In the heart of Puerto Rico, a hidden treasure, thrives a small, close community of interpreters dedicated to the art of breaking down language barriers. Over the past year, since I embarked on my journey into the world of interpretation and became certified, I’ve had... The post Stitches of Connection: The Small, Welcoming, and Tight-Knit Interpreter Community in Puerto Rico appeared first on NAJIT.

Three years ago I retired from thirty years as a Spanish<>English court interpreter. Before that I was a classical guitarist — a good one, but not so phenomenally good as to make a reasonable living out of it. At around age thirty, I quit music... The post Interpreter as Actor: An Epiphany appeared first on NAJIT.

No, I don’t mean the social “privilege” we all enjoy as interpreters or translators because of the education, general knowledge and specialized skills that give us a certain advantage over others a bit less fortunate. No, I mean the sort of privilege we are supposed... The post What is “privilege”? appeared first on NAJIT.

Can we please standardize the name we use to refer to our profession and those who practice it? There are so many variations on a theme: legal interpreting, community interpreting, court interpreting, public-service interpreting, judicial interpreting, and of course, the one name adopted by our... The post One profession, one name appeared first on NAJIT.

Uprooting While I was sitting on the couch with my mother, who is currently visiting me from Mexico, she sighed deeply, and when I asked her why she was sighing, she looked at me and said: “I so regret the decision I made years ago... The post Desarraigo (Uprooting) appeared first on NAJIT.

In keeping with the season, our theme on The NAJIT Observer this month is horror stories. As interpreters and translators, we’ve all encountered scary people and situations, but we’ve also lived to tell the tale!

Interpreting is counter intuitive to human behavior. Really. On our day-to-day, we listen to respond. Interpreters can't do that at work.

Do you know what Position Papers are? They offer guidance on procedures, best practices, and overall professional conduct for those working in a courtroom.

What do interpreters want from their clients? Bethany asked and we replied. Check the list to see if your pet peeve is there too.