Greetings from the Glendon campus in Toronto! I’m currently waiting for my News Class to begin. Winter is fast approaching over here and each sunny day could be the last. So I’m taking advantage of the unseasonably gorgeous weather, sitting outside the cafeteria at a...
Not long ago, a colleague was trying to justify the practice of charging less, imposed by some agencies, on work performed using CAT tools. I do have an issue with that concept. I mean, when my doctor gets more accurate and expensive equipment, his rates...
By Gio Lester © 2017 The number one myth freelancers fall for is that they get rid of bosses once they go solo. That is not true: each one of our clients is a boss! What changes is our relationship with them. We can now pick...
The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. Our colleague really needs our help and maybe a NAJIT Position Paper dealing with the hard of hearing. Are you ready? I would like...
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:...
A few weeks ago, a colleague wrote to The Couch seeking guidance on the matter of contracts. I am not sure she (or he?) had any idea what was coming. I have decided to compile the answer we received. Trust, the most important element Let me start...
Below is an anonymized compilation of comments received by The NAJIT Observer in response to Bethany Korp’s blog post “What I Wish They Knew,” published November 25, 2016. Thank you to all who responded! I wish that everyone… … understood the function of interpreters and respected...
The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. This time contracts are in question. How important are they really? You can call me a novice. I have been "working" in this profession...
By Armando Ezquerra Hasbun ©2017 It is bound to happen. You spend most of your professional career trying to get where your ambitions lie. And then you spend most of your time trying to improve, to catch up, to seek elusive perfection in your craft. And in...
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...