According to scientists and developers, artificial intelligence is not meant to replace conference interpreters.

Dear Colleagues,

As you begin to read this post, I assure you: This is not another article on artificial intelligence (AI). We all know there are plenty of those, and we are tiring of reading, and hearing, the same.

I attended many professional conferences lately, and I tired of listening to interpreters and translators presenting on artificial intelligence. Some conferences were even worse: They included, as part of their programs, presentations by the salesforce of AI companies. It did not take me long to question why these events, designed for us to learn about something we were not familiar with, were inviting people like us: interpreters and translators, who, granted, like technology and have acquired some knowledge on how to use the latest products, to speak about artificial intelligence, algorithms, chat GPT, etc., presented them as experts and let them run with their ideas about technology, ethics, and the law. I soon learned that I was not alone. Many of my colleagues were wondering the same. The confusion grew even more when some professional associations, and businesses gave AI companies’ marketing departments full access to these events and publications. Said businesses disseminated information about the possibilities AI was bringing to the market, and told stories of our demise as a profession. The propagation of these ideas was particularly harmful when fellow interpreters and translators turned soldiers of fortune and validated what the salesperson was saying. Platforms and agencies, dazzled by the potential of a future with higher profits and robotic interpreters, began a public relations campaign to convince the market, and the general public, that AI interpreting was as good as a human rendition… heck, it was better as computers do not get sick, take care of a child or parent, and do not demand work conditions such as a limit to the hours in the booth for example.

I was pleased to learn that the Private Sector of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC PRIMS) had organized a conference on artificial intelligence and conference interpreting where instead of getting together with our colleagues to talk about issues we know little about, we would hear from those who truly know the subject: the scientists and developers of the technology that gave us AI, those who organize the events where we interpret, and the lawyers who specialize on privacy, intellectual property, and artificial intelligence.

Much has been said of the immense quality of this event and its sound success. I invite you to watch the videos and read the reports you can easily find online. Instead of repeating what has been already said by some of the top interpreters in the world who attended this meeting in Bali, Indonesia, I will share what I took from the event, the conversations with my colleagues between sessions, and what I believe we should do as a profession. Among the many chronicles of the PRIMS meeting, and read and watch as many as you can, I suggest you read the summary by my colleague Veronica Perez Guarnieri on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/veronicaperezguarnieri_ai-interpreting-primsinbali-activity-7152119149870141441-sye7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios and watch Seth Godin’s video on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkkoA9j7BOU&t=4s

I left Bali with these lessons learned:

• Artificial intelligence and other technological accomplishments are here to stay. It is inevitable; it has happened throughout history, and instead of fighting it, we must embrace it and use it to our benefit. Seth Godin made it clear in the video (see above). Before record players there were many musicians as there was no other way to have music. When the phonograph came to be, people had the option to listen to a recorded piece by a world-class violinist, pay more money and have a virtuoso perform live, or hire the same mediocre violinist they were hiring before the phonograph. Many lost their jobs, they abandoned the profession, but the great ones, those who could play and sound different from the recording thrived, and still do despite digital recordings and the availability of music to be downloaded to our telephones. The same will happen to interpreters in general. We must work on two things: Improve our skill so we can apport those nuances nobody else can, and master the technology so we can use AI as a tool and be competitive.
• Artificial Intelligence will never replace conference interpreters. The people who know the subject and are concerned with science, research, and technology at the top companies worldwide told us their goal is not, and never was, to develop a product that could interpret a conference. They explained their mission was to develop a product that could do the functions of a public service interpreter to provide the service when no human interpreter was available, and this way avoid a tragedy or a miscarriage of justice. For example, AI can, and will improve, interpret a healthcare encounter when an individual breaks a leg, or suffers a heart attack in the mountains of Alaska, or small village where no human can assist the medical staff. The same is applicable for a court first appearance hearing in a remote area, or a holiday, and this is the only way that a person can bail out instead of staying in detention for days for a case that would let them post bail immediately if this happened in an urban area on a workday. The idea was not to get AI to interpret a jury trial. AI interpreting for conference was not even on their radar because linguistic and cultural complexities would render it useless.
• AI knows what it is taught. This has many consequences, but in particular two that directly apply to conference interpreting. It was explained that it is (relatively) easy to develop algorithms that let AI go from written word to speech (this is how preliminary court hearings and healthcare encounters based on written text can be interpreted by a machine); but it is extremely difficult to go from the spoken word to the AI rendition, thus it is impractical for conference interpreting. The second consequence concerns language combinations. There is a wealth of knowledge, and algorithms in English, and a pretty robust bank in other Western European languages such as Franch, Spanish, Portuguese, German, etc., but knowledge and algorithms are scarce in many languages of lesser diffusion in the West. A healthcare encounter that AI could interpret from English into Spanish could not be interpreted from Pashto into Farsi.  When referring to the written text the experts made a remarkable statement in my opinion: They claimed that unlike conference interpreting, translation is “dead” as a profession as the written text algorithms continue to develop in many languages. They are partly right. I can see the day when basic documents will be AI translated, but I think the same principles that apply to conference interpreting apply to literary translation. I am not a translator, but I would tell translation students to forge ahead and continue their professional formation as translators if their goals are to translate complex text. Nobody should go to college to translate birth certificates for the rest of their lives.
• Scientists are working on developing artificial intelligence to be a tool conference interpreters apply to their practice. This they take very seriously and the technology must have two clear goals: (1) Be relevant to the work of a conference interpreter, like the possibility of getting figures on the screen instantly converted from the English to the metric system, seeing acronyms, numbers and names of places or entities on the screen in real time; and (2) AI functions cannot increase the conference interpreters’ cognitive load. A new function that requires the interpreters’ attention and the manipulation of additional elements would not be developed.
• Developers and scientists have asked their marketing departments to avoid enhancing the functions and reach of AI interpreting. It is the salesforce, not the scientists, who have introduced to society the idea that artificial intelligence can replace humans in conference interpreting, and the salesforce has recruited interpreters to advocate for these functions. This sector of the AI world conveniently leaves out AI’s limitations, and fails to mention that AI is not to conference interpreting but a tool, just like the booth, the headset, and the computer. Those in the meetings, incentives, conference, and exhibitions (MICE) industry wholeheartedly support humans in the interpreting booth, they know what it takes to interpret a conference, but they also warn about the organizers of marginal events, those who are not mainstream, and out of lack of knowledge and desire for profit, schedule these fringe events after taking advice from the salesforce.
• Before dealing with a platform or an agency, conference interpreters must be protected by a contract that covers their intellectual property and confidentiality rights. A bullet proof agreement that guarantees their work product will not be used to develop algorithms, profit from the repeated use of their rendition, and releases them from all violations to the duty of confidentiality by the platform, organizer, client, or conference attendees. I also rescue the recommendation to those who inadvertently allowed these entities to use their work product in the past to cut their losses, and instead of devoting their time and money to litigate these past assignments, destine those resources to a good lawyer to prepare a good contract for future work.

It is our job and duty to protect ourselves, our profession, and the public by acting professionally, and explaining the clients that AI was not developed for conference interpreting, that it belongs in public service interpreting, and it is the people in marketing, not the scientists, who erroneously claim so. Please learn as much as you can, become a unique interpreter who cannot be replaced like the bad violinist, but always listen to the scientists, not to the salesforce or their surrogates.

Improvised interpreters are a danger to everyone else.

Dear Colleagues,

Recently I was hired to interpret a conference for international executives of a well-known company with a worldwide presence. It was a one-day event with a well-known motivational keynote speaker, but mainly, it was an event where C-suite members address their leaders in different regions and countries, inform how the business performed during the last twelve months, announce new corporate policy, and communicates important changes in leadership. I have done, and probably most of you have done, many of these conferences during our careers. As always, I received my materials, did my research, coordinated tasks with my boothmate, we developed a common glossary of corporate and technical terms, and we studied the agenda. It was the same as it had been for years, including recognitions and awards to some top executives from all regions of the world.

On the day of the conference, I arrived early to the hotel where it was taking place; I made sure the booth location was correct, tested the equipment with the technician, and talked to the event organizer to make sure there were no changes to the schedule. I was told that everything was fine, but there was a slight change to the schedule: “When the company’s CEO presents the awards to the two Latin American executives, who only speak Spanish, instead of the interpretation from the booth, my boss wants the Head of the Latin American Region to interpret that part of the meeting.” Then he added: “He is famous in the company for his Spanish skills, and the boss feels he will be better since he knows these individuals and he is familiar with the job they do.”

I immediately looked at my boothmate in the eye, and still looking at her, I replied: “If that is what your boss wants, it is fine with us; however, please let him, and the Head of the Latin American Region (now turned interpreter) we will be on-call in the booth in case our services are needed.” The event organizer tanked us, and told us to take advantage of our “luck” and go have a cup of coffee during that ceremony. “This guy’s Spanish is really good. I have seen him in action.” He said as he waved goodbye and disappeared backstage.

We got the coffee, but took it to the booth where we sat and listened to the awards ceremony. We were retained to interpret the event, we were getting paid, and our work ethic dictated we remained on-call during the Latin Executive’s interpretation.

The event did not start well. The company’s CEO gave a short speech in English, and was interrupted by the ad-hoc interpreter in numerous occasions, sometimes after every sentence, so he could interpret, in the third person, into Spanish what his boss had just said. The rendition was full of false cognates, faulty syntax, mispronounced words, and a few omissions, but the “interpreter” knew what to say, even if the boss had not said it, because he had been to many similar ceremonies. To those who only spoke English the interpretation looked good. Since the two recipients of the award knew why they were there and what to expect, to the untrained eye of the audience the exchange looked smooth.

When it was time for the Spanish speakers to give their expected acceptance speech, the “interpreter” let them speak without interruption, and after each speech, he gave his English version of the speeches. Both renditions, in the third person, consisted on paraphrasing what the Spanish-speaking executives had said, and they left out relevant parts of the original speech, specifically the technical descriptions, and most dates and figures. He also added a heartfelt thank you to the CEO which was never said by the original speakers. As the ceremony ended, my boothmate and I looked at each other for a moment, and then opened the microphone and went back to interpret the next item on the program, including the praising of the Head of the Latin American Region’s “exceptional translation skills” by several speakers throughout the event.

That night I thought of the huge lack of understanding of what interpreters do, and of the terrible consequences that can result from an unprofessional rendition. Here we had a bilingual executive who built his reputation on the false perception that his Spanish was fluent, and his interpreting skills (always referred to as “translation skills”) were impeccable, who conveyed the idea of an expected message to people who knew why they were there, and had witnessed the same ceremony on previous years. The possibility of causing harm to the company was minimal, but it could be extremely dangerous if his confidence, and his boss’s trust were to escalate to a point when he would be asked to interpret some business negotiations which could include legal and technical concepts, as well as a counterpart used to the services of a professional interpreting team, and unwilling to pause every other sentence so it can be interpreted into the target language.

Many memories, and stories from other colleagues came to mind. Situations where the outcome of a legal proceeding was harmed by an improvised interpreter, often a minor related to one party, who provided a rendition full of errors and omissions. Episodes that lead to a wrong diagnosis because of an improvised interpreter at the hospital’s emergency room, or the doctor’s office; innocent people being arrested because of the deficient interpretation by a police officer acting as an improvised interpreter; the denial of immigration benefits to an applicant who meets all the legal requirements to get a visa, but this is never communicated to the adjudicating officer because the improvised interpreter preferred to leave out part of the statement because she did not understand the words, and was afraid to admit it. In the case I shared above, I wrote a letter to the event coordinator after a week, I explained to him what really happened at the conference, made it clear this was not an attack on the Head of the Latin American region, but a friendly suggestion to reduce the possibility of error, and in this case embarrassment, by hiring real professional conference interpreters. These cases happen every day, everywhere and they will continue to harm innocent people until society understands the complex skills needed to interpret from one language into another, and the damages caused, sometimes irreparable, to individuals, organizations, and nations. We as interpreters must continue to do our part in educating the clients, and making them aware of the shaky ground they step on when using the services of an improvised interpreter.

Interpreter strikes are not about money. They are about respect.

Dear Colleagues,

Because of the work they do, a considerable part of an interpreter’s time is devoted to dealing with government agencies at all levels: international, regional, national, and local. Negotiations, agreements, and disagreements, involve working conditions, professional collaboration, interpreter security and health, professional fees, communication, and other issues are always present. They are time-consuming, a test of patience and mutual understanding, and unavoidable in a system where postures, ideology, and economic considerations are often opposites. In most cases, not all, the main objective is to provide a quality service that makes communication and understanding possible among individuals who do not share a common language. This relationship does not happen on a leveled field. Governments have power, financial resources, and an infrastructure, interpreters, even those unionized or professionally associated, will never possess. Fortunately for those of us who practice this profession, our skill, experience, and performance give us the leverage needed to sit at this negotiating table where we fight for all the conditions listed above; but especially we go to the table to defend the most important right professionals need to provide their service: The right to be seen and treated with respect.

Lately we have witnessed how interpreters around the world have organized to assert this right. Federal court interpreters in the United States are campaigning once again for a fee which includes a cost-of-living adjustment, a right that seemed settled last year and the government ignored. Judiciary interpreters in New Mexico are organizing to demand a professional wage and conditions once again as they deal with one of the least-friendly program administrators in the United States. Interpreters in Spain fight to get a bidding process for the interpreting services at the national Senate that includes a professional fee and conditions as part of the proposal; and the freelance court interpreters of the State of Minnesota enter the second month of their strike.

The Minnesota interpreters are showing an exemplary attitude and resolve. They are united in the pursuit of working conditions that include a professional wage that keeps up with inflation, and lets them pay for their family health insurance, childcare, and to contribute to an individual retirement fund. I applaud their courage and vision. This has been a major struggle to many of them, especially for interpreters with language combinations with a small market outside the legal system, and for those who have only interpreted for the state courts for years and have no other clients.

I recognize the solidarity of other interpreters from places outside Minnesota who have helped the struggling strikers by referring clients in other fields and from other locations.

This is a crucial fight not just for our Minnesota colleagues, but for all public service interpreters in the United States. It will show the power of unity to other court systems, government agencies, hospitals, and abusive language agencies. It will continue to demonstrate how essential is the service they provide.

This is also a lesson to be learned by all freelance interpreters everywhere, and I am not just talking about unity, as important as it is. I am referring to a wakeup call to those who, settling for the law of least effort, parked their practice at the doors of a single client and have survived for years by subjecting themselves to the mercy of that party.

Interpreters who have diversified are in a better position to generate an income away from the Minnesota court system. This is the time to be creative and show determination. Those who have always interpreted in state court, seek your income elsewhere in the legal world: Contact civil and criminal law offices and offer your services for out of court meetings with clients, witness preparation sessions, jail visits, depositions, transcription work. State courts are not the only place where you can practice: try to access administrative courts where the State Administrative Office of the Courts has no saying: Interpret for Worker’s Compensation Courts, Immigration Courts, Social Security Hearings, Unemployment Hearings, Immigration Interviews, and for those who work in languages other than Spanish: Contact the federal courthouse and offer your services as a qualified interpreter.

That is not the end of your options: You can also interpret in the healthcare field (if you have a court certification you will pass the healthcare certification exam) or parent-teacher conferences at your local schools. Look for options at the local ethnic radio and TV stations and offer your services to interpret for investigative reporters and for the local news.

Finally, we live in a new RSI era. Offer your services to the court systems of all other 49 States. Many can use your help for initial hearings, arraignments, bond hearings, sentencing hearings of misdemeanors, and if you have the right language pair, and you are willing to travel (and at least for now, you should) offer your services to do jury trials anywhere in the United States. Big international Law Firms might also be interested in your services for RSI depositions or arbitrations, depending on your language combination and background.

Remember, it is all about respect. You need to get these government and corporate clients to treat you as equals; to acknowledge you do a specialized, skilled, professional, work that requires preparation, practice, and study. Even those who are sympathetic to your cause do not fully respect us, even if it is due to lack of knowledge. During a press conference by the Minnesota court interpreters, an attorney spoke supporting them, but she made a remark that shows lack of knowledge and, in my opinion, lack of respect. During her participation, she remarked that “although she spoke Spanish” she was busy doing other things for her court cases, implying that because she spoke the language (at what level of proficiency is unknown) she could interpret. This is unacceptable, but most interpreters are so used to be treated as second-class professionals they do not even notice it.

It is the same problem we see in California where shady language providers are sending non-court certified interpreters to do out of court legal work. The solution proposed by some interpreters was to tell attorneys to ask all interpreters for their Driver’s License or official ID card before they start interpreting. Once again, without realizing it, these interpreters were suggesting a solution that would put interpreters as second-class professionals forcing them to prove their identity. A professional, much better solution, would be to demand the State’s Administrative Office of the Courts to issue a secure certification card with photo and certification number, to all certified court interpreters in the state. Colorado did it over a decade ago. Next, you solve the fraud problem by asking attorneys and court reporters to ask for the interpreter’s certification number before the start of the assignment, and getting the State’s court interpreter professional association to file a criminal complaint in court against the perpetrator.   We need to fight to get and defend these conditions that will allow us to do our job, and to live like the professionals we are, with the income, status, and especially the respect given to other professions. Meanwhile, let us support our Minnesota colleagues by referring them to clients and giving them ideas of how to live as an interpreter without having to bow their heads to the court.  

The Super Bowl: Interpreters, American football, and a big day in the United States.

Dear colleagues:

Because Americans love to bring up sports in a conference, and due to the acquired taste needed to enjoy a sport popular in the United States and few other places in the world, every year I write a post on the biggest sporting event: The Super Bowl.

On February 11 the United States will hold the most watched TV event in our country, a game played on an unofficial holiday, more popular than most holidays on the official calendar. The Super Bowl is the national professional football championship game in the United States of America; and it is not football… at least not THAT football played in the rest of the world.  This popular sport in the United States is known abroad as “American football,” and even this designation seems troublesome to many who have watched a little American football and do not understand it well.  Although it is mainly played holding a ball, the sport is known in the United States as football for two reasons:  (1) Because this American-born sport comes from “rugby football” (now rugby) that came from soccer (football outside the United States) and (2) Because it is football, but it is not British organized football, which when American football invented was called “association football” and was later known by the second syllable of the word “association”:  “socc” which mutated into “soccer.”  You now understand where the name came from, but is it really football? For Americans it is. Remember that all other popular team sports in the United States are played with your hands or a stick (baseball, basketball and ice hockey). The only sport in the United States where points can be scored by kicking the ball is (American) football. So, even though most of the time the ball is carried by hand or caught with your hands, sometimes, a team scores or defends field position by kicking or punting the football.   Now, why is all this relevant to us as interpreters?   Because if you interpret from American English you are likely to run into speakers who will talk about the Super Bowl, football, or will use examples taken from this very popular sport in the U.S.  

On Sunday, most Americans will gather in front of the TV set to watch the National Football Conference champion San Francisco Forty Niners take on the American Football Conference champion Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Vince Lombardi Trophy (official name of the trophy given to the team that wins the Super Bowl) which incidentally is a trophy in the shape of a football, not a bowl.  It is because the game was not named after a trophy, it was named after a tradition.  There are two football levels in the United States: college football played by amateur students, and professional football.  College football is older than pro-football and for many decades the different college champions were determined by playing invitational football games at the end of the college football season on New Year’s Day.  These games were called (and still are) “Bowls.”  You may have heard of the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and many others.  When a professional football game was created to determine the over-all champion between the champions of the American and National Conferences, it was just natural (and profitable) to call it the “Super Bowl.”

The game, which involves two teams representing two regions of the country, will be played in Glendale, Arizona, near Phoenix. Every year the Super Bowl is played in a venue where the weather at this time of the year is more welcoming. There will be millions watching the match from home, and there will be hundreds of millions spent on TV commercials during the game.  

As I do every year on these dates, I have included a basic glossary of English<>Spanish football terms that may be useful to you, particularly those of you who do escort, diplomatic, and conference interpreting from American English to Mexican Spanish.  “American” football is very popular in Mexico (where they have college football, and a small professional league). Eventually, many of you will face situations where two people will discuss the Super Bowl; as you are interpreting somebody will tell a football story during a presentation; or you may end up at a TV or radio studio simultaneously interpreting a football game for your own or another foreign market.

The following glossary does not cover every term in football; it includes terms very common, and where there were several translations of a football term, I selected the term used in Mexico by the Mexican media that covers the sport. Please notice I have added some terms due to the evolution that American football terminology has experienced because of globalization.

ENGLISH	SPANISH
Football	Fútbol Americano
National Football League	Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano
NFL	N-F-L (ene-efe-ele)
American Football Conference	Conferencia Americana
National Football Conference	Conferencia Nacional
Preseason	Pretemporada
Regular season	Temporada regular
Playoffs	Postemporada
Wildcard	Equipo comodín
Standings	Tabla de posiciones
Field	Terreno de juego
End zone	Zona de anotación/ diagonales
Locker room	Vestidor
Super Bowl	Súper Tazón
Pro Bowl	Tazón Profesional/ Juego de estrellas
Uniform & Equipment	Uniforme y Equipo
Football	Balón/ Ovoide
Jersey	Jersey
Helmet	Casco
Facemask	Máscara
Chinstrap	Barbiquejo
Shoulder pads	Hombreras
Thigh pads	Musleras
Knee pads	Rodilleras
Jockstrap	Suspensorio
Cleats	Tacos
Tee	Base
Fundamentals	Términos básicos
Starting player	Titular
Backup player	Reserva
Offense	Ofensiva
Defense	Defensiva
Special teams	Equipos especiales
Kickoff	Patada/ saque
Punt	Despeje
Return	Devolución
Fair catch	Recepción libre
Possession	Posesión del balón
Drive	Marcha/ avance
First and ten	Primero y diez
First and goal	Primero y gol
Line of scrimmage	Línea de golpeo
Neutral zone	Zona neutral
Snap	Centro
Long snap	Centro largo/ centro al pateador
Huddle	Pelotón
Pocket	Bolsillo protector
Fumble	Balón libre
Turnover	Pérdida de balón
Takeaway	Robo
Giveaway	Entrega
Interception	Intercepción
Completion	Pase completo
Tackle	Tacleada/ derribada
Blitz	Carga
Pass rush	Presión al mariscal de campo
Sack	Captura
Run/ carry	Acarreo
Pass	Pase
“I” Formation	Formación “I”
Shotgun Formation	Formación escopeta
“T” Formation	Formación “T”
Wishbone Formation	Formación wishbone
Goal posts	Postes
Crossbar	Travesaño
Sidelines	Líneas laterales/ banca
Chain	Cadena
Out-of-bounds	Fuera del terreno
Head Coach	Entrenador en jefe
Game Officials	Jueces
Flag	Pañuelo
POSITIONS	POSICIONES
Center	Centro
Guard	Guardia
Offensive Tackle	Tacleador ofensivo
Offensive line	Línea ofensiva
End	Ala
Wide Receiver	Receptor abierto
Tight end	Ala cerrada
Running Back	Corredor
Halfback	Corredor
Fullback	Corredor de poder
Quarterback	Mariscal de campo o “corebac”
Backfield	Cuadro defensivo
Defensive end	Ala defensiva
Defensive tackle	Tacleador defensivo
Nose guard	Guardia nariz
Linebacker	Apoyador
Cornerback	Esquinero o “corner”
Free safety	Profundo (o “seifty”) libre
Strong safety	Profundo (o “seifty”)fuerte
Place kicker	Pateador
Punter	Pateador de despeje
Penalty	Castigo

Even if you are not a football fan, and even if you are not watching the big game on Sunday, I hope you find this glossary useful.  Now I invite you to comment on football, sports interpreting, or maybe you would like to share a “sports interpreting anecdote” with all of us.

The “must attend” conferences of 2024.

Dear Colleagues:

2023 was a great year for professional conferences. Most colleagues went back into the real world, nourished their need for human contact, and attended professional conferences; others stayed home and virtually attended those conferences that offered a hybrid format. Encountering old friends and meeting new colleagues was a highlight of the year, and many of you developed professionally and became better at what you do.

I congratulate you for that important achievement; unfortunately, competitors are still out there, languages are still changing, technology continues to improve, and clients (agencies, platforms acting like agencies, or direct corporations) will pay for what they need but they are always looking for the best service at the best price. The way we stay competitive in a market where multinational interests have blurred the line between ethical and professional behavior and questionable practices is multifaceted, and some of the main components are continuing education and networking.

At this time of the year when we are all planning our professional activities, and programming our agendas, I will address one of the key components of our annual plan: Professional development.

It is practically impossible to beat the competition, command a high professional fee, and have satisfied clients who pick you over all other interpreters, unless you can deliver quality interpreting and state-of-the-art technology that meets the needs of the new market. That is your competitive advantage.

We need to be better interpreters. We must study, we must practice our craft, we should have a peer support network (those colleagues you call when in doubt about a term, a client, or grammar) and we must attend professional conferences.

I find immense value in professional conferences because you learn from the workshops and presentations, you network with colleagues and friends, and you discover what is happening out there in the very competitive world of interpreting. Fortunately, there are many professional conferences all year long and all over the world. Many of us attending a professional conference are lucky to live in countries where professional development is tax deductible. We have a “good problem”: There are so many attractive conferences and we must choose where to go.

I understand some of you may attend one conference per year, or maybe your policy is to go to conferences offered near your home base. I have heard from colleagues who will continue to attend virtually; I also know that many of your professional agendas may keep you from attending a particular event, even if you wanted to be there.

I applaud all organizations and individuals who put together a conference. I salute all presenters and support staff that make a conference possible, and I wish I could attend them all.

Because this is impossible, I decided to share with all of you the 2024 conferences I would love to attend, and sadly, some I will not due to professional engagements. In other years I have attended more conferences than the ones on my list; last-minute changing circumstances and personal commitments let me go to events I had not planned to attend at the beginning of the year, and virtual conferences make this possibility even more accessible in 2024.

As of today, the conferences I would like to attend this year are:

AIIC PRIMS Meeting in Bali, Indonesia (January 12-14). PRIMS is the Private Market Sector of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) and it has prepared a great program around Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on all areas relevant to our profession, such as AI and research; AI and the MICE Industry; AI and the Law; and AI and the market. All topics are presented by top experts from academia, science, and the law, and will be followed by vigorous interactive debates by some of the best conference interpreters in the world. With so many conferences where interpreters and translators speak on artificial intelligence, it is about time we, the interpreters, heard from the experts instead of our peers. This event is for AIIC members, candidates and precandidates, but AIIC members can invite a non-member interpreter.

The Fourth Africa International Translation Conference (AITCO) in Kigali, Rwanda (February 9-10). This is the fourth edition of this conference, and the first time it goes to Rwanda. The program lets me see that AITCO will showcase some of the best presenters from Africa and around the world, speaking on interesting, relevant topics to interpreters and translators worldwide. I congratulate the organizing committee for putting together such a valuable learning opportunity right in Africa, the continent of the 21^st. century.

National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) 45^st. Annual Conference in Providence, Rhode Island (May 17-19). This year legal interpreters and translators from the United States, and a few from abroad, will meet in Providence, Rhode Island, on the East Coast of the United States for the annual conference of the only judiciary interpreters and translators’ association in the U.S. At this time, NAJIT has not published its program, but based on previous years, you can count on a variety of topics and presenters that will no doubt cover all fields of interest to our colleagues in the legal field. This is a three-day conference (May 17-19) with pre-conference workshops on May 17. In the past, conferences have offered all-day and half-day pre-conference workshops. Every year, I look forward to meeting many friends at this conference.

III Congreso Internacional de Traducción e Interpretación (CITEI) in Lima, Perú (May 24-25). This event, sponsored by Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Universidad César Vallejo, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, will center on the topic of the interpreter and translator in the digital era, and it will offer topic in many fields such as technology, Audiovisual translation, localization, AI in interpreting, ethics, and specialized translation and interpretation. I hope that my Spanish speaking colleagues from the Americas travel to Lima for this exciting event.

Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) 2024 Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland (June 4-5). ITI offers one of the best conferences in the world, and this time is no exception. They will have over 40 speakers lined up to talk about all issues relevant to the professions; They will do it in four tracks, one of them exclusively dedicated to interpreting. To top it all, this will take place in beautiful Edinburgh; however, because the venue is smaller than other ITI Conferences’ in the past, it is recommended you book your place as soon as possible.

AIIC PRIMS Summer Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal (July 6-7). PRIMS is the Private Market Sector of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC). It meets twice a year in different places to address matters relevant to those who interpret in the private sector. This time it will be in Lisbon, and there is no doubt the agenda will be full of top presenters and topics. I hope you can make it to both PRIMS events in 2024, but if you must miss Bali, this is your opportunity to stay in touch with other private market conference interpreters. Please remember that this event is for AIIC members, candidates and precandidates, but AIIC members can invite a non-member interpreter.

Décimo Encuentro Internacional de Traductores dentro de la Feria Universitaria del Libro (FUL) in Pachuca, Mexico (Early September). I have attended this conference from its inception; it is bigger and better every year, and it should be even better this time as they are celebrating their tenth anniversary.  The conference is held at the Autonomous University of Hidalgo State’s Poliforum at Carlos Martínez Balmori Campus. This event is a great opportunity for Spanish speaking interpreters and translators because of the many students who go to the conference from many Mexican colleges and universities. Most conferences are attended by professional colleagues with years of experience, but this “encuentro” is attended by bus loads of students of translation, interpreting, and other-language related fields. The conference takes place within the International University Book Fair (FUL) and its organization by my friends Mireya Ocadiz (the conference), and Marco Antonio Alfaro (FUL) gives it a unique atmosphere. If you live in Mexico, or if you want to experience a conference in Mexico, I encourage you to attend this event.

American Translators Association (ATA) 65^th Conference in Portland, Oregon (October 30- November 2). Every year, the American Translators Association puts the biggest show on earth. More presentations to choose from, more attendees, more opportunities to network, and this time, it is going to the Pacific Northwest. I enjoy attending ATA conferences because of the variety, and the many friends and colleagues I get to see every year. However, to avoid annoying sales pitch efforts from agencies and others looking for interpreters willing to work for little pay, I pick my activities carefully and never losing sight of the obvious presence of those who want to harm our profession and turn it into an industry of commodities. It does not escape me that this conference is by far the most expensive interpreting and translation conference in the world, and that it is always held at expensive hotels. It is worth spending my hard-earned money (even if when you check in, they do not even give you a bag to keep your stuff). If you can afford it, go to Portland, and enjoy the conference.

XXVIII Translation and Interpreting Congress San Jerónimo (OMT) in Guadalajara, Mexico (November) Every year the Mexican Translators Association (OMT) puts together a magnificent program featuring well-known presenters from all over the world. Coming from a very successful XXVII Congress, and the return of San Jeronimo’s to the International Book Fair (FUL) campus, with solid presentations and workshops geared to interpreters, the 2024 edition will have a varied, useful, and trending content. This is the activity to attend this year for those colleagues who work with the Spanish language. Extra bonus: The Congress is held in Guadalajara where an International Book Fair takes place simultaneously at the Expo Guadalajara. Attendees can stroll up and down the immense fairgrounds, purchase books, listen to some or the most renowned authors in the world, or just window shop between sessions. I have been attending this event for many years, and I will continue to do so. I hope to see you in beautiful Guadalajara.

I know the choice is difficult, and some of you may have reservations about professional gatherings like the ones I covered above. I also know of other very good conferences all over the world, some of the best are local, regional, and national events; others are specialized conferences tailored to a certain field of our profession. I would love to attend many but I cannot. There are other excellent conferences all over the world, closer to your residence, that you may want to check out. I know I will be going to some. Depending on the schedule, I always look forward to some of the regional conferences in the United States like the Midwest Association of Translators and Interpreters (MATI) in the Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana region, and the Arizona Translators and Interpreters Association (ATI) in the Grand Canyon State. Some of you will read this post in a group or website of an association whose conference I will not attend this year; you will probably see me at other conferences not even mentioned here; that is likely. To those I cannot attend this year: I wish you success and productive conferences.

This posting would not be complete unless I mention our duty to also attend conferences not related to interpretation, translation, or language in general. We all need direct clients to thrive as interpreters, and we will not find them at the conferences above. Networking is as important as professional development, and for this reason I invite you to look for the best conferences in the field you interpret, and carefully select the ones that will benefit you the most. Consider subject matter, who is attending, dates, location, and cost; even if you are in a country where this expense is tax-deductible. Meet your future clients where they are. The best conference is the one where you are the only interpreter in the building. Look for conferences with medical, legal, technology, scientific, financial or any other content you specialize in. This is crucial.  Remember, the world of interpreting is more competitive every day and you will need an edge to beat the competition. That advantage might be what you learned at one conference, or whom you met while at the convention. Please kindly share your thoughts and let us know what local, national, or international conference or conferences you plan to attend in 2024.

What we learned as Interpreters in 2023.

Dear Colleagues,

Now that 2023 ended and we continue to find our way in the “new normal,” it is time to assess what we learned during the past 12 months.  As interpreters we are constantly learning, and from talking to many of my friends and colleagues, the year that just ended was better than the previous years because it finally revealed what our profession will be like, at least, for several years.

Last year was the year when we finally got over the pandemic as the adjustments of the last couple of years have turned into settled reality. Interpreting continues to be affected by modernity and technological developments that happen so fast that sometimes it is difficult to learn them, digest them, and embrace them. This constant change has no doubt contributed to market uncertainty, and aggressive, ethically questionable practices by some language service providers.

2023 showed us how conference interpreting will now be in any of three modalities: in-person, remotely, and hybrid without surprising anyone. We can now expect a certain modality depending on the type of client, event, and subject matter. This has forced us to be more flexible and accommodating than ever before. Working from home and hubs is here to stay, with the latter being very popular in some markets and almost nonexistent in others. In the year that ends, most working interpreters continued to develop their technological skills and knowledge. Because knowing what to expect most of the time, and because learning and adapting is always good, these were the brightest highlights of the year.

Unfortunately, as it happens every year, not everything was good. The new reality continued to foster and bring along unfairness, abuse, and deception. The same changes that helped us adapt to the post-pandemic world, created the right circumstances to harm our profession.

As it has happened throughout history, today’s changes have brought a wave of bad practices that financially benefit some of those with the loudest voice while hurting conference interpreters and the users of their service. Some unscrupulous merchants have over-emphasized the benefits of Chat GTP and artificial intelligence; There are interpreting services providers who have ignored ethical and professional considerations, and have claimed that platforms and AI can interpret a conference at a quality level close to the one a human professional delivers. By omitting the shortcomings of the current artificial intelligence, failing to disclose that most algorithms have been developed for the English language, and have an immensely long way to go to bring all other languages to that same level; and by benefiting from intellectual property obtained by questionable practices, these entities that came from outside the profession and are managed by some who do not know what we do, are confusing the clients and left us no choice but to expose all of their irregularities and incomplete truths, thus protecting the profession and the clients.

Some of the same providers, and many others not exploiting AI yet, continue to hire inexperienced, unqualified individuals, often from other fields of interpreting, who provide a lower quality service under very poor conditions, in exchange for a ridiculously low fee. By recruiting these interpreters and diverting the clients’ attention to artificial intelligence and interpreting from home at a low price, these agencies, platforms, and individuals continuously harmed the market in 2023.

Some unprincipled providers continued to offer insulting fees paid by the minute or by the hour. It is now common practice to attend a professional conference and find remote interpreting platform representatives luring university students and recently graduated interpreters to work for the platform for free or for a scarce pay, with the excuse they are helping them by letting them “practice” with their platform. I have now seen this practice for several years.

2023 saw some progress on the way interpreters use professional social media. It still is a self-promoting infomercial by the big service providers where unsuspecting colleagues harm their image and reputation daily by bragging about working for these low-paying, ethically questionable, providers, but more interpreters are now aware of the image the project by joining these practices, and they have stopped.

Going back to the positive, I congratulate those professional associations that held their conferences in person or as hybrid events. A special mention to OMT for its spectacular conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, and for returning to the International Book Fair (FIL). AITCO held a successful third Africa International Translation and Interpreting conference in Mombasa, Kenya, and will have the fourth edition in Kigali, Rwanda in early 2024. NAJIT and ATA also gathered in big conferences in as Vegas, Nevada and Miami, Florida respectively; but my biggest congratulations go to Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (CTPCBA) for its fantastic VII Translation and Interpretation Latin American Congress, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in April, to commemorate the 50^th. Anniversary of the Colegio. Organization, presentations, workshops, quality of the speakers, and the interpreting services were second to none. I enjoyed the congress and it left me wanting to attend the next one. Finally, my recognition also goes to all smaller associations with conferences in-person. Regardless of the conference you attended in 2023, they were all special, as they were conceived, planned, and executed by voluntaries who love their profession and the professional associations they belong to. They will all be unforgettable.

In 2023 the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) celebrated its 70th. anniversary with professional and social events throughout the world, including a wonderful celebration in Brussels where I had the opportunity to congratulate many of my dear fellow conference interpreters. AIIC-USA celebrated with local events in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Miami.

Another wonderful gesture that showed professional solidarity is the continued effort by many professional associations and individual interpreters to volunteer their services to assist the people from Ukraine, both inside their country and abroad. During this unfair invasion of a peaceful nation, and by participating in relief efforts after many tragedies worldwide, once again interpreters showed their humanity and solidarity. We proved to ourselves once again that interpreters are resilient, able to adapt to adversity to survive, and good humans. We now face another year in this new normal; It will be full of adjustments, challenges, and opportunities that all interpreters will face with our resiliency, adaptability, and courage. Let us all focus on the good things to come while we guard against the bad ones. I wish you all a prosperous and healthy 2024!

Conference Interpreting: An essential profession that benefits all.

Dear Colleagues:

A lot is said about language access and how it contributes to equality, democracy, and a more inclusive society. There are endless articles, essays, and speeches, rightfully, praising the efforts of those who advance this cause and constantly work to provide interpreting services to society’s most vulnerable, but to my surprise, little is said or something as important: The work conference interpreters do throughout the world every day. A few days ago, we celebrated Conference Interpreter Day, so I thought this would be a good time to set the record straight, and perhaps share the job we do with those in society who have never noticed it.

Every day conference interpreters provide their services in the business world. From interpreting one-on-one negotiations between two companies from countries that do not share the same language and culture, to trade conferences attended by government officials or Fortune 500 top-level executives where trade conditions, supply chain issues, intellectual property, import-export tariffs, legal concepts, global warming, and many other conditions that make globalization and free trade possible. Communication, and therefore results would be unachievable without the participation of conference interpreters. Because of this work, people put food on their table without thinking it was produced half way across the world; individuals anywhere enjoy technology developed by a different nation, and very important: This international trade, facilitated by conference interpreters, creates millions of jobs around the planet.

Current events and Twentieth Century’s world history teach us the importance of peace negotiations, international conflict resolution through dialogue, the relevance of international organizations, and diplomatic summits and encounters among world leaders. This is the only solid and durable solution for a safe world. Countless people benefit from these actions that are only possible because of conference interpreters’ participation.

A couple of years ago we witnessed what a pandemic can do to the planet’s public health and economy. Millions of lives were lost; millions of jobs disappeared, and millions of projects were cancelled due to the spread of the Coronavirus. Fortunately, modern science made it possible for scientists and researchers to produce a vaccine in record time, but the vaccine was of little value unless it could be distributed and administered worldwide. This required scientific conferences where specialists shared field trial results, governments summits and bilateral conferences where they agreed on the immunization’s import-export tariffs; business people conferences to agree and plan the logistics of transporting and administering the vaccine from the time the jab arrived in a country to the time it got to a person’s arm. These long, intense, urgent communications happened during the pandemic, when people could not leave their home, much less travel abroad. At the time when meetings holding over ten people were banned, interpreters worked from their homes, interpreting remotely on a platform, and made it possible to save lives and recover from this horrible time. Once again, the world’s population benefited from the work conference interpreters do, even when in dire circumstances.

And it is this technology used by conference interpreters to provide their service remotely, the same technology that could not reach all corners of the planet if it were not for the conference interpreters who make it possible with their work. Complexity and variety of contents, high-profile speakers, global impact of the events, enormous pressure to do a good job, endless hours of study and preparation, and millions of miles traveled are part of a conference interpreter’s job description. I hope those who read this article learn of the fundamental role conference interpreters play in our standard of living, and our daily lives, so next time they think of the role interpreters play in accessibility, they remember that conference interpreters work to provide access to everything from everywhere in the world.

On this Thanksgiving Holiday we thank those interpreters who keep us safe.

Dear Colleagues:

Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays and the only one we celebrate despite our different believes, backgrounds, cultures, and nowadays: political opinion. This week people will reunite with friends and relatives to share a meal, a conversation, and in many cases a football game. It is a time to catch up with people we see once a year, and it is also an opportunity to make big announcements like future weddings, pregnancies, and career changes. Unfortunately, not everyone will be at the table having turkey or pumpkin pie; there will be many friends and colleagues who will work during the holiday weekend so the rest can safely enjoy this joyous time.

This is the time to recognize those who keep us safe during the holiday season and throughout the year, and say thanks to our interpreter friends and colleagues who do their job so we can all live better lives.

Thank you to all conflict zone and military interpreters who keep our nation safe and the world free. I tip my hat to those who risk their lives on the battlefield, collecting intelligence, or guarding a post in hostile territory. Thank you to those who interpret during disaster evacuations, rescue missions, and rebuilding projects. The success of all these missions largely depends on you.

Thank you to all interpreters in the legal field, whether they work in court settings, police stations, detention centers or private law firms. Without their services many crimes would go unsolved, criminals would walk the streets freely, and the innocent would not be protected. Thank you for working on holidays and weekends, for being in dangerous or unpleasant situations next to murderers, rapists, and drug lords; and thank you for making the season better for so many families when you interpret adoption hearings, and protective orders that give peace of mind to so many families.  

We also honor all healthcare interpreters who will not rest during the holidays, and work long and odd hours so medical staff can save lives and improve the quality of living of many people. Thank you for working in tough situations, smelling the disgusting hospital smell, and professionally and warmly conveying information in pediatric, oncology, life-end, and many other hospital wings and offices. We recognize those who will be at the emergency room bridging the language barrier in cases of terrible accidents, strokes, heart attacks, and violent crimes. Our appreciation also goes to those making this holiday the best for the families you interpreted the good news of a remission or recovery after a long and scary illness.

Thank you to all other public service community interpreters who do not encounter the bad guys, or the life and dead situations, but help the needy to get their social benefits, the child to get ahead in school, or foreigners to understand how their new country works. You made somebody happy this season by helping them to collect their retirement check or their disability benefits.

And thanks to all conference interpreters who make it possible for all of us to live in society by facilitating trade negotiations, prescription drug imports, human rights protection, diplomatic negotiations, and understanding among world leaders in the private and public sectors.

Most people take your work for granted, and to many it goes unnoticed, but to us, and especially as a fellow interpreter it ranks where it should: high above in the scale of world professions. Happy Thanksgiving!

Stand your ground. Even when other interpreters are doing the opposite.

Dear Colleagues:

I was retained to do an assignment in a university some months ago. The conference was in-person with the first speaker of the second day talking remotely from a different country. Everything went fine during the weeks leading to the event: we received all materials and information, event organizers and venue management were doing their job as expected, and all speakers were cooperative and receptive to my suggestions, including the person to speak remotely from abroad. We got notice this individual had the required USB microphone and headset for the remote simultaneous interpretation, and we learned that the speaker had experience using remote platforms during monolingual meetings and conferences.

Because the first day of the event was scheduled to start at noon, we decided to have a dry run with the remote speaker that morning. That would work perfectly because we, the interpreters were traveling to the conference site, and the speaker was available that morning.

This was a bilingual, bidirectional event, so there was one booth only. My colleague and I arrived early, checked the booth, consoles, sound system, etc.; Everything looked fine until I asked for the access code to the RSI call for the dry run so we could get online with the speaker and tech support. I was told there was none, that the speaker would speak using a platform without interpretation functions, and we would have to move next to one of the auditorium wall speakers, with tour-guide type of equipment, listen to the speech with our bare ears, and simultaneously interpret using the portable device. I was shocked.

I took a few seconds to regain my composure before I told the organizer this arrangement was unacceptable, that we needed a platform with interpretation functions so we could do our job using the computers in the booth, simultaneously, without having to struggle to hear, and surely miss, some of what the speaker would say, and avoid the confusing and unpleasant situation of having the audience simultaneously listening to the speaker and the interpreters outside the booth and with portable equipment that would create feedback. I also explained the health risk this represented to the interpreters, which we were not willing to accept.

I asked the event organizer, who had been very cooperative and accommodating until then, why the change of heart. What had happened that they switched from a previously agreed set up for the remote interpretation to a “MacGyver style” unprofessional set up. The answer left me speechless and very upset. He claimed that after we discussed the RSI set up about a month before the event, they had a similar conference at the university using the same auditorium. He went on to say that they had a speaker in that event who spoke from abroad, and when presented with this development, the university’s tech support person suggested walkie-talkies and chairs next to the wall speaker. After this was explained to the interpreters they said yes and agreed to do it that way. He also told me he believed we were a little too strict with our complains on the conditions, because the other interpreters never complained. After I looked at my boothmate, who was as livid as I was, I asked if the quality of the rendition with such system had been good. He said it had not, that the interpreters had to ask for several repetitions, but that everyone understood this happens when someone speaking from abroad is interpreted, and they accepted the lower standard. I then dared to ask who were the interpreters on that occasion, and he told me some names I was not familiar with; he also conveyed the language pair: It included a language very common in courthouses and hospitals, but rarely used in conference settings. He agreed, and informed me these interpreters did little conference work, but they were the only ones the university could find.

With all this information, I explained to the organizers and university tech team that what they were asking us to do the following day did not comply with the minimum requirements to do conference interpreting in person or remotely, that there were risks to our auditive health, our professional reputation, and more important for them: This would turn into a mediocre conference where people who did not speak the speaker’s language would not get all the information they wanted to share, and the sad part was that it was within their power, and very little money, to upgrade their system and add the interpretation function to their platform. I emphasized they had all day since the speech was scheduled for over twenty four hours later to upgrade, have a dry run, and deliver a quality conference. I also told them that unless they acted, we would only interpret in-person speakers, and would not even attempt to interpret the remote speech as the conditions they were offering so far breached our contract. We worked that first day and left the auditorium.

That night I was having dinner with my boothmate when I received a message informing us the platform had been upgraded and asking us to come in early the following morning to do the dry run. We did and there was a happy ending. Unfortunately, this small victory was bitter, because all this confusion was created by other interpreters who had gladly settled for the offered substandard conditions. They never even questioned them, or informed the client there were other ways to do a better job. I believe this was a case where the client hired interpreters who were not conference interpreters, perhaps because of their language pair, or their geographical location, who were so happy to get a job, especially a conference assignment, that they would accept anything they offered to them, maybe even a very low fee for their services. The lesson learned, or reaffirmed, is that we should caution our clients and make them see the risk of hiring non-conference interpreters, and we should explain to these interpreters that by accepting conference assignments, and lowering the bar, they hurt us all, and especially they hurt themselves. It is very difficult to get quality assignments in the future once an interpreter worked under such conditions.

The Funniest, Scary Movies.

Dear Colleagues:

In our globalized world, this time of the year interpreters everywhere encounter references to the American celebration of Halloween, not an official holiday in the United States, but the second-most broadly observed event in the country after Thanksgiving. Unlike other cultures elsewhere in the world, the American Halloween has no religious context and sometimes it is difficult to understand to those who live in other countries.

Because interpreters must be ready to tackle any topic, any issue a speaker brings up, every year I try to show a different piece of Halloween with the hope it is useful to a colleague in a booth somewhere in the planet. In the past, we have focused on the meaning and history of the festivity, its traditions, and its food, as well as its music, movies, monsters, music, and favorite TV hosts.

This time we will focus on Halloween’s dark humor: The movies about monsters and the occult made not to scare us, but to make us laugh. There are many and they come from all over the world, but this is my list of the funniest scary movies:

Ghostbusters.

A supernatural comedy written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, starring both and Bill Murray as three eccentric parapsychologists who open a ghost fighting agency and are hired to get a gluttonous ghost, and among other hilarious situations, go through a gate between dimensions to rescue some hostages from some evil ghosts. The movie, its characters and its music became a 1980s classic.

Hocus Pocus.

A mid-1990s comedy that follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are resurrected by a teenager is Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween. The witches: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy who get into all kinds of trouble as they interact with their terrible past and a curse that is finally broken with the witches’ death… or is it? As the movie ends leaving the possibility of the witches return.

Clavillazo en el Castillo de los Monstruos.

This is a 1950s comedy from Mexico, starring Antonio Espino “Clavillazo” as a poor man in love with a seamstress who is kidnapped by evil blind scientist “Don Melchorcito” and taken to a castle fool of monsters. The hero battles the vampire, a mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, and even the creature from the Black Lagoon (called the “huachinango”) in a hilarious slapstick comedy reminiscing of others with similar stories produced in the United States.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

This 1988 movie is a classic parody of the horror sci-fi movies of the 1950s. A comet inhabited by murderous aliens who look like clowns, crashes outside a small town. Two teenagers witness this incident but nobody believes them. The clowns capture their victims, take them back to their spacecraft and keep them wrapped in cotton candy. The story, the clowns, and the absurdity of this movie makes it a cult favorite that could not be left out of this list.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

It is a 1975 British horror musical based on the stage version. The story centers on a young couple whose car breaks down in the rain near a castle, where they seek help. The castle is occupied by strangers in elaborate costumes celebrating an annual convention, with a mad scientist as head of the house, an alien transvestite from planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, who creates a creature named Rocky. From here, a series of situations take place, making the plot unique and entertaining.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

This is a horror comedy from 1948 where the comedic couple ends up entangled in a story involving Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Werewolf. After a series of funny situations, Abbott and Costello end up in a masquerade in a castle in an island where they unwillingly fight the monsters as Dracula has plans for Costello. The movie has many funny chases and sudden encounters, and it features the real actors from Universal’s monster movies: Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Glenn Strange as the monster, and Lon Chaney Jr. as the wolfman. At the end of the movie, after they seemingly defeated all forces of evil, we leave the heroes in a boat with the Invisible Man.

Beetlejuice.

A late 1980s Tim Burton movie starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the main character. The plot revolves around a recently deceased couple who as ghosts now hunt their former home, and contact Beetlejuice, a “bio-exorcist” to scare away the home’s new owners. Because of his obnoxiousness, Beetlejuice is fired, and later rehired when his help is needed; unfortunately, his ways create chaos and eventually he is vanished and the new and old house residents agree to live in peace.

Scary Movie.

It is a 2000 American slasher parody film by Keenan Ivory Wayans, written by Marion and Shawn Wayans. The film makes fun of various genres, including horror, slasher, and mystery. The script primary follows the plot of the slasher films Scream and I know what you did last summer, Halloween, The Shining, Friday the 13^th., the Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project, The Matrix, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, keeping you with a belly ache from laughing so much.

Little Shop of Horrors.

Another 1980s American horror musical filmed in the United Kingdom and based on a musical, about a couple who considers closing their business, but instead, decide tone of its human owners display a strange plant that turns out to eat blood. The plant brings its owners success and fame, but eventually causes more trouble than good, even attempting to eat one of its human owners. At the end, even though the owner is rescued from the plant’s jaws, dead seems unavoidable, so she asks to be fed to the plant and that way continue to live as a bud. Eventually the plant learns of a plot that will not benefit it, so it eats the other owner and turns more evil and eventually the plant defeats the armed forces and wins.

Young Frankenstein.

In my opinion the funniest parody of a horror movie genre. It was directed by Mel Brooks in 1974, and the screenplay was co-written by him and Gene Wilder, who also starred as a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Peter Boyle played the monster, and the rest of the cast was a Mel Brooks usual group of actors: Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman as the blind hermit. The film is a parody of the various film adaptations of Mart Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein, and it was filed in the same sets as the original Universal movies of the 1930s. This is a “must see” for all classic monster films.

I hope you find this post useful, both as a quick reference when the information is needed in the booth, and as a guide to continue to increase your knowledge of Americana.