Dear Members,
We are already at the half year mark of this 2013. Time definitely flies by very quickly. There have been many conferences
in the Interpretation & Translation realm, and many still to come. We’d love to hear from your experiences, your thoughts
or maybe you have had an “A-ha!” moment which can rev up this industry. Hopefully, you are able to get the most out of
these conferences as our previous author Erin Rosales wrote about in our last issue and meeting the people which can help
move the profession forward.
With that being said, keep in mind that we have the TAHIT symposium coming up in September and I would love to meet
the members and put some names to the faces of our authors. I will be there so make sure you stop by to say hi.
I hope you enjoy this next issue of Encounters, as I did. Please remember to reach out to me if you are interested in
publishing your next article with us, or if you find an article which you think should definitely be in our next issue.
Mirna Bonales
Editor
“
W
hy don’t you become a medical interpreter?” A fellow interpreter
asked me 3 years ago. My response was a, “Heck no, that job
is way too hard.” I was working at Language Line Services at the
time and felt quite comfortable as a customer service interpreter, but life is always
throwing curve balls. Being the type of person that always seeks bigger and better
opportunities, I am now employed as a medical interpreter and I absolutely enjoy it.
As a child, I always dreamed of working in the medical field, but never thought of
being a medical interpreter. I’m currently working on obtaining my CCHI certification
because I believe in providing the best service possible, and I want to be a part
of professionalizing the career. Being the first person in my family to get a college
degree, expectations to succeed were high. During college, I envisioned myself,
suit and tie, working in a downtown sky-scraper, but it has been quite the opposite.
Instead, I work from home with a few outside assignments once in a while. So rather
than seeing this as a step down to what I envisioned during college I decided to
really appreciate the value of my work. I make a difference in the lives of individuals
every day. I am at the forefront, converting the interpreter career into a respectable
profession and that has not been an easy endeavor to pursue. But facing uphill battles
is what I do.
I am a blind interpreter, but I prefer to see myself as an interpreter who happens to be
blind. I do what millions of individuals do every day to survive. I too enjoy nice things,
and I like having a little extra in my wallet, and the fact that I’m working shouldn’t be
viewed as an incredible story. I use alternative techniques to fulfill my job duties. I
read Braille, a combination of 6 raised dots which form letters, and JAWS, a screen
reading software on my computer which allows me to do almost anything.
I have always worked twice as hard to prove myself. No matter what it says on my
resume, once they see the face attached to it, they wonder, how did you do this?
Most of the time, no one realizes that I’m blind since I interpret over the phone, but my
goal is not to impress, it is to do my job just like everyone else. So instead of dodging
those curve balls, I try to catch them.
TAHIT- Message from the Editor
Blind Curve Balls
By JOSE MARQUEZ, MEDICAL INTERPRETER
Encounters Online Magazine
|
5
“
Being the type of person that always seeks bigger
and better opportunities, I am now employed as a
medical interpreter and I absolutely enjoy it.
”
