06 Mar Emergency Medical Coverage Funds
Posted at 10:10h
in Advocacy, Community, Court Interpreting, Finances, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, New Ideas, Professional Hazard, Recent Posts, Self care
12 Comments
Several weeks ago, a friend and freelance colleague fell in the cafeteria of the courthouse where some of us work. The floor was wet and the “wet floor signs” were out of her line of vision. Once she was embarrassingly sprawled on the floor, the...
06 Feb Exploring ways to do business: An Interpreter Run Cooperative
We are always writing about colleagues asking us about fees, and we are horrified when we learn of new colleagues being lowballed. This is an everyday issue. Many blog writers and other guests write about this subject, and we tend to despair of ever having...
02 Jan From Thanksgiving to the New Year
Posted at 08:19h
in Community, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Leadership, NAJIT Affairs, New Ideas, Personal Growth, Professional Development, Recent Posts, Self care, The Profession
4 Comments
Are you ever surprised by how we go from the Thanksgiving holiday, a season of taking stock of what we have, being grateful for all the good things in our lives, and recognizing the joy we share with our families, to just a few weeks...
18 Dec When we advocate for interpreters, are we not also advocating for the LEP population?
Posted at 01:00h
in Advocacy, Attorney Education, Business Practices, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Interpreters, Janis Palma, Leadership, New Ideas, Professional Practices, Recent Posts, The Profession
9 Comments
I have been turning this question around in my head for a while, since someone raised the question in a social media exchange: am I advocating for interpreters? Or am I advocating for the LEPs we serve? And I just have to wonder, can we...
01 Aug Could we all use a scheduler?
Posted at 11:12h
in Business Practices, Finances, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Recent Posts, Self care, Tools of the trade
6 Comments
Last fall, I started calculating the time it takes me to do my work including travel time, the courtesy pre-assignment time, the hours of waiting, the hours worked, the time for billing, e-mailing, confirmations, follow up, searching for work, etc. I realized that I was...
30 May Double Down on Yourself. Know What You Are Worth!
Posted at 14:18h
in Business Practices, Court Interpreting, Finances, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Language Associations
16 Comments
When I started freelancing again after six years of work in a staff position, eighteen months ago I asked old and new colleague friends about their current fee ranges to adjust my expectations and be able to plan a budget for my new freelance contractor...
10 Apr NAJIT 44th Annual Conference (2023)
Posted at 15:47h
in Community, Court Interpreting, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Language Associations, NAJIT Conference, Professional Development
2 Comments
Coming Full Circle This is one of the last blogs I will write while serving as NAJIT’s Vice-Chair, so I want to write about something that I am passionate about and that is extremely relevant at a time when we are working towards better compensation...
27 Mar Guilty or Not Guilty: In Our Role it’s Irrelevant
Posted at 23:40h
in Advocacy, Business Practices, Community, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Recent Posts
8 Comments
I was recently looking for something to watch on TV when I stumbled upon Amer Heard’s direct testimony during the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial. I didn’t know anything about them as a couple at the time. I knew who Johnny Depp was. I...