The Couch – Techmology….

The Couch is a place for readers to engage in stimulating discussion. The subject of this month’s Couch is...

24 September, 2021 / 7 Comments

It’s Up in the Air

An open or shut case? A couple of weeks ago, a woman I was interpreting for started chatting with me before an interview, and she asked me if I had heard about upcoming plans to reopen the courthouse. During this conversation, she shared her view that...

03 September, 2021 / 10 Comments

You’re Missing the Point (Ahí está el detalle)

“No me falte usted al respeto, no soy cualquier cosa, soy el acusado. Yo ahí afuera tengo otro detalle, no así no se porta con uno la gente.” - Cantinflas, “El juicio,” available here No small ripple In 1992, the Real Academia Española accepted the term “cantinflear” for...

27 August, 2021 / 14 Comments

Growing Pains

The article below is a pertinent repost from 2018. The question, “how much should I charge?” for a newcomer to the profession can feel daunting, as it can be difficult at first to get an idea as to how much interpreters and translators earn on...

13 August, 2021 / 11 Comments

The Couch – “The New Normal…”

The Couch is a learning place, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. The subject of this month’s Couch is the transition to “normal.” As in-person services gradually resume (or at least are on the horizon), what do...

06 August, 2021 / 8 Comments

Acrobatics: A Metaphor for Interpreting with Confidence and Humility

This article by Athena was first published in November 2014. We liked it so much that we decided to share it with our readers once again. Enjoy! Those who know me outside of interpreting know that acrobatics (specifically, partnered “Acroyoga”) is my not-so-secret other love. I...

28 May, 2021 / 7 Comments

When your long-standing assumptions are shattered: What now?

Has it ever happened to you that there is something you have believed all your life, something you have never even considered questioning, and then out of nowhere you see something or hear someone say something that makes you feel like your brain has been...

21 May, 2021 / 10 Comments

A Roundabout Way to do Remote Simultaneous Interpreting

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I started working from home due to the pandemic. It feels so long ago, but I remember the uncertainty vividly. Something ominous hung heavily in the air, blinking question marks hovered in everyone’s...

05 March, 2021 / 29 Comments

A Lesson in Perseverance: Reflections on the Federal Certification Exam

Every career has its pathway to the top. The general consensus among court interpreters is that our gold standard is the Federal Court Interpreting Certification Examination (FCICE). The test is only offered in the Spanish-English language combination, as the test writers explain on the website:...

27 November, 2020 / 16 Comments

Losing the Cloak of Invisibility

I like being tucked away in some nondescript area of a courtroom, where I can see and hear everyone but no one is paying attention to me, where I can have complete anonymity as my voice flows from a wireless microphone to a receiver in...

24 September, 2020 / 28 Comments