Jeffrey Alfonso

A Social Review of the American Translators Association Conference in Chicago

7 Comments / Experience, Interpreting, News, Translation, Uncategorized / Jeffrey Alfonso / November 10, 2014 / American Translators Associationc, ATA, Chicago, conference, court interpreter, interpreter training, interpreter workshop, Translation, Zumba

Once again this year, the American Translators Association hosted its successful 55th annual conference (ATA55) in Chicago with an audience of 1,842 of the smartest linguist in the world! With approximately 190 educational sessions, it was an incredible opportunity for professional development, thereby polishing my skills as an interpreter.

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Gauging the Performance of Board Members

18 Comments / Ethics, Interpreting, Translation / Jeffrey Alfonso / October 28, 2014 / ATA, Business ethics, conference, court interpreter, interpreting, Translation

During the past week, I observed negative speech against the ATA board. I wrote a blog and then welcomed open frank conversation and that is exactly what I recieved. Accountability, public relations, and finances have been discussed. Some feel that the ATA board has not fulfilled its promises. Below is a summary of each current

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Issues Pertinent to Electing New ATA Board Members

33 Comments / Experience / Jeffrey Alfonso / October 20, 2014 / American Translators Associationc, ATA, conference, ethics, interpreter ethics, interpreter training, interpreter workshop, interpreting, Translation

I would like to recognize the hard-working board members of the American Translators Association (“ATA”). Theirs is a thankless job. As volunteers, they contribute valuable time and effort to serve in this position. The position, however, is very important, as it affects the lives of every person in the language profession.

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“You will come running back to us, you’ll see!”

Ethics, Experience, Interpreting, Medical Interpreting, Sales/Marketing, Spanish Interpreting, Uncategorized / Jeffrey Alfonso / October 18, 2014 / Business ethics, interpreter ethics, interpreting, Medical interpretation, Workers compensation

Those were the words uttered to me by a representative of one of the largest national interpretation agencies about five years ago. What led to those words, and did they become reality? A determination of who I am and what I shall become.

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Remembering 9/11: Rebuilding

2 Comments / Experience, Interpreting / Jeffrey Alfonso / September 11, 2014 / Remembering 911

For a long time I didn’t want to talk about my experience on September 11, 2001. A few years ago, I opened up about it, and wow what a flood of emotion. For several years now, on the anniversary, I have blogged my feelings about that experience. Now I would like to talk about resiliency

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Seeking Answers to my Workers’ Comp Insurance Company Frustrations

Business, Communication, Ethics, Experience, Interpreting, Medical Interpreting / Jeffrey Alfonso / July 27, 2014 / Business, Business ethics, ethics, interpreter ethics, interpreting, Medical interpretation, Workers compensation

In the workers’ compensation industry, large insurance companies tend to have a policy to hire only national interpreting agencies. These agencies typically contract out to the cheapest unqualified bilingual labor they can find. The agencies do this so that they can reduce expenses and increase profit. The result is an industry rife with untrained, unskilled

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Preparation is a major key to success

1 Comment / Business, Experience, Interpreting, Legal Interpreting, Spanish Interpreting / Jeffrey Alfonso / June 28, 2014

The other day, I had the privilege of attending a Carolina Association of Translators and Interpreters (CATI) social event in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was enjoying a delicious slice of pizza and chatting with my fellow interpreters and translators. While we all shared experiences, one of my colleagues, Anna Gallant Carter of Gallant Language Consulting,

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Why don’t more professionals demand quality interpreters?

1 Comment / Business, Communication, Ethics, Experience, Interpreting, Medical Interpreting / Jeffrey Alfonso / June 18, 2014 / Business ethics, interpreter ethics, Legal Interpreting, Medical interpretation, Workers compensation

I have been told by physical therapists that they prefer our services much better than the present interpreter with whom they are forced to work. Why do they prefer us? Because our interpreters are always next to the patient, attentive, and ready to interpret. They tell me that the other interpreters tend to sit in

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Six Frustrating Challenges When Using An Interpreter

2 Comments / Communication, Experience, Interpreting, Legal Interpreting, Medical Interpreting / Jeffrey Alfonso / May 5, 2014 / court interpreter, Legal Interpreting, Medical interpretation, medical interpreter

There is nothing more beautiful to an interpreter than a smooth-running assignment. Often issues arise and complicate matters, and usually they can easily be resolved. This article is intended to address some common, frustrating problems for users of interpreting services and interpreters, and their easy solutions. 1. Whispering and Mumbling

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How Case Managers Can Work with Interpreters – Part III

1 Comment / Business, Communication, Ethics, Experience, Interpreting, Medical Interpreting, Spanish Interpreting, Workers' Comp / Jeffrey Alfonso / April 16, 2014 / Assuring accuracy for your peace of mind, Business ethics, ethics, interpreter ethics, Medical interpretation, workers comp., Workers compensation

This entry will conclude my three-part series on effective relations between the case manager and the interpreter. Role Boundaries: “The interpreter maintains the boundaries of the professional role, refraining from personal involvement.” We discussed this a little, but another issue merits consideration. Some case managers will ask the interpreter to relay messages if the patient

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A Social Review of the American Translators Association Conference in Chicago

Gauging the Performance of Board Members

Issues Pertinent to Electing New ATA Board Members

“You will come running back to us, you’ll see!”

Remembering 9/11: Rebuilding

Seeking Answers to my Workers’ Comp Insurance Company Frustrations

Preparation is a major key to success

Why don’t more professionals demand quality interpreters?

Six Frustrating Challenges When Using An Interpreter

How Case Managers Can Work with Interpreters – Part III

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