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...]
Lessons for the new year
Here we are. 2021 has staggered to a close and a new year has begun. COVID is still in the daily news, our professional world is still a constant mix of virtual and in-person, and we never did get our “old normal” back. In fact, it seems to me that we’re learning to hold this “new normal” lightly, knowing full well that it can change again at any time. As professionals, this … [Read more...]
Portable equipment for socially-distanced simultaneous interpretation in court
By Flavia Lima & Monica Guelman After months of near-total lockdown in many US states, courts are reopening with a massive backlog of cases to work through as a consequence of the pandemic and interpreters are in high demand. We need to find solutions to assist court attendees who are Limited English Proficient (LEP), while maintaining social distancing. In the pre-COVID … [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...]
How can I make RSI platforms work for me as a freelancer?
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...]