The typical day of an Interpreter involves commuting to several locations, working with a variety of Providers and community members, and then for the luckiest among us, getting a chance to stop for a quick 15-minute lunch in between several appointments. This profession can be very fulfilling but it is also a lonely one. Because we don’t have regular “coworkers” in the sense that office workers do, this can cause interpreters to feel isolated or lonely even though we spend most of our waking hours around people. We talk to people all day but our work doesn’t lend itself to creating contacts with others in our field.
So how do we create community when we are Independent contractors?
Linguava recently hosted an Interpreter Networking Event as a way to bring Interpreters together with one another. During the event, Interpreters were able to meet not only interpreters from their area or who interpret the same languages but also those from different communities.
Interpreters came from all around Portland as well as Salem and Wilsonville to our NE Portland office. An Amharic speaker became friends with a Romanian speaker, and one Spanish speaker bonded with another interpreter over their shared love of Romance languages. There was even an impromptu Salsa Party!
The most common feedback shared after this event?
More please!!!
Connecting with others who share our commitment to helping Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities, who have similar experiences and can share their own struggles and stories is an often overlooked need for Interpreters. At Linguava, we are proud to do our part to help build the bridge of connection. This event was a great success in bringing interpreters together and we hope to do another in the near future.
If you are an interpreter, or are interested in the interpreting profession and would like to attend a future networking event, please email careers@linguava.com.
