Spanglish

Happy Thanksgiving 2008!!

2008-11-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

Even though this blog is just about defunct, bad translations live on!!!

After I read a recent apartment building newsletter, I felt that a blog revival was in order.

Here's an excerpt...

Happy Thanksgiving!
The staff at Lakeview would like to wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Lakeview apartments then takes the extra step and makes an effort to wish its Spanish speaking audience a happy holiday as well...

Thanksgiving Feliz!
El personal en Lakeview quisiera desear que usted y su amara unos al dia de fiesta seguro y feliz de Thanksgiving.

Awwww... Isn't that nice?

A Word To The Wise Is Enough

2007-04-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

A buen entendedor, pocas palabras

Babel Fish translation:
Una palabra al sabio es bastante

My husband and I recently went to a local restaurant chain called “El Pollo Loco” to buy dinner. The friendly young lady behind the counter greeted us with “Welcome to El Pollo Loco, may I take your order?”, in a very thick accent. My husband proceeded to recite our order, but since my family is very picky, and our order was quite extensive... well, it soon became apparent that she was having trouble understanding.

So in order to preserve her dignity and the accuracy of our order, my husband turned to me, and gave me that familiar “you take over” look. He doesn’t speak Spanish.

Once I took over and clarified the misunderstanding, her next question to me was “Quiere pollo negro, blanco o mixteado?”

Say what???? Now I’m the one having trouble understanding! As you may already know, I’m well versed in Spanglish, but it took a moment before I realized what she meant.

She was asking if I wanted my chicken order to be dark meat, white meat or mixed, because there is a difference in price for each.

Mixteado??? Nice! Yet another addition to my Spanglish dictionary.

Pollo negro? Yikes! That doesn't sound too good.

This reminds me of a time when I was in line at Subway, and there was this couple waiting in front of me. It seems that the lady became nervous when she realized that all of the “Sandwich Artists” were Hispanic, so she turned to her Hispanic companion, and said to him in a low voice “Why don’t you order for me? I’m afraid they won’t get it right. I want a pastrami sandwich with cheese.”

When the man’s turn came to order he proudly proclaimed: “Quiero un sandwich de pastrami con chís.” Good thing she had him there to say it in Spanish!

Spanglish 101

I think there's enough Spanglish to learn in today's post. No homework for you today!

So Funny!

2007-03-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

I got a kick outta' this post:

Chez Cliff

It just goes to show... communication is vital! :)

Long Absent, Soon Forgotten

2007-03-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

Idos y muertos, olvidados presto

Babel Fish translation:
Ausente largo, pronto olvidado

Wow! I can't believe how much time has passed since I last wrote here! I've really missed it, but some health issues and life in general took priority. Anyway, I'm glad to be back, and I hope to blog more frequently.

Just a quick post about another one of those funny incidents from one of my depos.

Attorney: "Was your boss asian?"
(Interp: "Su patrón era asiático?")

Witness: "No, yo mas bien diría que era chino."
(Interp: "No, I'd say he was more like chinese.")

So much for being politically correct!

Spanglish 101

Mapear. To mop. Also mapeador, mop.

Let's try that in a sentence.

"Nos ponían a mapear todo el piso con un mapeador muy grande."

Homework Time

2006-11-27T18:53:00.001-08:00

Ni tanto que queme al santo, ni tan poco que no lo alumbre.

Babel Fish translation:
Neither as much that it burns santo, nor so little that not it alum

Ok, now it's your turn...

Does anyone know of a proverb in English that would come close to this one? I've asked a few colleagues and no one can seem to come up with one.

For you English only speakers, literally translated it means "not so much that it burns the saint, and not so little that it doesn't illuminate him". I realize it sounds pretty crazy in English, but it's saying about not going to extremes. Does it ring a bell? Any ideas?

How about the term biofeedback? The only term I've found is biorretroalimentación, and I don't like it.

¡Suena muy feo! :(

I'll keep looking in the meantime. :)

Spanglish Word of the Week

Barbero. Le pregunté a un señor "Ya recibió su capacitación?"

"Sí, ya. Estudié para ser barbero."

Pues para eso no se necesita estudio, digo yo!

Feast or Famine

2006-11-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

A veces nada el pato, y a veces ni agua toma

Babel Fish translation:
Something's wrong with Babel Fish. So no silly translation, sorry!

This happens to be a week of feast and famine for me.

You might be thinking "now how is that possible???" Allow me to explain.

It's famine because I only have only one assignment for this entire week. On average I have about 7, and right now I'm down to one. This seems to happen every year around the holidays: doctors and lawyers take time off and we're left with little or no work. One of the downsides of freelancing. So I guess this officially kicks off the holiday season for me. No work... no money... hooray!

I know I should be used to it by now and "save for a rainy day", but I guess my creative-right-dominant brain gets in the way. At least that's the excuse I like to use.

But hey, I shouldn't complain, I could really could use the time off. Actually, I haven't been feeling well lately, and I'm still kinda' out of it. For example this morning while preparing to go to my one and only job, I used air freshener instead of hairspray. So I spent the morning with a "piney-fresh" scent in my hair. Nice! I guess I've been hitting the meds a little too much!

Plus, I have a lot of catching up to do in my office. So many people to bill, so little time.

And then it's feast because this Thursday is Thanksgiving, of course! I'm actually looking forward to all the cooking and preparation for a change. I know it's crazy but I do enjoy it. A whole day of work for a meal that lasts roughly 20 minutes. What's not to love?

All kidding aside, it is my favorite holiday. I think it's great to have a day set aside specifically to thank God for our blessings and spend time with our families. Afterall, what could be more important than that?

Spanglish Word of the Week

Turqui. Those of you who have been taking my Spanglish course, should easily come up with this one!

As in the phrase "vamos a hacer un turqui y unos tamales."

Here's a hint:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2006-11-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

Una imagen vale mil palabras

Babel Fish translation:
Error decoding translated text
(Sorry, Babel Fish couldn't seem to handle this.)

This week I carried my camera with me to capture some of the nonsense I see written around town.

I had a good laugh with this one.

I've been to this law firm a few times and have worked with these attorneys. I have to tell you... this sign is actually quite appropriate!

Sounds like the title of one of those low budget mexican movies...

"ABOGADOS CRIMINALES DEL NORTE"

Here's another winner:

No comment.

Spanglish Word of the Week

Parquear. An all time favorite of course. Also parqueo, parqueadero.

"Parquié mi carro en el parqueadero de atrás."

Notice how the Spanish translation on this sign is only 3 lines long while the English version is 9. My guess is that these people didn't have a clue on how to translate this text. Why didn't they just write... "Trust us. You don't want to park here!!"

I like how they spelled it with a "k". Definitely much classier than my version! ;)

It's over!

2006-11-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

Well I guess my days of comfy procrastinating are over. I received this letter from the Judicial Council of California today.

November 9, 2006

Dear Interested Interpreter: (interested interpreter??)

Thank you for your interest in the Court Interpreters Program. This is in response to your request to be informed of the test dates and locations for the upcoming Court Interpreter examinations.

Test dates and registration deadlines for the Winter 2006-2007 and Spring 2007 test cycles have been posted on our Test Dates and Locations Web page at:

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/programs/courtinterpreters/testing.htm

Thank you for your patience while the new test dates and locations were being established.

Sincerely,

Court Interpreters Program
Executive Office Programs Division
Judicial Council of California
Administrative Office of Courts (whew!)

Well I guess that's that. I also received a tongue lashing from my "Mother Interpreter". She says I need to stop making excuses and take the challenge. I know she's right, but the timing couldn't be worse. I definitely have some decisions to make... I'll keep you posted!

Comfort Is Better Than Pride

2006-11-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Ande yo caliente y ríase la gente

Babel Fish translation:
La comodidad es mejor que orgullo

There’s a creepy applicant’s attorney that I run into at depos from time to time. I find him creepy because he hits on me all the time, even though I’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m not at all interested. He stares at me, makes inappropriate comments and makes me feel very uncomfortable. Not to mention that he knows that I’m married, and he knows I know he’s married. I’ve even worked with his wife a few times.

My problem is that I never know when I will be working on a depo that he’s on. I don’t find that out until I arrive for the assignment.

So on Thursday, I was unpleasantly surprised to find out he was the attorney on the case. He arrived fashionably late as usual, Starbucks in hand.

“Hey!!!… how are you? It’s so good to see you!” He said with an excessive amount of enthusiasm. Crap!!! Here we go again!

“Oh. Hi.” I replied as unenthusiastically as I possibly could.

“Wow! You look great!! Have you had a makeover??” I couldn’t believe my ears… a makeover?? Is he serious? Now how am I supposed to answer that kind of a stupid question??!!?? Obviously he’s been watching way too much reality TV. And... what on earth is he talking about?? I look the same as I always do! So I said nothing.

“No seriously… did you do something different with your hair? Is that a new suit?”

I stared right at him and with all the dryness and hostility I could muster I said “No.”

“So… I wanna’ know when it is we’re going to have lunch!!” He said.

I was starting to lose my patience at this point and I snapped back “We’re not. I already told you that’s not going to happen.”

He looked at me kinda’ funny and said “Yeah, but you never know…” Eeeewwwww…

The air conditioning wasn’t working very well in that office, and someone mentioned how uncomfortably hot it was. The creep looked at me and said “Yeah, it’s pretty hot in here… shouldn’t you take off your jacket?”

“No, I’m fine.” I said. There is no way I’m going to take off this jacket! I don’t care if I melt. Actually… does anyone happen to have a burka?

This next part is unbelievable… if it weren’t for the fact that I had witnesses, I probably wouldn’t believe it myself.

During the deposition, he actually tried to take my picture a couple of times with his camera phone. Only I caught it out of the corner of my eye, and quickly moved my chair so that his client was blocking his view of me.

The room we were in was indeed getting very warm. Some of the office staff brought in a fan to cool it down a bit. “I really think you’d be more comfortable if you took off your jacket.” He said again, this time in a mocking tone. I gave him another cold stare, said nothing and I thought… And I really think I’d be more comfortable if you'd just shut up and leave me alone! This is one reason why it’s always a good idea to wear a business suit to these things. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on my forehead, and yet I proceeded to button up my jacket.

When everything was over, I waited for the court reporter so that I wouldn’t have to walk out to my car alone, and she said to me “Did you notice that he was trying to take your picture?? How scary was that? I almost stopped the depo to tell him to stop it.”

“Yeah, I did see that." I replied "I wish you had stopped it. If that ever happens again, I’m going to ask him to stop, on the record, and embarrass him. I don’t care what the defense attorney thinks.”

“Oh, he noticed it too. He said he was so weirded out by the whole thing that he felt like going home and taking a shower!”

This is pretty scary. I’m thinking some lessons in martial arts may be in order.

Spanglish Word of the Week

Quequi. "Hacíamos quequis de todas clases" she said. The sad thing is that this time I knew exactly what was meant. So without missing a beat I interpreted "We made all kinds of cakes."

What ever will become of my Spanish?

El ajonjolí de todos los moles*

2006-10-29T19:31:00.000-08:00

Jack of All Trades*

Babel Fish translation:
Ajonjoli of All The Masses

The oral portion of the California court interpreting exam is extremely difficult to pass. Last I heard, there is something like a 90% failure rate. When I was first starting out as an interpreter I was told time and time again “no one passes it on the first try”. Since I passed the medical and the administrative exams on the first try, I would think to myself… aw’ c’mon… how hard can it be?

Well I soon found out. That exam was absolutely brutal!!! Needless to say, I didn’t pass it.

That was 5 years ago, and I haven’t tried again. I’ve found consolation in remembering what I was told “no one passes it on the first try”. That is until Eduardo came along...

Eduardo is an actor, a singer, a writer and a waiter... I mean server.
He has come to “Hollywood” to pursue his dream and be discovered. Somewhere along the line, he decided that court interpreting might be a nice little way to fill his spare time between auditions and make some good money as well.

So he went to school, took some interpreting courses and then took the state exam. And guess what? HE PASSED IT ON THE FIRST TRY!!! I know interpreters that have been working forever and a day and have failed that exam 6 times! This guy steps up to the plate for the very first time and hits a homerun! Amazing!

Well I guess I can’t use that lame excuse anymore, apparently it IS possible to pass the thing on the first try.

So now I find myself thinking of all kinds of things. Is it time to try again? Am I ready for the endless hours of study and practice needed to pass? Do I even want to work in court? Do I really care?

Oh… wait a minute! I have another excuse! CPS has stopped administering all interpreter exams indefinitely!

Great! Now I can go back to my comfy procrastinating…

*Contributed by Eduardo, Court Certified Interpreter

Spanglish Word of the Week

El día del triqui-triqui. Well it's not a word really, but it's appropriate for the season.

A man said he had been hurt at work "el mero día del triqui-triqui". I asked permission to inquire... he meant that he had been hurt right on Halloween day.

So if you happen to have little kids dressed up in costumes coming to your door and shouting "triqui-triqui!!!", now you know what that means. :P

Testing 1-2-3

2006-10-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

I'm very frustrated. I can't load pictures to this blog anymore...

Oh wait!... it worked!

Ok... um... everybody... meet Link.

Well, hopefully we're back in business.

Now would anyone happen to know why I can't type accents on my laptop?

Eat Your Words!

2006-10-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

¡Cómase sus palabras!

Babel Fish translation:
¡Coma sus palabras!

Any interpreter will tell you that one of the more annoying aspects of our job is to be challenged. Especially when the person doing the challenging has no business doing so, which of course is usually the case. It’s almost always going to be that person that “habla español un poquito”. And it will undoubtedly be over something pointless and stupid.

Why is that? Why is it that some attorney that learned some Spanish in High School feels sufficiently qualified to do my job? That’s the same as me thinking I can litigate just because I watch a lot of “Law & Order”.

On Friday, the applicant’s attorney for the depo told me that she would not need me for the prep. She proudly proclaimed “I speak Spanish and I can handle it myself.”

While she and her client were waiting to be escorted to a private room, I overheard her client ask “Oiga, ayer me llegó una carta que dice que tengo que volver a ir con el doctor. Y eso porqué?” The Spanish speaking attorney answers “Porque quiero agarrar un reporte más corriente.” I thought to myself... hmmmm… she must work for Babel Fish.

During the deposition, the deponent was being questioned about her meals (don’t ask me why, I thought it a bit strange myself). The term "lunch" came up and I interpreted it as “comida”. The Spanish speaking attorney immediately jumped in to correct me and said “No, no, that’s not right. Lunch is almuerzo. Comida means food.”

I asked to go off the record so that I could stop interpreting and respond. “Judging by the accent, I’m almost certain that the deponent is from Mexico” I said “and in Mexico, we refer to lunch as comida. In many parts of Mexico, almuerzo actually means breakfast.”

“No, that can’t be right. Comida means food. Almuerzo is lunch” she insisted. So I said “Let me talk to her for a moment”.

I turn to the deponent and say (in Spanish) “Ok, you know the meal that comes first thing in the morning? What do you call that?”

“Almuerzo” she replied.

“Now the meal that comes after that one, around the middle of the day” I continued “what do you call that?”

Without hesitation she says… “Comida”. Oh yeah! She shoots… she scores…

I look over to the Spanish speaking attorney with a “there-are-you-satisfied” look. All she said was “Oh… I didn’t know that.”

Exactly! Would you like something to drink with that?

Spanglish Word of the Week

Quiquiándola. This is just great! You take a slang term like "kicking back", slang it up some more and turn it into "kickin' it". Then you take that and translate it into Spanglish and... voilà!

Quiquiándola.

"Hola Omar, qué haces?"

"Pues aquí nomás, ququiándola."

Where will it all end?

Just For Kicks, Part Two

2006-10-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

Nada más por gusto, 2da parte

Babel Fish translation:
Apenas para la parte dos de los retrocesos

I couldn't resist... just one more... I promise!

Looking for roaring good deals? Come to the...

1st Annual

Sun Valley Elementary School

Rummage Sale

Silent Auction

Saturday August 24

8:00 am - 12:00 noon

5490 Leon Drive

Find deals on clothing for kids and adults, housewares, small appliances, sporting goods, arts and crafts, books and jewelry. Enter the silent auction for a rocking chair, cabinet sewing machine and jewelry.

Proceeds go to the SVES student activity fund and P.E. program.

This is just... well you'll see...

¿Buscar buenos repartos el rugir? Venido a...

1er Venta De Rummage Anual De la Escuela Primaria Del Valle Del Sol Y

Subasta Silenciosa

Sábado de agosto el 24

8:00 mañana a la impulsión de Leon de mediodía 5490 de 12:00

El hallazgo reparte en arropar para los cabritos y los adultos, las mercancías de la casa, las aplicaciones pequeñas, las mercancías que se divierten, los artes y los artes, los libros y la joyería. Incorpore la subasta silenciosa para una silla, una máquina de costura de gabinete, y una joyería oscilantes.

Los ingresos van al fondo del estudiante de la actividad de SVES y al programa de P.E.

(¡Pobres estudiantes! ¿Hasta dónde irán a dar esos ingresos?)

Thanks Becky!!!!

Spanglish Word of the Week

Laquear . I think you may be getting the idea by now, and you probably know that this means " to lock". "La puerta estaba laqueada." "Lo laquié con llave."

Just For Kicks

2006-10-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Nada más por gusto

Babel Fish translation:
Apenas para los retrocesos

This time I'm just going to copy a flyer that my sister received from her daughter's school. I think it's so funny! Enjoy!

Parent Art Classes

Are you interested in the arts? Are you interested in spending creative time with your kids?

Join us for Parent Art classes at Sun Valley Elementary School for SVES parents and students together.

Celebrated local artist John Coleman will be holding four art workshops for parents.

September 3, 10, 17, and 24, 6:00 - 7:00 pm

SunValley Elementary School, multipurpose room

For more information call 674-4420.

And now the fun part... the Spanish translation... if you can call it that!

Clases Del Arte Del Padre

¿Está usted interesado en los artes? ¿Está usted interesado en tiempo creativo del gasto con sus cabritos?

Ensámblenos para las clases del arte del padre en la escuela primaria del valle del sol para los padres y los estudiantes de SVES juntos.

El artista local celebrado Juan Coleman sostendrá cuatro talleres del arte para los padres.

De septiembre el 3, 10, 17 y 24, sitios multipropósito de la escuela primaria del valle del sol de 6:00 - 7:00 pm.

Para más llamada 674-4420 de la información.

It's a good thing my sister speaks English!

Spanglish Word of the Week

Frailero (noun). When this guy used this word to describe his job position, I thought to myself, hmmm... he doesn't look very religious... plus he doesn't have that funny haircut and the missions in this area ended long ago. So I had to inquire. It turns out he was a fry cook. "Yo era el frailero de ese lugar, porque yo fraiaba las papas."

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

2006-09-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Si el río suena, es porque agua lleva

Babel Fish translation:
Donde hay humo hay fuego

Today was the weirdest! This job definitely goes in my top 10.

First of all I was working on a Saturday and that was very unusual. I had to go to applicant attorney’s office for the signing of couple of C&R’s*. The reason for doing them on a Saturday was because these people are now working and cannot come in during the week. And since I’m such a push-over... well, I agreed to do this on a Saturday.

The first lady was taking forever to decide. I interpreted and we reviewed all the documents with her, answered all her questions and she could not decide if she wanted to sign or not. She stepped outside called someone on her cell… then brought her sister in to have everything explained to her… then brought her mother in, explained it all to her also… FOREVER!!! Finally, well over an hour into this, she decided to sign and so we got it done.

The next guy was a piece of cake. I interpreted his documents, everything was explained and his attitude was “Yeah, whatever… where do I sign?” Just then I hear some shouting out in the hallway. “Is anybody in here??!!?? You must leave the building immediately!!” It was the Fire Department. Apparently there was a fire in the building on the first floor. We were up on the third floor and completely unaware.

We ran down the stairwell and when we opened the door leading out to the lobby there was smoke everywhere, but we made it safely out of the building.

A motor in the elevator, or something or other, had a short circuit. The details were very sketchy. The lady that had been taking forever to sign, together with her family, went to try to use the elevator. Since it was taking a such long time they decided to take the stairs instead. When they got to the lobby and saw all the smoke, they tried to call us upstairs to warn us, but the attorney’s people don’t answer the phone on Saturdays. It wasn't safe to go back upstairs, so the "forever lady" went ahead and called the fire department.

Next thing we know, we’re being evacuated.

Thank God, everything turned out ok in the end. Everyone was safe and the fire was put out in time. No major damage, except for the elevator itself.

Plus, I did get that last C&R signed just before we ran out of the building… cool under fire!

Spanglish Word of the Week

Sanblás (verb) “Sir, what other companies did you work for besides this one?” asked the defense attorney. I interpreted: “I worked for the San Blas Company”. The deponent looked at me, shook his head and said “NO, NO, sanblás, sanblás!!”

“Interpreter’s correction…” I sighed “I worked for a sandblasting company”.

Boy, you think I’d learn by now.

*C&R: Compromise and Release. Final settlement documents in a worker's comp case.

Body Language

2006-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Expresión corporal

Babel Fish translation:
Lengua de cuerpo

Here are a couple of excerpts from transcripts of depositions I worked on recently.

Q: Sir, did you suffer any other injuries while working for this company?
A: Yes, I cut my finger.
Q: Which finger was that?
A: This one right here.
Q: For the record, the applicant is holding up his right middle finger.
Did you require medical attention for that?
A: Yes, they took me to the doctor and they gave me stitches. Here’s the scar.
Q: When did that happen?
A: About 6 or 7 years ago.
Q: Any other injures besides those?
A: No, that’s all.
Q: Ok sir, you can go ahead and put your finger down now.

(Note: we were all trying not to laugh because of how he was holding up his finger, right up in the defense attorney’s face so that he could see the scar.)

The lady in this case claimed she injured her right arm and therefore could no longer work. She’s being questioned by the defense attorney.

Q: Is there anything that you used to be able to do but that can no longer do because of your injury?
A: Yes, I can’t do this.
Q: You mean put your right arm straight up over your head like you’re doing right now?
A: Yes, I can’t do this.
Q: Again, for the record, you’re talking about raising your right arm straight up clearly above shoulder level like you’re showing us right now. Counsel, would you agree with that description?

(Note: At this point the applicant’s attorney bites down on his pen so hard, I thought for sure he was going to split it in half or break his teeth or something.)

There was another occasion when a lady claimed to have injured her foot and ankle at work. She said to her attorney “It’s still swollen… see… take a look!” as she raises her foot up onto the table to show him. Her attorney was stunned… she was wearing stiletto heels!!
He says to her (and I quote) “What the hell are you wearing??!! I thought you said your foot was hurting you!”
Her answer… “I always wear these when I go out.” (???!!!??).

Amazing... isn't it?

Spanglish Word of the Week

"Chipin" This came from a form that someone filled out at an attorney's office. In the space for "Job Position", the guy wrote "chipin". I can only assume he meant shipping.

Better Late Than Never

2006-09-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

Más vale tarde que nunca

Babel Fish translation:
Mejore tarde que nunca

Interpreters and court reporters cannot be late for a deposition. Everyone else can, but court reporters and interpreters… NEVER!

Even though we routinely wait from 30 minutes to 2 hours for attorneys and applicants to show up and it is rare for a deposition to actually start on time.

For example, last Friday morning, a prep interpreter was 15 minutes late for his assignment. The applicant’s attorney basically tore him a new one and told him that if it ever happened again he would stop using that agency.

Even though he was late, I felt terrible for him! He did call the office to inform them that he was stuck in traffic (quite possible considering he was traveling from Inglewood to Canoga Park). And another thing, the attorney that was yelling at him had only arrived 5 minutes before the prep interpreter, so he himself was 10 minutes late! The nerve!

Note: In case you’re wondering what a prep interpreter is... It is very common for there to be two interpreters at a deposition: one for time the attorney uses to prepare his client and another for the actual deposition. The “prep interpreter”, as we call them, is hired by the applicant’s attorney, the “depo interpreter” by the defense. On Friday, I was the depo interpreter.

That same day I had another job at 1:30pm. When I arrived there at 1:25pm, the receptionist informed me that the applicant’s attorney brought his own prep interpreter (Again! Aren’t you glad you now know what that is?). This means that I will have to wait from 30 minutes to an hour for the depo to start. Since I’m pretty familiar with everyone at that particular office, I let the receptionist know that I’m going to go downstairs to the cafeteria in the meantime. She gives me the okay.

So I’m in the cafeteria and about 10 minutes later I get a call from the agency I’m working for. It’s the owner and he’s frantic wanting to know why I’m late for my assignment. I explained that I wasn’t late, but in fact arrived early since I wasn’t needed for the prep. I told him that I had checked in with the receptionist but was told that I wouldn’t be needed for a while. He answered that I should not have left and to return immediately. He seemed pretty upset, so I hurried back upstairs.

When I get there the receptionist apologizes to me about the mix-up, and says they were in fact looking for me to do the prep but that they’ve decided to go ahead and use the prep interpreter instead. So I end up waiting in the reception area for 45 minutes after all. *Sigh*… all in a day’s work, I guess.

Spanglish Word of the Week

"Firiar" (verb). Believe it or not, a lady actually used this to say "feed". "Yo firiaba a los pacientes." I remember cringing everytime she said it. I got the chills just now as I typed it!

You Learn Something New Everyday

2006-09-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

Todos los días se aprende algo

Babel Fish Translation:

Usted aprende algo diario nuevo

This post is for the two of you that are not interpreters. You other two can sit this one out if you wish, or if you’re incredibly bored and have nothing better to do, then by all means, join us!

Maybe it’s best if I give you some background on what exactly I do in my line of work. So here we go.

According to the State of California, I am an Administrative Hearing Interpreter. I am to “interpret during state agency hearings for persons lacking sufficient English language proficiency to understand the proceedings”. This includes Social Security, EDD and Worker’s Compensation, to name a few.

I'm an independent contractor and I work for several interpreting agencies. The majority of the assignments I get have to do with Worker’s Comp, and mostly depositions at that.
And now (oh joy!) a brief overview of Worker’s Comp depositions (this will make things easier for future posts, trust me).

When a person files a Worker’s Comp case in this state, it’s very common for a deposition to be taken as part of the discovery process. It’s simply a question and answer session that the defense uses to investigate a claim. The minimum amount of participants in the type of depos that I do is 5:

The applicant (AKA the injured worker)
The applicant's attorney (attorney for the injured worker)
The defense (generally the attorney representing the employer’s insurance company)
The court reporter (officer of the court that will take down everything that is said and that will administer the oath)
The interpreter (me)

Sometimes a representative for the employer will also be present. Now that we have that out of the way, aren’t you glad you learned something new (and boring!) today?

Spanglish Word of the Week

"Paleta" (noun). No, I don't mean popsicle or that round thing with a hole that artists use for their paints. People often use this word to mean pallet (the wooden kind), as in “Descargué la paleta”. I've even had someone use the term "carrito de las paletas" to mean pallet jack. Yikes!

Here's some yummy "paleta" info.

Well Begun is Half Done

2006-09-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Obra empezada, medio acabada

Babel Fish translation:
El pozo comenzado se hace a medias

(Babel Fish just cracks me up!!)

In this blog I will be sharing some of the day to day experiences I've had as an interpreter, as well as my thoughts, frustrations and challenges... all seasoned with a little bit of humor. My idea is for this to be fun and learn something in the process.

But please bear with me, as this is a work in progress. Suggestions and comments are appreciated!

I've selected the name of Doña Marina, since this was the name given to "La Malinche", the infamous interpreter. I find this woman's life quite fascinating, so her story seems like a good place to start. Make sure to click on the Spanish version of this story as well, it's an excellent translation.

Now here's a woman who interpreted for Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of México. Wow! Talk about a tough gig!

Spanglish Word of the Week

"Serapeador" (noun). A man said this was his job position. He was a set-up person. He'd set-up tables, chairs, etc. for events at a hotel. "Yo era serapeador." He also used it as a verb, "Yo serapeaba las mesas."