THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE: Police Report - Domestic Altercation

Police Report Terminology with a Thanksgiving Twist

Test your vocabulary

by Yvette Citizen, FCCI

Here’s a little sight translation to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving.  Pull out your audio recorder, phone, or tablet and record yourself sight translating the police report below into a non-English language. Remember, standard procedure is to spend two or three minutes reviewing the document before rendering it to prepare your brain for the linguistic challenge.  When you listen to your rendition, listen for content – did you get all the concepts? Does it sound identical to the original? How about your style – was it a smooth delivery?  Did you have many pauses?  Did you add “ums” or “uhs”? Did you sound confident and professional?  And how did you handle the tricky terms? Did you freeze or did you come up with an on-the-spot solution?

 PRACTICE, LEARN, AND HAVE FUN!!!

Sight Translation starts below:

On November 28, 2024, our unit responded to a call at 2245 W. Doomed Turkey Lane regarding a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, Officer Pavofeo and I heard loud voices coming from inside the dwelling. Before we approached the front door, a woman who appeared to be middle aged came running out. She appeared to be agitated – she was speaking loudly and rapidly and was flinging her arms about as she ran toward us. She was uttering things like, “Thank God you’re here!  They’re going to kill each other! They’re out of control.” The woman identified herself as Griselda Gobble.  Officer Pavofeo asked Ms. Gobble a series of questions and after ascertaining there were no firearms or other weapons in the house and getting a general idea of the situation, and how many people were in the house, we entered the dwelling.  We identified ourselves, and spoke in a calm, non-threatening manner in order to de-escalate the situation. Upon entering, we immediately observed a woman with the left side of her face and left shoulder covered with what appeared to be blood. The woman was later identified as Pamela Groundbird, 36, and the paramedics subsequently determined the red substance was in fact cranberry sauce. She was yelling at a man who had a brown thick liquid substance running down his face, later determined to be gravy. The man was later identified as Paul Poultryman. The woman screamed, “You narrow minded, ignorant jerk! It’s people like you are that are destroying this country!” The man retorted with, “You get your sorry flexitarian ass out of my house!” Officer Pavofeo and I separated the man and the woman by taking them to separate rooms. Paramedics and back-up were called. After interviewing all the people in the household, it appears the events were as follows.  Ms. Gobbler miscalculated by about three hours the length of oven time the 18.3-pound turkey needed to be fully cooked.  In the meantime, the family members proceeded to consume mixed alcoholic beverages, to wit, rum and cokes, Red Bull and vodka, strawberry margaritas, in addition to beer. Ms. Gobble stated that at some point in the evening, after the parties were apparently inebriated, the conversation turned into the recent political events.  It seems Ms. Groundbird and Mr. Poultryman have opposing political ideologies and, according to Ms. Gobble, most of the time it is not a problem due to a mutual pact to not discuss politics – a pact which was broken this evening. According to Ms. Gobble, Ms. Groundbird at one point in the discussion picked up a gravy boat and dumped the gravy inside it on Mr. Poultryman who retaliated by dumping a ramekin with cranberry sauce onto her.  Mr. Poultryman and Ms. Groundbird were transferred to the station in separate squad cars.  They were detained for several hours in different cells, processed, and released. They were each charged with misdemeanor offenses and a court hearing was set for December 6. (498 words)

How did you handle the tricky terms? We love hearing your comments.

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving from The Confident Interpreter.

 Copyright: Yvette Citizen and Irene Radillo. November 2019, 2024. All rights reserved.

www.TheConfidentInterpreter.com

What the heck are ghouls and goblins anyway and how in the world would I translate that?

Translating tricky Halloween terms and spooky fantastical Mexican creatures

by Yvette Citizen, FCCI

As consummate word detectives that we are, this time of year we look around at all the Halloween art that surrounds us and wonder how to translate the names of those creatures into our other language(s)? Particularly the fantastical beings that are culture specific.  For example, if you do a cursory search for goblin, leprechaun, or elf in Spanish, you’ll find each one is translated as duende. But we know these creatures are very distinct and duende is the standard translation for elf, although elfo has entered mainstream usage. It’s these moments where our translation skills are put the test, and we must find adjectives or workarounds – or wish we had majored in music.  We challenged our Confident Interpreter team with these terms, and these were the most agreed upon renditions: duende irlandés (Irish elf) for Leprechaun; duende grotesco for goblin; and espectro macabro for ghoul.  

One version of a chaneque

But what about the culture-specific terms for fantastical and often scary creatures in your other languages?  We would love to hear about them.  In southern Mexico, we have chaneques that are most often translated into standard Spanish as… you guessed it, duendes. Chaneques are small mythological creatures that protect certain parts of nature, like a spring for example.  It said that every house has chaneques guarding it and if you’re going to leave for an extended period you need to ask them to please protect the house while you’re away and then thank them when you return.  Otherwise, you may come home to a broken water pipe or a tree branch through your window. Apparently, they are mischievous and get their feelings hurt easily.  There are many myths and legends about chaneques, some of them lighthearted and others pretty scary. 

Catrina 

 In the late ‘80’s and ‘90’s, the fear of the chupacabras was rampant in northern Mexico, although this myth may have originated in Puerto Rico.  It’s a vampire type creature that allegedly looked like a mix between a reptile and a vicious wolf, though descriptions differ. It would come around at night and suck the blood of sheep and goats. 

La Llorona, the crying woman, the wailing woman, the wailer, is a famous ghostly figure in Latin America. There are many creepy stories about the ghost of a woman who cries and wails for her lost children. Some versions say she killed them herself and others that they drowned in a river. Many children are told to stay away from the river’s edge or La Llorona will take them. 

And of course, Alebrijes.  The fantastical creatures that are very common in Day of the Dead celebrations and rituals. Each one is different and depends on the imagination of the artist. The story goes that in 1936, the artist Pedro Linares had a feverish dream where he saw colorful, mystical creatures. Each one had the combined characteristics of different animals, and he heard a repeated word that sounded like alebrije.  Here’s a short, animated video that explains the story;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03xQAiEX7g

Oh, I almost forgot about Catrina!  Pretty much everyone is familiar with Catrina but not all know her name.  Above is one of many, many depictions of her.

We would love to hear any stories you have about mythical creatures and translating or interpreting Halloween and other spooky terminology.

www.TheConfidentInterpreter.com

copyright: 2024. The Confident Interpreter. All rights reserved.

Legal Terminology Challenge: Combatting Human Trafficking

A Sight Translation Exercise 

by Yvette Citizen, FCCI

One of the great things about being an interpreter is meeting - and interpreting for – very interesting people, some of whom are doing amazing work to make the world a better place. Recently, I had the opportunity to interpret for Catherine Haggerty, Retired Commander, Austin Police Department. Ms. Haggerty started out as an NYPD Officer but at some point, life took her to Austin, Texas, where she held many ranks in the local police department up to Commander. She has worked with the Department of Justice combatting transnational crime, terrorism, and corruption.  As a Program Manager for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Ms. Haggerty has been active in leading police reform and implementing best practices across the world. She has provided training to law enforcement personnel in Brazil, Morocco, Mexico, India, and other countries.

 I had the good fortune of interpreting for her at a training for Mexican police officers on identification and investigation of human trafficking. This is part of a joint agreement between Mexico and the U.S. to combat transborder crime.

 I wish most speakers spoke as clearly as she did. Due to her international training programs, she has extensive experience working with interpreters. It was truly a pleasure meeting and conversing with Ms. Haggerty. I wish her all the best in her many worthy endeavors.

 Now, for a vocabulary challenge.

Court interpreters are often confronted with litanies (sometimes referred to as laundry lists) of legal terms like those underlined in the following texts. We invite you to sight translate the document and see how many terms you know off the bat, without consulting your dictionary.

********************************************************************************************************

SIGHT TRANSLATION: HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Human trafficking is modern day slavery. It is not the same thing as migrant smuggling. The migrant is willingly transported into or harbored in another country and pays for that service. The migrant is typically not coerced although many migrants are vulnerable and may end up as victims of human trafficking.

  Human trafficking exists in all countries, including the United States. It is found in cities, rural communities, and suburbs. Victims come from all socio-economic classes.

 According to the State of California:

 A person who deprives or violates the personal liberty of another with the intent to obtain forced labor or services is guilty of human trafficking.

 “Deprivation or violation of the personal liberty of another” includes substantial and sustained restriction of another's liberty accomplished through force, fear, fraud, deceit, coercion, violence, duress, menace, or threat of unlawful injury to the victim or to another person under circumstances where the person receiving or apprehending the threat reasonably believes that it is likely that the person making the threat would carry it out.

 The term “coercion” includes any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process; debt bondage; or providing and facilitating the possession of a controlled substance to a person with the intent to impair the person's judgment.

  The term “duress” includes a direct or implied threat of force, violence, danger, hardship, or retribution sufficient to cause a reasonable person to acquiesce in or perform an act that he or she would otherwise not have submitted to or performed; a direct or implied threat to destroy, conceal, remove, confiscate, or possess an actual or purported passport or immigration document of the victim.

 To report human trafficking offenses, you can call the National Human trafficking hotline: 1-888-373-7888

 This is the end of the sight translation exercise.

TheConfidentInterpreter.com

 Copyright September 2024: The Confident Interpreter, LLC., Yvette Citizen, Irene Radillo. All rights reserved.

Yvette Citizen, FCCI & Ret. Commander Haggerty

As always, we love to hear your comments.

Let us know what you think.

And of course, don’t forget to check out the Free (and the not free but affordable) resources in this website.

Feel free to re-post as long as you give us credit.

Labor Day Language Challenge

Interpreting Names of Trades & Professions

by Irene Radillo & Yvette Citizen

How do you celebrate Labor Day? In the USA it’s celebrated on the first Monday of September. Most of the rest of the world celebrates it in May. A lot has been written about why the US celebrates on a different day – might be fun for you to research it.

 This Labor Day, we at The Confident Interpreter would like to pay homage to all those who helped professionalize the interpreting profession and those who continue to work very hard to get us better wages and working conditions. In that spirit, we invite you to take our Labor Day Challenge Exercise.  Interpreters are frequently thrown off by job titles during jury selection and also during depositions for injured workers and presentence interviews.

 Your challenge is to see if you can translate the following job titles into your working languages.

1.⁠ ⁠IT Specialist

 2.⁠ ⁠Senior Software Engineer

 3.⁠ ⁠Slumlord – This one came up in a different context. We had to look that up on the fly and ended up saying Arrendador de infravivienda o vivienda de mala calidad. We also considered Arrendador explotador andCasero explotador.

 4.⁠ ⁠Senior Research Scientist

 5.⁠ ⁠Quality Assurance Engineer

 6.⁠ ⁠Janitor / Superintendent (of a building)

 7.⁠ ⁠Deputy in the X County Sheriff’s Office

 8.⁠ ⁠Housekeeper in a hotel

 9.⁠ ⁠Certified Home Attendant

10.⁠ ⁠Bakery Confectioner Specialist

11.⁠ ⁠Receptionist

12.⁠ ⁠Administrative Assistant

13.⁠ ⁠CEO / CFO

14.⁠ ⁠Coach (sports)

15.⁠ ⁠Coach (life/professional)

16.⁠ ⁠⁠Phlebotomist

17.⁠ ⁠Stylist / Barber

18.⁠ ⁠Dog Walker

19.⁠ ⁠Veterinary Tech

20. HVAC Repair Specialist

 Let us know which ones tripped you up or if there are other trades and professions that you find tricky. 

And of course, don’t forget to check out the Free (and the not free but affordable) resources in this website.

As always, feel free to re-post as long as you give us credit.

copyright: 2024. The Confident Interpreter. All rights reserved.

The Interpreter as Word Detective: An exercise to test the fluency of your languages

By Yvette Citizen, Federally Certified Court Interpreter

Some people think bilinguals are like two monolinguals in one, but the truth is, most bilinguals have a well-developed vocabulary for certain subjects in one language and not in the other.  Monolinguals of course, have an overdeveloped vocabulary in their language because they’ve had to do everything in one language.  For example, you may encounter an Argentine businesswoman who can negotiate business deals fluidly in English (her second language) but not know how to say “diaper, spatula, door-hinge, screwdriver,” and other household words in English because she doesn't need to.  Many immigrants to the United States don’t know how to say “mortgage, handbrake, timecard,” and the like in their mother tongues because they never had cause to use those words in their home countries.  And that’s perfectly fine, unless you’re a professional interpreter, in which case, you will aspire to literally be “two monolinguals in one body.”[1] To that end, we must always be striving to maintain our languages at equal levels.  This is why we must become ‘word detectives’, investigating every term that comes our way and asking ourselves if we have equivalents in all our working languages.  Here’s an exercise that will not take up too much time but will help you expand your vocabulary. Take on the role of a linguistic Sherlock Holmes – cap, pipe, and spyglass are optional. 

[1] For more on bilingualism, I recommend you read the wonderful book by Francois Grosjean, Life with Two Languages, An Introduction to Bilingualism.

EXERCISE:

Go into every room in your house and see if your can name all the items you see in your working languages. If there’s an item you don’t have an equivalent for, investigate it! Look for synonyms, think of similar or related items, and fatten up your glossary. Start sleuthing! In the meantime, see how you do with the following sight translation exercises:

THE KITCHEN

Do you know your utensils? Spices? Appliances? Sight translate the following passages:

A search warrant of the premises revealed numerous kitchen accessories that appeared to be used for the preparation, packaging, and distribution of illicit substances. The following items have been confiscated in conjunction with this case:

• Three funnels
• Forty-two quart-size Ziploc baggies
• Thirty-seven gallon-size freezer bags with zippers
• Scoops, measuring cups, measuring spoons, tongs, spatulas, and mixing bowls, all with traces of a white powdery substance.
• A food scale.

The body was found in a prone position on the kitchen linoleum floor. It appeared the victim was in the midst of preparing a meal when he was attacked. There was a Dutch oven on the stove, as well as a non-stick pan with a pad of butter and a ladle to its side. The victim was clutching a plastic turmeric container in his right hand. It appeared the victim was attacked from behind with a wooden cutting board and a meat tenderizing mallet.

THE BEDROOM

Ok. Now let’s take our sleuthing to the bedroom. Do you have equivalents for bedroom furniture? Translate the following:

• nightstand

• dresser

• vanity

• twin bed

• bunk bed

• bedding

• headboard

• window blinds

• comforter / bed spread

• headboard

• futon

• dust bunny

• ceiling fan

• bedding

How about clothing, hair products, and makeup? And while we’re at it, how about descriptors for people’s appearances? Here’s a little practice for you.

“The assailant reportedly had a pock-marked face, a handle-bar mustache and a goatee. He was wearing a navy and turquoise blue flannel checkered shirt with a rip on the left shoulder area; torn jeans, argyle socks, and moccasins.”

“The witness described the perpetrator as follows: “She had dishwater blonde hair with indigo blue and fuchsia highlights. She wore excessive rouge and fire-engine red lipstick; black eyeliner and her mascara was so thick and gloppy, she had classic tarantula eyes.” (I realize the last one was really a stretch, but I had fun writing it!) 🙂

If you do go through your house as a word detective, let us know how it went – what words stumped you? Do share!

Copyright 2017, 2024: The Confident Interpreter, LLC., Yvette Citizen, and Irene Radillo. All Rights Reserved.

Originally posted in 2018.

Heard it in the Courtroom

 Tricky or just plain odd things interpreters face in the courtroom

By Yvette Citizen, Federally Certified Court Interpreter

 Welcome to The Confident Interpreter’s segment of Heard it in the Courtroom, where we share interesting – sometimes bizarre – utterances the TCI team or our followers have heard in the courtroom. How would you have interpreted the following?

 Please let us know what you think and don’t forget to submit anything you’ve heard in the courtroom for our next segment.

Defense attorney: My client’s name, Yuki, means snow in Japanese and I think that’s a very appropriate name for her, Your Honor. I’ve gotten to know her since the beginning of this case, I can tell you she is a kind person and as naïve as the driven snow. She participated in this because she wanted to help her friend…

 Prosecutor:  What defense counsel just stated is nothing but an attempt at a snow job, Your Honor.  She knew perfectly well…

 In this case, the attorney is modifying the very old saying, “as pure as the driven snow,” meaning being pure and virtuous. ‘Driven snow’ refers to the snow carried by the wind.

 Here’s the definition of ‘snow job’ from dictionary.com.  Slang. An attempt to deceive or persuade by using flattery or exaggeration.

  Would you have been able to keep the snow references in your target language/s? I was the one confronted with this encounter and I confess I was feeling quite The Confident Interpreter until I got to ‘snow job.’ I did come up with an equivalent idiom in Spanish, but it had nothing to do with snow.

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Judge to prosecutor: “I assume you’ll be woodshedding your agents before they testify? You’ll take them out to the woodshed and tell them not to talk about this case among each other or with anyone else who may testify in this trial.”

  ‘A trip to the woodshed, take someone to the woodshed’ is an old saying referring usually to a parent taking a child to the woodshed, away from the house and other people to reprimand or physically punish the child. In this case, the judge is obviously asking the prosecutor to admonish his law enforcement witnesses in private.

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Prosecutor: “This defendant appears to have Jack-in-the-box syndrome; no matter what this Court or any other judge tells him, he seems to pop right back into the system.”

 Jack-in-the-box syndrome is an expression mostly used for children who “pop” out bed constantly during the night after being tucked in.

 If you grew up in a different country and weren’t exposed to jack-in-the-box type toys, click on the link below to see one. The idea that it pops up, you expect it, but it still surprises.  jackintheboxyoutube

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 Prosecutor: “The Government isn’t asking for a pound of flesh, Your Honor, we just don’t think that time served is an appropriate sentence under the circumstances.”

 Here we have a quote from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Here’s a definition from Collins online dictionary:

 Pound of flesh - in American English: Something that strict justice demands is due but can only be paid with great loss or suffering to the payer.”  

 Shakespearean sayings are common in the English language. This might be a good opportunity for you to research the most popular ones.

 ***********************************************************************************************************

 And lastly, a classic:

Judge: Sir, I realize you’re as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but please try to relax. I’m going to explain some rights that you have, then I’m going to ask you some questions to establish a factual basis for your plea, and finally, I will ask you how you plead to the charges.

 **************************************************************************************************************

 In court, we often hear attorneys mix metaphors, create metaphors, and stretch metaphors sometimes to bizarre extremes. We have to be ready for them. If you don’t have a ready equivalent in the target language, you should at the very least be able to state the meaning in plain language.

 Let us know how you would tackle these, share your experiences, and don’t forget to check out our Free Resources and other materials at TheConfidentInterpreter.com

 Feel free to repost but make sure you give us credit.

 Copyright: 2024. The Confident Interpreter. All rights reserved.

SIMULTANEOUS EXERCISE: Fourth of July Speech

by Yvette Citizen, Federally Certified Court Interpreter

As all athletes will tell you, it’s good to vary your workouts and exercise your muscles in different ways. And so it is with simultaneous interpreting. The following exercise will help you learn to manage idioms and persuasive language, not unlike to what we face in opening statements, closing arguments, and other legal discourse. Political and diplomatic speeches are challenging by nature, particularly if you’re not exposed to them frequently. Even experienced interpreters find them complicated, which is why we recommend you interpret this speech at a slower than normal speed. We want to build your confidence, not overwhelm you! 

 Here’s your confidence and skill-building mission, should you choose to accept it.

 1.        Click on the link below to access President Obama’s 2009 Independence Day remarks.

 2.        First, shadow it (repeat it simultaneously in English). Try to keep up, focusing on intonation and style. You want your voice to match the clarity and convey the same inspiration as the original.

3.        Now, get your recorder (or phone’s voice memo feature) ready to record your interpretation. Put your headphones on.

4.        Go to ‘Settings’ on the bottom row of the YouTube video. Click on ‘playback speed’. Reduce the speed to .75 or lower.  The more speed you reduce, the more distorted it will sound.  You can play around with it, but 0.75 seems to work best.  If you play it at normal speed, it may be too fast, and we don’t want you to get frustrated and discouraged. You can slowly build up to higher speeds once you are familiar with this genre and get some practice under your belt.

5.        Interpret while recording yourself.

6.        If you fall behind, keep going! This is a good exercise to practice your ‘keep going no matter what’ muscles. It’s less than 5 minutes, so even though it may not feel like it, it will end soon.  

 After you’re done:

1.        Listen to your recording while following along on the written transcript below the video.

 2.        Did you have hesitations? With practice, your delivery will improve!

 3.        Did you have omissions? If so, that’s okay. They will lessen with practice, but were you still able to convey the key points and spirit of the message? Did you finish your sentences?

 4.        Did you conserve the same style, language level, and tone as the original speech?

 5.        Below is a list with some of the tricky vocabulary with Spanish equivalents.  

 6.        Let us know what you think and as always, feel free to repost as long as you give us credit.  TheConfidentInterpreter.com

 7.        Don’t forget to check out the Free Resources we offer as well as the not free (but affordable) materials.

 Inspirational words from Kobe Bryant: “Get better every single day. Work on your weaknesses. Hard work beats talent every time.”

Make this fun and have a happy Fourth of July!

Click here for the speech:  https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-celebrates-independence-day-and-american-spirit  

VOCABULARY

1.        Kick back – relajar

2.        Indomitable spirit - Espíritu indomable / indómito

3.        Small band of patriots - Banda / grupo / conjunto

4.        People - Pueblo -- Did you inadvertently say ‘gente’? The more political speeches you practice with the less likely you will be to make that mistake.

5.        Unyielding spirit - Determinado / implacable / firme

6.        Blaze a westward trail - Abrir brecha / trazar camino hacia el oeste / occidente

7.        Triumph in the face of tyranny - Triunfar frente a la tiranía / ante la tiranía

8.        Unrivaled - Sin rival / sin igual

9.        To wilt or cower - Desmoronarse / languidecer / decaer / marchitarse / debilitarse o acobardarse / encogerse de miedo

10.  each of us has a hand in writing America’s destiny - Cada uno de nosotros participa / contribuye para crear el destino de Estados Unidos

11.  a scale unseen in our time - De una escala nunca visto antes / en esta época

12.  festering (problems) - Han ido incubándose / creciendo / empeorando / agraviando

13.  kicked down the road - Dejando para después / dar largas

14.  revamp - Transformar / rehacer / actualizar / modernizar

15.  outcompete (any worker in the world) - Superar / ser mejor que / competir mejor que / competir con superioridad contra cualquier trabajador …

16.  crushing (costs) - Devastadores / tremendos

17.  status quo - Status quo / las cosas como están

18.  naysayers - Detractores / gente negativa

19.  standing pat (in a time of change) - No haciendo nada / siguiendo igual

20.  cluster (of 13 colonies) - Grupo / racimo / conglomeración

21.  summon (that spirit once more) - Convocar / invocar

When they hire you to interpret a lecture on Navajo Feminism and you end up interpreting about horses

How unexpected terminology can show up anywhere, plus a short non-judicial practice exercise

by Yvette Citizen, FCCI

As you know, freelance court interpreters work in a myriad of other settings when we’re not in court. In what I would classify as one of my “cool gigs,” I was interpreting an awesome lecture on Navajo Feminism, presented by Dr. Kelsey Dayle John, a professor of Gender and Women Studies and American Indian Studies. This was part of a State Department U.S. Studies Program (SUSI), hosted by the Center for Latin American Studies, University of Arizona. The public was an amazing group of indigenous female students from various Latin American countries. My colleague and I interpreted as the professor shattered patriarchal myths of the Southwest, replacing the stereotypical image of the rugged Anglo-American horse rider along the likes of a Kevin Costner or a Jon Hamm with realistic images of brown-skinned women, not just riding and training horses, but also mending fences, herding, and slaughtering animals.

No lecture of Professor John’s would be complete without the mention of horses, and so we interpreted as she explained that horses form part of Navajo creation stories; that they are knowers and teachers and have a sort of sibling-like relationship with human beings; that horses were not brought here by the Spanish but were in the Americas already and cited research supporting this.

Below is the link to a video we had to interpret for the class. Fortunately, Dr. John is considerate of interpreters and provided us with the material ahead of time.

 Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to interpret the video into your target language.  Following, is a table with vocabulary from the video with Spanish equivalents for your review. Do you have equivalents in your other language/s?

Here’s the video:    InterpretingExerciseDrKelseyJohnHorses

Yvette Citizen & Dr. Kelsey Dayle John

Let us know what you think and if you’ve had similar interpreting experiences. And of course, don’t forget to check out the Free (and the not free but affordable) resources in this website.

Dr. Kelsey John has additional lectures on YouTube if you’re interested in the subject or would like to practice interpreting these types of fascinating lectures. Here’s a link to another one:

AnimalitiesLectureDrKelseyJohn

GLOSSARY WITH SPANISH EQUIVALENTS

1. donkeys and mules [burros/asnos y mulas]

2. Doctoral Dissertation [Tesis doctoral]

3. mustang [mustang/caballo mesteño]

4. gelding [caballo castrado/caballo capón]

5. feral horse – Generally speaking, the difference between a feral horse and a wild horse is that the feral horse escaped and became wild; the latter was born in the wild. [Caballo asilvestrado/cerrero/salvaje]

6. domesticate [domar/amansar]

7. breed of horse [raza]

8. untamed, untouched wild west [el viejo oeste pristino y salvaje/indómito/no domado]

9. a trope in the American story [un símbolo/tropo/imagen estereotipada de la historia estadounidense]

10. from free-range to enclosed [de campo libre a estar encerrada/encorralada]

11. clammed up [se cerraba/se cerró - in this context]

12. anthropocentrism [antropocentrismo]

    Are there different words for male and female horses in your other languages, like ‘caballo’ and ‘yegua’ in Spanish? Can you think of other equine related words that you may know in one language but not the others?

    As always, feel free to re-post as long as you give us credit.

copyright: 2024. The Confident Interpreter. All rights reserved.

Can you lose your mother tongue…?

Check out this article in The New York Times, which is applicable to multilingual folks like us! Have you ever felt you’re losing mastery of one of your languages? You’re not alone… We’d relish your comments and feedback with this experience in your own lives.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/magazine/native-language-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.r00.OBa7.nxwtOlOQ96X2&smid=url-share

Yvette Citizen has a new book!

Spanish Interpreter Guides Readers Through Meditation Exercises While Improving Their Spanish

The Confident Interpreter is very excited to announce the release of Yvette’s new book!

Throughout her career as an interpreter, Yvette Citizen has met countless people who wanted to improve their Spanish. Whether they took Spanish in high school or spoke it at home growing up, they felt as if their language skills were a little rusty. She came up with a great way to help people improve their Spanish while working on their self-improvement goals with her book, “Bilingual Meditations – Meditaciones Bilingües: Improving Yourself and Your Spanish at the Same Time.”

Written in Spanish and English, this book is a set of meditative exercises that allows people to simultaneously improve their lives and their Spanish. With these exercises, the reader will visualize goals, set intentions, and review favorite quotes and songs – all in Spanish. This way, they can practice their Spanish skills and extend their vocabulary while getting themselves into a more positive state of mind. Each exercise has instructions in English and Spanish and is followed by a glossary to help the reader remember the new vocabulary.

The book is available through BalboaPress.com, Barnes & Noble and the usual places.

Feel free to contact Yvette and don’t forget to check out our Confident Interpreter training materials and resources.

Irene Interviewed by Latinx West

Irene Radillo, dueña de The Confident Interpreter y Utter Linguistics, LLC, nos habla sobre los servicios que ofrece y la necesidad de intérpretes en los tribunales y los hospitales.

New Webinar: Mastery of Medical Terms for Interpreters and Translators

On September 24th Irene Radillo will be teaching Mastery of Medical Terms for Interpreters and Translators, hosted by the Delaware Valley Translators Association. This webinar is a guide to exploring complex medical areas and terminology that interpreters and translators often face in the course of our work. It’s an interactive webinar, so bring your questions!

In this 1.5-hour workshop, we will discuss a method for gradual acquisition of medical terminology based on identifying the best sources for studying and developing your B-language glossary.

You will also get study sheets that Irene Radillo has developed throughout her many years working as a translator and interpreter, which are an incredible resource.

This webinar is FREE for DVTA members, and $25 for non-members. The webinar will be language-neutral (all in English). The deadline to sign up for this workshop is Monday September 21, 2020 @ 11:59pm. Follow the link to register!

Learn more about about the Delaware Valley Translators Association.

If you are interested in exploring a career in interpreting…

Thinking of becoming an interpreter? As you explore your options and come up with your plan, here is some information to help you navigate the waters of interpreter certification: Interpreter Certification Resources.

And don’t forget to check out Irene’s interview on KZYX Mendocino to hear about going from bilingual to professional translator or interpreter!

Irene Radillo interview on KZYX

Hi all! Recently co-founder Irene Radillo was interviewed on WildOak Living on KZYX, where she spoke about the interpreting profession.

“When we’re bilingual it doesn’t always occur to us that that’s an actual skillset that we have that can help us earn a living and be of service.”

In this conversation Irene discusses how she and many people come to the interpreter/translator profession, different areas one can specialize in, the pros and cons of working as a freelancer or a staff interpreter, among other things.  Plus…do you know what the cardinal sins of interpreting are?

Listen for a fascinating conversation and for tips for bilinguals interested in the profession!  Please get in touch if you have any questions.

NOTE: In the interview Irene mentions a document with resources for those interested in learning more about a career in interpreting, which you can download here: Interpreter Certification Resources.

The Confident Interpreter · Irene Radillo interview - KZYX Mendocino County Public Radio

Free Glossary: Medication Delivery Methods

By Irene Radillo

By popular demand, this English/Spanish downloadable document explaining most of the ways drugs are medically administered, is being offered to you for study. We hope it’s helpful as you gain further knowledge in your chosen field of work. Check back for more shared documents, or to share any of your own (respecting copyright, of course)!

NMTIA Conference, on our way….!

In Albuquerque, New Mexico
February 28 through March 1, 2020

Awesome workshops, and we’ll be there teaching 6 of them!

We hope to see you there! Make sure to look at the conference program, because it has truly interesting offerings and excellent presenters. Among the topics: digital forensics, sex trafficking, medical terminology, sight translation strategies, tour of city’s crime lab, CAT tools, ballistics, long consecutive, civil depos, interpreting for expert witnesses, ergonomics for translators and interpreters, and much more… Click below for the full schedule and all details. A great chance to learn and network!

On Language Fillers

We all use them at some point whether in conversation or while interpreting. Not that we should, but we do. And this article in The Atlantic offers an interesting explanation as to why. Do you know what your most common fillers are? My students at the University of Arizona would always finish their semesters with a clear concept of what their “greatest hits” were, so they could strive to minimize them while interpreting. “Umm…” “uuh…” “esteee…” (in Spanish)… “eeeeh…” We’d be especially interested in hearing from our colleagues who speak other languages about what their fillers are in THOSE languages. We hope you enjoy the article and drop us a line or comment!

THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE: Sight Translation of Police Report

By Yvette Citizen, FCCI

Here’s a little sight translation to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving.  Pull out your audio recorder, phone, or tablet and record yourself sight translating the police report below into a non-English language. Remember, standard procedure is to spend two or three minutes reviewing the document before rendering it to prepare your brain for the linguistic challenge.  When you listen to your rendition, listen for content – did you get all the concepts? Does it sound identical to the original? How about your style – was it a smooth delivery?  Did you have many pauses?  Did you add “ums” or “uhs”? Did you sound confident and professional?  And how did you handle the tricky terms? Did you freeze or did you come up with an on-the-spot solution?

PRACTICE, LEARN, AND HAVE FUN!!!

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POLICE REPORT: THANKSGIVING DAY DV ALTERCATION 

On November 28, 2019, our unit responded to a call at 2245 W. Doomed Turkey Lane regarding a domestic disturbance.  Upon arrival, Officer Pavofeo and I heard loud voices coming from inside the dwelling. Before we approached the front door, a woman who appeared to be middle aged came running out.  She appeared to be agitated – she was speaking loudly and rapidly and was flinging her arms about as she ran toward us.  She was uttering things like, “Thank God you’re here!  They’re going to kill each other! They’re out of control.” The woman identified herself as Griselda Gobble.  Officer Pavofeo asked Ms. Gobble a series of questions and after ascertaining there were no firearms or other weapons in the house and getting a general idea of the situation, and how many people were in the house, we entered the dwelling.  We identified ourselves, and spoke in a calm, non-threatening manner in order to de-escalate the situation. Upon entering, we immediately observed a woman with the left side of her face and left shoulder covered with what appeared to be blood. The woman was later identified as Pamela Groundbird, 36, and the paramedics subsequently determined the red substance was in fact cranberry sauce. She was yelling at a man who had a brown thick liquid substance running down his face, later determined to be gravy. The man was later identified as Paul Poultryman. [233 word mark]

The woman screamed, “You narrow minded, ignorant jerk! It’s people like you are that are destroying this country!” The man retorted with, “You get your sorry flexitarian ass out of my house!” Officer Pavofeo and I separated the man and the woman by taking them to separate rooms. Paramedics and back-up were called. After interviewing all the people in the household, it appears the events were as follows.  Ms. Gobbler miscalculated by about three hours the length of oven time the 18.3 pound turkey needed to be fully cooked.  In the meantime, the family members proceeded to consume mixed alcoholic beverages, to wit, rum and cokes, Red Bull and vodka, strawberry wine, in addition to beer. Ms. Gobble stated that at some point in the evening, after the parties were apparently inebriated, the conversation turned into the recent political events, namely, the impeachment hearings.  It seems Ms. Groundbird and Mr. Poultryman have opposing political ideologies and, according to Ms. Gobble, most of the time it is not a problem due to a mutual pact to not discuss politics – a pact which was broken this evening. According to Ms. Gobble, Ms. Groundbird at one point in the discussion picked up a gravy boat and dumped the gravy inside it on Mr. Poultryman who retaliated by dumping a ramekin with cranberry sauce onto her.  Mr. Poultryman and Ms. Groundbird were transferred to the station in separate squad cars.  They were detained for several hours in different cells, processed, and released. They were each charged with misdemeanor offenses and a court hearing was set for December 6. (498 words)

Copyright: Yvette Citizen and Irene Radillo. November 2019. 

Keepin’ It Fresh! (by Irene Radillo, FCCI)

Talking about our native tongues, here.

Much has been said, written and discussed about this topic, and it is particularly interesting to those of us who find ourselves in the same position as the author whose article I share at the end: long-term immigrants to an English-speaking country. Think of the overall impact being surrounded by the English language has on our fluency and breadth of vocabulary, especially if everyone in your household prefers English: it becomes our default language, our go-to language for everyday things. Please read on!

Many of us acquired our computer skills and professional language here, and not in our native country, for example. So being as eloquent in that language may be less easy the longer we stay here. Please read on! I’ll share with you some ways I’ve challenged myself to “live” more Spanish. It’s been amusing but frustrating at times.

1. I always pick “press X for Spanish” whenever calling customer service. When I’ve heard the CSR struggle, I offer to switch to English and they usually sound relieved, but others have told me they MUST speak in Spanish when on the phone, so we muddle along. Sometimes their Spanish is less than ideal, sometimes it’s me being stumped on a term. Banking, in particular, is something I’ve only done here in the United States as an adult, so it’s not as smooth as it’d be in English.

2. I’ve switched my cell-phone and computer interface language to Spanish, and that has proven very challenging. For both, I eventually switch back to English. If I were to keep it in Spanish, I’m sure I’d be less frustrated, but for now I switch back and forth.

3. I choose the Spanish audio option for any show I can, and keep it that way unless I feel the dubbing has been done inartfully.

4. When watching a movie in a language I don’t speak, I choose subtitles in Spanish.

5. Whenever possible, I text in Spanish (siblings, colleagues, friends), even if they are fully bilingual. Texts from my sibs in Mexico help me keep abreast of slang and neologisms that postdate my departure from the country (ie, godinismo, godinear).

6. Spanish-language podcasts (Radio Ambulante, Algarabia, BBC and tons of others) and some radio programs (Radio Educación from Mexico).

7. Choosing opening pages on my browser from various news sources in Spanish. I make sure to read some headlines and articles before navigating away.

One last thing to consider is that there is the Spanish (or other language) spoken HERE, and then its counterpart in the country of origin. Frequently, they differ in interesting ways. You can sometimes tell when that non-English article has been written by a person who lives here in the US. So it´s good to find articles written in the foreign country itself.

There are of course other ways to stay connected with your living, ever-changing native language. Other examples that don’t work for me, for example, are telenovelas and local Spanish radio stations.

Find the article below. I hope you’ll share other ideas you’ve put into practice, and tell us of the results.

Oral Prep practice exams for the FCICE with Yvette Citizen!