The National Center for Interpretation is pleased to announce a webinar designed for Spanish/English interpreters!
In Mexico, “banqueta” is the sidewalk of the street, while in all other parts of the Spanish-speaking world “banqueta” is merely a stool.
“Bomba” in Colombia may refer to a party balloon or a gas station (the latter meaning is also applicable in Venezuela). It can also mean "pump" (as found in gas stations) or it can refer to an explosive device!
“Kilo” in Cuba strictly means a one-cent coin, a penny, as we call it stateside, whereas in all other Spanish-speaking countries it is a unit of measure, a kilogram.
Can these different meanings become incriminating if the unsuspecting judicial interpreter doesn't strike the right interpretation chords in applicable settings?
The different varieties of the Spanish language pose a major challenge to interpreters. Each Spanish-speaking country has its own accent, and accents may even vary within a given Spanish-speaking country. In addition, lexical differences add another level of complication: some specific words may vary in meaning from one country to another, while different countries may use different words altogether to refer to the same thing.
Workshop topics include:
- Learning how and why Spanish is not a homogeneous Castilian language!
- Discussion and illustration of regional varieties of major Spanish-speaking countries.
- Review of problematic words and speech sounds to prepare interpreters for unexpected challenges that may arise in different legal interpretation settings.
"It is a must for interpreters to be updated on the different varieties of Spanish and how the meaning of a word changes from one country/region to another. In order to be faithful to the message conveyed, it is important for us to know the diverse forms of expression." -- past participant
Instructor: Anthony Rivas has been in the conference/court/medical interpretation and translation fields for over 30 years. Heis a member of AIIC (The International Association of Conference Interpreters) with classifications of “A” in Spanish and “A” in English and TAALS (The American Association of Language Specialists). He holds US, California and Florida Court certifications. Tony has made extraordinary contributions to NCI’s training and testing initiatives, particularly the Agnese Haury Court Interpreter Training Institute.