NAJIT Launches Membership Drive

NAJIT’s 1997 Membership Drive is under way. We are offering special incentives to new members as well as renewals. Any NAJIT member who recruits a new member by March 31, 1997, will be rewarded with an attractive NAJIT T-shirt, while supplies last. Have the new member write “referred by [your name]” on the application form. New members will also receive copies of PROTEUS Vol. V Nos. 3 and 4 with our compliments, supplies permitting. New members who also want a T-shirt have only to join NAJIT, then recruit someone else. The sweetest incentive is that the NAJIT member who recruits the most new members will have the registration fee waived for next year’s conference in Seattle. Nearly all of NAJIT’s financial support comes from membership dues. The only way we can do more for the membership without raising dues is to grow. Most NAJIT members probably know someone who ought to join but has not yet done so. I urge every NAJIT member to make an effort to persuade at least one or two such people to join NAJIT in the coming months.

Conference 1997

As 1996 comes to a close, the program for NAJIT’s 1997 Meeting and Educational Conference is coming together. We recently signed a very favorable contract with the Embassy Suites Hotel, located just outside of Seattle, which offers ideal sleeping and meeting rooms at quite reasonable prices. Interactive, pre-conference workshops are being planned for the afternoon of Thursday, May 15 and all day Friday 16. These will be optional, and priced separately. The conference proper, consisting of a series of shorter presentations, will be held on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18. Most of the proposals submitted are for language-neutral presentations, so there will be plenty for interpreters across the entire language spectrum. As the planning continues we will keep you posted via Proteus and this Web site.

CIASG Meeting

Since May 1995, I’ve had the honor of representing NAJIT on the Court Interpreters Advisory Subgroup, a committee that advises the Clerks’ Advisory Group and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on matters concerning interpreting in the U.S. District Courts. The group consists of two Clerks, one Chief Deputy Clerk, two staff interpreters, and your servant. Our primary achievement has been the revision of two policy documents that have been in draft form for several years: Chapter XII, "Federal Court Interpreter Policies and Procedures," to be added to the Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures, and The Federal Court Interpreters Orientation Manual. As reported in the previous Proteus [L. Pelegrín, "Miami Dialogue Continues," Vol V, No. 3], these documents will be reviewed by the Clerks Advisory group and ultimately submitted to the Judicial Conference. Although AO policies directly affect only interpreters who work in the federal courts, the demonstration effect may well make these developments worth watching for interpreters in the state courts as well.

When the interests of saving money competed with the interests of justice, it was a struggle. In the drafting process, some issues were controversial (e.g., when an uncertified interpreter may be used, and policy regarding the use of multiple interpreters). When the interests of saving money competed with those of the quality of court interpreting services (hence, the interests of justice), it was a struggle. A frequently heard theme at the Subgroup meetings was that you cannot tell judges how to run their courtrooms, where they reign supreme. I nonetheless argued for language that upheld the principles that NAJIT stands for. It will be interesting to see how these documents turn out after they have gone through the reviewing process and are released by the AO. I am grateful for all the helpful consultations and support I received in preparation from NAJIT members and other interested parties, primarily over NAJIT’s electronic mailing list.

The Internet

Which brings us to the next topic: the aforementioned e-mail list, specifically devoted to court interpreting and legal translation, has become an extremely valuable and effective means of communication among court interpreters around the U.S. and elsewhere. It is also a resource for jobs: there have recently been help wanted postings for translators and interpreters of several languages. Sign language interpreters are actively involved in the discussion, as are interpreter trainers worldwide. Interpreters caught in troubling predicaments have asked for help and gotten it promptly. Resources of all kinds—books, videotapes, courses, publications—are announced in this forum. Every NAJIT member who has not done so already should make it a New Years’ resolution to get plugged in, and then see http://www.najit.org/listserv.html (no longer active) for further information. NAJITOpen is but one of many good reasons to get an Internet account. The Net is by no means a panacea, but it is a necessary and important tool.

David Mintz
Chair, Board of Directors
mintz@najit.org