I was born and raised in M�xico City, where I had the fortune to be educated in both Spanish and English, at the Instituto Pedag�gico Anglo Espa�ol. I worked for the Mexican Merchant Navy and Chemical Industry, for fifteen years as a Bilingual Executive Secretary, and later as an Administrator. All throughout this time had to interpret for business lectures, staff and crew meetings, conferences, also translated legal contracts, international documents; jail interviews; even romancing letters, from those men at sea; speeches for weddings, "quincea�eras," news articles.
In 1985 migrated to the United States where I continued graduate studies, and worked as a Spanish teacher, studio photographer, hostess-waitress, interpreter and translator; gaining experience from private investigations, several government agencies, medical and psychological interviews; real state, art, business and political conferences.
How long have you been interpreting and translating?
Generally speaking, since I was a teenager, and professionally since 1972. In 1996, I started interpreting and translating for the Legal system. In 2010 became a State Court Certified Interpreter, and currently work as a full-time employee for California Superior Court.
What got you started or motivated you to become a professional interpreter?
My first interpreting experience was for my Greek maternal-grandfather and his European and North American guests. Later on, I translated documents for his own immigration case. Through this experience, I learned the value of communication through interpretation and translation. My grandfather loved precision and accuracy, something I learned from him at an early age. He used to make me feel so confident. He encouraged me to ask if I didn't know the meaning to a word, so we could look it up in the dictionary. His motto was "Ask about that which you don't know, for that will keep you wise."
What lessons did you take from those early years into your current profession as a legal interpreter and translator?
My father was an avid reader and he taught me the importance of understanding through listening. It allowed me to grasp a concept, an idea, the true meaning of a thought. I learned how to respect moments of silence and not to make presumptions based on my own opinions and beliefs. Interpreting for my grandfather, likewise, instilled in me a strong desire to facilitate communication. They both (my father and my grandfather), respectively, gave me the wisdom to ask questions and to listen - two of the most valuable qualities that a good Interpreter and Translator should have.
What do you like most about what you do as an interpreter and translator?
Through my service, I facilitate communication, for I am a link, a liaison, able to create that bridge of communication that transcends all social strata. I like the feeling of being able to reach out to people, something I realized after my first (professional) translation, when I was told that thousands would be reading the awareness pamphlet I translated for the county. I am blessed working with the courts. I get paid to deliver the service. I believe that in doing what you like the most, money always follows.
You have an impressive credential as court-certified interpreter and over 10 years of experience working with California Superior Courts. That sounds pretty intimidating! Is it as serious as it sounds?
I do not take myself seriously. I like to laugh. I enjoy comedies. Translation has it's funny side. An incompetent translation can have dire legal consequences, at worst, but more commonly, it can be downright comical, as in this AD for donkey rides in Thailand translated as, "Would you like to ride on your own ass?" Or this English translation of a dish on a restaurant menu of a Polish hotel:
"Salad a firms own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose, beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion."
I have other funny translation jokes - it keeps things in perspective.
What is your favorite subject/field to interpret and translate?
Criminal, Civil, Political, Conferences.
You have had substantial education and training in the field of translation and interpretation, yet you continue to learn and pursue further studies. What drives you to further your knowledge in an area that you so obviously are already trained and experienced on?
One of those Aha! moments in my life was when I had two jobs, a family to support, and (despite the hectic work and responsibility), managed to graduate with Honors. It made me realize that I had the potential to fulfill and satisfy the demands of my chosen path, one in which continuing studies and renewal is a must. I just like to learn - about life, biographies, history, politics, science, art, inventions and every day issues, for these enrich my vocabulary, increase my understanding and my comprehension. Learning gives me the self-satisfaction knowing that I finish each day with a job well done, to the best of my abilities.
What would be your top three suggestions for other interpreters so that they too make a lasting impression on clients and therefore get more work?
First, stay updated. Consider this: each individual represents a world that is unique to that person with his or her unique capability, knowledge, heritage, background and cultural education. As a linguist, one must not only be sensitive to this, but must also stay up to date on issues related to language evolution, Anglicism's, inventions, re-adaptations and a diversity of vocabulary. I use the following references:
Real Academia Espa�ola, www.softonic.com, Diccionario Real Academia Espa�ola, Gratis, iTunes app for iPhone, DRAE Diccionario de la Lengua Espa�ola, Vox Modern Spanish and English Dictionary.
If you are a simultaneous interpreter, I suggest you download speeches from the internet or record them from CSPAN, to practice your target language. This will help you learn and get grooved in to terminologies used in public, government, summits and similar events. First do shadowing, then translate, non-stop. The more you do it the better your understanding, the more you become proficient.
Second, trust and have faith in yourself and your knowledge. We can be very good at what we do, but we don't know everything, and that doesn't make us less intelligent. Learn to know your fortes and weaknesses. Then practice, practice, practice. As Henry David Thoreau so aptly put it:
"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives."
Third, don't be afraid to ask that which you don't know or understand. Even attorneys ask for explanations. And most frequently you will find out that people react well when you ask for a clarification.
We are at all times, interpreting other peoples' thoughts, and sometimes people are unsure, scared or confused; hence "a clarification" may help them to relax, regroup, and reorganize their thoughts; rendering an interpretation much easier for us to deliver.
Any other translation tips you would like to share?
- Act with professionalism and mind ethics, at all times.
- Learn breathing techniques.
- When searching for a word or any meaning, look it over first on the same language, the synonyms or adjectives will give you more options, and you will retain this information in your long-term memory.
- Correct your mistakes, as soon as possible. To err is human, don't let shame control your life. If you make a mistake, let go and move on!
Anything else you would like to share?
Always believe in yourself, your abilities and capacity to learn. Again, a beautiful quote from Henry David Thoreau:
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his/her dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he/she has imagined, he/she will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."