human. But I have most assuredly...
The text below is aimed at individuals who have been trained but are stepping into a booth as professionals for the first time. These are my thoughts —nothing scientific about them, just good old experience, gut and gumption. So, the first thing you need to do is...
by Bethany Korp (c) 2016 I bet you just rolled your eyes, didn’t you? You are tired of hearing about continuing education, yes? Good! That’s why I want to talk about it. You see, not long ago, I was attending a small local interpreter conference. On a...
As we began organizing this year’s conference, I thought that the 2019 conference would have special meaning to all NAJIT members but a special relevance for me personally. This will be my last year running this committee as a board member, although I am not planning on leaving as...
Recently, I have been toying with the possibility of changing my Facebook relationship status to, “It’s complicated.” With whom, you may ask? With French. That’s whom! You see, I am deep into my second semester of a Master’s in Conference Interpreting. The past five months have been…well…hard! And at the top...
Thick snowflakes are lazily making their way to the ground outside my window here in Montreal. It’s January, yet again. That means that a whole new year lies in front of us, its pages as blank and clear as the snow-covered sidewalks outside. With the...
It is Tuesday. Usually that would mean I could sleep in a bit, but today it means I’m waking up at 6:45 to check my phone and…yes. Class has been confirmed for 7:30 this morning because during our normal class time, our professor will be...
The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. What do you do when you are the victim of unusual practices? Discounts are in the spotlight again. How about we all contribute to create a Best Practices...