Dynamic Equivalence Blog

First impressions are everything. We have heard this repeatedly. As cliché as it sounds, it is true. We immediately begin to form our opinions by what we see and hear. This is of great importance for individuals who work from home. So, while I wrote this with our Video Remote Interpreting colleagues in mind, this is very relevant for anyone who works from home. With many of us working remotely, we must take control of our surroundings, or at least as much as we can (with the pandemic, sharing space is a challenge, so do what you can). Remember, our video camera not only picks up your face, but it also shows your environment, and this provides viewers with more than you may have bargained for.  Be mindful and ensure your set-up is ready prior to answering incoming video calls so you don’t scramble last minute while your audience has visual. Many VRI platforms allow you to look at a preview of what is in camera view. Here is a list of tips to improve your video remote presence. • E...

Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash   Who are you to your clients? This week, I was listening to Episode 56 of Troublesome Terps —I am a little behind on my podcasts — and the topic of how we represent ourselves and the effect that has on how our clients see us was brought up. Having recently touched on the topic of choosing our own clients , it felt fitting to continue the Know Your Market blog series for language professionals by touching on a very important topic: identifying your niche. What is a niche? "Honestly, it's whichever one of you can most easily imagine doing every day for the rest of your life."   Hanna Brooks Olsen, "Specialize or Diversify?" In relation to our profession specifically, our niche would be the specialties, modes, modalities, business practices, and combinations thereof that we are best suited for. Which begs the question: What makes us better suited for one over another?  Although I agree with Hanna in that our niche should b...

During 2020, humanity was challenged to do business in ways we had not imagined, and we had to do so in record time. Suddenly the in-person events we took for granted came to a halt. Businesses had to be nimble and adapt quickly, or become a statistic of the pandemic toll.  As client calls rang in to learn how we could help with simultaneous interpreting for their now online events, I knew conferences in 2020 and beyond were in for a wild ride. My thoughts and prayers went to conference organizers who have to offer simultaneous interpreting due to their multilingual target market.  Initially, Zoom seemed to be a likely choice. During the pandemic, Zoom catapulted to the spotlight and became one of the top communication mediums for businesses, schools, government and even individual consumers. It was the de facto choice explored during the pandemic as it offered simultaneous interpreting as an option in their technology stack for paid subscriptions. After exploring the remote s...

Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay. Can I really choose my clients ? I remember wondering whether I had any say on who my clients were. Especially as a freelancer in times of scarce work or uncertainty, we may feel as though turning away clients is a recipe for failure. Can a business turn away clients and still survive? Can a business afford not to pursue every available opportunity? The answer was revealed to me while leading a sales team and learning about enterprise management. Yes! You can choose your clients. Yes! A business can survive even if it turns away clients. Yes! A business can indeed afford not to pursue every available opportunity, in fact, a business that only pursues opportunities that are aligned with their interest, values, etc. will be more successful than a business that chases after every opportunity.    What is your business? The first step to choosing your clients is deciding what you are selling. What service(s) are you able to offer?  When you...

Pixabay image by Esa Niemela It was fate. My story with language services. I was 18, a soccer coach for my sisters under 12 girls’ team. After a soccer practice, one of the soccer moms, who was an interpreter, came up to me and said, “You should be an interpreter, your Spanish and English are great.” I looked at her funny, almost with disbelief and replied “You can get paid for that?!” I always thought it was something you did for family members or for a stranger in need when you noticed there was a language barrier, but never thought you could make it a career. Being so young, and with a laid-out plan to go to college, I did not give that opportunity much thought. After graduating from San Diego University and starting my career in Silicon Valley, like many others, I started working at various startup companies, working hand-in-hand with software engineers. Little did I know that this experience would come in handy when I left California for Texas 10 years ago. Reconnecting with the...

Image by Timasu from Pixabay. No matter how many times I relocate to a new region, state, or county, I am always surprised by how different the interpreting landscape is. It is easy to think that interpreting in a single field (like healthcare or legal) would be the same across the states, and that you could continue marketing your professional services in the same way, but it is not. Even those of us that provide remote interpreting services (including remote simultaneous, video remote, video conferencing, and over-the-phone) need to consider if there are any geographic requirements for our existing projects/clients. Our client's geographic location, even for remote clients, will inevitably have some bearing on how we earn their business. As I prepared for yet another relocation, I take an opportunity to share some of the differences I have found in the very different markets I have had the good fortune to research, in this initial blog for this series I will venture into a slight...

Unsplash photo by Siora Photography As I work toward acquiring certification as a court interpreter, I also make an effort to maintain my healthcare interpreter certification, while I continue to interpret in education. I also continue to translate and maintain my skills in the simultaneous, consecutive, and sight-translation modes of interpreting. As if that was not enough diversity, I also train and work in the various modalities (over-the-phone, video remote, remote simultaneous, video conferencing, and onsite). In a previous blog , I advocated for skill-based diversification to build a successful career. I highlighted how some skill diversification can be complimentary and help us stay relevant. In the last two weeks, I had an opportunity to renew my appreciation for subject matter specialization.  Why Specialize? When joining the ranks of healthcare interpreters in the United States, one of the things that I found most intimidating was the number of specialties in healthcare. ...