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What proactive experienced interpreters do

Caitlin wrote:

Daniel,
As a working interpreter have you noticed anything that proactive experienced interpreters tend to do??

Many things, Catlin. When I am offered an assignment, I find out the exact location down to the room or suite number, who the deaf and hearing clients are, what the deaf client(s)’ language preference is/are, what the event and/or topic(s) is/are, the contact person’s name and phone number and/or email address, where I need to check in or register, how long the assignment will last, who my team is, if applicable, where the parking is, and any other information that will help to orient me. I make sure to get the zip code so I can look it up in Google Maps and have my Android phone navigate me in the car with GPS.

If it is a conference for a certain company or organization, I look at their website to learn about the entity and their personnel, and if they have a section devoted to the conference, I review the speakers, plenary and workshop topics, and–very handy to have–the conference center map.

If the assignment is from an agency I have never worked with before, or if someone is contracting with me directly, I make sure that we sign a contract before the job starts. I have neglected to do this in the past and regretted it. I find out how many forms they will require me to complete as well as any background checks that may need to be done. I have also been shocked in the past by how many hoops I had to jump through to get paid, and I regretted how little I had charged for the job considering how many extra hours it took me just to push paper. A few minutes (or even an hour or two) of business dealing can save you hours later on, and can help you determine how much to charge so you have no regrets. You might even want to do a little “background check” on the paying client to see whether they have a reputation for paying on time and without too many hassles. Finally, I have started charging as much to contract with people individually as an agency would charge them. If they want to go with an agency instead of me, that is just fine by me. It makes less work for me, and if they want me they can save me time and effort by requesting me from an agency. The pay cut is worth it for the trouble it saves me. I cannot speak for other interpreters, but that is how I feel at this point.

In short, proactive, experienced interpreters do many things and spend a considerable amount of time before assignments to prepare for success.

April 3, 2011
Singing and signing Happy Birthday in ASL

This is a creative interpretation of The Birthday Song sung in English while signed in ASL (American Sign Language). (more…)

March 16, 2011
Things I love to do in San Francisco

A friend tweeted me today to ask me what I recommend doing in San Francisco for seven days. The list is too long to put in a tweet, so here it is, touristiness be damned!

Go to Market & Powell and enjoy the old buildings and the excitement of the crowds, many of whom are residents, not tourists. Be there at the cable car terminus to help push the trolley car around so it faces back to where it came from. While there, go to the Gap in the Flood Building.

Take the Powell–Hyde cable car to Ghirardelli Square.

See the Six Sisters Victorian row houses from Alamo Square.

Take in the view of San Francisco from Twin Peaks.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Rent a paddle boat with a buddy at Stow Lake.

Go to City Hall and, if possible, go inside. It’s amazing.

Go to the Castro and get that Gay Card stamped. 😉 See a movie at the Castro Theatre. Explore Castro Street and the bars, of course. I love the walk–in pizza place on Castro just south of Market. (I just Google Mapped it and it came up Marcello’s Pizza. I don’t know if it’s always been under the same ownership, but I’ve seen that pizza place there every time I’ve gone to the Castro since 1985. The sit–down restaurant just down from there is really nice too (I just Google Street Viewed it, and it looks to be the Cove Cafe).

Last but not least, savor those “only in San Francisco” moments. I have at least one each time I go!

All the photos on this page were taken by me, Daniel Greene. All rights reserved.

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March 10, 2011
Missing messages on Android phone in silent mode? Here’s how to make them buzz.

In my line of work*, time is money, and seconds count. While working, I have been keeping my phone in my pocket in silent mode when I’m working. After missing several assignment offers equaling hundreds of dollars of work, I decided something must be done. I had already set up my device preferences to vibrate with notifications, but that obviously wasn’t enough. I decided to look into my Gmail, Email, and Messages apps to see if I could set notifications on a per app basis, and found out I could. Here’s how.

In Gmail, tap Menu, then More, then Settings. Scroll all the way down to Vibrate. The default is Never. Tap the down arrow to change this. Select Only in Silent Mode or, to be safe, For all Gmail notifications.

In Email, tap Menu, then Account settings, and scroll down to Vibrate. Here’s where it can trip you up, because it is different from Gmail. In Gmail, what you see is what you get; i.e., if you see For all Gmail notifications, that’s when it will vibrate. In Email, it will say “Also vibrate when email arrives,” but that’s not what you get unless you select it. As with Gmail, the default is Never. To change this, tap the down arrow and select either Always or Only in Silent Mode. I select Always to be safe. Note that you will have to repeat this process for every one of your Email accounts.

In Messaging, (more…)

March 2, 2011
Singing “Try To Remember” from The Fantasticks in 1996

I put on a one–man cabaret concert in 1996. This is one of the songs I sang— “Try To Remember” from The Fantasticks, lyrics by Tom Jones & music by David Schmidt. This performance was held at A Better Worlde Galleria in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego, California in 1996. My pianist was James Bianchi.

February 21, 2011