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The good, the bad, and the not-so-tech-savvy By Alina Avelar Roque On the morning of March 13, 2020, Anaheim Elementary School District, where I've been working for over five years as an interpreter/translator, held an emergency board meeting to vote on suspending in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That same day, all students were sent home with … [Read more...]
Professional standards and self-care in remote interpreting
Ever since COVID-19 upended the world as we know it, interpreters around the world have had to adjust to working remotely. We’ve learned how to work with a variety of platforms and equipment. We’ve educated ourselves about potential hiccups and how to resolve them. We’ve even developed our individual routines before connecting to our assignments. Over time, best practices have … [Read more...]
To be or not to be certified: the dilemma for non-Spanish interpreters
By Yasmin Alkashef In an industry where the majority of professionals are freelancers and where subject-matter expertise cannot be easily judged by clients or intermediaries, certification remains the gatekeeper to quality. Hiring a translator or interpreter without verified qualifications or certification is a very risky endeavor. The result may cost a limited English … [Read more...]
How can I make RSI platforms work for me as a freelancer?
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by Julia Poger This post originally appeared on the webzine Communicate! and is republished with permission. “Wait a minute,” I can hear you say. “I didn’t sign on to be an interpreter to work remotely - I want to go to conferences in exotic places! I want to see and work with my friends! I like people, and don’t want to work alone in my office!” Remote simultaneous … [Read more...]
Year-end review for 2020
This past October, the new administrative term (2020-2022) began for the ATA Interpreters Division, and your administrative team is here to serve you. Meet Christina Green, Interpreters Division Assistant Administrator Christina Green is a certified court interpreter (Spanish) and an ATA certified translator (English > Spanish). Her other working languages are Italian and … [Read more...]
A look back, a raffle and a fashion show
By Carol Shaw and the Blog & Web Team This time last year, “pandemic” was just a word. Now it has faces and emotions attached. Some of us have lost friends or family. Some have suffered through COVID-19 themselves or helped care for loved ones with the disease. None of us are untouched. There’s a special solidarity that comes from weathering a storm together. I know I … [Read more...]
Overcoming accent bias in the courtroom
By Sandra Dejeux Recently, I attended an online seminar about implicit bias in court settings. Among other things, the presenter spoke about accent bias and how, in some cases, it can undermine the credibility of a witness. Later, I read an article that stated that sometimes juries give less credibility or stop paying attention to expert testimony when the expert has a strong … [Read more...]
Lorena Ortiz Schneider elected to the ATA Board
By Helen Eby, ID Administrator It is a great pleasure to learn that Lorena Ortiz Schneider is among the newly elected ATA Board directors. In addition, she has just been recognized with the ATA’s 2020 Impact and Advocacy Awards. Congratulations, Lorena! Lorena served as the assistant administrator of the ID between 2016 and 2018, returning to that post for the 2018-2020 term, … [Read more...]