Oliver Strömmuse - Manual for Beginning Interpreters: A Comprehensive Guide to Interpreting in Immigration Courts

Manual for Beginning Interpreters:A Comprehensive Guide to Interpreting in ImmigrationCourts

Practice exercises forbeginning interpreters with examples from real court settings inEnglish and Spanish, including colloquialisms from Sonora, Mexicoand an asylum hearing sample

Oliver Strmmuse

Anthony Tell LtdCo

Albuquerque, NM

Praise for Manual for BeginningInterpreters: A Comprehensive Guide to Interpreting in ImmigrationCourts

Strmmuses approachable and direct manualassists new interpreters in preparing for real hearings in U.S.immigration courts. He makes clear that he wrote this manualwhichoffers realistic but fictional bilingual transcripts presentingdefendants from Sonora, Mexicobecause help is urgently needed:The beginning interpreter lacks training and study materials tostart doing the complex job of interpreting in immigration courts,he notes. Opening with the story of a Spanish teacher whose friendinvited her to interpret in immigration court, the manual bothinvites and forewarns readers into the reality of this high-demandbut stressful job. Later sections demystify court proceedings,explaining master calendar hearings, a common, varied, andchallenging situation which might sometimes involve interpretingfor up to fifty people, or illuminating the processes of individualhearings.

Strmmuse makes a persuasive case for theurgency of this role, noting that in most U.S. immigration courts,Without the presence of a bilingual lawyer or family member, noone else can correct a mistake. He supplements clear-eyed accountsof an interpreters role with practical tips (Always interpret inthe first person. For example: I am Margarita or I am ngel.)plus sample vignettes that offer opportunities to practiceinterpreting and demonstrate the rigor, seriousness and highstandard expected of court interpreters. Abbreviated but notbrief, one sample script covering direct and cross examinationscomprises over half the manuals pages. As in a real proceeding,questions are posed in English, while the answers come inSpanish.

An accurate representation of how attorneysorganize their examinations, that hearing is organized intoblocks. In other ways, too, the manual simulates actual courtpractice, demanding that readers practice simultaneous, consecutiveand sight interpreting of legal terminology. The committedbilingual reader will follow along, aided by a glossary of termsand links to court documents for study. This manual will serve thebeginning interpreter almost as well as real experience.

An inviting and practical introduction tothe vital role of interpreter in immigration court.

BookLife Reviews

Disclaimer: This manual isnot intended, nor should it be construed in any way, as legaladvice. The characters and narratives usedin this book are all fictional, created for teaching purposes only.The PSGs mentioned during The Hearing do not represent a legallyaccurate basis for the asylum claimed presented. They are fictionalillustrations of the PSG concept presented for the sole purpose oflanguage and interpretation practice. Note that they might notreflect the reality of an actual asylum case.

Copyright 2020 by Anthony Tell Ltd Co.

All rights reserved. No part of this bookmay be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior writtenpermission of the copyright owner, except for use of briefquotations in a book review.

Publishers Cataloging-In-PublicationData

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Strmmuse, Oliver, author.

Title: Manual for beginning interpreters : acomprehensive guide to interpreting in immigration courts :practice exercises for beginning interpreters with examples fromreal court settings in English and Spanish, includingcolloquialisms from Sonora, Mexico and an asylum hearing sample /Oliver Strmmuse.

Description: [First edition]. | Albuquerque,NM : Anthony Tell Ltd Co, 2021. | Includes bibliographicalreferences.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781736215609 (paperback)| ISBN 9781736215616 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Translating andinterpreting--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Translatingand interpreting--United States--Problems, exercises, etc. |English language--Translating--Problems, exercises, etc. | Spanishlanguage--Translating--Problems, exercises, etc. | Immigrationcourts--United States. | LCGFT: Handbooks and manuals.

Classification: LCC P306.8.U6 S77 2021(print) | LCC P306.8.U6 (ebook) | DDC 418.020973--dc23

To request permissions, contact thepublisher at manualvolume1@protonmail.com.

Paperback: ISBN 978-1-7362156-0-9

Ebook: ISBN 978-1-7362156-1-6

First paperback edition 2021

Quantity discounts are available forimmigration law clinics, legal aid societies, legal advocacyorganizations, law schools, schools of translation andinterpretation, schools of continuing education, adult education,interpreting agencies, dual-language programs, researchers,academics and other institutions for resale, teaching, or gifts.Please contact: manualvolume1@protonmail.com.

Published by Anthony Tell Ltd Co.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Starting out

Reina startedout as a Spanish teacher. One night, years ago, Reina had the goodfortune to see her artist husband, Timothy, in action while heinterpreted for a crowd of Americans and Hispanics at an arthappening he had curated. He was conducting a live survey and hewanted to make sure everyone followed along. Reina couldnt believeher eyes. She knew hed been feeling under the weather but in spiteof that, he was fluid, quick and precise in his interpretations,ably bridging the gaps between English and Spanish. Her husband wasa natural interpreter!

Soon thereafter, Reina started teaching Spanish for medicalpersonnel at a medical center, where she found herself being askedto interpret for doctors, nurses and staff. She fell in love withinterpreting and decided to get certified so she could get anofficial job as an interpreter.

Even though her teaching engagements continued growing, becomingan interpreter remained her goal. When she learned of the medicalinterpreting program at a local college, she jumped at theopportunity. It was wonderful. The teachers were great, committedand very encouraging. They often brought in presenters to show avast array of interpreting techniques, such as simultaneousinterpreting. When she saw an interpreter demonstrate hersimultaneous skills, Reina was sold. She said to herself, Ive gotto learn that technique. Up to that point her highest goal hadbeen to emulate the two hours of impromptu consecutiveinterpreting shed seen her husband do years ago. But nowshe had a new challenge: not only to learn all the medicalterminology but also to be able to retrieve that information sofast that she could simultaneously convert the message from doctorsand nurses in real time. After two years of rigorous training, shewas on her way to starting a new career in the medical interpretingfield.

Reina soon was hired by a local hospital. The pay wasnt greator steady, but she loved the job. She was also supplementing herincome with teaching engagements and private clients: actors,lawyers and spouses from all walks of life frustrated by not beingable to communicate with their Latinx partners.

Six months into working in hospitals, a friend she hadnt spokento in years reconnected with her and told her she was also workingas a medical interpreter and teaching Spanish at a college. Shewent on to tell her about agencies that employed interpreters andabout working in immigration courts. Thats how she started doinginterpretation for immigration courts. After a telephonic test withone of the agencies, she was on her own, wandering around in thecourts, stumbling with concepts, phrases and words that didnt makesense to her. Shed thought the telephonic test had prepared herfor what was coming. It had not.