The current COVID-19 pandemic has left many independent contractors working from home. How different will life and work be in the weeks and months to come as we return to some kind of “normalcy”? Courts will find, if they haven’t already done so, that remote interpreting, or RI, will save them time and money. This technology existed long before the Pandemic, but since our current public health emergency, it has been implemented much more widely and, I must add, with great success!
However, its advantages and benefits come with many challenges. We must be flexible to overcome technical glitches and other obstacles, such as poor sound quality, parts that forget to pause for us, and the extra burden on our brains with tasks like texting a coordinator while we’re doing. our job, having to call one of the parties on a separate phone line, and so on.
Here are some things you can do to maximize your chances of a successful virtual performance, which will bring you more work in return:
- Prepare a script. This is what I am currently using, it is possible to adapt it to your specific circumstances:
Consecutive
“Good morning / afternoon Your Honor, this is Santiago Páez Certified Spanish Interpreter # 7-160. With your permission, the interpreter would like to remind the parties to speak clearly, directly into the microphone, and pause after short utterances in order to allow for a full and complete interpretation ”
“Thank you Your Honor!”
[Immediately repeat to the language user (s)]
Good morning / afternoon, the interpreter introduced himself and reminds the parties to speak clearly, directly into the microphone and to pause after short sentences to allow for a full and thorough interpretation. Thank you!
Simultaneous
“Good morning / afternoon Your Honor, this is Santiago Páez Certified Spanish Interpreter # 7-160. We do have the defendant / Spanish speaking party (ies) via the bridge / conference line. [or] Can The Court or the defendant provide a phone # for simultaneous interpreting ?. * With your permission, the interpreter reminds the parties to speak clearly, directly in front of the microphone, at a normal rate of speed, and one at a time to allow for a full and complete simultaneous rendition ”
“Thank you Your Honor”
[Immediately repeat to the language user (s)]
Good morning / afternoon, the interpreter introduced himself and * reminds the parties to speak clearly, directly into the microphone, at a moderate speed, and one at a time to allow a thorough interpretation Thank you!
[* or after the judge authorizes]
Mr / Mrs What is your phone number? I am going to call you from a blocked number, please answer and turn off the microphone.
- Make sure your web browser and video applications are always up to date. Check for updates weekly, as this could be the source of technical problems.
- Have a Plan B. Be prepared to join a courtroom by calling instead of a video connection, or to request a replay as many times as necessary. You have to adapt to the circumstances of each call.
- As much as possible and as a general rule, your average words per minute should be faster than that of the judge or the lawyers. The reason for this is that it makes a positive impression of your skills and saves precious seconds, maybe minutes (while working in Consecutive mode). Also, the message has already been transmitted once, and in the case of Spanish, the second most widely spoken language in the U.S. It is likely that there will be more than one bilingual speaker on the call, which could upset them and even make them question the interpretation by perceiving it as “taking too long.”
Thanks for reading my blog. Please leave your comments here
Santiago
