A speaker’s mic cuts out, the Wi‑Fi stutters, and you’re still expected to deliver clean, confident interpreting. That pressure is real, and it’s exactly why we invited Dr. Bernard Song to the show. He’s a conference interpreter with 25 years in the booth, a PhD in computer engineering, and the founder of GreenTerp Technologies, which means he can talk about interpreting craft and interpreting tech without guessing. We dig into the unglamorous problem that ruins performance fastest: au...
Jun 19
1 hr 12 min
A childhood spent among Greek, Turkish, and Jewish neighbors can turn language into a way of being. That spirit runs through a candid, wide‑ranging conversation with conference interpreter, researcher, and choir singer Dr. Ozum Arzik Erzurumlu, whose path stretches from lyric notebooks and full‑immersion schooling to live broadcasts of U.S. presidents. We open the booth door on the realities of crisis coverage, the relay chains that kept news flowing during the Arab Spring, and the home‑built...
Feb 27
1 hr 10 min
What do you do when the work that once felt like a calling starts to drain you dry? I sit down with Heidi Leal to follow a courageous pivot from school counseling into professional interpreting, a shift sparked by a year of volunteering in Guatemala that reignited her sense of service and clarified a new path forward. From triage rooms and field clinics to certification exams and first contracts, this story blends heart and hard-won tactics you can use if you’re craving more autonomy in your ...
Jan 2
1 hr 12 min
A trilingual childhood, a summer camp “gig” for a few bucks, and then a single moment that changed everything: the mic flipped on, and Alain Breton realized interpreting had a name and a future. I sit down with Alain to unpack how a life steeped in French, Spanish, and English turned into a craft built on meaning, nerve, and an appetite for challenge. The heart of our conversation is depth. Not age. Depth. Alain makes the case that great interpreters aren’t just fluent; they’re world-literat...
Dec 19, 2025
1 hr 5 min
Ever wonder how a childhood love of RPGs could shape a world-class interpreting mindset? We sit down with conference interpreter Vladimir Kits to unpack a journey powered by curiosity, deliberate practice, and the habit of stepping inside someone else’s perspective. From snow-locked northern towns to global booths, Vladimir shows how nontraditional paths-video games, research gigs, and contest losses-can forge sharp instincts and a calm, strategic approach under pressure. We get practical fas...
Dec 5, 2025
1 hr 22 min
The stroke of a pen in Washington D.C. sent ripples through the language access community earlier this year. When Executive Order 13166 was rescinded after nearly a quarter century, many interpreters and language professionals feared the worst. What would happen to language access rights? Would limited English proficient communities lose vital protections? In this illuminating conversation, former Department of Justice Senior Trial Attorney Bruce Adelson cuts through the confusion with...
Jun 13, 2025
53 min
What does it truly mean to be an interpreter in the deepest sense? Is it merely transferring words between languages, or something far more profound? Ryohei Onishi, returning guest and two-time TEDx speaker from Japan, takes us on a transformative journey through the evolution of his understanding of interpretation. Five years after his first talk on "de-verbalization," Ryohei's perspective has deepened into something more spiritual – what it means to truly become "the voice of others." The...
Mar 28, 2025
56 min
Discover the remarkable journey of Ahmad Jaafil, who transformed his life after facing serious challenges, including significant vision loss. In this inspiring episode of Brand the Interpreter, we celebrate five years of storytelling, exploring how Ahmad's passion for language and determination to advocate for himself fueled his success in the interpreting profession. From an early age, Ahmad showed a deep interest in English, partly due to the influence of American television and vide...
Feb 28, 2025
1 hr 1 min
In today's Reflection Room, we revisit Episode #111: The Business Mindset: More than Just a Hustle and recap on some great strategies Corrine shared with us. Such as: Freelancing is a journey requiring resilience, effective marketing, and continuous growth. • Resilience is crucial for freelance success • Proactive self-marketing is essential for attracting clients • Targeting specific niches can lead to steady work • Crafting concise, client-focused communication is vi...
Jan 24, 2025
13 min
Welcome Back to the Reflection Room! This bite-sized episode offers a quick and engaging glimpse into the key highlights, thought-provoking moments, and valuable takeaways from Episode #108: The Emotional Toll and Triumphs of Live Interpreting with Denise Bobadilha. Designed for listeners on the go, The Reflection Room condenses the conversation into a brief, impactful reflection, perfect for sparking curiosity or revisiting the main ideas. Tune in for an insightful recap and then dive into ...
Jan 10, 2025
13 min
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