Issue #19                                                              www.interprenaut.com                                                    December 2012 

Welcome to the latest issue of The Interpreter's Launch Pad. This newsletter is designed to bring resources, tips, and a bit of fun to the lives of professional interpreters.

Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for countdown!

Q: Interprenaut, is there any shortcut to becoming a good interpreter?

A: In many ways, interpreting is like going down a ski slope. The more you practice, the better you will become at skiing in general. However, the more familiar you are with the specific terrain and the conditions of a given course, the better you will do in that particular setting.

For example, if you are interpreting content that is entirely unfamiliar to you, you're more likely to be taken by surprise by bumps and unexpected turns along the way. You might take a fall, no matter how skilled you are. However, the more experienced you are, the better you get at skiing on any course -- or interpreting in any setting.

Interpreting definitely has a lot in common with skiing (or, in Interprenaut's case, snowboarding!) It's not for the faint of heart, and yes, it can be both scary and exciting. Interpreters have no choice but to jump off the lift (step into the booth, courtroom, hospital...) and point their skis or board down the mountain and have the confidence that their practice and skills will get them safely to the end of the slope.

In other words, there is no shortcut to becoming a good interpreter, except to train hard. However, once you've done that, you'll make it down every mountain a little more quickly, and with style and grace. 

Do you have questions or issues of importance to the field of interpreting that you'd like to see Interprenaut address?  Send them along. 

Madame Montour - Canadian First Nation Interpreter Extraordinaire   

Mother-and-Son Interpreters: Depiction of Madame Montour and her Son Andrew by John Buxton (via Bucknell University)

This month's inspirational interpreter from the past comes to you thanks to a colleague in Canada, Marie-Christine Payette, who suggested this amazing interpreter!  

Isabelle Montour, more commonly referred to as Madame Montour, was born in Canada in approximately 1667, to a French father and an Algonquin mother. She spoke not only her parents' tongues of French and Algonquin, but learned English, German, and Iroquois as well. She became a legendary interpreter who often interpreted between Native Americans and Europeans.  

Through her work as an interpreter, she met an Oneida chief, Carandowana, and married him. She continued working as an interpreter after she was married and had children.One interesting part of her legacy is that her son, Andrew Montour also became an important interpreter, as did his son John Montour. 

Her husband was killed in 1720 in a raid, and she is reported to have died in 1753. Madame Montour was one of the few females to be deemed influential and significant during this time period, thanks to her work as an interpreter. Those interested in learning more about Madame Montour's story should check out this biography devoted to her life, called Madame Montour and the Fur Trade. 

Is there an interpreter from your country or field with a remarkable story to tell? Send your suggestions for inspiring interpreters you'd like to see featured here.

• "People tend to stand in front of my booth so I cannot see the screen."

• "The worst of all during consecutive interpretation is when a waiter asks me, "Would you like a coffee?" right in the middle of my note-taking."

• "When the attorneys insist on carrying on conversations in a regular tone of voice without noticing that an interpreter is trying to listen and interpret the court proceeding."

• "One of the district attorneys walked right in front of the sign language interpreter, blocking her view of the certified Deaf interpreter and the judge!"

• "When the health care provider practices Spanish with the patient instead of allowing me to interpret fully."

• "One attorney, while I was still interpreting what she had told the judge and a question to the defendant, snapped her fingers at me, because she was waiting for the answer to her question. It was so rude! I turned red! But I simply ignored it and continued."

• "When they whisper a term they think ought to be used."

• "When the person stops talking, I start interpreting and then he/she starts talking again without letting me finish." 

• "My colleague's text messages and typing on her laptop in the booth while I am interpreting."

• "When I interpret over the phone, it annoys me when they speak on top of each other, breathe into the phone heavily, or touch the phone buttons which make noise!"

• "Speakers that keep on changing languages just to show off."

• "During consecutive interpreting, some people around the table offer additional explanation to the interpretation which is not useful."

• "When a presenter is saying the same thing repeatedly but in 5 different ways...My internal dialogue is screaming 'everyone gets your point, can you please shut up!' But of course all while I professionally and diligently keep interpreting."

• "When the doctor is talking and typing patient information at the same time. Losing eye contact makes the patient want to speak directly to me instead of them."

• "Occasionally a speaker will use an explicit word and then add a comment like, 'I wonder what the interpreter will do with that?' and look at me to see how I handle it."

• "When they interrupt me with their next question/sentence while I'm still speaking. Makes me feel like they're not interested."

• "Talking too fast or reading too fast, without even pausing at the end of a sentence. For example: 'The prosecution has requested a 72-hour continuance before deciding whether you will be charged with anything I have granted that motion make sure you notify the attorney you said you were going to hire you will return to this court next Tuesday see you then thank you.'"

• "When they start the sentence with 'Tell her(him)...' or 'Ask her(him)...'."

• "When the patient's son/daughter answers the questions that the doctor ask to the patient instead of letting the patient speak."

• "When they talk faster and faster as time goes on, and as you get increasingly tired."

• "I find it annoying when a speaker tries to make conversation with me while I'm interpreting."

• "When their mobile phones ring, and they either mutter into the phone or stand up and leave the room, taking my concentration with them."

   

Participate in this month's poll to win a signed copy of FOUND IN TRANSLATION!

This month's topic:

How do you connect with other interpreters?

And last month's winner is...

Carmen Dumais from California, USA will receive a signed copy of  Found in Translation as thanks for participating in last month's survey! Congratulations, Carmen!    

Do you have a question you'd like to get input on from colleagues around the world?
Send me your suggested topics for next month's survey!.  

Fixers -- Another Category of Interpreters   

Did you know that there's an entire category of interpreters known as "fixers"? Their role involves more than just interpreting. Basically, these are individuals who assist foreign journalists who are on assignment in a given country. Their duties usually involve interpreting, but also frequently entail other things, like providing their clients with cultural context and background, driving them to locations where they can do interviews, escorting them into different places, and sometimes, even helping them recruit people to interview, along with interpreting those interviews. Fixers might even record, transcribe, and translate the interviews too.  

This type of interpreting is part of the interpreting profession, but one that is not very commonly discussed. A new book released in the United Kingdom called Baghdad Fixer discusses this work, telling the story of journalism work in Iraq through the lens of the fixer.  

Do you have interpreting news to report from your part of the word?  

Send it along, so that your fellow interpreters can hear all about it.