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06 Feb

Posted at 14:06h in Business Practices, Court Interpreting, Finances, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Recent Posts by
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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...

09 Jan

Posted at 15:26h in Advocacy, Attorney Education, Business Practices, Conference Interpreting, Equipment, Ethics, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreting, Leadership, Professional Development, Professional Hazard, Professional Practices, Terminology, Tools of the trade by
1 Like
During the first NAJIT event I ever attended, the 35th Annual Conference in Las Vegas in the spring of 2014, my friend Gerda Prato introduced me to Tony Rosado. I was so excited that I still have the picture. I already knew who Tony was from...

12 Dec

Posted at 18:12h in Certification, Continuing Education, Court Interpreting, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Language, Professional Development, Recent Posts by
2 Likes
I first heard about the University of Arizona’s Court Interpreter Training Institute (CITI) program at NAJIT’s 35th Annual Conference in Las Vegas in 2012. Some colleagues were talking about it while we had lunch. They shared information and spoke highly of the program, so I...

23 May

Posted at 01:00h in Advocacy, Attorney Education, Certification, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Recent Posts by
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I have been an interpretation and translation practitioner for fifteen years, and during this time I have wondered why judiciary interpreters must be sworn in before every assignment, sometimes even before the same judge, more than once a day. Most states that grant language-interpreter certification...

18 Apr

Posted at 01:00h in Certification, Community, Continuing Education, Finances, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Interpreters, Language Associations, NAJIT Conference, Personal Growth, Professional Development, Recent Posts, The Profession by
1 Like
A few days ago, I was preparing the paperwork for the Wisconsin CEU (Continuing Education Units) Compliance form, and I realized that I do attend tons of workshops, in-person presentations, and virtual webinars. I have the privilege of being a NAJIT member, and as such,...

07 Feb

Posted at 10:16h in Advocacy, Business Practices, Community Interpreting, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Immigration, Leadership, Professional Practices, The Profession by
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During my years of interpreting in many different areas, mostly in court and other legal settings, I have observed situations that seem, at the very least, inappropriate, unfair, and perhaps even illegal. One of the first and simplest examples I can give is an assignment...

25 Nov

Posted at 01:00h in Certification, Continuing Education, Court Interpreting, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Immigration, Interpreters, Leadership, Professional Development, Recent Posts, The Profession by
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Talking to my mother the other day, I asked her if anything similar to Thanksgiving Day existed in Mexico, but it seemed that the closest thing we have there is New Year’s. She was right! It’s hard to remember all those holiday details after living...