Introduction Starting out Reina started out as a Spanish teacher. One night, years ago, Reina had the good fortune to see her artist husband, Timothy, in action while he interpreted for a crowd of Americans and Hispanics at an art happening he had curated. He was conducting a live survey and he wanted to make sure everyone followed along. Reina couldn’t believe her eyes. She knew he’d been feeling under the weather but in spite of that, he was fluid, quick and precise in his interpretations, ably bridging the gaps between English and Spanish. Her husband was a natural interpreter! Soon thereafter, Reina started teaching Spanish for medical personnel at a medical center, where she found herself being asked to interpret for doctors, nurses and staff. She fell in love with interpreting and decided to get certified so she could get an official job as an interpreter. Even though her teaching engagements continued growing, becoming an interpreter remained her goal. When she learned of the medical interpreting program at a local college, she jumped at the opportunity. It was wonderful. The teachers were great, committed and very encouraging. They often brought in presenters to show a vast array of interpreting techniques, such as simultaneous interpreting. When she saw an interpreter demonstrate her simultaneous skills, Reina was sold. She said to herself, “I’ve got to learn that technique.” Up to that point her highest goal had been to emulate the two hours of impromptu consecutive interpreting she’d seen her husband do years ago. But now she had a new challenge: not only to learn all the medical terminology but also to be able to retrieve that information so fast that she could simultaneously convert the message from doctors and nurses in real time. After two years of rigorous training, she was on her way to starting a new career in the medical interpreting field. Reina soon was hired by a local hospital. The pay wasn’t great or steady, but she loved the job. She was also supplementing her income with teaching engagements and private clients: actors, lawyers and spouses from all walks of life frustrated by not being able to communicate with their Latinx partners. Six months into working in hospitals, a friend she hadn’t spoken to in years reconnected with her and told her she was also working as a medical interpreter and teaching Spanish at a college. She went on to tell her about agencies that employed interpreters and about working in immigration courts. That’s how she started doing interpretation for immigration courts. After a telephonic test with one of the agencies, she was on her own, wandering around in the courts, stumbling with concepts, phrases and words that didn’t make sense to her. She’d thought the telephonic test had prepared her for what was coming. It had not. That story is quite familiar for the new interpreter. You will hear the same story from interpreters in every state you visit. The reality is that the beginning interpreter lacks training and study materials to start doing the complex job of interpreting in immigration courts. And that was one of the many reasons why this book was conceived. So, are you a natural-born interpreter or do you need a little push to start studying to become one? If you are thinking about jumping into the world of interpreting, may you find inspiration in this book. Let’s walk you through the steps to becoming a beginner interpreter in the professional world. How to use this manual The chapter “Theory vs. Reality” will give you concrete information about what the life of an interpreter is like and how you might fit into the world of interpreting for immigration courts. Using real-world examples, the manual will show you who the players are in this world and the rigor, seriousness and high standards they bring to their work, so that you can emulate them from the beginning. If this book can leave you with one message, it’s that—no matter what—you can become an interpreter. This manual also will explain in detail how you can start now without having to take thousands of courses to do the job. It’ll provide you with solid tips on how to place yourself in a high-demand position and how to polish your skills as a beginner. You’ll also learn the importance of properly using standard courtroom equipment to avoid pitfalls from the get-go.
