The image that accompanies this article was created by artificial intelligence (AI) in response to the prompt “communication, spoken language.” It is unsettling, confusing, curious, and maybe even a little scary. Any mention of AI within the professional translation and interpretation community seems to trigger a lot of these same responses. Among some who use T&I … [Read more...]
To Connections and Happy Hours
I have a confession to make. When I got sick last year and couldn’t attend ATA63, I was not a happy camper. The annual ATA conference is a high point in the year, an important chance to connect with peers who are also friends, make business connections, and meet new friends. And when the division websites went down earlier this year, I was again an unhappy camper. I look … [Read more...]
Interpreter Connections
-The Blog Team There were six of us in the Zoom breakout room: all of us interpreters, all members of the ATA’s Interpreter Division, and all logged in to spend some time with colleagues in the division’s Interpreter Connections. One interpreter in that breakout room had recently moved to the U.S. She had questions about practices and protocols in her new home state but didn’t … [Read more...]
Maya Hess: A path not planned
Maya Hess, forensic linguist and founder of Red T, grew up in the town of Wald (tr. “forest”), to the southeast of Zurich in Switzerland. Surrounded by forests, rolling hills, and a large, socially conscious family, Maya had a plan. She would be a journalist and document events for the rest of us. But life has a way of changing our plans. A different path After moving to the … [Read more...]
Prognosis for staff healthcare interpreters: The world is their oyster
By Marisa Rueda Will If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that change is inevitable. Perhaps that is why Gabriela Siebach’s 2021 ATA Conference presentation, Maintaining a Career as a Language Professional: An Endless Journey, caused me to reflect on how staff interpreters have been forced to unexpectedly reevaluate their career trajectories as a result … [Read more...]