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...
06 Feb Is it Better to be Hired by Assignment or by the Day?
Posted at 14:06h
in Business Practices, Court Interpreting, Finances, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Recent Posts
13 Comments
Per Diem vs. Per Assignment I have been a freelance interpreter since January 2007. For the first seven years of that period, I was hired exclusively to work per assignment by agencies. It wasn’t until 2014, when I first became certified, that I started working...
