{"id":4602,"date":"2017-03-21T20:20:57","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T00:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/?p=4602"},"modified":"2018-11-05T18:31:01","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T22:31:01","slug":"aimee-benavides-how-to-get-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/aimee-benavides-how-to-get-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get ready in 15 minutes, but make people think you spent 20"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Aimee Benavides<\/strong><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"[coffeeAnyone who knows me would start laughing just reading the title of this blog entry. This is the thought that popped into my head as I was getting ready one hectic morning, knowing I had an hour drive ahead of me to arrive at my interpreting assignment.<\/p>\n

In our profession, women outnumber men. I\u2019m not going to get into statistics or reasons why that is, but it is indeed a fact of life. A good number of us have families and children at various growth stages. As an interpreter, I, too, have gone through different stages of my life, and interpreting has remained a constant in the background or foreground for the past 16 years or so.<\/p>\n

That hectic morning, I joked with my husband that if you have a long enough drive and use your car\u2019s heating and air conditioning, you can achieve the perfect wind-blown look by the time you arrive at your assignment.\u00a0 However, I am not going to be giving any style pointers here.\u00a0 Those of you who know me will be quite relieved to hear that. If the fashion police gave out real tickets, I\u2019d be in front of the judge asking for a fine reduction.\u00a0 Okay, maybe it isn\u2019t that bad, but as moms (really all parents, but I\u2019m dedicating this one to the ladies), we are busy and mornings are crazy. \u00a0After that, afternoons are wild. And did I mention that evenings are also a tad bit hectic?\u00a0 How on earth do we balance it all?<\/p>\n

If the fashion police gave out real tickets, I\u2019d be in front of the judge asking for a fine reduction.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

First of all, I have learned that not everyone can have all of your attention all of the time.\u00a0 I want to be a great interpreter. I want to follow up with clients. I want to catch up on billing and marketing. I also have to go to the store because we are out of milk and, oh dear, what am I going to make for dinner? And by the way, Junior, did you finish your homework?<\/p>\n

I assume I\u2019m telling your story as well as my own. Some days are smoother than others and that is one of the reasons I love interpreting, especially as a freelancer these days. It isn\u2019t a wild roller coaster ride every day, but there are plenty of days that are.<\/p>\n

I try to make room in my schedule as a buffer for those days when I have to study extra for a conference and travel to a distant assignment.\u00a0 But, guess what? I don\u2019t love interpreting because of the schedule\u2014I love interpreting because of the interpreting. Working in diverse locations and having different types of assignments stimulates me mentally. That is where my next solution comes in.<\/p>\n

Working in diverse locations and having different types of assignments stimulates me mentally.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

Make your \u201cme\u201d time continuing education time. Pack your bags and head to the nearest (or farthest) professional conference that catches your eye. Kiss the children goodbye and head out the door. Some ladies head to the spa, others go shopping with their girlfriends. I propose at least one of those girls-only weekends be planned around an interpreting conference.<\/p>\n

We work as interpreters because we enjoy the challenges, and when we attend conferences we get better at our craft. I\u2019ve also noticed that people call me Aimee, and not \u201cJunior\u2019s mom.\u201d We get to rub shoulders with people who understand the high we feel when we\u2019re in the zone and people who speak completely different languages are connecting intellectually. When questions come and answers flow.<\/p>\n

I belong to several different professional organizations, including ATA, NAJIT, NCTA, IAPTI, and AIJIC. Some of the events that are sponsored by these organizations are close to home and easier on the pocketbook.\u00a0 But isn\u2019t it cool to think that your \u201cme time\u201d might also be tax deductible?\u00a0 Whoops\u2014did I just get a bit too practical?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"[AimeeAimee Benavides<\/strong> is a Federal and CA Court Certified Interpreter who lives in Fresno, CA with her husband and two small children. That is the simple version, as life is a little more chaotic than that! However she makes time to attend conferences and is a member of ATA, NCTA, NAJIT, AIJIC to name a few.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image by Cozendo\u00a0via pixabay.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had the good fortune to meet Aimee in person at ATA57 last November. I had been reading her FB posts for a while and always found them insightful, respectful and on point. So imagine my delight when she offered to join and drive a group of us in her spacious SUV (no doubt to cart all those kids and equipment around) to a local eatery, and be our designated driver to boot! When I asked her for an article, I was not surprised she submitted this little gem that will hopefully inspire you (men included) to get to a couple of professional conferences this year and kill two birds with one stone!<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I hope you delight in Aimee\u2019s delivery!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":4609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38,180],"tags":[45],"yoast_head":"\nHow to get ready in 15 minutes, but make people think you spent 20 - ATA Interpreters Division<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read the latest post by Aimee Benavides. 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