Yes, immigration interpreting can be emotionally difficult. Interpreters can experience vicarious emotional distress from clients' stories of persecution and hardship. But emotional difficulty does not make this career impossible—the importance of these situations is what makes the career meaningful. Many interpreters stay in the field for decades because they know their work helps...
Imagine being asked, over a phone or video line from a detention facility, to describe the worst events of your life to a stranger. You have to be precise about dates, places, and names.
Now imagine you can only do it through someone else's voice.
That is...
If you're weighing a freelance vs. staff interpreter career, understand this first: these are not two versions of the same job. A freelance interpreter is self-employed-an independent contractor who chooses clients, sets their own schedule, and files a 1099 at tax time. A staff interpreter is a W-2 employee working in-house for a...
If you're pursuing medical interpreter certification in the US, two certifying agencies dominate the field: the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) and the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). Both NBCMI and CCHI certify medical interpreters in the US, and both certifications are widely accepted by hospitals and agencies. But...