Nice Trumps Nasty
Most of us have learned to see politeness as wimpy and meek. We contemplate meanness as a shield worth wearing, despite the long-lasting harm it does to others and ourselves once the excitement of immediate gains fades away.
For UN Interpreters, Less is More
Since the release of my video on the language requirements for interpreters in the UN, I have been contacted by many aspiring interpreters with questions that are, mutatis mutandis, more ore less the same. Basically, they want to know whether their language combination qualifies and they also wonder what else they could/should be doing to merit consideration […]
Oh, Yes. I’m the Great Pretender
As it turns out, Mr. Jorge Castañeda speaks impeccable English. Yet, after admitting to having spent years “interpreting other people’s bad jokes”, and promising he would do his best not to tell any of his own, he went on to indicate matter-of-factly that interpreting was how he paid his way through college. For a second, I found the […]
So You Want to Become a UN Interpreter
How can I become a UN interpreter? I get asked the question often by novice and experienced interpreters alike: Well, there is no real short answer to that question. Joining the staff of an international organization is a multi-step process, from the identification of a job offer (a.k.a., a Vacancy Notice), to preparing then submitting […]