[vc_row][vc_column width='2/3']This was real life. There was no do-over. My identity crisis started almost exactly two years ago when I left my job as a staff interpreter in New Jersey and headed into the Great Unknown (Montreal, Canada, to be exact). My plan was to work on...

Last week found me in Atlanta, Georgia for a whirlwind weekend with the Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators (AAIT). Local organizations are vital to keeping our profession alive, and it was an honor to be able to attend and present at this one. I...

This week it was my turn to post on the NAJIT blog, and I asked some of my colleagues what I should write about. I was told, “Don’t teach. Tell your story.” So here it is. U.N., here I come. I graduated Rutgers in the spring of...

Have you ever given thought to your public speaking skills? Whether your answer is yes or no, we republished a piece that will have you thinking about it. And, who knows, taking action. Besides being an interpreter and a translator for over 20 years, I have...

As my colleague Ernest Niño-Murcia stated in his candidate statement to run for NAJIT’s Board of Directors, “Interpreting is not a job for me; it is a way of life.” That is certainly true for me. When you are a professional translator and/or interpreter, at every...

- by Janis Palma © 2018 I have always felt a special thrill when I “discover” something I did not know before. I’m pretty sure my brain is releasing endorphins every time I research something, because I just want to keep digging! The more I find...

Happy New Year everybody! For the first post of this year, I’d like to propose a new year’s resolution that doesn’t involve us joining a gym. Not that the gym is so terrible, but with all these cold fronts right now I personally would like...

I still remember it vividly: On October 18th, 2013, I discovered that I had passed the FCICE federal exam. It was one of those remarkable moments that remain transfixed in one’s memory no matter how much time passes. I was elated to receive the news. The...

By Janis Palma ©2017 Lately I’ve been asked a lot about test-taking “tips”. Of course, the federal certification exam for judiciary interpreters was recently administered, so it’s at the forefront of many certification candidates’ minds. However, rather than suggesting some test-taking “tips”, I’d like to offer...