Fluency: “the ability to render speech with speed and accuracy, and with expertise.” Interpreters must be fluent in their languages. How can someone be absolutely fluent in more than one language? Is it possible to speak two languages at the same time, and know them inside and out? What about the “native language rule” that posits that most interpreters are only fluent in their native language, merely competent at a secondary language, and can only be trusted to translate into their native tongue? Is it true? Can it be transcended?

Yes. Though few and far between, there are some interpreters who speak elegantly and expertly in multiple languages. The circumstances of their upbringing and education and life experience must be perfectly aligned in order to achieve such fluency. Stephanie Mann was born in Taiwan; Mandarin Chinese is her native language. From her earliest years, starting from grammar school, great emphasis was placed on learning the English language, and for all school childen there, English Language was a mandatory class every year of schooling. After graduating with a degree in Statistics and still a young girl, she moved to the United States and pursued her MBA at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, CA. An MBA! They don’t lecture in Chinese, you can be assured, nor do they slow down for struggling immigrants seated in the back. She then worked in several business- and software-centric companies where she fine-tuned her mastery of English.

Ms. Mann has been a United States citizen for decades, foregoing her native tongue for the power and expressiveness and worldwide dominance of the English language. And now that China has become a superpower, and Taiwan a major trade partner and close ally of the United States, she finds herself in a unique position: she has the ability to read, write and converse fluently in both languages. She knows all the jargon and idioms from both hemispheres, every polite form of expression, and every culture-centric bit of slang.

Can Stephanie Mann handle your requirements for interpretation from and between English and Mandarin Chinese? You betcha.

How do experience and education and interpersonal skills affect the ability to interpret in and between languages? Shouldn’t it be enough to know most of the words in both languages and just robotically replace each word as it occurs? Ah, no. If that were true, Google Translate would unite the world without human intervention. If that were true, you wouldn’t see signs translated naïvely from Chinese into English such as:

• A warning about a slippery floor: “Slip and Fall Down Carefully!”
• Caution for difficult terrain: “Beware of Missing Foot!”
• A safety-first sign: “Beware of Safety.”
• A food-not-allowed sign: “Don’t be Edible!”

The fact is that education and experience and immersion are paramount when translating into another language, when interacting with those that speak the other language, people of other countries or cultures. Poor translation can get yourself into very hot water, very quickly, so choose an interpreter carefully! Stephanie Mann not only has a degree in Statistics, she also received her Masters in Business Administration in California. Before settling on the profession of interpreter, she worked at EDS (Electronic Data Systems), at AT&T, and a few other large companies. World-spanning, Global 500 companies have little patience for anyone who can torpedo a business deal due to halting and stammering speech in the language of the country. If you can’t speak or write well enough to satisfy the company, you may need an interpreter for the job.

Ms. Mann has spent more time in the United States than she has in her own country of origin, Taiwan. She is a United States Citizen, through and through, and has spoken English daily and exclusively for decades. Finally, she is an affable and professional person, is instantly likable—a trait that goes a long way when employing her to negotiate or to get a point across or to win a business deal or to plea a case or depose a witness.

Yes, experience and education and interpersonal skills count a lot as an interpreter.

Does being a member of the American Translation Association mean anything? Are those three letters important when selecting an interpreter or translator? A lot of capital letters after a name—credentials and degrees—is sometimes referred to as Credentialism. Beware the prospect who has more letters after his name than in his name. Membership in ATA, though, is an exception: it is important. It’s a sign of proficiency and professionalism and experience.

• About ATA: ATA was established to advance the translation and interpreting professions and foster the professional development of individual translators and interpreters.
• Members: ATA’s 11,000 members include translators, interpreters, teachers, project managers, web and software developers, language company owners, hospitals, universities, and government agencies.
• Governance: ATA is governed by its Bylaws, which define the scope and nature of its activities, and an elected Board of Directors, which manages the business of the association.

You can read more about the ATA, here.

Yes, Stephanie Mann is most definitely an ATA member. Her ATA Profile is here: https://www.atanet.org/onlinedirectories/tsd_view.php?id=19875.

Similar to the ATA, MiTiN is “an association of translators, interpreters, agencies, and language professionals in Michigan. Formed in 1991, MiTiN members number over 300 and represent over 34 languages. [It is] an active organization located in the center of the automotive industry and Midwest manufacturing belt, and many members have particular expertise in these areas as well as in other technical and non-technical fields. MiTiN became a chapter of American Translators Association (ATA) in 2004.”

MiTiN membership is quite interesting. Since MiTiN is centered around Michigan—Detroit, really—it carries with it a bit of a guarantee (or at least the connotation) that the interpreter in question will have experience with issues unique to the Motor City. A lot of automotive (et al.) engineering occurs in and around Detroit, and if you’re dealing with issues related to automobiles, CAD/CAM, mechanical engineering, etc., you would be wise to check MiTiN since they’ll probably have interpreters with experience in these fields. We recommend the following test to determine whether your interpreter is up to snuff: tell them what you did during the Dream Cruise and ask them to translate it. “I was sitting at the stop light and revved my bored and stroked 350 Chevy to 3000 RPM when I dumped the clutch on my Muncie Rockcrusher and smoked ’em good, laying down 30 feet o’ rubber. The Bubble Gum Machine lit up behind me and I knew it wasn’t gonna be a good day.” Some of that cannot be perfectly translated into any language, but you can be assured that Stephanie will get the idea across in Chinese better than most anyone else you can find. She has attended the Dream Cruise and knows her automotive!

Yes, Stephanie Mann is a MiTiN member. Stephanie Mann’s MiTiN Profile is here: http://mitin.org/MemberProfile.cfm?MemberID=707.

About Court Qualifications: the natural inclination would be to assume that a nationwide stamp of approval from the ATA would supersede a statewide thumbs-up from MiTiN (Michigan) which would then supersede some court’s nod of approval. This is not necessarily the truth. Court interpreting is often the most challenging and grueling translating work to come before an interpreter. It is there, in the courtroom, that every word and inflection counts. Everyone is watching and expecting expert and professional interpreting: the judge, jury, attorneys. How difficult is it to interpret, on the fly, from one language to another? Very difficult. Watching someone perform simultaneous interpreting, if they’re good, can be awe-inspiring, much as watching Vladamir Horowitz rock out the Black Key Etude by Chopin.

The process of obtaining Court Qualification is rigorous, almost onerous. The following points come from the State of Michigan court system’s certification program.

• What kinds of skills does it take to be a good court interpreter? In addition to total fluency in both English and the foreign language, a court interpreter should have excellent public speaking and interpersonal skills. Sometimes the testimony to be interpreted is shocking or traumatic, and the interpreter must be able to deal with such matters without becoming emotionally involved. The interpreter must also be able to refrain from expressing personal opinions or acting as an advocate for one side or the other in a court case and must be able to work unobtrusively. The interpreter must be able to work well under pressure and react quickly to solve complex linguistic and ethical problems as they arise. On the other hand, when a problem cannot be solved by the interpreter alone, the interpreter must demonstrate the good judgment required to inform the court of that fact and take whatever steps are necessary to resolve the situation. And finally, good court interpreters constantly strive to improve their skills by reading from a wide variety of sources, attending conferences, researching new terms and concepts, and honing their interpreting techniques.
• What qualifications should you have before attempting to become a court interpreter in federal or state courts? Professional court interpreters are individuals who: • possess educated, native-like mastery of both English and a second language; • display wide general knowledge characteristic of what a minimum of two years of general education at a college or university would provide; and • perform the three major types of court interpreting: 1. Sight interpreting, 2. Consecutive interpreting, and 3. Simultaneous interpreting. Thus, proficiency in applied interpreting skills involves the two-fold elements of 1) a high level of mastery of two languages and 2) specific performance skills in the modes of interpreting. Court interpreters must perform each type of interpreting skillfully enough to include everything that is said, preserve the tone and level of language of the speaker, and neither change nor add anything to what is said. Interpreters must deliver services in a manner faithful to all canons of a Code of Professional Responsibility and court policies regarding court interpreting promulgated by the judiciary.

Stephanie Mann is a Qualified Court interpreter.

Stephanie Mann’s state of residence is Michigan, and she lives in the tri-county area of Detroit. As a member of the ATA, she travels frequently and performs English – Mandarin Chinese interpreting and translating all over the country. Since there is a nationwide dearth of qualified interpreters, reaching across to other states is often a necessity for states or counties or municipalities or companies that are lacking a qualified, local interpreter. On a local level, it is not unusual that municipalities throughout the nation to impose requirements that are in addition to certification by the ATA or by the State’s particular board of licensing for qualified interpreters. As an example of this, we include the Oakland County Court Training Validation program, yet another certification on Ms. Mann’s résumé. The following language taken from the Circuit Court instructions is very typical:

• Interpreter Qualifications: The Michigan Supreme Court created new standards for foreign language interpreters when it adopted MCR 1.111, Foreign Language Interpreters…Oakland County Circuit and Probate Courts’ local list is created directly from the published information on the State Court Administrative Office’s website*. If you are a SCAO certified or SCAO qualified interpreter and your name does not appear on the statewide list, you will not be included on the courts’ local list.  If your name is not on the statewide list and you have met the state requirements, please contact the State Language Access Coordinator for any inquiries as to errors or omissions on their statewide published list.  The current State Language Access Coordinator’s contact information can be found on either of the state websites listed above.

If you are reaching across state or county lines to utilize Ms. Mann for court interpreting work, the chances are very likely that no extra certification is required. Stephanie will almost certainly meet all qualifications to interpret for you regardless of the venue’s municipality, county or state.

Stephanie Mann is a Qualified Court Interpreter. Please contact her to discuss your interpreting needs.

Topics and situations that require interpretation vary quite widely, as one would guess. Therefore, an interpreter must have a wide-ranging vocabulary in the source and target languages. Every situation has its own set of jargon and terminology; it’s imperative that the interpreters translating your statements or documents are experienced in the subject matter at hand.

However, certain fields require interpretation so very often that they’re worth mentioning. Click here for a selection of common situations and subjects.

• Legal Proceedings: Depositions,Affidavits,Hearings,Discovery
• Court Proceedings: Pre-Hearings,Hearings,Trials,Motions,Discovery,Voir Dire,Adjudication
• Medical Situations: Admittance,Medical Claims,Appointments,Examinations,Billing,Policy Disputes,Forms,Disability,Patient Advocate,Pre-/Post-Surgery
• Insurance Proceedings: Claims,Settlements,Appraisals,Representation,Accident Reports,Disputes,Mediation,Arbitration
• Business: Negotiations,Interviews,Attorney-Client,Diplomacy,Networking,Banking,Advertising,Import/Export

When acting as an interpreter—an intercessor between parties—the main responsibility the interpreter has is “to facilitate effortless communication between [the] parties using dynamic interpretation, preserving the original content.” (Mission Statement: Interstood). While doing so, an interpreter will be exposed to confidential information; an interpreter will be challenged to render the discourse accurately and impartially; an interpreter must be relied on to perform their highest and best duty without conflict of interest. A good interpreter will therefore adhere to a Code of Conduct & Ethics to ensure that those concerns are addressed.

Ms. Mann adheres to all codes of conduct and ethics, including MiTiN and ATA codes of conduct, and Federal and State requirements. The covenants in all of these are very similar. As an example, here are the covenants laid out in the Code of Professional Conduct for Interpreters in Michigan Courts. They are summarized and reproduced here with the permission of the court.

1. ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS: Interpreters shall render a complete and accurate interpretation or sight translation, without altering, omitting, or adding anything to what is stated or written, and without explanation.
2. REPRESENTATION OF QUALIFICATIONS: Interpreters shall accurately and completely represent their certifications, training, and pertinent experience.
3. IMPARTIALITY AND AVOIDANCE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST:  Interpreters shall be impartial and unbiased and shall refrain from conduct that may give an appearance of bias. Interpreters shall disclose any real or perceived conflict of interest.
4. PROFESSIONAL DEMEANOR: Interpreters shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the dignity of the court and shall be as unobtrusive as possible.
5. CONFIDENTIALITY: Interpreters shall protect the confidentiality of all privileged and other confidential information.
6. RESTRICTION OF PUBLIC COMMENT: Interpreters shall not publicly discuss, report, or offer an opinion concerning a matter in which they are or have been engaged, even when that information is not privileged by law to be confidential.
7. SCOPE OF PRACTICE: Interpreters shall limit themselves to interpreting or translating and shall not give legal advice, express personal opinions to individuals for whom they are interpreting, or engage in any other activities which may be construed to constitute a service other than interpreting or translating while serving as an interpreter.
8. ASSESSING AND REPORTING IMPEDIMENTS TO PERFORMANCE: Interpreters shall assess at all times their ability to deliver their services. When interpreters have any reservation about their ability to satisfy an assignment competently, they shall immediately convey that reservation to the appropriate judge or court administrator.
9. DUTY TO REPORT ETHICAL VIOLATIONS: Interpreters shall report to the proper judicial authority any effort to impede their compliance with any law, any provision of this code, or any other official policy governing court interpreting and legal translating.
10. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Interpreters shall continually improve their skills and knowledge and advance the profession through activities such as professional training and education and interaction with colleagues and specialists in related fields.

For further reading, please consult the Code of Professional Conduct for Interpreters in Michigan Courts reproduced in full on this website.

Stephanie Mann conducts herself with the utmost discretion and will adhere to all Codes of Conduct and Codes of Ethics in force at your venue.