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Holly Behl Joins University of Texas at Arlington Faculty for Legal Interpreting

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Holly Behl has accepted a position teaching in the undergraduate Translation and Interpreting program at the University of Texas at Arlington. She joins the Modern Languages Department with many of the professors whose classes shaped her undergraduate experience, and will have the pleasure of teaching specialized interpreting topics such as interpreting in legal settings.

She will continue to accept projects involving Spanish to English translations of legal documents and serving as an expert witness on translation issues.

Will Artificial Intelligence Make Interpreters Obsolete?

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I read the news about Waverly Labs’ new in-ear realtime translation device (video below) with great interest. With rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), interpreters are sometimes asked if technology will soon replace us. The short answer is that technology definitely assists good interpreters and translators, and may eliminate the need for expenditure of human brain effort on certain large-volume, low-priority projects. But, while I do embrace new technology to assist me in my translation and interpreting work, I’m not the least bit concerned that it will send me to the unemployment line.
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Preciso’s Holly Behl Joins TAJIT Board of Directors

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It is my privilege and honor to announce that I am now serving translators and interpreters at the state level, after being nominated to the Texas Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators.  As a longtime TAJIT member, I have long believed that TAJIT is the organization best positioned to unite court interpreters and legal translators from across Texas and promote both our profession and meaningful access to justice for Limited English Proficient court users. The Board will meet soon to review TAJIT’s programs and strategy, under the leadership of Interim Chair Marco Hanson.

If you hire court interpreters or legal translators, I encourage you to look first to TAJIT members.

If you are a court interpreter or legal translator and you haven’t yet joined TAJIT (or if your membership has lapsed), I take this opportunity to humbly encourage you to join, in support of the advancement of our profession in Texas.

More information at TAJIT’s website.

 

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Content Copyright © 2015, Preciso Language Services

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph, including a link to www.PrecisoLanguage.com.

“Information courtesy of Preciso Language Services and www.PrecisoLanguage.com, a translation and interpreting firm owned by Certified Translator and Master Licensed Court Interpreter Holly Behl.”

 

 

 

DIY Interpreting – Money saver or false economy?

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This month’s Texas Bar Journal features DIY Depositions, an article exploring the pros and cons of recording depositions without a certified court reporter. The relevant statutes allow this practice under certain exceptions, but the author’s conclusion is that the inconveniences, risks, and resources required are usually not worth the meager savings of eliminating the services of a professional, certified court reporter.

The question of avoiding interpreter fees is also relevant for many law practices. Some bilingual attorneys interpret for their clients’ testimony when possible, and even more use bilingual assistants to interpret during pre-appearance preparations.  One attorney recently posted on Facebook in praise of a bilingual Justice of the Peace judge who allowed pro se litigants to proceed in Spanish, saving the parties hundreds of dollars in interpreter fees.

It’s true that there are ways to save on interpreter fees–but do they provide a true savings or a false economy?

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What is a “quality” translation?

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It’s safe to say that all translation companies promise quality translations. Most  clients understand that at the most basic level, a translation must be accurate—it has to say the same thing as the original.

But is an accurate translation necessarily a high quality one? And higher quality often comes at a price–when is it worth it to pay more?

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Fiat Justicia – Master LCI Awareness

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You may have seen some interpreters around the courthouse wearing a white button that bears their credential—Master Licensed Court Interpreter (MLCI). The slogan across the top reads Fiat justicia — “Let justice be done.” Holly Behl Texas Licensed Court Interpreter Dallas

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2014 – A Great Year at Preciso

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As we open a new year here at Preciso, I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude for 2014–a truly amazing year. Here are some highlights:

And, last but not least, the American Translators Association notified me that I passed its notoriously rigorous certification exam to earn the title of Certified Translator for Spanish>English. I can’t wait to update my business cards to display my Certified Translator seal.

In short, it has been an incredible year. I am grateful for every opportunity and to my wonderful clients and colleagues for your continued support. Here’s to an even better 2015!

-Holly

Evolution of a Dictionary Project: Interview with Legal Dictionary Author Javier F. Becerra

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Each year, Mexico City’s Escuela Libre de Derecho announces a law-school elective course inconspicuously titled “Legal English Workshop.” Now approaching its twenty-fifth year, the course is still taught by attorney, professor, and author Javier F. Becerra. The professor has written two legal dictionaries, the Dictionary of United States Legal Terminology (with Spanish explanations) and the Dictionary of Mexican Legal Terminology (with English explanations), each more than 1,000 pages, that are prized assets in many legal translators’ collections.

Dallas Texas court interpreter interviews legal dictionary author Javier Becerra

Becerra’s dictionaries on my shelf, in brown and yellow.

The Walking Dictionary

To understand Becerra’s dictionaries, however, we must leave the professor at his lectern for a moment and find him as a young Mexican lawyer, Continue reading →

When Court Certified Isn’t Enough

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I’m always glad when a potential client calls me for the first time to check availability and rates. And I really like it when they also ask, “By the way, you are court certified, right?” This tells me the client is interested in doing things right—my kind of client. But, before I answer that question, I always have an internal debate over how detailed my answer should be. Normally, I conclude that they just want to know if I’m qualified to interpret for the assignment they are asking me about. So, I just say, “Yes.”

But, at least here in Texas, this seemingly straightforward question is actually quite complicated. I hope this post will shed some light on qualifications for court interpreters in Texas. Continue reading →