Proof that no app can replace a certified interpreter when the stakes are high.

As I walked into the police station, I couldn't help but wonder, "What will I be facing today?" Usually, a call in the middle of the night means I'll interpret for what I've come to think as the Drunk Arrest Protocol: interpreting as the person is read their rights and then speaks to a lawyer. Next comes the long wait between breathalyzer tests, and then sight-reading the undertaking and talking them through mug shots and fingerprinting. 

This was different. The request had come in while I was out of town, and the police were willing to wait until I returned. As he ushered me into an office, the officer explained. A student had written an alarming letter, and they needed to precisely understand the level of threat. They'd already tried Google Translate, and had shown it to a Spanish teacher. "But we need someone we can trust," he told me. "From our end, we need someone qualified, and that's you." 

And that, my friends, is why you should get certified. The police cannot base their response to a threat or decide the next steps in their investigation on AI-generated translation. Or even on the word of a language professional who knows both languages well, but is not certified. It doesn't hold up in court. So, since I'm a certified community interpreter (and, so far, the only one in the province certified for Spanish <>English), they waited for me, and I did the sight-translation they needed to move forward.

If you're still on the fence about registering for a certification exam, I hope this gives you a little nudge. And if you want to learn how to prep for and pass the certification exam, you can watch the replay of my Certification Masterclass by clicking the button below.

Certification Masterclass Replay 

To your success,

Catharine