Category: Uncategorized

This is the title of a session I plan to present at upcoming conferences; beginning with the NAJIT conference in May. If you are an interpreter in a language other than Spanish, you may or may not know that this is the term used for you and your language pair: you are a LOTS interpreter. In the United States, the Spanish language is ubiquitous, and the need for interpreters is as well. The federal court system long ago established a procedure to certify Spanish interpreters, with one of the toughest tests in the business. The same test is not available for other languages, because the level of need does not justify the expense of developing and administering the test. And yet, the need is still present and I am seeing the benefits of reaching out to district federal courts, at least to help them find the French interpreter they may not realize is living down the block, or across the state. If only somewhere like Hawaii or Oregon suddenly needed an expert in French…perhaps some day.

After the conferences, I will publish further resources and information here. The website for federal court interpreters can be found on the “resources” page.  If you are attending NAJIT or IITA‘s conference this year, stop by and say “bonjour”,”Kon’nichiwa”, or…”aloha”.

I am a certified (Class A) court interpreter and an experienced medical interpreter as well. I have created curriculum to train interpreters of all levels.

I fully appreciate the difference between “bilingual” and “interpreter”.  One of my goals is to help interpreters reach a new level of professional standards. Our present and future depend on coming together and working toward a common goal: doing what needs to be done to create better conditions for our clients, reach higher in our standards, and continually improve our skills.

Join us for articles, hints the latest vocabulary to know, and modern tools to make your work better and life easier.

For interpreters interested in certification. Sources for exam prep, learning about prerequisites, practicing interpreting; both consecutive and simultaneous, codes of ethics for medical and legal interpreters, developing listening skills and professional organizations.

Medical:

http://cchicertification.org/

http://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/

Pro Z: An online research engine for language professionals, with free and subscription options:

https://www.proz.com/search/

And, an excellent way to practice your interpreting for both consecutive and simultaneous: audiobooks, available for free at your local library in various formats, at Audible for a fee and other venues.  Just think: you can rewind as many times as you wish, change the speed of narration and listen to something you find worthwhile, entertaining or educational while you train yourself to improve your skills. Add in a recording of your performance and you have a toolkit in a teeny-tiny box or on your phone to become a better interpreter.

Angela Chenus

-a professional, consortium-certified French interpreter; specializing in legal interpreting

I was born in the United States. I am fully bilingual; I lived, studied and worked in France for fourteen years. I understand both cultures and both languages. Today, ninety percent of the clients I serve come from nations in Africa. For the past nine years, I have been learning about this community, their individual brands of French and their cultural diversity. I am fairly fluent in Canadian French as well.

Legal services, my specialty, include but are not limited to: court proceedings; civil, criminal, juvenile and family, immigration issues, depositions, insurance and patent law.

Expert consultation services:

Do you want to improve the way your staff works with interpreters?  Would you like to improve your interpreters’ skills? We provide consultation services and arbitration, as well as training for staff and/or interpreters.

Contact: email: contact@conversantinterpreter.com

Phone: (563) 293-3494