The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2022 - 23

Question: Good morning, Mr.
Leblanc. How are you today?
Answer: Terrible. I'm here
right now, aren't I?
This becomes:
Question: Good morning, Mr.
Leblanc. How are you today?
Answer: Très mal. Je suis ici en
ce moment, n'est-ce pas?
Study Partners
Having a study partner is
an incredible way to stay
motivated, share resources,
and bring awareness to
problems (and solutions!)
you may not have thought
of on your own. It can also
be a nice way to validate
your interpreting skills
because we're often our
own harshest critics. It can
be a relief to hear from a
colleague about the things
that we're doing well.
Especially if you speak a
language of more limited
diffusion, resource sharing
is even more vital. I've been
able to find resources and
study partners through
Facebook groups. I manage
the ones below, which you're
welcome to join:
French Interpreting
Corner (Facebook)
https://bit.ly/French-interpret
A group for French
interpreters to share
resources and network.
Interpreters:
Certification or Bust
https://bit.ly/
Certification-bust
This group allows people
to discuss topics related to
certification exams.
www.ata-chronicle.online
Athena Sky Interpreting
https://bit.ly/Skyinterpreting
Here you'll find resources,
blogs, and information
about interpreting
workshops.
Whether online,
on social
media, or in
person, sharing
study tools is an
efficient way to
make the most
of resources we
already have at
our disposal.
It can take time to find a
study partner who is a good
fit. Once you do, though,
you're golden. It's also
important to establish a
procedure for how a study
session will go. I've had some
of the best conversations
with study partners
who evolve into friends.
That said, 45 minutes of
chatting doesn't count as
studying! You must also be
vigilant about not allowing
vocabulary discussions to
derail your efforts. Words
are just a tiny piece of
interpreting, and that's what
dictionaries are for.
Your partner should be
your sidekick as you go
about the detective work of
determining your weaknesses
and strengths. Look for
patterns. For example, what
sort of mistakes are made
repeatedly? Those are the
ones to pay attention to.
Above all, be specific with
the feedback you provide.
For example, telling your
partner to " Watch your
grammar " isn't very helpful.
I am watching my grammar.
If I make a mistake, it's often
because I didn't realize what
I was saying was wrong. So,
if you can be specific, as in,
" You said the ball was lying
in the floor, but the correct
preposition would be on
the floor, " I'll benefit from
that explanation.
A study practice session
should follow these steps:
1. Interpreter A interprets.
Interpreter B takes notes.
2. Interpreter A continues
until the exercise is
finished. Interpreter B
doesn't help them out!
3. Interpreter A debriefs,
starting with what
went well.
4. Interpreter A then points
out places where they felt
stuck or frustrated.
5. Interpreter B debriefs,
pointing out what
went well.
6. Interpreter B points
out specific patterns of
mistakes, along with
specific solutions.
7. The partners swap roles.
Pooling Resources
Whether online, on social
media, or in person, sharing
study tools is an efficient
way to make the most of
resources we already have
at our disposal. It doesn't
make sense to reinvent
the wheel, so if you have
glossaries, websites, or
online groups you find
useful, share them with
your colleagues and they'll
do the same. I keep a
running list of resources
on my website (https://
athenaskyinterpreting.com/
resources). If you find more
that you would like to have
added, just let me know!
Learn to Think Smart
and Maximize Your
Resources
I wish you all the best in your
professional development! It
may be true that you don't
always know what you've
got 'til it's gone, but in the
words of another great set of
musicians, The Beatles, " I'll
get by with a little help from
my friends. "
Allow your colleagues to be
your friends. Think smart
and don't reinvent the wheel.
Good luck!
Athena Matilsky has a BA in Spanish
interpreting and translation from Rutgers University
and a master's degree in conference interpreting
from Glendon College. She is a federally certified
court interpreter (Spanish<>English), a certified
health care interpreter (Spanish<>English), and an approved
court interpreter (French<>English). She served as a staff
interpreter for the New Jersey Judiciary from 2013-2016.
Currently, she works as a freelance interpreter and trains
candidates for the state and federal interpreting exams. She
owns Athena Sky Interpreting, where she coaches students
on interpreting technique. When she is not teaching and
interpreting, you can find her practicing Acroyoga or studying
French. Athenaskyinterpreting@gmail.com
American Translators Association 23
https://www.bit.ly/Skyinterpreting http://www.athenaskyinterpreting.com/resources http://www.athenaskyinterpreting.com/resources http://www.athenaskyinterpreting.com/resources https://www.bit.ly/French-interpret https://www.bit.ly/Certification-bust https://www.bit.ly/Certification-bust http://www.ata-chronicle.online
The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2022

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