By Lorena Ortiz Schneider What is AB 5 and why does it exist? Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) was authored by Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego and enacted on January 1, 2020. This bill sought to codify, even as it expanded, the State Supreme Court Dynamex decision of 2018, a wage order … [Read More...]
Recent blog posts
Interpreting in the face of a pandemic
By Carol Shaw On January 21, 2020, the state of Washington reported the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States; on February 29, it announced the country’s first COVID-19-related death. The virus has since spread across the country, just as it has around the globe. And as the world … [Read More...]
Vicarious trauma and interpreters
By Cristina Helmerichs The first time I heard of interpreters experiencing vicarious trauma was in 2000. First it was mentioned in relation to the interpreters working during a trial related to the Balkan Wars at the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. But the idea was quickly expanded … [Read More...]
Art and interpretation
By Carol Shaw World-renowned Ecuadorian artist Ramón Piaguaje often paints in bare feet. He closes his eyes from time to time, sometimes squinting to reduce his field of vision to a single spot on the canvas. His canvases can be quite large. His subject certainly is. Piaguaje paints the vast … [Read More...]
Interpreting “In Flanders Fields”
By Angela Fairbank Previously published in the STIBC Voice October 2019 edition, reprinted with permission. Since I began working as a peripatetic health care interpreter in the lower mainland of British Columbia, I have experienced not only situations I was prepared for, i.e. appointments … [Read More...]
Phone, video, or in-person interpreting? One size may not fit all
By Anna Martorell Fuste and Daniela Elizabeth Obregon Andrea* and her mother begin their journey in Fullerton, CA. Slowly, they make their way through the greater Los Angeles area, braving the unusual rainy Southern California weather. They arrive safely and on time for Andrea’s cardiology … [Read More...]
Conference or court interpretation: Combining specializations
By Esther M. Hermida This article is written from the perspective of a Spanish<>English interpreter, for US court and conference interpreters who, while comfortable in their respective niches, might be curious, or even actively looking into combining the two. There are many interpreters who … [Read More...]
No sense, no deal
By Ewandro Magalhaes The cost of poor communication In early 2014, companies catering to an increasingly international client base rushed to have their websites localized in as many languages as possible. They did so under the spell of a report from a US-based independent research firm … [Read More...]
Interpreting sessions at ATA 60th Annual Conference
Interpreting sessions We have a great lineup of interpreting sessions at this year’s Annual Conference. In order to help you plan your schedule carefully, here’s an easy to read, two-page list of all the interpreting sessions, including times and locations put together by our very own … [Read More...]
Odilia Romero: Indigenous interpreter, trainer and advocate
By Helen Eby On September 29 and 30, 2019, I had the opportunity to lunch with Odilia Romero. We spent the afternoon together; I met her family and her team at her home, and had lunch with her the next day. We talked about life, discussed languages and interpreting, relaxed, and … [Read More...]