El intérprete nunca es el centro de atención.

Queridos colegas,

En muchas ocasiones he tenido que trabajar con colegas que sienten que nuestro papel  es lo más importante que está sucediendo entre las cuatro paredes en que estamos trabajando y lo demuestran con un comportamiento que en el mejor de los casos entorpece la fluidez del evento a interpretar y desgraciadamente en otras ocasiona la pérdida del cliente.   Todos saben de lo que estoy hablando: El intérprete que llega al juzgado como torero partiendo plaza y atrae para sí toda la atención que no le corresponde como intérprete, o la colega que hace que se detenga el evento y se dirige al técnico de sonido en un frenesí desenfrenado porque uno de cincuenta audífonos en que están escuchando la interpretación aquellos en un auditorio ha dejado de funcionar o tiene estática.

Muchos de estos colegas son buenos intérpretes con muchos años de experiencia trabajando a buenos niveles de calidad, pero desgraciadamente nunca han podido llevar a cabo esa transición tan necesaria entre lo que se aprende en la escuela y lo que se puede hacer en la vida real.  La verdad es que nuestro papel es esencial, nuestra función es indispensable para la comunicación entre dos comerciantes, dos gobiernos, o un juez y un acusado, pero nosotros individualmente no lo somos.  Como en todo, la interpretación es imprescindible, pero el cliente tiene derecho a buscar intérpretes que no distraigan a los participantes en una negociación, no retrasen un juicio, y no generen tensión con los otros participantes en una conferencia.

En algunas escuelas enseñan que el intérprete debe ser invisible y en otras que no debe entrometerse o entorpecer el proceso, pero pocas veces mencionan entre las razones para ello el aspecto de negocios.  Los eventos en que se necesitan servicios de interpretación son por su naturaleza costosos e importantes; el tiempo es dinero y los participantes tienen un tiempo finito y limitado para participar.

Afortunadamente, al menos en mi opinión, yo he tenido oportunidad de estar en la arena de negociación de contratos con clientes y he podido escuchar directamente la opinión del cliente sobre el intérprete que acapara la atención de los presentes: ”…esa intérprete tiene buena interpretación consecutiva, pero se tarda demasiado en rendir su interpretación, se toma mucho tiempo revisando sus notas y eso enfría la negociación. Consíganme a alguien con mejor memoria y más veloz…”   “…Ese intérprete pide muchas repeticiones y pronuncia un discurso cada que quiere que algo se modifique durante el procedimiento.  Por favor no lo vuelvan a traer, queremos a alguien que oiga bien, hable menos, y que haga sugerencias de manera sin llamar la atención…”  “…Los técnicos del equipo piden que no se contrate a esa intérprete porque interfiere con lo que es su trabajo técnico y está interrumpiendo constantemente el flujo de la conferencia…”   Todos estos comentarios son legítimos. Mis clientes me los han expresado, en ocasiones más de una vez.  Claro que esto no es nuevo para ninguno de ustedes, ya que al igual que yo, han tenido que pasar momentos de vergüenza profesional mientras una colega arma una revolución porque un receptor no está funcionando perfectamente. En una ocasión tuve la “fortuna” de trabajar con una colega que interrumpió a un ponente en una conferencia porque el receptor de uno de los presentes en el auditorio necesitó un cambio de pilas y el espectador se había perdido unos noventa segundos de la ponencia. ¡Un espectador en un auditorio donde más de 200 personas estaban usando equipo!  No pueden imaginarse la cara del ponente cuando la intérprete se dirigió al escenario y le pidió “a gritos” que se detuviera y comenzara nuevamente para que esta persona no se perdiera nada; pero sobre todo no se imaginan la expresión del representante de la agencia que nos contrató para ese trabajo.  ¡Qué vergüenza!  El buen intérprete, como ustedes y yo lo hemos hecho muchas veces, sigue interpretando, y de manera natural, poco a poco, incorpora los detalles importantes que no escucharon aquellos cuyo equipo no estaba funcionando, si es que hubo algo importante que no se escuchó, pero no interrumpe, proporciona la información de manera natural y en una manera que nadie se percata, ni quien comenzó a escuchar tarde, ni aquellos que han escuchado todo, y mucho menos el ponente y nuestro cliente.

Creo que ya es hora que nuestros colegas que saltan al primer inconveniente se calmen un poco, adapten a la vida real  lo que aprendieron en la escuela y se comporten como profesionales que saben participar en el mundo de los negocios… Y aquellos que continúen interrumpiendo los eventos o actuaciones judiciales para comenzar a cambiar audífonos, receptores, pilas, o micrófonos con un frenesí patológico, al menos van a saber porqué sus servicios no son atractivos para el cliente.  Me gustaría saber su opinión sobre este comportamiento de algunos por el que todos hemos pasado.

Why not a less expensive good new interpreter?

Dear colleagues:

When I recently wrote about the difference between hiring a less expensive interpreter instead of paying for a good seasoned experienced one, some colleagues raised the scenario where a new interpreter could be good but newer to the profession. The issue was that this new colleague could be as good as an experienced interpreter minus the years in the booth. If a client can retain the services of such a professional for less money, why bother with a more expensive interpreter who would be charging more just because of the years of professional work.

It seems to me that this is a very valid point and worth of analysis. It is a well-known fact that there are many extremely good interpreters entering the market every year. I know it because I have worked with some of them. They are good, professional, reliable, and they charge less than a well established top-level interpreter. The perfect answer to a client’s need!

However, and there is always a “however,” the business of interpretation is much more than booth performance and professional attitude. It is my personal experience that the client wants a one-stop all-inclusive service that frees him to do everything else needed to have a successful event. When a client is paying top money for an experienced interpreter he or she expects a professional who knows about booth location, interpretation equipment, and much more. They want an interpreter who is able to suggest equipment, technician, protocol, and many other things. My clients hire me because of my booth performance, but they also know that they can count on me for all dealings with the rest of the interpreters, tech support, booth location, speaker orientation, and the intangibles like the best coffee shop near the convention center, the closest Ipad charging station at the airport, a good restaurant suggestion at the conference site, and tons of other things that they expect the good interpreter to know. I know that many of my colleagues have seen the sign of relief on a client’s face when you tell them that you know the technician, that you have worked with him; or when you arrive at the hotel or convention center and the local staff greets you as an old friend. They love it when you can get the extra wireless microphones, or the additional thirty minutes of conference room after they were told it was impossible to do it. Well, this is why the client is paying the experienced interpreters’ fees. If a short-sighted client wants excellent work in the booth and nothing else, a new good and inexpensive interpreter is an attractive option, but if the client was to forget about interpretation and concentrate on everything else, she or he will happily pay for the services of a one-stop high-quality seasoned well-known interpreter.

I personally believe that a good solution is a mix of several top-notch interpreters and an all-star team of newcomers. I have always loved to teach everything I know to the new generation, and I know I am not alone; many of you do the same. Therefore, my answer to those who contacted me after my previous posting is: There is a difference between great new interpreters and great experienced interpreters that goes beyond the fee we charge. Let’s build the next generation of interpreters by working together, teaching them the many nuances of the profession, and showing them that a good interpreter should never charge little money. I would love to hear your comments.

The role of the 16th. Century interpreters in the newly discovered world.

Dear colleagues:

My posting about Malintzin, the first interpreter of the new world, a few months ago was very welcomed in Mexico and other countries, but some people, mostly from countries other than Mexico, did not like what I said and attacked her and other interpreters who assisted the Spanish conquistadors during the conquest of the newly discovered world.  I welcome the debate as I think it is fruitful and helpful; it is interesting that some interpreters posted comments criticizing the role of Malintzin in Mexico and Felipillo in Peru and other South American countries as bad interpreters due to their lack of impartiality. These comments motivated me to write this post as I believe that their role is being misunderstood and therefore wrongly criticized.

Malintzin, Felipillo, and all other interpreters used by the conquistadors were military interpreters.   I understand that many of my colleagues come from a court interpreting background where they have been told that the interpreter must be impartial. That is true in a court setting, but it does not apply to all fields of interpretation.  As a military interpreter instructor at the Defense Language Institute I can tell you that the role of the military interpreter is very different. When interpreting for the armed forces, the interpreter needs to be loyal to the platoon that he or she belongs to. A crucial part of a military interpreter’s job is to do everything possible to assure the success of the mission.   The military interpreter interprets for the party he works for, not for both parties. He conveys to the enemy what his side needs him and wants him to know, nothing else.  A military interpreter brings up to his commander his impressions and suspicions about the enemy’s words, attitudes, and everything else he may consider important and relevant to his side. There is not such a thing as impartiality in military interpreting as the parties are not equal; one of them is called enemy.  After Columbus’ discoveries at the end of the 15^th. Century were known in Europe, and the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Americas at the beginning of the 16^th. Century, they arrived to conquer and submit. It was a military enterprise, not a good-will tour; thus the interpreters that aided Cortés, Pizarro and the other Spanish commanders were military interpreters, not diplomatic linguists. It is extremely important to keep in mind that most of these native interpreters, including Malintzin and Felipillo, were not citizens of the big empires the Spanish army was fighting against. They were members of other native nations that had been submitted, oppressed, and exploited by the powerful Aztec and Inca Empires. In other words: They had no duty of loyalty to their tyrants; in fact, they had a very understandable resentment and perhaps hatred for their oppressors.

There were big differences between Malintzin and Felipillo, the two best-known interpreters of the new world.  Malintzin was, by all accounts, an extremely capable interpreter, very effective, talented, and hard-working.  During the conquest of Tenochtitlan she got the respect and maybe the admiration of many Spaniards. Considering all circumstances, she had a good life.  On the other hand, there are many reports that describe Felipillo, who appears on the records as an interpreter almost a decade after Malintzin, as a mediocre interpreter; he did not command any of his working languages as he should, apparently he had a problem with alcohol and found himself entangled in intrigue and gossip involving women.  As part of the criticism to Felipillo, most historians argue that he misinterpreted for Pizarro, conspired with the natives, used religion to advance his own interests, and when in Chile he sided with the locals against Diego de Almagro committing a capital sin for the military interpreter: to be partial towards the enemy. This sole act that has been considered by some as his vindication with the indigenous cause, and maybe that is true and correct from a moral point of view, was his worse professional and ethical act as an interpreter, and ultimately cost him his life. In other words: There were good and bad interpreters during the conquest of the new world.

The last issue that has been raised by many begs for an answer to the question: Were the native interpreters a bunch of traitors?  We know that at least the better-known ones were not fellow citizens of the empires to be conquered (Aztecs and Incas) We also know that their job was to do military interpretation, and their faults and mistakes came from their mediocrity as interpreters, personal problems, their own ambition, and perhaps a change of heart after they realized what the Spanish armies were doing to the peoples of other native nations. Then, why is it that some people view them as traitors anyway? This is a very difficult question. Most of those who attack these interpreters, particularly Malintzin, because she did a good professional job, believe that they had to side with the other local natives and not the Spaniards. To arrive to this conclusion we have to ignore the reality of the times: The Aztecs and Incas were oppressors to these people; the Spanish conquistadors had done nothing against them. The topic is even more complex when we realize that most who complain and criticize Malintzin and the others are not indigenous people, they are the result of the fusion of the two cultures and races, and most of them have Spanish last names, speak Spanish, and follow one of the European religions. One could say that to attack Malintzin and the others is to attack their very origin. There is a verb “malinchismo” in the Dictionary, but it does not mean to betray anybody. It means “Attitude of attachment to the foreign and contempt for one’s own.”  Malintzin was not a member of the Aztec Empire. I would like to read your comments and opinions about the professional duties of military interpreters as it is applicable to many who are currently interpreting for our military forces in conflict zones around the world.

Tal vez el futuro de la interpretación no está en el poder judicial.

Queridos colegas,

Muchos eventos que se han dado en la interpretación judicial en los últimos tiempos me han hecho ver que el futuro de la profesión tal vez no incluya la interpretación judicial.  Nótese que no estoy diciendo interpretación jurídica, solo judicial.

Como muchos saben, durante los últimos años, y por múltiples razones, los poderes judiciales en general se han enfocado en la eliminación de tantas horas-intérprete como sea posible. Para ello, se han incorporado a la interpretación judicial muchas opciones que antes no existían; contratos de la autoridad judicial con una agencia de traducción e interpretación para obtener intérpretes más baratos es una de las más evidentes, ya sea a nivel municipal, estatal y hasta a nivel federal con los juzgados de migración en los Estados Unidos y el famoso caso de ALS en el Reino Unido.  También los avances tecnológicos han permitido la incorporación y casi-perfeccionamiento de la interpretación por video que actualmente se practica en casi todos los estados de los Estados Unidos, incluyendo los juzgados federales y administrativos.  La tendencia de los poderes judiciales estatales y federal es la de contratar más intérpretes de planta, de preferencia nuevos a la profesión para no tener que pagarles tanto y para que su vida institucional sea más larga, o sea para que el estado recupere su inversión, y contratar menos intérpretes contratistas independientes ya que estos últimos, o sea ustedes, saldrían más caros que los de planta.  Ejemplo: Si un juicio pasa de las 5 de la tarde, el intérprete contratista va a cobrar más caro por el tiempo extra, el intérprete de planta no recibe dinero, le acreditan unas horas en su expediente para que algún día, en que casi no haya trabajo y puedan prescindir de él, se tome el día libre. Eso es todo.

Si a esto le aunamos el hecho que cada día más sistemas judiciales están brindando servicios de interpretación en áreas que antes no cubrían, tales como casos civiles, administrativos, etcétera, y el hecho que cada día hay más intérpretes certificados, por diseño del poder judicial para inundar el mercado de oferta y así tener la opción de contratar al más nuevo y por ello menos costoso,  forzosamente llegamos a la conclusión que eventualmente y no dentro de mucho, la interpretación judicial en la que se han concentrado y encasillado muchos de nuestros colegas va a terminarse para todos los efectos prácticos y relevantes.  No estoy diciendo que esto va a suceder inmediatamente, pero en unos años los juzgados solo van a contratar a unos cuantos y les van a pagar muy poco, ese es el esquema que están siguiendo y esas son las leyes de mercado.

¿Eso es malo? Desde luego que a mi parecer es bueno. Después de todo el gobierno tiene que actuar responsablemente con nuestro dinero. No nos olvidemos que también somos contribuyentes. ¿Es bueno para la profesión? Desde luego que es malo para la interpretación judicial ya que en muchos casos la calidad del servicio profesional se verá seriamente coartada ya que al limitar las opciones de trabajo y el pago por estas, lo primero que se pierde es el servicio profesional al más alto nivel; sin embargo, tal vez sea algo bueno para la profesión ya que esto resultará en que aquellos intérpretes de mayor capacidad buscarán otros campos de trabajo y llegarán a  competir desde abajo en algunos campos como conferencia, medios de comunicación y militar, y también impactarán la calidad y la paga en otros sectores de la interpretación como el médico y el comunitario.  En resumidas cuentas, va a depender del intérprete mismo. Cuánto estará cada individuo dispuesto a prepararse, aceptar el cambio, ajustarse, y triunfar, o por otro lado, y eso pasará irremediablemente con algunos más mediocres, cuánto estará un individuo dispuesto a conformarse, a vivir peor, a tener menos, para poder seguir aceptando trabajo en los juzgados.

Recuerden que al principio dije que esto no abarcaba toda la interpretación jurídica, solo la judicial. Aún quedarán los abogados particulares, las entrevistas en sus despachos, las declaraciones bajo protesta o juramento, la preparación de testigos, las visitas a los reclusorios, las traducciones a la vista, donde la competencia será ardua debido a que los mejores intérpretes judiciales se volcarán sobre esta opción, y también los conformistas del párrafo anterior; Consideren que estos últimos van a deprimir el mercado de honorarios al tratar de cobrar muy por debajo de lo que cobran los intérpretes de primer plano.  ¿Quién ganará la batalla?  Eso se decidirá individualmente, por ello estoy sonando esta alarma desde ahora. Ya es tiempo que nos demos cuenta a dónde parece dirigirse la interpretación judicial y ya es hora de prepararse para otros sectores de la interpretación y para ir seleccionando a los abogados que van a ser los clientes primarios en ese futuro, ahora hay tiempo de desarrollar un vínculo de confianza, para educarlos sobre las ventajas de tener un buen intérprete, sobre la importancia de pagar bien por un servicio bien prestado.

Ya les he compartido lo que observo en el poder judicial, ahora les pido me comenten aquello que ustedes ven.

Translation/Interpretation online groups: A superlative failure in judgment?

Dear colleagues:

In this modern world where we practice our profession we often encounter resources that help us answer a question, confirm a suspicion, ask for a suggestion, share information, and offer a point of view.  Many of us are taking advantage of the web and constantly visit professional websites, blogs, dictionaries, glossaries, professional chat-rooms, list-serves, and many other sites where we can find tools that in the past were difficult to get.  Just like many of you, I have fully taken advantage of these resources and often post articles and opinions on my blog (www.rpstranslations.wordpress.com), offer links on my professional Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/RPS-Rosado-Professional-Solutions), and provide links to information to those who follow me on Twitter (@rpstranslations).  I also participate in many professional groups and chat-rooms.

I personally find them very useful and interesting. It is fascinating how we can learn from a colleague 14 time zones away by simply writing a comment on a Linked-in professional group.  These practices have helped many of us grow professionally and as business people.  As many of you know, I have posted many times on many groups, chat-rooms, and list-serves that originate all over the world.

My experience has always been positive and useful, however, I have recently come across certain opinions that came very close to limiting the access and usefulness to some of these resources.  There was a translators professional group that was trying to limit postings to one language; an interesting policy for a translators professional group where by definition, those interested should be translators and therefore know at least two languages.  This policy risks losing many participants as a good number of translators feel more comfortable writing in the other language pair instead of the one this group wanted.  This would also limit the reach of the ideas circulated in the group as third-language professionals who otherwise may benefit of a business or good practices posting would now be kept away.  Obviously, this would also discourage many others from participating as the group can be perceived as censoring and controlling what members share just by reason of not using the ONLY language allowed.  Some colleagues defended this position stating that the group is for people who use this specific language, that those who disagree should move on to other groups. I disagree, and fortunately most of those visiting the group agreed with me: This restrictive policy was not adopted. Translators and Interpreters use at least two languages and often use them both.  The failure of this movement made me very happy although I have to say that even though the administrators of this group announced that there would be no censorship, even now this is one of the very few groups on line that still “reviews” your posting before publishing it.

Another even more extreme example of this trend can be found in a different professional group chat-room where the person that moderates it (and obviously runs it) has decided not to include anything that is not strictly about what this person believes is the subject matter of the group.  Let me explain: A few months ago I entered to this group and posted a few articles about the business and ethical aspects of our profession.  Suddenly, all postings (mine and everybody else’s) went away overnight. They were replaced by a notice that this person proudly re-posts several times a week that reads: “Cleaning up discussions on…(the) group.”  It is interesting to note that this group supposedly has 386 members, and after the “clean-up”  all “surviving” postings, going back one year, are by the person who runs and moderates the group; well, there is actually one exception: another person posted the ONLY other posting that survived, and that entry is dated 10 months ago.

I believe that professional groups, chat-rooms, blogs and list-serves should be open to all professionals. Of course there should be a moderator to keep us all focused on a specific topic when posting on a blog (there is another professional group where one of the members constantly posts adds selling shoes, but don’t get me started on that one) and to keep obscenity and useless personal attacks out of the professional discussion; however, limiting access in a linguist group because of the language, and eliminating all relevant entries because they deal with the professional or ethical aspects of our career can result on the demise of said professional groups.  I would like to hear your opinion, particularly that of those who regularly use these cyber-tools.

What we learned as Interpreters in 2012.

Dear Colleagues,

Now that 2012 is history and we are working towards a fruitful and meaningful 2013, we can look back and assess what we learned during the past 12 months.  As interpreters our career is a constant learning experience, and from talking with many of my colleagues 2012 was no exception. I personally grew up professionally and got a new appreciation for our profession. This year that ended gave me once again the opportunity to work with magnificent interpreters and many of my dearest colleagues.

2012 put me in direct contact with interpreters from many countries and diverse fields of expertise. I was able to share my knowledge and experience with many colleagues dear to me and with some new interpreters and translators.  This past year gave me the opportunity to learn many things at the professional conferences I attended, from the interpretation and translation books first published in 2012 that I read, and of course working in the booth, at the courthouse, the formal dinners, and even in open space, literally on the fields, during some livestock, oil, and agriculture events that I interpreted for in 2012.

During my year 2012 I experienced the satisfaction of publishing my first book, to see how several of my students became federally certified court interpreters in the United States, and I had the fortune to present before conferences in different counties.  During this year that ends I traveled to the Mexican Translators’ Organization (OMT) conference in Guadalajara Mexico where I was ecstatic over the magnificent International Book Fair. This year was filled with professional experiences acquired all over the world as I constantly traveled throughout the year, meeting and observing new colleagues and catching up with good friends. Now, as I sit before my computer reminiscing and re-living all of these life-enriching experiences, I ask you to share some of your most significant professional moments during this past year.

Lo que aprendimos como intérpretes en 2012.

Queridos colegas,

Ahora que 2012 ya pasó a la historia y nos encontramos trabajando hacia un 2013 lleno de logros profesionales, podemos analizar en retrospectiva lo que aprendimos el año pasado.  Como intérpretes, nuestra carrera es una experiencia de aprendizaje constante, y después de platicar con muchos de mis colegas me doy cuenta que el 2012 no fue la excepción.  Yo en lo personal crecí profesionalmente y adquirí una nueva apreciación por nuestra profesión.  Este año que terminó me dio nuevamente la oportunidad de trabajar con intérpretes magníficos y colegas entrañables.

El año 2012 me puso en contacto directo con intérpretes de muchos países y de diversas disciplinas.  Me permitió compartir mi experiencia y conocimientos con colegas muy queridos y con nuevos intérpretes y traductores;  El año que terminó me dio la oportunidad de aprender nuevas cosas en las conferencias profesionales a las que asistí, en los libros sobre nuestra disciplina que se publicaron este año, y desde luego en la cabina, el juzgado, el banquete, y hasta en el campo durante un trabajo de ganadería, otro de petroleros y uno más de agricultura para los que interpreté este año 2012.

Mi 2012 me dio la satisfacción de publicar mi primer libro, de ver como varios de mis estudiantes obtuvieron su certificación de intérprete judicial federal en los Estados Unidos,  y de presentar como ponente en varios países. Este año que se extingue me vio viajar a la Conferencia de la Organización Mexicana de Traductores en Guadalajara México y me permitió deleitarme en la maravillosa Feria Internacional del Libro. Este año que termina estuvo colmado de experiencias a nivel profesional que fueron adquiridas en todo el mundo mientras viajaba constantemente durante todo el año, conociendo a nuevos colegas, observando su trabajo y reencontrando a buenos amigos. Ahora, mientras me encuentro frente a mi computadora recordando, y por tanto viviendo nuevamente todas esas experiencias enriquecedoras, les pido a ustedes que compartan con el resto de nosotros algunos de sus momentos más importantes a nivel profesional durante el año pasado.