I took the test...

So I took the test yesterday. I went prepared with three No. 2 pencils, an apple in my bag, and a stomach in knots.

I left the room knowing that [Editor's note: portions of this entry have been deleted because before taking the test, Jo-Hanna swore an oath not to discuss the contents of the test. She takes this stuff seriously.]. After handing in the test, I had some lunch and bought new shoes. Optimism will do that to you.

Assuming I passed, next stop is to take the oral test.

A post on being an ASL interpreter, from Audra Williams's blog Your Dirty Answer. This post includes a list of pros and cons for schools for Deaf kids.

Hey, I didn't know ASL was recognized as an official language relatively recently.

Translation is not a hobby, but...

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Translation is not a hobby for me. I take it seriously. From the smaller assignments I may be given at work, to the more complex ones that require painstaking research. From the pro bono projects I have done, to the ones that involved a nice paycheck.

Then again, it might be easier if it was.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

Testing, testing.

Dear readers:

I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to "jinx" it. Or, to be honest, because I didn't want to have to admit defeat in case I failed. Then again, is that the right mindset? No.

I am planning on taking a written test later on this month. If I pass, I will be one step closer to becoming a certified interpreter.

Right now, I am studying legal terms. I have heard most of these before, both in English (thanks, Law & Order reruns) and Spanish. Being able to link the corresponding terms is what separates the bilingual individual from the translator or interpreter.

I still have a lot of vocabularies (medical, drug-related, ballistics, etc.) to go through.

Wish me luck

Jo-Hanna's tips for translators. Part 1

You won't find these in any book. Trust me:

• If you use your mobile phone as a contact number, DO keep it within easy access. DON'T stash at the bottom of your gigantic purse, briefcase, or backpack.
• While we are at it, make sure your cell phone does actually receive calls.
• You must be able to handle the content you are translating in a mature fashion. If you, for example, are reading up on say, necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria) and immediately come to the conclusion that the bump in your arm was caused by it (instead of, say, a mosquito bite), you probably should not be a medical translator.
• Next time you have trouble mustering up the courage to ask your client for a late payment, ask yourself how your phone company reacts when YOU are late.