Resources for Interpreters Webinar Series

As we adjust to a new “normal”, what do professional interpreters need to know? This webinar series covers important interpreting resources for language professionals in 2022.

We hope you enjoy this FREE webinar series, delivered by experts from the fields of conference, legal, community and medical interpreting.

Certificates are only issued to attendees of the live sessions.

Learning objectives

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:

  1. Learn what to look for when evaluating a language test - which criteria and characteristics are important - and which is the best fit for your business. 

  2. Understand the strengths, drawbacks, and appropriate uses of various rating frameworks. 

  3. Create a language testing program that improves quality and saves money in an organization. 

  4. Learn what the American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) is doing to help. 

#1 Protecting the Profession – How Understanding and Implementing Testing Can Protect and Grow the Interpreting Profession and Your Business

Live session delivered: Dec. 1, 2021, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET
Presenters: Gabe Cruz, Chief Executive Officer, Parrot, Inc. and Bill Hindle, Chief Assessment Officer, Parrot, Inc.

This webinar is approved for 1 ATA CEP.

Aging populations, health crises, LEP-friendly legislation…many factors contribute to the increasing demand for interpreting services, and consequently, the increasing number of people wanting to join the profession. With this growing interest, it is increasingly important that we ensure the highest quality of interpreting services – and valid, reliable testing plays a crucial role in that.

During this event, two of the most accomplished “heavy-hitters” in the language testing world will walk you through the key elements of language proficiency and interpreting performance assessments, as well as best practices to create and implement a language testing program. You will come away with insights that will allow you to compete more effectively by increasing interpreter quality and hiring efficiency.

Guests will benefit from an extended Q&A after the event in which Gabe and Bill will offer their experience and expertise to answer your questions.

Learning objectives 

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:

  1. Identify areas of self-evaluation to incorporate into daily remote interpreting practice 

  2. Learn how to ask questions to encourage interpreters to self-identify areas of growth in peer feedback relationships.  

  3. Discuss why self-evaluation is a critical element of successful interpreting practitioners.  

#2 The Remote Interpreter – How to Use a Self-Evaluation Tool for Independent and Peer-Supported Reflection

Live session delivered: Jan. 19, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET
Presenters: Danielle Meder, RID-NIC, Director of Organizational Quality and Partner Support, Cloudbreak Health, Sarah Stockler-Rex, CHI, Quality Assurance Manager, Cloudbreak Health, Rocio Trevino, CHI, Senior Manager of Quality, Training and Compliance, United Language Group
This webinar is approved for 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID CEU*.

Remote interpreting has opened up the world for interpreters. It provides work and incredible career opportunities for interpreters all over the world. However, remote interpreters often work in isolation. It can be a challenge to receive or give feedback on performance.

For practice professionals, self-reflection and evaluation are essential. It's also important to know how give feedback to other interpreters.  Yet if you were able to evaluate your own performance or the work of other remote interpreters, which skill sets and areas would you target? How would you partner with a peer to enhance your skills? This self-evaluation tool will guide you!

In this webinar, we will introduce you to a self-evaluation tool based on years of remote interpreting performance by spoken- and signed-language interpreters, peer feedback, and interpreting quality experts. We will also do a role play that models how to use this self-evaluation tool with peers. The presenters will demonstrate how to ask thought-provoking questions to help interpreters self-identify their areas of growth and success rather than just telling them where they can improve.

This tool will be published exclusively in the forthcoming textbook, The Remote Interpreter from Cross-Cultural Communications. Join us to get a sneak peek as well as a front row seat as we unveil this self-evaluation tool for the first time in public. Then watch peer coaching in action!

Learning objectives

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:

1. Describe how to adapt basic interpreting skills and practices to VRI and identify areas for improvement.
2. List techniques and strategies for networking and self-branding as a VRI interpreter.
3. Compare and contrast VRI employment opportunities within the language industry.

#3 How Can I Get Work in VRI? Straight Talk on Landing Video Remote Interpreting Assignments

Live session delivered: Feb. 2, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Olena Hart, CHI, Founder, Immigrant Platform

This webinar is approved for 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID CEU*.

Video remote interpreting (VRI) has recently become a prominent interpreting modality in the U.S. and around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interpreters are needed now more than ever. Whether you have extensive interpreting experience or are a newcomer to VRI, it’s critical to prepare yourself for the additional challenges of interpreting remotely over video in order to improve both your skills and your marketability.

We will talk about the main pillars for a successful career in language services:

A. How to adapt basic interpreting skills to VRI
B. Techniques to rebrand yourself as a VRI interpreter
C. How to develop a roadmap to obtain VRI assignments in the language industry

During this webinar you will also gain insight into these three important questions:

• How to adjust to real-life demands when providing VRI services on video conference platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.
• How to educate clients who do not understand how VRI works.
• How to detect “red flags” when deciding which language services to work for.

#4 RSI, Interpreter Fatigue & Team Interpreting: Create YOUR Magic Potion for Success!

Live Session Delivered: March 16, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Carola Lehmacher-Richez, FCCI

This webinar is approved for 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID CEU*

Almost none of us planned to perform remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) day in, day out. But then the pandemic hit.  Suddenly we had to perform RSI to get assignments. We did the best we could: we set up a workspace, bought a better headset and studied interpreting platforms. But soon we realized that remote interpreting was more physically and mentally exhausting than interpreting face to face.

This webinar explores some of the reasons why RSI is challenging and what we can do to improve our performance and protect our health and well-being. We’ll also look at how team interpreting works in RSI.

Learning objectives:

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:  

  1. Identify differences between interpreting face to face and remotely that can affect the interpreter’s performance.

  2. List and discuss specific aspects of the remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) environment, such as sound quality and work conditions, that interpreters can control.

  3. Describe how to perform team interpreting in RSI.

#5: Interpreting for Unaccompanied Minors in the U.S.

Live Session Delivered: April 6, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Indira Sultanić, Ph.D., Certified Healthcare Interpreter™-Spanish

This webinar is approved for 1 CCHI CE hour, 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID CEU*

You’re interpreting for a child. This child came across the border without an adult and may be traumatized. Will you interpret differently than usual? If so—how?

Welcome to the world of interpreting for unaccompanied minors. This presentation focuses on the U.S., but similar heartbreaking events take place across the world. Whether it’s due to the age of the child, their language development, history of trauma (the child’s or interpreter’s) and their cultural backgrounds and circumstances, this interpreting requires a highly skilled and delicate approach.

Drawing from data on interpreters’ experiences interpreting for minors in U.S. asylum settings, this webinar offers strategies and techniques to prepare you for these encounters and to better cope during and after them. Many interpreters have general training, skills, knowledge, and credentials. Some do not. Nearly all lack formal training on working with vulnerable, traumatized children. This webinar also examines education and training opportunities for this specialized work.

 Learning objectives

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:  

  1. Identify the main challenges of interpreting for unaccompanied minors in the U.S.

  2. Understand and address the emotional impact of interpreting for often-traumatized unaccompanied minors.

  3. Apply specific coping strategies during and after an interpreted session.

  4. Assess the level of training and education needed to interpret for unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable groups.

#6 Advanced Tips for Remote Simultaneous Interpreting in Zoom

Live Session Delivered: April 20, 2022 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Paula Ianelli

This webinar is approved for 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID CEU*

RSI has been around for quite a while now. As conference interpreters we all had to adjust and add another set of skills to our toolbox in order to go remote. Who knew being tech-savvy would become so crucial?

 However, although some time has passed and a lot of us are now comfortable interpreting on different platforms, challenges remain. We end up finding ourselves in situations where we feel like we don't know how to make technology work well enough to do our jobs properly.

 Take Zoom, for instance. Have you ever experienced difficulty logging into a meeting or being assigned to the booth? Wondered why a bell would ring in the background every once in a while and not know how to fix it? Heard from a client that your high-end setup was actually producing bad sound quality? Failed to understand why your vacation picture was on display for hundreds and hundreds of attendees to see? Well, then you've come to the right place.

 In this webinar that comes packed with examples, you'll learn how to fix most significant problems common to interpreting in Zoom. You’ll also gain insight into important information to share with your clients, and we’ll identify red flags you should pay attention to before an event in order to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible, as these and many other problems are easy to fix—and avoid—as long as you understand how the system works and incorporate a few best practices into your routine.

 Learning objectives

 After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:  

  1. Use different methods to successfully log into a Zoom meeting.

  2. Check and adjust your audio settings (and help meeting speakers do the same).

  3. Use Zoom's relay feature or avoid it altogether with a simple workaround.

  4. Learn advanced tips that will make your job easier while leading to more efficient, reliable interpreting.

#7 A Blueprint for National Certification of Interpreters: The Story of NAATI

Live Session Delivered: May 4, 2022 3:00 p.m-4:00 p.m. ET

Presenter: Michael Nemarich, Manager, National Operations and Deputy CEO of NAATI

This webinar is approved for 1 CCHI CE hour, 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID CEU*

The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) is Australia’s national certification entity for general interpreting and translation. NAATI was established in 1977 as a universal T&I standards and credentialing body for Australia covering all languages and disciplines. The goal at the time was primarily to support post World War II European migrants in Australia.

In this webinar Michael will discuss the history of NAATI, its major change to the credentialing system launched in 2018, its vision for the future and how it currently delivers interpreting tests in 57 languages with live role players to meet the needs of Australian society.

If you are an interpreter or translator—or you work with interpreters or translators—this webinar will help you better understand how credentialing and certification work at the highest professional levels in both national and international contexts.

Learning objectives

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:  

  1. List and describe the benefits and challenges of a national certification system for translators and interpreters.

  2. Discuss the advantages and limitations of live role-play interpreter testing, particularly for smaller-demand languages.

#8 Interpreter Certification in the U.S. and Australia: What Can We Learn from Each Other? CCHI and NAATI

Live Session Delivered: June 1, 2022 4:30 p.m-5:30 p.m. ET

Presenters: Natalya Mytereva, M.A., CoreCHI, ICE-CCP, executive director of the U.S. Certification Commission of Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) and Aurélie Sheehan, Manager, Certification Policy and Development of Australia’s National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

This webinar is approved for 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID* CEUs

Interpreter certification is a pathway to professionalization, higher pay and recognition. It improves the professional quality of interpreters. Overall, certification leads to more credibility for the field.

But certification is complicated! It is hard to implement. And controversial… Join two national experts from the U.S. and Australia: Natalya Mytereva, executive director of the U.S. Certification Commission of Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) and Aurélie Sheehan of Australia’s National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). They will compare their two programs: a U.S. national healthcare interpreter certification and Australia’s national generalist certification.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of each program? How do they manage the less common languages? Should artificial intelligence (AI) be used to rate the exams? How much training do interpreters need to pass these exams—and why? Does accreditation matter? Come and learn what every interpreter needs to know about certification!

Learning objectives

1.     Contrast and compare two national certification programs from the U.S. and Australia.

2.     Identify strengths and weaknesses in each of the two programs.

3.     Assess the key necessary components of any national certification program for interpreters.

#9 Trauma Basics for Interpreters – When Trauma Is in the Room. Foreign Language Interpreting about Traumatic Experiences

Live Session Delivered June 15, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Lisa Fontes, PhD, Senior Lecturer II, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This webinar is approved for 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 ATA CEP and 0.1 RID* CEUs

Trauma affects interpreting. Trauma survivors often share painful stories that impact the session. They also affect the interpreter. It is extremely difficult to interpret for adults and children who have experienced trauma, whether recently or in the past. Crimes, family violence, accidents, war, medical trauma and natural disasters challenge interpreters, who may be unsure how to respond during the session or manage their own feelings during and afterwards.

This webinar will help participants understand the impact of trauma on everyone in the session—including the interpreter. It will also help interpreters manage such sessions more effectively.

Learning objectives

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:

  1. Understand trauma and how trauma can affect an interpreted conversation.

  2. Avoid some of the common pitfalls for interpreters who interpret for people in crisis.

  3. Engage in deliberate self-care after interpreting around trauma.

#10 The Power of Niches: Creating a Customer Avatar

Live Session Delivered: October 5, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Mireya Pérez

This webinar is approved for 1 ATA CEP, 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU and 1 OCCI PD.

For the vast majority of those joining the self-employment sector, especially community interpreters, identifying their target audience may sound like an unnecessary task. Afterall, wouldn’t we want to work with anyone that would like to work with us?

Yet it’s been proven that there is power in identifying a specific audience for your freelancing business.  And while you may not have the resources or the necessary data to narrow down your target audience, you can still identify who they are by formulating what’s known as a customer avatar. Customer avatars have an intentional purpose: to promote your services to the right people.  This exercise is uniquely powerful for interpreters. 

Learning Objectives

Come take part in this webinar to learn more about:

1.     What a customer avatar entails and how it can be uniquely beneficial for community interpreters

2.     How to create and effectively market to your customer avatar

3.     Identifying customer pain points to propose solutions

#11 Interpreters, Not Automatons

Live Session Delivered : October 19, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Marisa Rueda Will, CHI

This webinar is approved for 1 ATA CEP, 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 OCCI PD and 0.1 RID* CEUs.

Community interpreters are still adjusting to the rise in remote interpreting caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who were satisfied with their in-person interpreting assignments have had to adapt to the demands of an increasingly virtual world. Change is hard and adapting to a new interpreting reality is no exception.

Furthermore, numerous community interpreters have had to make the transition to routine remote interpreting with limited understanding of how to serve their clients and retain the interpersonal connection created through in-person interpreting. This webinar will explore how individual interpreters can incorporate interpersonal elements of in-person interpreting in their new virtual or hybrid reality.

Change is not easy. Join us to learn how you can advocate for yourself and the profession, improve overall job satisfaction, and increase career longevity.

Learning Objectives

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:

1.     Recognize that shifting the perception of interpreters from interchangeable tools to human beings who are valuable assets to the encounter starts at an individual level.

2.     Learn strategies to humanize remote interpreting encounters with each interpreting assignment.

3.     Understand the importance of healthy boundaries in the workplace and learn how to advocate for what you need to improve your working conditions.

#12 The Future of the Interpreting Profession: Where Do We Go From Here?

Live Session Delivered: November 2, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Katty Kauffman, FCCI

This webinar is approved for 1 ATA CEP, 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 OCCI PD and 0.1 RID* CEUs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for remote interpreting–both simultaneous and  consecutive--exploded. But as society evolves into a “new normal,” we have to wonder what the future holds. What new tools are there to help us do our jobs better? What skills do we need to bolster or acquire? Will artificial intelligence replace us? Join Katty Kauffman for a thought-provoking bird's eye view of potential scenarios for the future of the interpreting profession.

Learning Objectives: 

After attending this webinar, the participant will be able to: 

1.     Understand how the demand for interpreting services is changing as the pandemic wanes.

2.     Learn what technological tools are available to enhance interpreter performance and the ethical implications involved in their use.

3.     Identify the new skills and abilities interpreters may need as technology evolves and the ethical and practical impact those changes will have.

#13 Understanding Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI) to Future Proof Your Career

Live Session Delivered: November 16, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Rosemary Hynes, MA, Lead interpreting researcher and consultant at Nimdzi Insights

This webinar is approved for: 1 ATA CEP, 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 1 OCCI PD and 0.1 RID* CEUs.

This webinar will explore recent trends in Remote Simultaneous Interpreting, the current landscape, and what the future holds for RSI. We will also analyze how RSI fared during the Covid-19 pandemic, including the boom in online meetings, the proliferation of RSI platforms and the advent of simultaneous interpreting features on video conferencing platforms. We will examine the latest innovations affecting the RSI scene as well—and how the arrival of new technologies will continue to disrupt the status quo.

This webinar is aimed at interpreters who are interested in understanding the RSI industry at the global level. It will help you to situate yourself in the current market and prepare for the emerging future trends.

Learning objectives:

  1. Identify the different types of RSI platforms

  2. Understand the changing trends and dynamics in the field of RSI

  3. Develop skills to prepare for the increased use of technology in interpreting

#14 Interpreting Bad News: What Interpreters Might Learn from Medical Training and Research

Live Session Delivered: November 30, 2022, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Presenter: Analía C. Lang, CHI-Spanish

This webinar is approved for 1 ATA CEP, 1 CCHI CE hour, 0.1 IMIA/NBCMI CEU, 0.1 RID* CEUs and 1 OCCI PD.

Delivering bad news is one of the hardest tasks in the medical field. Doctors, medical students, nurses, and clinicians are often faced with this challenge—and so are we as interpreters. This webinar will equip you with the essential tools to be prepared and anticipate challenging scenarios in advance. We will cover the most common questions asked by physicians to patients when delivering bad news, allowing the interpreter to be better prepared emotionally and linguistically.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Provide participants with a clear understanding of “Bad News” as perceived by the patient.

  2. Explore different challenges faced by interpreters when delivering bad news and apply the NCIHC National Code of Ethics and National Standards of Practice.

  3. Review the EPEC model used by physicians, its techniques and how to implement it.

*Our webinars are free to attend, but please note that there is a $20 processing fee that applies to Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) CEUs. Cross-Cultural Communications does not collect or share in any part of this fee.