Power

English is a Tool: Don't Use it like a Cudgel!

English is a Tool: Don't Use it like a Cudgel!

International colleagues resent the lack of effort made on the part of the monoglot English speaker. They experience a loss of professional stature when having to speak with those who are not only comfortable with the language, but who appear to vaunt the effortlessness with which they bend the language to their will. And they suspect that the offending expat uses this virtuosity to gain unfair advantage in the workplace.

Interpreter who Abused Misplaced Trust Faces Harsh Penalties

Interpreter who Abused Misplaced Trust Faces Harsh Penalties

Betraying professional ethics. Abusing the powerless. A sordid, sorry tale from Lousiana that simply serves to underscore the importance of ethical professional comportment everywhere and always.

Interpreters' Power: Putin Edition

Interpreters' Power: Putin Edition

What does it mean when two interpretations vary -- short in word count, long in white-washing-- in international relations?  It means that interpreters and translators have a great deal of power, power that they need to wield ethically.