Spring 2013

THETAPITTIMES
Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators Inside This Issue TAPIT & TAMIT joint conference in Memphis By T. Hope Collins & Constan na Fronimos‐
Baldwin 1 Member Spotlight 1 TAPIT 2013 Calendar EnglishClub.com Review By Coral Ge no 2 3 You Have Arrived At Your Des na on‐‐On Time! 4 By Ruann L. Wood Pharmacy Workshop a Resounding Success By Dennis F. Caffrey 5 News in Brief 8 Would You Review a Book? 8 TAPIT—TheTennessee
AssociationofProfessional
InterpretersandTranslators
Volume 8, Issue 2 Spring 2013 Tennessee Association of Medical Interpreters and Translators TAPIT & TAMIT team up for 1st joint conference in Memphis! By T. Hope Collins & Constan na Fronimos‐Baldwin M emphis, Tennessee is home to musicilled Beale Street, the amazing Memphis Zoo, the beautiful Mallory-Neely House,
thegroovyStaxMuseumofAmericanSoulMusicandthefamousNationalCivilRightsMuseum.MemphisishometoElvisPresleyandthe
birthplace of performing artists like Aretha
Franklin, Justin Timberlake, Morgan Freeman
andmusicianBookerT.
This fall, on the weekend of September 1315,2013,Memphiswill bethehostofthe11th
annualTAPITconference,our irstjointconferencewithTAMIT,theTennesseeAssociationof
Medical Interpreters and Translators. Please
joinusforour irstconferenceinWestTennessee!
This year’s conference will take place at the
Methodist University Hospital, located at 1265
UnionAve.inMemphis.Ourthemethisyearis
“ForgingaPathTowardSpecialization.”Wewill
offer sessions for developing and experienced
interpreters and translators in the private and
public sectors, including healthcare, legal, social services, and community settings. We ex-
pecttwonationallyrecognizedspeakerstojoin
us this year and we couldn’t be more excited
aboutthisconference!
Our keynote speaker, Karin Ruschke, is the
founder and President of International Language Services, a full-service interpretation
and translation company. Ms. Ruschke served
as the Co-Chair of the Standards, Training and
Certi icationcommitteeoftheNationalCouncil
on Interpreting in Healthcare and is currently
theVice-ChairofCerti icationfortheCerti ication Commission for Healthcare Interpreters
(CCHI), one of two certifying organizations for
healthcareinterpretersintheU.S.
Con nued on Page 2 Member Spotlight: Judith Kenigson Kristy Please tell us about where you grew up. I
grew up mainly in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, although we did spend four years in
MontrealwhenIwasaveryyoungchild(where
itseemsIspokeFrench luentlybutlostitafterwards!)andthenfouryearsinMichiganwhereI
irstwenttoelementaryschool.
What was your academic focus in school? Judith Kenigson Kristy
I’d say my focus was on English composition
andliteratureandphilosophy,whichwasalways
my irstlove.
When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interpreter or translator? WhilelivinginMexico,theonlyjobyoucould
have that satis ied immigration requirements
wasajobina ieldwhereyouwouldnotbereplacingaMexicannational.Inmycase,thatwas
English. I started out as an ESL teacher at the
UNAM and, through a long series of
“coincidences,”endeduptranslatingtwobooks
on economic policy for the Mexican governCon nued on Page 6 THE TAPIT TIMES Page 2 Conference… (con nued from Page 1) Weareplanningtorevisetheconferenceformatagainthisyear.Fridaywillfeaturetwospeciallyarrangedtoursforthose
whowishtoparticipate–oneofSt.JudeChildren’sResearchHospitalandtheotheroftheMemphisImmigrationCourt.Setupforexhibitors/sponsorswillbealsobeonFridayafternoon.
RegistrationwillbeginbrightandearlySaturdaymorning.AlldaySaturdayandhalfofSundaywillbe illedwitheducationalsessions.AlsoonSaturday,we’llholdtheannualbusinessmeetingandelectionresults(youwillreceiveelectioninformationandanelectronicvotingopportunitybeforetheconference.)Thisyear,theopenboardpositionsincludeSecretary
andtwoMembersAt-Large.Pleaseconsidernominatingacolleagueorrunningforoneofthesepositionsyourself!
Saturday evening TAMIT Vice-President Espi Ralston will host us all at her home for a lovely dinner and some music.
Throughouttheweekend,wewillhavenetworkingopportunitieswitheachotherandourconferencesponsorsandexhibitors.Pleasejoinusforthisnewopportunityforlearning, socializing,sharingandforsome,earningcontinuingeducation
creditsinMemphis,Tennessee!Moredetailswillfollowintheconferencebrochure,sostaytuned!
Welookforwardtoseeingeachoneofyouthere!Detailsonconferencepricing,early-birddiscounts,jointTAPIT/TAMIT
membershipdiscounts,presenterbiosandabstractswillfollowintheconferencebrochureinearlyMay2013.
Sincerely,
T.HopeCollins TAPITPresidentElect
2013ConferenceChair
ConstantinaFronimos-Baldwin
TAMITPresident
2013ConferenceChair
TAPIT2013Calendar
May
Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators 17-19
NAJITAnnualConference,St.Louis,MO
18-19
IMIABootCamp,Nashville,TN
THE TAPIT TIMES TAPIT President Ping Cross Editor Marvyn Bacigalupo‐Tipps Managing Editor Diane G. H. Kilmer Technical Editor Robert Cross Webmaster Waleska Rehbein TAPIT P.O. Box 91116 Nashville, TN 37209 (615) 824‐7878, (931) 209‐2230 h p://www.tapit.org/ [email protected] August
21
ATATranslatorCerti icationExam,Louisville,
KY
September
13-15
TAPIT-TAMITAnnualConference,Memphis,TN
November 6-9
54thAnnualATAConference,SanAntonio,TX
Page 3
THE TAPIT TIMES
EnglishClub.com Review By Coral Ge no A sitoftenhappensontheInternet,Istumbledonthis
page while I was looking for something else. My
browser landed on a link to the "Learning English Video
Project," a collection of seven documentaries of people
whoteachEnglishandpeoplewholearnEnglish,incountries as diverse as Morocco, Spain, Romania, China and
Brazil.
Thevideosofferbeautifulscenes,greatadviceandmotivation,asoneofthecharacterssaid.Theycomecomplete
witheducationalmaterialsandaquiz.Theycanalsobeaccessed with or without subtitles, and the transcript is
available!
Masterly made, the videos can be watched online or
downloaded. For those in China, the videos provide special links that are compatible with their systems, which
speaks volumes about the wide audience this website
mighthave.
Impressedwiththisseries,Istartedexploringthiswebsite of unassuming appearance. The header claims they
have been in operation for 16 years, and the website is
duesomerevamping, moregraphics andpulldownmenus.However,hiddeninfoldersandsubfoldersyoucan ind
gems!
ThesiteisorganizedinresourcesfortheLearners and
Teachers of English. Learners' page includes lessons for
Listening,Speaking,Reading,Writing,Grammar,Pronunciation, Vocabulary and lots of games and quizzes. Everythinginthiswebsitehasbeenthoughtandprocessedfrom
the pedagogical perspective. Pages and pages of material
forself-teachingorindividualizedlearningareavailable.
Less traditional sections are English for babies, jokes
andanESLMagazine!Thiswebsiteisatechnologytool,so
youwill indmanyvideos,MP3 ilestodownloadandlistento,andaforumtochat.
The Teacher's pages are equally interesting, including
worksheets, handouts, activities, audio news to use in
class, all complete with tests for students and tips on
teaching. Several Teacher Forums, again, with looks that
pre-date LinkedIn and Facebook, seem
veryactive(withseveralentrieswithtoday's date), point to Inter-School Projects, training opportunities and Jobs
Teaching English in many exotic countries! Foreign nationals will enjoy the
section on professional English exams
and tests (most of them geared to Great
Britain, but it includes practice tests and tips on the
TOEFL,whichisrequiredintheU.S.).
A section "just for members" adds an interactive bloglike section, including a "groups" option that reminds me
of Yahoo groups, and judging from the pictures, it seems
popularamongteensandyoungerstudents.
Besides the web 1.0 image, a serious drawback is the
proliferation of advertisements, which often includes distracting graphics on the otherwise plainness of the site.
The commercial spaces on the website are sometimes to
the left, sometimes to the right, and sometimes right belowtheheader,butIguess developingandmaintaining a
resourceascomprehensiveasthisrequiressomemoney!
Hidden between the header and the commercial, I discoveredataskbarthatturnedouttobehighlyinteresting.
It includes information on the general content and the
team, a more convenient link to current news, an online
magazine, a blog with fun activities for listening comprehension/interpreting practice. There’s also a reference
sectionthatincludesdictionaries;slang;rhyming;phrasal
verbs, idioms and quotations; and the Power of Seven-everythinginbitesofseven,ifyouhavesevenminutesto
spare!
EnglishClubmadeittomybookmarks!
Dr. Coral Getino,ownerofSpanishLanguageSolutions,isa
Certi ied Court Interpreter and translator based in Knoxville. She is Achieve3000’s Senior Spanish Content Editor.
Shecanbereachedat:
[email protected].
THE TAPIT TIMES
Page 4
You Have Arrived At Your Des na on‐‐On Time! By Ruann L. Wood, NIC:Advanced T he phrase “tool kit” is a generic
term that encompasses a catch all
for basic items needed for a speci ic job,
such as doctor’s black bag; a student’s
pencilpouch;achef’sknifecase;amaid’s
cleaningcaddy;oracarpenter’stoolbelt.
Inapreviousarticle(TAPITTimesWinter 2009 edition) I highlighted the contents and importance of the interpreter
wardrobedisasterkit.Thisarticlewillfocus on the interpreter’s road kit, speci ically targeted for professional interpreters that freelanceand travel alotandinsistontimeliness.
Speakingfromexperienceasafreelance
interpreter, situations happen while on
the road, without warning, and often at
the most inconvenient times. Sooner or
later, everyone will experience some hiccup while traveling from one assignment
to the next; hence, the interpreter’s road
kit.
An interpreter’s road kit contains, irst
andforemost,aGlobalPositioningSystem
alsoknownasaGPS.Despiteherconvincing voice and ability to recalculate with
ease, the GPS is not always right. Even
withregularmapupdates,itisfeasibleto
follow the highlighted route and end up
going the wrong direction. It has happenedwherethecarontheGPSisdriving
through what appears to be a cow pasture,then,loandbehold,thereisacheckered lag smack dab in the middle while
the voice with the British accent con identlydeclares“youhavearrivedatyour
destination.”Haveabackupplan.
Google maps make for a great plan B.
An interpreter should seriously consider
printingoffGooglemapsforallscheduled
interpreting assignment locations new to
the interpreter. This should be done beforeleavingfromtheday’sstartingpoint.
However, utilization of printed directionsmustbecoupledwithtwowarnings:
1)themapsqualifyasassignmentidentiiers and should be handled the same as
other con idential information and 2)
printedmapsfortheday’sdestinationsdo
notprovide lexibilityforaninterpreterto
have directions to the address of a lastminuteassignment.
There is nothing worse than being
pressed for time and having to stop and
askfordirectionsfromsomeonewhohas
livedinalocationtheirentirelifeanduses
landmarks from 20 years ago, such as
“turnrightwheretheoutdoortheateruse
tobe.”Ohwait,that’snowthecowpasture
thattheGPStoldmewasmy“ inaldestination.”
It must be stated that preparedness is
key, lexibility is mandatory and laughter
abundantbecausethatwholesceneisfunny at the end of the day. As a side note:
Google maps note the distance between
two points for interpreters who must
keep track of mileage but often forget to
pushresetonthetripodometer.
Thelackof lexibilitywithGooglemaps
forcestotheforefrontthemostinvaluable
toolintheinterpreter’sroadkit,butrarelyfoundinanyone’svehicleanymore.Yes,
the bound atlas or fold-up map. The author fondly refers to these vital items as
RandandMcNally.
Hardcopymapreadingrequiresagood
understanding of direction and a small
doseofpatience.Formanyoftoday’stech
dependentpeople,mapreadingisadying
skill. However, for interpreters who do a
lot of long distance driving in their freelancelives,nowisthetimetobrushupon
orhonethisskill.Thebeautyofanatlasis
that in one big picture all the secondary
routes are shown. Point A to Point B can
beviewedataglanceand“routerecalculation”isasnap.
Inaworldofdebitcards,cashisanothertoolforthekit.Whohasnotaccepteda
last-minute assignment between a morning and an afternoon gig, arrived on the
jobsiteonlytorealizethatavailableparking is in a garage that only accepts cash?
Good thing it’s possible to make a run to
the ATM after the assignment and before
departingtheparkingstructure.
However,whatshouldbedoneatanunattended (but regularly checked) parking
lotthathasnumberedparkingspacesand
apre-payboxthatwillonlyacceptcoinor
singledollarbillswhichhavebeenneatly
foldedorigami-styleinorderto itintothe
slitthatmatchesthenumberontheparkingspace?Avoidthehassleandthepotential for panic! Keeping loose change and
singledollarbillsintheashtrayoftheinterpreter vehicle is an absolute necessity.
WARNING!Resistthetemptationtoutilize
thissmallemergencyfundforlattes,lunch
in a sack, or wishing wells and water
fountains.
I ind that another vital road kit item is a reusable (laminated) sign
for placement in the
frontwindowthatsimply states, “The owner of
thisvehicleisasignlanguage interpreter with
XYZ agency currently
workingin(leavealinesothatthebuilding/of icelocationcanbewritteninwashablemarker).PleaseDONOTTOW.”Parking can be a bear and there are times
whenaborrowedspaceinaprivatelotis
allthereis.Asigndoesnotguaranteethe
vehiclewillnotbetowedbutitmaygrant
theinterpretergracebypatrollingsecurityorthebuildingowner.
Another suggested item in the interpreter’s road kit is a roadside assistance
membership. Roadside assistance response times vary. Some are slow as turtles and others as fast as jackrabbits. Regardlessofthespeed,fewinterpretersdesiretochangeatireinaskirtandheelsor
inasuitandtie.
Finally, it is just plain smart to be sure
theinterpreter’svehiclehasafulltankof
gasatthecloseofeveryday.FortheERinterpreter, enough gas to get to the emergency at 2:00 a.m. makes for a faster response time. A full tank also provides
morning lexibility in the event of an
alarmclockmalfunction,missingkeysora
returntripbacktothehouseforaforgottencellphone.
The interpreter’s road kit is a simple,
practical concept meant to take some of
thestressoffofatravelingfreelanceinterpreter. Utilization of the tips listed above
couldmeanthedifferencebetweenarriving to an assignment in ample time, relaxedandreadytoworkandwalkinginto
an assignment hurried, stressed and
armedwithexcuses.BeSafe!
Ruann L. Wood, RID:NIC-Advanced,isthe
owner and CEO of Visual Communication
Interpreting,Inc.(VCI)locatedinKnoxville,
TN.ShehasabachelordegreeinAmerican
SignLanguageinterpretationfromTennessee Temple University and a certi icate in
DeafStudiesfromChattanoogaState.She
isaconsultantforareadeafministriesand
also presents workshops related to interpretingandethics.ContactRuannat:
[email protected]
Page 5
THE TAPIT TIMES
Pharmacy Workshop a Resounding Success By Dennis F. Caffrey, CMI‐Spanish O n Saturday, April 6, 2013, the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators
(TAPIT)conductedits irsteverworkshoponpharmacyespeciallydesignedforbothinterpreters
andtranslatorswhoworkinthecommunity,legaland/ormedical ields.Thevenueforthiseventwasthe
BelmontUniversityCollegeofPharmacy.
TheworkshopwasconductedbyDr.ElisaGreene,BelmontAssistantProfessorofPharmacyPracticeand
ClinicalPharmacistattheSiloamFamilyHealthCenter.Dr.MarvynBacigalupo-Tipps,PresidentEmeritusof
TAPIT,conductedseveralpractical,language-speci icactivities.Thisfour-hourworkshopwasdesignedfor
interpretersandtranslatorswhowantedtoexpandtheirknowledgeofpharmacyandmedication-related
topics that may be encountered during interactions with patients, clients, the legal system or the health
caresystem.
Thegoaloftheworkshopwastoprovideauniqueopportunityforparticipantstoacquireknowledgeandunderstanding
ofpharmacy-relatedtermsandconcepts.Theparticipantsshouldnowbeabletodemonstrateadvancedcomprehensionand
application of key aspects of pharmacy which impact interpreters and translators in their dealings with individuals who
haveLimitedPro iciencyinEnglish(LEP).
Therewere16legalandmedicalinterpreters/translatorswhoselanguagesofservicewereArabic,RussianandSpanish.
TheycamefromasfarawayasMemphisandKentucky.Theparticipantsarenowmuchbetterequippedtodiscussvarious
conceptsrelatedtopharmacyandpatientcare,suchas:brandvs.genericmedication,medicationclasses,medicationeffects,
controlledsubstances,appropriatemedicationuse,medicationlabeling,medicationre ills,non-prescriptionproductssuch
asherbalremedies,importedmedications,andculturalconsiderations.
Fromtheveryoutsetoftheworkshoptherewasaconstantinteraction/dialoguebetweentheinstructorsandtheparticipants.Participantswereabletoearneither4CEU’sfromtheNationalBoardofCerti icationforMedicalInterpretationGeneral(NBCMI)or,asapprovedbytheTennesseeAdministrativeOf iceoftheCourts(AOC),3ForeignLanguageCEU’s.
Dr. Elisa Greene, Belmont University Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Prac ce dur‐
ing the recent TAPIT Workshop on Pharmacy for Interpreters and Translators. DennisF.Caffrey,afreelanceCerti iedMedicalInterpreter,currentlyservesTAPITastreasurerandisalsoavolunteerattheSiloamFamilyHealthCenterinNashville.Hecanbereachedat:[email protected]
Page 6
THE TAPIT TIMES Judith Kenigson Kristy… (con nued from Page 1) ment,whichIenjoyed.
Imusthavedoneagoodjob,becauseafterthatIwasinvited to be a translator for Mexican President Lopez Portillo,
andlaterfortheUnitedNationsIndustrialDevelopmentOrganization.
What is your educa onal background and did it give you an advantage as a translator? Canadianschoolsrequirealotoflanguageinstruction,so
apartfromtheobligatoryFrenchclasses,Iwasprivilegedto
haveclassesinLatin,GreekandGerman.Iwasatotaldudin
German, but having studied Greek and Latin meant that
whenIwenthitchhikinginSpainIcouldunderstandeverythingpeopleweresaying--Ijustcouldn’tanswerback!
IlikedSpainanddecidedtostayforayearsoIhadtolearn
the Spanish language pretty quickly, and with that background I found it to be easy. I never studied Spanish in
school;ratherIlearneditlikeachilddoes,byaskingquestionsconstantly.LateronIhadtomakemyselfstudylotsof
grammarbookstoknowWHYthingsaresaidthewaythey
are.
What brought you to the USA? InMexico,myex-husbandandIhadaverysuccessfulmusicbusiness.Wewroteandperformed“jingles”–commercial
music for popular products like Coke, Pepsi, Ford, Bacardi,
AeroMexico,andsoon.Iactedastheaccountant,lyriccomposer,leadsingerandchorusmaster.Afterafewyearsofdoingmajorpublicitycampaigns,wedecidedtoopenanof ice
intheUSA.
becausenowIcanworkinbothdirections.Iwisheveryone
couldhavethatkindofapprenticeship--itreallyistheideal
waytolearn!
If transla on appeals more to you, why? What kind of media? What areas do you love the most? AlthoughIprobablydomoreinterpretingnow,Istilllove
translation because you are free to do it when and where
you want, in the privacy of your home, in your pajamas, at
midnight,ontheweekend.Andyoucanconsultasmanydictionariesasyouwantforaslongasyouwant,keepreviewingandre iningatranslationuntilyougetit“justright.”Although,Imustadmit,theoldsayingaboutartisequallytrue
oftranslations:theyarenever“ inished,”onlyabandoned!
What interpre ng and/or transla on work do you do in Ten‐
nessee? AsanInterpreter,IworkmostlyintheFederalCourtsand
IalsodoalotoflegaltranslationsfortheFederalDefenders
and other attorneys. I have commercial clients, as well, for
whom I do interpreting and translating for business meetings,employeetrainings,depositions,safetymanualsandso
on.
What brought you to Tennessee in par cular? WechoseNashvillebecauseitseemedlikeagoodplaceto
raise children (as opposed to New York or L.A. – the other
twomusicmeccas).Unfortunately,wemovedrightwhenthe
pesosuffereditsworstdevaluation.Welosteverythingand
had to start all over again from zero. Needless to say, we
wentfrombeingrichmusicentrepreneurstobeingextremelypoor“immigrants.”
Nashville is a hard place to start a new music company
sinceeveryoneandhisdogisamusicianhere!That’swhenI
turnedtotranslatingasmymajoroccupation.
What fields do you work in? How did you get into these fields Do you translate mostly into Spanish or from Spanish to Eng‐
lish? My main ield is legal/court interpreting and translating.
I’ve taken courses in medical and community interpreting,
butdon’tworkmuchinthose ields,althoughIampursuing
myCMIcerti ication.
The general rule of thumb in United Nations agencies is
thatyoucanonlytranslateINTOyourmothertongue,soIalwaysworkedfromSpanishintoEnglishinMexico.Butwhen
I came to Nashville, I was very fortunate to meet Marvyn
Bacigalupo-Tipps early on and I worked for her company
(LanguageServices)foryears.
OneareainwhichIhavebecomeanexpertisinthetranscription and translation (TT) of forensic recordings, along
withperformingasanexpertwitnessonTTsinhearingsand
trials. I’ve been doing it a long time and have experienced
most of the pitfalls and new trends, so I teach a course in
that ieldwhichiswellreceivedalloverthecountry.
Marvyn gradually helped me learn how to write well in
Spanishbyruthlesslyeditingallofmytranslationswithabig
redpencil!Thepracticeofcorrectingmymistakes,wordafterword,pageafterpage,engravedinmymemorythe“right
waytowriteinSpanish.”Iamendlesslygratefulforherhelp
Asmoreandmoreofthiskindofevidenceisneededinthe
courts,Ihavehadalotmoreworkinthisareathaninordinary translations and have trained a lot of people in the
properprotocols,proceduresandethicsofTTwork.
Con nued on Page 7 Page 7
THE TAPIT TIMES Judith Kenigson Kristy… (con nued from Page 6) Do you work for agencies or directly with your clients and in what propor on? the listserv provided me with the support of a “family” of
professionalsthatIneededsobadly.
I do very little work for agencies. Most of my work is directlywithclients,mostofwhomhavegottenmynamefrom
otherclients.
Then,in2002,whentheSupremeCourtpassedtheRules
thatmandatedtheuseofcerti iedinterpretersinTennessee
courts(SCRules41and42),Isawtheneedforunityandsolidarity among Tennessee interpreters in order to deal with
thechangesthatwouldbecoming,soIcreatedtheideaand
the name ofTAPIT andaskedMarvyn to help melaunch it,
andtherestishistory.
How did you get your first job? Your first client? How did you become known? My irstjob,inMexico,wastranslatingpartsofeconomics
textbooksforoneofourESLstudents,whowasaprofessor
ataschoolandinathink-tankthatspecializedineconomics.
He liked my work and referred others to me, which culminated,asIsaidbefore,inworktranslatingtwobooks,forthe
President’sof iceandfortheU.N.Allofmyworkwastheresultofword-of-mouthrecommendations.
Marke ng is important to start a business and then to keep it viable. Have you had to do more of it recently due to the U.S. economy? In1991,afterpassingtheexamstoqualifyasaFederally
Certi ied Court Interpreter, I waited by a phone that never
rang.IprettysoonrealizedthatjustbecauseIwasquali ied,
thatdidn’tnecessarilymeanthatanyonewouldcallme,especiallyiftheydidn’tknowIexisted!
SoIdidalotofresearchandstartedtotargetpotentialclientswithphonecallsandletters.Itwasn’tverylongbefore
thephonewasringingregularly.Ialsolearnedthatwhenthe
phonedoesn’tring,it’sbettertogoandplayinthegarden,or
withmypups,ordothethingsIalwayswishIcoulddowhen
I’mverybusy,thantositbroodingoveralackofwork.Ibelieve in an abundant universe and work always does come
eventually.It’sbettertoenjoywhatlifeoffersrightnowthan
toworryaboutthefuture!
Asforthecurrenteconomicsituation–well,IkeepthinkingIshoulddosomemarketingagain,butIneverhavetime,
soIguessIdon’tneeditthatmuch!
What kind of so ware do you use? I guess I’m a dinosaur – at present I only use word processing software (both MS Word and, preferably, WordPerfect) and CD-based or online dictionaries. I’ve tried SDLTradosbutthelearningcurveisgreaterthanIcaretoundertake.CATtoolsdon’treallyhelpmeanywaysincemytranslation work is not that extensive nowadays and I can boilerplate parts of similar texts to my liking rather than work
withcomplicatedtranslationdatabases.
How and when did you become a member of TAPIT? Of other professional translator/interpreter organiza ons? I’mastaunchbelieverintranslatorandinterpreterassociations.IhavebeenamemberofATAsince1985andofNAJIT
since1989.
NAJITwasmy irstreallove,becausetherewaspractically
nooneworkingprofessionallyinthelocalcourtswhenIbeganin 1991(Marvyn had passed thefederal exam butpreferreddoingtranslations)andIfeltveryisolated.NAJITand
Is TAPIT important to your networking and professional growth? If so, why? TAPIT is an enormous aid and inspiration for translating
and interpreting (T & I) professionals, both in and outside
Tennessee. TAPIT’s training workshops, networking opportunitiesandmembers’solidarityinthefaceofattacksonour
livelihoodareinvaluable.
Onlyrecently,andalsobackin2005,ourmembers’coordinatedeffortsmadetheTennesseeSupremeCourtbackdown
from modi ications that would have seriously diminished
courtinterpreters’statusandincome.
Translatorandinterpreterassociationsacrossthecountry
have watched and applauded TAPIT’s struggles, advocacy
andnumeroustrainingactivitiesasamodelforprofessionalism at its best. I’m really proud to have been a founder of
TAPITandamhugelyindebtedtoMarvynforhertirelessefforts and inspirationtoward TAPIT’s growth and relevance.
And I am really encouraged to see new leaders emerging
whowillcarryonthisvaluablework!
Please add any other comments you would like TAPIT Times readers to know about you, your interests, etc.: When I do workshops and trainings I always encourage
peopletoembracethisprofession,becauseIloveit!Icame
to my career in translating and interpreting later in life – I
wasalreadyinmylate30swhenIdidthosetranslationsin
Mexicoandjustturning50whenIbecameaFederallyCertiied Court Interpreter. That was twenty years ago and I’m
stillgoingstrong.
It’snevertoolate!Theysay“dowhatyouloveandtherewardswillfollow“–well,Iamalivingexampleofthatmaxim.AsafreelancetranslatorandinterpreterIcanarrangeto
have time to do pottery and batik, care for my bees, hens,
dogs and organic vegetable garden, and take a four-month
vacationinCanadaeverysummer.Afterall,youcandotranslations anywhere as long as you have a phone and e-mail,
right?
TranslatingandinterpretinghasgivenmealifestylethatI
love,averygoodincome,andaprofessionIcanbeproudof.
SoIwanttosaytoallourmembers:don’teverdespair!Life
is good in this profession. Go for it with all your heart and
mindandyouwillneverregretit!
JudithKenigsonKristycanbecontactedat:
[email protected]
Page 8
THE TAPIT TIMES
News in Brief: 
TennesseeCourtInterpreterprogramannouncedTAPITmemberPabloDavisasanewly-certi iedSpanishinterpreter.

CristinaLourido,TAPITboardmember,isanewly-registeredGermaninterpreter,perTennessee’sAdministrative
Of iceoftheCourts.

Twonationalmedicalinterpretercerti icationprogramsintheU.S.haveobtainedthecovetedandmeaningfulNCAA
certi ication.NCAAstandsfortheNationalCommissionforCertifyingAgencies,anditistheaccreditingbodyofthe
InstituteforCredentialingExcellence.
Thetwoprogramsare:theNationalBoardofCerti icationforMedicalInterpreters(NBCMI)andtheCerti icationCommissionforHealthcareInterpreters(CCHI).

GailPrice-WiserecentlyspokeattheIMIAconferenceaboutthetruestoryofthemisinterpretedSpanishword
“intoxicado”thatcost$71millionin1980.Readaboutthefamousmalpracticecaseand(andseeaf irmedwhymedical
interpretersaremuchlessexpensivethanlawsuits!)at:http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2008/11/19/language-cultureand-medical-tragedy-the-case-of-willie-ramirez/

Europewantsto“future-proof”itstranslationchallenges.SoMeta-Net,aEuropeannetworkof60researchcentersin
34countries,developedanagendaabouthowtoinvestinlanguagetechnologies.ThentheEU-fundednetworkrecentlypresentedaproposaltotheEuropeanCommissioninBerlinthatinvolvescoordinated,large-scaleefforttoharness
ITtolanguagechallenges:http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130127/university/Proposal-to-use-ITto-bridge-Europe-s-language-barriers.454985
WOULD YOU REVIEW A BOOK? The following books have been recommended by TAPIT friend Marjory Bancroft in her newsletter Cross Cultural Communications. Would anyone like to read and review one of these (or another book of your own choice) for the TAPIT Times? Just let us know at: [email protected] Almost Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Translation By Lola Bendana and Alan Melby; Multi‐Languages Corporation, 2012 Language, Culture and Society — An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology 5th Edition, by Zdenek Salzman, James Stanlaw, Nobuko Adachi Westview Press, 2011 Conference Interpreting Explained By Roderick Jones St. Jerome, 2003, 2nd Edition Tennessee Association of Professional
Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators
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