Interpreters face somewhat of a conundrum upon entering the profession. That is, we are expected to have “native-level” discourse and comprehension skills in all of our languages. Advertisements boast “perfect fluency,” and respectable interpreting courses necessarily steer their content away from language acquisition. Yet, of...
The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. How well can you command your mother tongue? Would you feel comfortable reading a modern novel written in it? Well, our colleague needs...
Well, I made it! One more semester to go. As I write, the train wheels rumble underneath my seat. We are somewhere between Toronto and Montreal. When I made this journey in reverse three months ago, the leaves still adorned the trees. Now the fields...
Association-sponsored conferences for 2020 are starting to put out their calls for papers, first and foremost NAJIT. It used to be that presentations at judiciary interpreter & translator conferences were only or mostly for those working to and from Spanish. It also used to be...
This article was first published in November 2017. It seems appropriate that we dust it off now that the dates for the next Federal Interpreter Exam have been set. Good luck to all who will take the challenge. Reaching the Brass Ring I still remember it vividly:...
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...