The NITA December 2009 Quarterly Meeting: It’s a Wrap!

by NITA Administrator ~ December 5, 2009

On Saturday, December 5th NITA held the winter 2009 edition of its traditional Quarterly Meeting, in the Auditorium of UNR’s high-tech Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, featuring three prominent presentations:

• An overview of the recent history of court interpreting, centering on the post-WWII Nuremberg Trials, by Andrea Krlickova;
• A panel discussion of the recent 50th ATA Conference held in New York City, with Alicia Garijo, Margarita Griggs and Karen Tkaczyk;
• An overview of the formal qualification process for Nevada Certified and Registered Court Interpreters, by Andrea Krlickova.

The event kicked off with a magnificent presentation of the recent history of court interpreting, which focused on the particular importance of the Nuremberg Trials, the main proceeding of which tried twenty-two top Nazis from November 20, 1945 through September 30, 1946 and had a decisive influence, especially because of the structural introduction of what until then was a novelty: the simultaneous interpretation mode, as until then interpreters typically worked in either consecutive or whisper mode.

It boggles the mind how, given such an incredibly short timespan (as the European theater had witnessed the last battle just months before) the myriad administrative and legal issues were reconciled and resolved to allow for a solid, coherent and effective framework to operate within. Also, the technical problems were enormous, having to be resolved to accommodate such an unprecedented and enormous proceeding in no less than four languages, thanks of course to a small army of interpreters and translators. Forging forward, they blazed a trail for future generations to follow.

The presentation by Ms Andrea Krlickova, Court Analyst and certified interpreter program manager of the Nevada Supreme Court, was wonderfully illustrated with contemporary photographs and newsreel footage, allowing to visualize the ingenuity, professionalism and total dedication of our predecessors, almost casually reinventing a profession.

The panel discussion on the ATA 50th Conference in New York was led by fellow NITA members Alicia Garijo, Margarita Griggs, and our president, Karen Tkaczyk, sharing their impressions of the big annual event in the Big Apple (Judy Jenner, NITA vice president, also traveled to New York accompanied by her alluring Welcome To Las Vegas sign but regrettably although understandably couldn’t personally attend the quarterly meeting in Reno). Margarita Griggs also explained how she received the prestigious ATA School Outreach Program Award in New York, based on her impressive work for the Washoe County School District.

Afterwards, Ms. Krlickova gave an effective overview of the steps necessary and other requirements involved in becoming a Certified or Registered Court Interpreter in the state of Nevada.

Also during the Quarterly Meeting, Álvaro Degives-Más was honored to receive the NITA Volunteer of the Year 2009 Award.

All in all, NITA is very pleased with the quality of the presentations; we would like to thank all participants for their valuable contributions and presence. We look forward already to the next Quarterly Meeting, in the spring of 2009!

Meanwhile, and below, a photographic impression of an instructive and entertaining afternoon: