Tuesday, August 31, 2010

So what now?

I just started this blog and already I am inexcusably behind.  Sometimes life happens and you just have to go with it.  Due to a series of events (personal and professional), I will be taking a leave of absence from Gallaudet for this upcoming school year.  This feels like an enormous set back, yet I am feeling surprisingly calm about this recent development.  Instantly, I felt a weight being lifted.  There was too much on my plate and too much stress in my life.  Now, I have the opportunity to step back and re-evaluate my personal and professional goals.  But, in my heart, I firmly believe that everything happens for reason, even if I don't know the reason- yet.

The last few weeks have been eye opening for me.  I was reminded of several life lessons and was prepared to write about them, however, I realize that it is one thing to pass on lessons learned and it is another thing to truly live them.  Like the old adage says "it's easier to say than do."  Sometimes, we learn the lesson the first time around, but often times we need to be reminded; then reminded again.

Life Lessons I need to be reminded of (and will be discussing in the coming weeks):
1) Own your work.
2) Take care of yourself- physically, emotionally, and mentally.
3)  Remember the big picture.
4) Never stop learning.

Most importantly, through all of this, I am reminded how bless I am to be surrounded by wonderful family, friends, and colleagues.  I have an amazing, loving husband; a supportive family; and great friends.  Surround yourself with encouraging, supportive people, instead of negativity.  Have people in your life who will meet up at nine o'clock that night because you need to talk or send you a text message wishing you a "Happy Tuesday."  Those are the people you want as your friend and colleague.

Today's lesson?  Surround yourself with people who build you up- not knock you down.

And having a beagle to snuggle up with doesn't hurt either...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Don't let the horror stories scare you

We've all heard the stories.  A community interpreter faints at a doctors appointment.  A VRS interpreter has a 911 call on her first day, or worse, her first call.  An educational interpreter walks into the high school and is assigned to Latin VI.  Okay, so the last one I made up, but the first two really happened, just not to me.  A friend of a colleague had to interpret a 911 call on her first day (or maybe it was a friend of a friend).  Another colleague almost fainted while interpreting a doctor's appointment.  Interpreters are almost infamous for their stories from the trenches, but I'll let you in on a little secret...

At least 98% of the time, all these scary things that we hear about during our interpreting classes and internships, don't happen!  But why do these urban legends persist in our profession?  I suspect that many of the storytellers had good intentions- "Let me tell you what happened to me a while ago, but will probably never happen to you so you'll feel better about interpreting."  And in all honesty, I am probably guilty too.  I heard stories and was scared by them.  Once I had a story or two, I proceeded to share my experiences as well.  The thing is that all interpreters have a story or two, but these stories are not daily occurrences.  In the course of my work, I am constantly going to new places, meeting new people, and learning new things.  Most of my work blurs together and fade into distant memories.  As a result, a handful assignments stand-out.  Some of them are memorable- in a good way, such as a particularly engaging presenter or a fabulous team.  On one hand, I can count the experiences that stand-out in a not-so-good way.  When I have a bad day, instead of dwelling on the negative, I try to remember all of the good days and why I love my job.

There will be bad days, difficult consumers, annoying teams, and 'CHA' vocabulary that you don't know.  But guess what?  The good experiences exponentially outnumber the bad ones.  Keep your chin up and don't let the horror stories scare you.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Who? What? Why?

If you know me, you might be wondering why I am writing a blog.  If you don't know me, you are probably wondering what qualifies me to write a blog.  Yes, I am forever running in Energizer bunny mode, balancing work, school, family, professional commitments, and my social life.  But, if you know me well, you know that I love projects.  This blog is my newest project.  Recently, through several discussions with current and future interpreters, I realized that there is so much that I wish I knew before I started interpreting.  Scratch that.  There is so much that I wish I knew before starting my ITP.  Either way, I have learned a lot in the past few years.

I graduated in 2007 with a dual degree in Interpreting and ASL/ Deaf Studies.  After working as an educational interpreter for a couple of years, I decided to pursue my MA in Interpretation at Gallaudet University.  I had a great job and fantastic co-workers, but there was so much more that I wanted to learn.  So, I took the leap and applied for the MAI program at Gallaudet.  A few months later, I took a bigger leap and dove into the freelance interpreting world in Washington, D.C.  For me, leaving was what was familiar and comfortable seemed like a huge risk.  Attending Gallaudet University and working as a community interpreter terrified me!  Despite my occasional moments of doubt, this was one of the best things that I have done for me.  Through it all, I have learned and grown exponentially.

Within the past year, I completed my first year of graduate school and I accomplished my goal of passing the National Interpreter Certification exam.  I am also the Support Staff Coordinator for the upcoming PCRID conference as well as recently-elected District I representative for VRID.  I thrive by staying busy.  Some days, I cannot believe how far I have come; other days, I remember how far I have to go.  I am a strong believer in life-long learning and professional development.  Everyday there are new challenges and lessons to be learned.  We must all learn for ourselves and learn from others.  I am blessed to have been continually surrounded by fabulous interpreters who have inspired me and helped me on my journey.  This blog is what I have learned from others and experienced first hand in the sign language interpreting field.