Message from the Chair
Dear colleagues,
Dear colleagues,
I hope that this latest issue of Proteus finds you well. My first several months as Chairman have been very exciting and jam-packed. I have had the pleasure of traveling to various events where I was pleased to see so many of our members playing prominent roles. I would like to thank every single one of our members, volunteers, directors and administrative staff for everything you do for NAJIT and our profession.
In June, I participated in the Southeast Regional Medical Interpreters conference in Nashville, TN and the Interpret America summit in Washington, DC. In July, I attended the Legal Interpreter Member Section's annual meeting during the conference of the Registry of I
terpreters for the Deaf (RID) in Atlanta, GA and this month I attended the Congress of the Federation Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT) in San Francisco, CA. The nature of my participation varied at these events, but I attempted to convey the view that both the industry as a whole and the individual practitioner will benefit from a commitment by organizations like ours to the concepts of collaboration, inclusion and empowerment.
Although these meetings and conferences were spread across different geographic areas and industry sectors, various common themes emerged and were quite telling. These themes included: fragmentation of industry stakeholders resulting in detriment to the individual practitioner; duplication of effort by sector-specific organizations; the dilution of strength due to a lack of a common voice in issues affecting the industry and a need to elevate the visibility and prestige of the industry as whole.
Many of the most crucial problems facing the individual practitioner today find their origins in, or are exacerbated by, the above common themes. NAJIT, therefore, needs to address these common issues by engaging the larger interpreting and translation community. We have applied for full membership in FIT and I look forward to continued work with organizations both in the U.S. and abroad so that we can jointly address some of the common challenges that face us all. It is our obligation to mirror our members, reflecting and addressing their needs and concerns and empowering them to effect change.
We focus our efforts, first and foremost, by providing the tools and credibility necessary for the individual practitioner to advocate for him- or herself. We also have an obligation to provide guidance and support to the numerous state and local associations that provide the grassroots component of what should be a coordinated effort. I am pleased to report that NAJIT continues to show our commitment to these principles, in theory and in practice. Our Bench and Bar Committee has recently completed projects on training and education for attorneys on how to work with interpreters, as well as a concise document enumerating the most important points of court interpreting in the U.S. You can now find these on our web site. We also continue to work on the Laying the Path project of the ABA that is proposing standards for language access in state courts. In the interests of the industry as whole, we are working closely with other organizations and leaders across all sectors in order to leverage our mutual experience and prominence in specific areas for the benefit of the greater good. Strengthening the industry will provide a backdrop for all interpreters to flourish.
Additionally we have been very active in supporting our members and their local and state associations with regard to issues of particular importance to them. Our Advocacy and Public Relations committees have issued over half a dozen letters in support of or opposition to various issues throughout the country since I wrote to you last. I, personally, have consulted with members and organizational leaders to provide whatever support we can, in the most effective way possible. I look forward to continuing these efforts.
It is important to note, however, that no matter the size of an organization, its power is completely derived from its members. In a very real sense all that we do would be impossible without your support. Your membership dues and participation in NAJIT events provide the lifeblood for our efforts. Each of you empowers NAJIT to effect change through the obvious financial contributions, but equally as important through your volunteerism. I hope that you will continue to empower us and that you will encourage others to join us so that together we can better tackle the challenges, not only in our specialization as judiciary interpreters, but in our industry as a whole. In exchange, you can rest assured that we will continue to work to empower each and every individual practitioner to better and more credibly advocate for him- or herself. I hope you enjoy this issue and don’t forget to look for us on Twitter and Facebook.
Sincerely,
Rob
Rob Cruz
Chairman
Twitter: @najitchair