Discover the importance of saying names correctly and how this small effort fosters respect and inclusivity, especially in interpreting and legal settings. A reflection on cultural sensitivity, gratitude, and connection.

The blog post discusses the significance of El Día de Muertos [Day of the Dead] as a cultural tradition that honors departed loved ones, featuring colorful imagery of the celebrations such as ofrendas [altars] adorned with cempasúchil [marigold flowers], La Catrina figures [skeleton sculptures], and butterfly-themed tr

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.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” —Socrates Jon Leeth was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Director in Charge of Court Reporting and Interpreting Services, also referred to as Chief... The post Building the New appeared first on NAJIT.

Interpreters are proving to be an indispensable resource to indigenous communities as the demand for their services increases. While a handful of language-service agencies claim to offer some of these languages, they cannot guarantee the interpretation provided is true or accurate. This is why, to... The post Not All Language Communities Are Served Equally appeared first on NAJIT.

Interpreters have many clients. I don’t mean who pays. I mean who is the beneficiary of your interpreting services. Yes, we do see whoever hires us as the “client,” but as a professional service, that is not the most precise way of defining a “client.”... The post Who’s your client? appeared first on NAJIT.

A few decades ago, “language access” was not really a phrase. Litigants who did not speak English were frequently left in the dark as to their own judicial proceedings, and this carried severe consequences. The evolution of court interpreting as a profession has relied on... The post A Threat to Our Profession appeared first on NAJIT.

This is the war everyone hoped would never happen. And yet it has happened. Most of us had never paid attention to Ukraine, except perhaps when it came up during the testimony before Congress in 2019 regarding Marie Yovanovitch, a former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine.... The post Things We’re Not Talking About appeared first on NAJIT.

“Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating based on national origin by, among other things, failing to provide meaningful access to individuals who are limited English proficient (LEP)” (lep.gov). In state courts, where Title VI... The post Team Interpreting is a Matter of Due Process appeared first on NAJIT.