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13 Aug

Posted at 09:22h in Court Interpreting, Ethics, Interpreting, Janis Palma, New Ideas, Recent Posts, The Profession by
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Let me begin with a disclaimer: documentation about the early codes of ethics for judiciary interpreters, also called codes of professional responsibility, is scant or lost altogether. I am writing mostly from memory and some documents I have been able to track down, which means...

01 Jul

Posted at 03:15h in Court Interpreting, Ethics, Janis Palma, New Ideas, Professional Practices, Recent Posts by
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The United States District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeal have said time and again very clearly that Limited English Proficient (LEP) criminal defendants have a right to understand. This is the only reason for interpreters to have a significant place in the U.S. system...

30 Mar

Posted at 08:46h in Certification, Community, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Hilda Zavala-Shymanik, Immigration, Interpreters, Language Associations, NAJIT Conference, Professional Development, Recent Posts, The Profession, Tools of the trade by
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I came to the profession as many of you did, if you started your interpreting career ten or more years ago. I had a 15-minute phone interview with an agency owner, and I was hired on the spot and given very few instructions. I started...

19 Feb

Posted at 12:58h in Advocacy, Attorney Education, Business Practices, Certification, Community, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Interpreters, Janis Palma, Personal Growth, Professional Development, Professional Practices, The Profession, Tools of the trade, TRAINING by
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I have to be really honest. Every time I hear about a problem here or there with some client or court who does not want to pay a fair compensation to the interpreter, or someone wondering why the interpreter needs to prep for an assignment...

22 Jan

Posted at 10:56h in Advocacy, Attorney Education, Business Practices, Certification, Court Interpreting, Ethics, Janis Palma, Leadership, Professional Practices, Recent Posts, Terminology, TRAINING by
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In most states, a bilingual individual who wishes to be on the court’s roster of qualified interpreters must meet certain requirements. These are not whimsical or random requirements. The first one is usually an orientation seminar about the court system in the state where the...

18 Dec

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 by
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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...