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Monday 08:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00 Thursday 08:00 - 17:00 Friday 08:00 - 17:00

http://www.interpretingyourneeds.com/

Interpreting Your Needs, San Fernando (2025)

16/05/2025

How's your lip reading?

Interpreters use our ears to capture sound and meaning.

However, we also do a fair amount of lip reading to decode what's being said especially when the audio isn't clear.

Going to work on a 'shed boat' along the Demerara River was a riveting experience.

The captain is a skilful navigator taking sharp turns 'like a boss' in the meandering waterway.

All throughout the 35 minute ride my sole focus was breathing!

What a sensation it was to breathe deeply through my unmasked nostrils and exhale through my unmasked mouth without being interrupted by unceremonious coughing.

Seems silly?

Try breathing with a ventilator🥺

Of course my senses were stimulated by the scenery all around but my focus was on the invisible.

As interpreters we are trained to moderate our tone of voice and cadence of speech through proper breathing.

Breathing exercises are vital to our vocal performance.

So this boat ride with deep breathing of Guyana's pure air was medicine to my 🫁

The perfect warm up to performing interpreting duties for the Forest & Climate Leaders' Partnership, in the forest.

Read my 💋

I CAN BREATHE❣

30/04/2025

For years I've been joking that "I have court clothes".

That's a very Trini way of challenging someone to take you to court when there's a major disagreement.

After providing interpreting services online for several years, today I made my maiden appearance in a physical court of law providing in-person services for a trial.

I finally had a chance to wear "meh court clothes"😊

Of course this wasn't enough excitement so I had to sit on my new spectacles and accidentally "break them in" hence the crack on the frame 🤓

It's a significant day for me as a language acrobat in my role as court interpreter.

While I boast of bridging language barriers and scaling impact beyond borders the core of this profession is service.

Today I am proud to have served the Judiciary and by extention, the people of in a matter of state.

All in a day's work...

01/04/2025

Interpreting is a team sport.

I couldn't do what I do without a team.

Working with a team of top professionals who are passionate about what they do is a blessing 🙌

Merci Buccoo Arnold A.K. Mc Letchie, my booth buddy from long long time...

It's been 18 years since we've been working together as interpreters but we've known each other since 1992 while taking French classes at the Alliance Française 🤓

And conference interpreters cannot function without a good sound tech team!

More specifically, a bonafide audiovisual simultaneous interpreting technician‼️

I am ever grateful for the team who make me look good, sound good and feel good 😁

When your entire team does what they love and loves what they do, it shows❣

25/02/2025

Hello, It’s official. It was even on TV. Don't forget that tomorrow starts the new Facebook rule (aka... new name, META) where they can use your photos. Don't forget the deadline is today!!!

I do not authorize META, Facebook or any entity associated with Facebook to use my photos, information, messages or posts, past or future. With this statement, I notify Facebook that
it is strictly prohibited to disclose, copy, distribute or take any other action against me, based on this profile and/or its contents. Violation of privacy may be punishable by law.

Here's how to do it.

1. So, hold your finger anywhere in this post and click ′copy’.
2. Go to your page where it says ‘What's on your mind?’ Tap your finger anywhere in the blank field.
3. “Paste” will appear. Click paste.
This upgrades the system.

Hello new and old friends!
IT ACTUALLY WORKED!!!!
👍👊🙏

He who does nothing CONSENTS.

According to the show 60 Minutes: NOTE: Facebook Meta is now a public entity. Every member must post a note like this. If you do not publish a statement at least once, it will be technically understood that you are allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status updates.

I HEREBY DECLARE THAT I DO NOT GIVE MY PERMISSION TO USE ANY OF MY PERSONAL DATA.

07/01/2025

Every field has its own jargon.

While working with the Armed Forces of French Guiana last month, I was teleported into a whole new dimension of language.

That's what it felt like to me, a civilian interpreter surrounded by high ranking military officers.

I was hired to help them bridge the language barriers between military officers from Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Gabon, Guyana and Suriname on an important subject matter, that of illegal gold mining.

However they already shared a common language of signs and symbols.

In a room filled with uniformed officers they recognised each other's function and rank by their stripes and insignias.

Each day the officers wore a different uniform.

All white was the dress code for the formal opening: aka dress uniform.

The next day saw officers of the different nations sporting camouflage: aka combat wear.

Last day many were wearing regular clothes: aka civilian wear.

This is a language I did not understand but quickly learnt by asking the officers.

They were kind enough to explain while allowing me to take these close-up photos.

Any military officers around here?

Do you recognise any of these symbols?

This is a fresh reminder of why I love what I do.

There's never a dull moment in the life of an interpreter.

We learn so much from our clients even as we prepare to help them achieve their goals.

******************************************

Hi, I'm GeM, a conference & court interpreter ready to advise & support you in multilingual services.

Reach out to me at +1-868-762-0266;
interpretingyourneeds@gmail.com

30/12/2024

Ça y est!

Last translation task for the year is DONE!

English to French translation delivered to my client TODAY at 2:38pm.

In the midst of messages coming in from friends overseas concerned about the news of an SoE (state of emergency), we tried not to get distracted from the long list of acronyms on the screen.

Every domain has its jargon.

Scientists, educators, marketers, medical professionals, attorneys, farmers, fashionistas speak a different language and each has its own alphabet soup!

We're giving a prize to anyone who can tell us the meaning of the following acronyms in the field of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)- another acronym right there!

Here goes...

PCDD 🤔

PRP 🤕

NFP 🤔

NPC😯

If we knew what these meant in English we could research them in French.

But the acronyms were used with zero explanation.

So I had to seek clarification several times from the client.

The translation process is a process... lots of back and forth if ideas are not clear.

Translators also have a knack for picking up errors and incoherencies in the original document so don't be surprised (or take offence) if your translator sends you a list of suggestions (aka corrections).

Note to potential clients: If someone from outside of your domain cannot understand your document in the original language in which it is written, don't expect the translator to understand either.

30/12/2024

This job of bridging language barriers takes us to unexpected places.

Back in my days of working with the Red Cross, we were trained to prepare for every possible scenario & expect anything.

Preparation for disaster was key.

So too is preparation for the interpreting booth.

Often during conference coffee breaks, folks ask the age old question: how many languages do you speak?

They assume that one must speak many languages to be an interpreter.

The reality is you can be an excellent interpreter once you master two languages: your mother tongue and one foreign language, and you've been trained.

Why?

Because at any given point, you listen to one language and convey it into another.

If you master more languages and have been trained in interpreting techniques with the use of interpreting equipment, life gets a little more interesting.

With more feathers in your cap, so to speak, you can confidently accept more assignments & clients remember your flexibility.

Working with the armed forces of several countries & interacting with officers of all ranks was an extra special treat.

Beyond preparing glossaries & learning terminology specific to illegal gold mining, I learnt so much about different countries and their cultural norms, within military ranks.

Every experience in life prepares you for the next opportunity or adventure.

This is certainly the case with my disaster preparedness training which, without knowing, prepared me to board my first military flight yesterday wearing my interpreter's hat & TT 🇹🇹 👕.

I'm proud to be not only 'the translator' but also an ambassador for my country when I show up in these international spaces.

30/12/2024

Ready to launch 🚀 🚀 🚀

Did you know there's a European spaceport in T&T's 'backyard'?

If you studied French in high school, chances are you learnt about the Ariane Space Centre in French Guiana.

France is of course very proud of this precious asset.

Over the last 30 years Ariane 4, 5 & 6 were launched from this space station located in , on the South American continent.

More than 600 launches have taken place at this space port.

The most recent was the Vega rocket launch in July 2024.

The temperature of the rocket exhaust at launching reaches 3600° Celsius 🔥🔥🔥

As I stand here, feet planted on the ground, eyes set on the stars 🌟 ⭐ 💫 it feels like a prophetic moment.

I'm in Amazonie.

I am a Caribbean-Amazon woman.

2025 is going to be ultraplanetary 🌎 🌍 🌏

30/12/2024

Thanks to Nicole Joseph-Chin 💥 I was inspired to do a visual year in review🤓

Suffice it to say, Interpreting Your Needs continued bridging language barriers beyond national geographic boundaries.

We kicked off this year with a multilingual security conference in Grenada on 4th January 2024 and brought the curtains down in French Guiana on 19 December 2024.

I have to say this was a stellar way to end the year standing metres away from base where the Vega C rocket was launched into outer space!

Between January and December it felt like we were running in the world championships, not on one track but across the planet while performing Olympic level linguistic acrobatics beyond the wonders of

There is never a dull moment in the life of an interpteter‼️

When things appear to slow down, it's an optical illusion.

Interpreters are constantly preparing for the next soon-to-be-pulled-out-of-a-hat gig.

Preparation never ceases.

Even while resting or enjoying time with family & friends, our brain is assimilating new words, concepts and trends.

This year was marked by a whirlwind tour of 14 countries✈: AntiguaandBarbuda🇦🇬 Barbados🇧🇧 Curaçao, Guyana 🇬🇾 Grenada 🇬🇩 Guadeloupe 🇬🇵 French Guiana 🇬🇫 St. Lucia 🇱🇨 Suriname 🇸🇷 France 🇫🇷 Belgium 🇧🇪 Finland 🇫🇮 Netherlands 🇳🇱 Sweden 🇸🇪

As always, business and pleasure go together 🎧🌐🏖🥳

Whether I may have stayed for a few hours, a few days or a few weeks, I'm grateful for those of you who rearranged your busy schedule to meet me🤩

Here's to meeting and supporting more of you in 2025, somewhere out there... or right here at home in 🏖

Abundant blessings to you😍😇🥳

Buckle up and enjoy the ride 🚍🛳✈🚀

17/12/2024

Come with me behind the scenes

You know I love to take you inside the interpreting booth 🤩

It's my first time serving as an interpreter in French Guiana though it's not my first assignment here.

The equipment is a little different but top of the line.

And best of all I'm meeting a colleague with whom I have worked for three years online doing FrenchEnglish interpreting.

I'm sooooo excited❣

16/12/2024

I finally got a taste of Christmas after a hectic week in Guadeloupe.

My📱has decided it's not doing accents except ç, è & à.

So Chantè Noèl is missing the proper accents.

But what a beautiful moment spent with strangers who have become friends.

Et ce petit garçon... my dance partner for the evening.

When you learn a foreign language you hold the key to a whole new culture.

I learnt Krèyol in the courtyard of the schools where I taught English.

French has given me access to corridors of power through regional & international conferences.

How likely is it that an interpreter would meet and work alongside 3 consecutive presidents of a country?

French led me to meet Haitian presidents Renè Prèval, Michel Martelly, Jovenel Moise and Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry.

Kreyol, however, has opened the doors of enduring friendship.

From Creole in the courtyards to the Creole chansons au Chantè Noel hier soir.

Enjoy💃🎶 ❣ the sounds of Kle La🥳

08/10/2024

Bonjour Port d'Espagne 👋

I feel like a tourist here.

Everytime I come to POS for work I discover new buildings & new businesses.

Along my route to the Kapok Hotel for a multilingual meeting, I noticed a building with Ministry of Health and PAHO signage.

When did this happen?

It's great to be here overlooking the iconic Queen's Park Savannah and the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs.

I'm also nextdoor to the 'palace' of the Prince of Port-of-Spain, the one and only Brian Charles Lara.

Being in this place reminds me how much I enjoy my profession.

Bridging language barriers allows me to meet people from all walks of life, in many different places.

There's no behind the scenes booth tour today because we're doing what is known as "consecutive interpreting" in an intimate space with no equipment.

Today our tools are our brain, ears, mouth, back (we'll be sitting for 10 hours so good posture is key), trusty notebook and 🖊

In this scenario we sit near to or behind our Haitian clients, listen to the speaker, take notes and render to our clients in French what is being said.

Sounds easy?

It is when you've been in training for 17 years 🤓

Interpreting Your Needs

16/05/2025

30/04/2025

01/04/2025

25/02/2025

07/01/2025

30/12/2024

30/12/2024

30/12/2024

30/12/2024

17/12/2024

16/12/2024

08/10/2024

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Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00