There’s something we never want to talk about. Not unless it comes knocking on our door. But lately, it’s been knocking on many people’s doors, people I know, people I don’t know, one right after the other: mothers, fathers, leaving us grown children orphaned and disoriented. They were an anchor we never knew was there until it was suddenly lifted and gone. Maybe that’s why we don’t talk about it. Death is like a Beetlejuice incantation: say it three times and it will appear.
Have you ever been on assignments that booked you for a hearing but turned out to be a full-length trial? One that involves extensive evidence submission and multiple witnesses. These situations are inevitable as sometimes thing changes at the last minute. But what can we do about this? What can we do to raise awareness on the issue so everyone can benefit from having the interpreter in the room?
When the topic comes up among my colleagues of discussing our work as interpreters with lawyers and judges, they unanimously and enthusiastically agree that we have a lot to tell them. The following is the gist of what I would say upon such an opportunity.
