Photo by Kermen Tutkunova on Unsplash
We hope you enjoyed the first and second part of our interview with Jessie as much as we did. In this third and last part of our conversation, we shift to the broader profession. Jessie reflects on teamwork in the booth, the qualities of a great interpreting partner, advice for younger interpreters entering the field, and how she sees translation and interpreting evolving in the age of AI.
Sijin: You mentioned teamwork and working with booth partners. What, in your view, makes an ideal booth partner?
Jessie: I actually have a list.
First, be on time. And by “on time,” I don’t mean arriving right at the start time. I mean arriving at least 30 minutes early. I’ve worked with interpreters who were late, and that is one of the fastest ways to lose trust.
Second, do your homework. If materials were shared with you, prepare. I prepare thoroughly, and I expect my booth partners to do the same.
Third, share your glossaries and preparation materials. This is teamwork, not a one-person show. Just like with translation projects, if we can align our terminology in advance, the whole interpretation assignment goes more smoothly with greater consistency.
Fourth, be kind and flexible. Things happen on the job. Sessions run over, topics change, people get sick. I’ve worked with interpreters who say, “I’m not doing that session; it’s too hard.” That’s simply not acceptable. It’s not about your ego—it’s about the job.
Fifth, have team spirit. Sometimes your partner needs help in the booth. Sometimes the schedule changes. Sometimes you end up doing more than expected. Please do not complain. That’s part of the work. I’ve been a head interpreter for quite some time now, and we value people who go above and beyond to get the job done.
And finally, after all those soft skills, you need to be competent at what you do. If your 20-minute turn is weak, the rest of the team has to compensate for that, and people will remember. They may not say anything in the moment, but they will think twice before working with you again.
So, in short, you need to be easy to work with. That matters enormously on the buyer’s side. I hire people who are capable and easy to work with. I do not hire people who become a thorn in the team.
Sijin: That’s such an important perspective. You’ve now been in the profession for 20 years. Where do you see the field going in the next 5, 10, or 15 years, especially in the age of AI?
Jessie: My feelings are mixed. I think everyone in our field has mixed feelings right now. Personally, I’m also exploring other possibilities, not because I would ever quit translation and interpretation—this is still my passion—but because the content of the work may shift.
Over the past few years, through seminars, workshops, and self-study, what I’ve come to believe is that AI and machine translation will be our primary tools, but they are still tools. We need to learn how to use them well.
For now, I don’t think AI can replace interpreters. Not in medical interpreting, where HIPAA-related privacy and confidentiality are critical. Not in court interpreting, where accuracy and confidentiality are essential. And not in conference interpreting, which involves multiple speakers, multiple accents, different speaking speeds, changing situations, and a level of complexity that AI still cannot reliably handle. So, for the next 10 to 15 years, I don’t think conference interpreters will be replaced.
Translation is a different story. If you make your living only through traditional translation, I think you need to expand your skills. That change is already here. Soon, a great deal of translation work will likely become machine translation post-editing (MTPE). Machines can do the first pass quickly, but there still needs to be a highly skilled human gatekeeper, and we need to make sure we are good enough to be those gatekeepers.
Sijin: It really does all come down to strong skills, adaptability, professionalism, and working well with others—the whole package.
Jessie: Exactly. You have to become the whole package if you want to survive and thrive in this field. Even for interpreters, we’re seeing companies move toward AI interpreting because it’s cheaper and more convenient. So as human professionals, we need to expand our mindset, strengthen our relationships, and learn skills that AI cannot replace. And for some, this might go beyond the scope of the T&I profession.
Sijin: Thank you so much, Jessie, for taking the time to talk with us. We really appreciate your insights and your perspective from the trenches. We’re very lucky to have you as part of our community and leadership council.
Jessie: Thank you. Before we wrap up, I’d like to leave you with one final thought.
There are a few ideas that have really shaped my career. One is the saying often attributed to Mark Twain: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” That has always been my motto.
Another influence was Bi Shumin, a Chinese writer. I love all her work. I read this piece by her when I was very young, and this quote deeply resonated with me:
要知道，我们每个人，一生用于工作的时间大于七万小时。可不要小瞧了这七万小时，如果你是在快乐和创造中，你是在寻找自我价值的挑战中，你的人生就会过得很充实。如果你只是为了更多的钱、更宽敞的房子、更多的应酬和名声上的虚荣，你将在七万小时甚至更多的时间里委屈着自己，扼杀着自己，毁灭着自己的自由。
——毕淑敏
And then there’s Joseph Campbell, who said in The Power of Myth that you need to “follow your bliss.” It means pursuing what genuinely excites and energizes you, trusting that this path, though uncertain, aligns with your true purpose and will lead to self-discovery, unexpected opportunities, and a more vital, meaningful life. That’s really what I’ve been trying to do in my life. Life is a journey, and I think you need to find meaning and happiness in what you do.
Sijin: Thank you. Those are very powerful final thoughts, and I’ll make sure to include them.
With nearly 20 years in the language field, Jessie is an AIIC member and EU-accredited Chinese–English conference interpreter who loves bringing clarity to complex multilingual settings. She is also an ATA-certified translator and CHI™ interpreter, experienced with RSI platforms and CAT tools. With added coding skills for website localization, she enjoys blending technology with human-centered communication. Outside work, Jessie paints in oils and watercolors, sketches flowers, gardens, and crafts. A proud mom to three furry babies, she lives in Memphis, TN with her husband, son, and mother—her daily source of joy and inspiration.
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