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On June 2 of last year, the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), the Association of Language Interpreters of Greater New York (ALIGNY), and the New York Circle of Translators (NYCT) held a forum under the title, “Translation and Interpreting: from Bilingualism to Professionalism.” The response to the symposium, in which I had the pleasure toContinue reading “Professionalism and Professionalization”

Rational people, when deciding whether to become translators and/or interpreters, will assess their own strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps they now live in a country where a language other than their native tongue is spoken, they have taken foreign language classes, or they grew up bilingual; and they have excelled in both languages. Whatever the case,Continue reading “The Translator and Interpreter Self-Help Industry”

The new Board of the New York Circle of Translators took office as of January 1 of this year, and I am no longer president. I am happy to pass on the reins to my successors and confident they will do an excellent job. I hope that future boards will be equally strong. Of courseContinue reading “Does the New York Circle Have a Higher Purpose?”

Joseph R. Paraguas entered the operating room. The patient lay on the operating table, her body covered with drapes except for the face and right lower leg, which ostensibly was the infected area. Mr. Paraguas nervously glanced over at the instrument table. He identified the scalpel, forceps, sterilization tray, and syringe. There were a fewContinue reading “The Price of Not Communicating”

As I write this article, summer is winding down and the nights are becoming cooler. Although the Board of the New York Circle has slowed its activities over these months, the fall preparations have continued at a steady pace and, now that fall is upon us, multiple events await. On September 1, Eileen Brockbank, LucyContinue reading “A Word from the President: Fall 2014”

Part 2. The Board of Directors’ work in 2014 and beyond In this essay, I discuss the Board’s current work and where we envision it will or may take us.[*] Current Projects Since Paolo Modigliani came into office as our treasurer in January of 2013, he has done a stupendous job of cleaning up ourContinue reading “The Purpose of the New York Circle of Translators”

Part 1. The Board of Directors’ last two years of work[*] It is obvious that the New York Circle of Translators lacks a raison d’être if it does not serve translators and interpreters. When I began as president-elect two years ago, I expressed my intention to make the association more relevant to members. Membership wasContinue reading “Why the New York Circle of Translators?”

“Two dollars a word…? But…” “That’s right: two dollars. If you want a Pascal Smithie translation, you’re going to have to pay accordingly!” “…but we’re a small agency,” the voice fretted through the earpiece, “we just don’t have that kind of money.” “Well, maybe you’d better look for another translator within your budget then,” PascalContinue reading “The Beauty of the Word”

In this essay, I compare three projects that involve collaboration: 1) what for me is a typical project for a translation agency that deals with legal subject matter; 2) a project that until recently was very atypical for me, i.e. the translation of academic articles on historical cartography for a direct client; and 3) aContinue reading “From Indirect to Direct Clients: A Comparative Analysis of Three Modes of Collaboration”

A message by Leonard Morin on behalf of the New York Circle of Translators to the buyers of language services[*] The invisible translator It is often said that when the oral or written word is translated ably the intermediating linguist becomes invisible. Perhaps this is why translators and interpreters are often taken for granted. TheContinue reading “Why Is Translation Important?”