Secondly, and depending on your particular circumstance, there are essentially two routes to develop and sharpen your interpreter skills: there are several university colleges that offer an academic curriculum tailored to the profession of an interpreter, some even leading to credentialing as a certified court interpreter (although the pertinent exams are administered by the pertinent judicial administrative entity, they prepare you for them.) For example, the Monterey Institute (in California) offers programs that specialize even further (such as for conference interpreting) via their Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education.

Sadly, that formal academic route is not available to everyone, for a variety of practical reasons; e.g. in my particular case, I have a family to support, which would preclude that possibility. So, the alternative, second route would be to make an effort to accumulate practical experience, and combine it with appropriate skill-building courses and trainings. At least initially, it’s a very good idea to actively look for volunteer interpreting openings; I am positive that in your community (Orlando, FL) there is an abundance of such opportunities, especially in the Spanish-English language pair. While you do that, familiarizing yourself with the various “codes of conduct” applicable to the differing interpreting specializations (e.g. in health care and judicial settings) will give you a very good idea of how, what (and moreover, why!) us professional interpreters do our job the way we do, in our particular specialization. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to “get” the conduct-related aspects down pat as early as possible!

Particularly since you’re in Orlando, you’re in luck because de la Mora Interpreter Training (of well-experienced, federally certified court interpreter and highly seasoned interpreting educator and trainer Agustin de la Mora) is precisely based in Orlando! So, my more direct suggestion would be to get in touch with them, and learn about suitable training opportunities they can offer.

Whether you take that “second route” – which I readily admit is far more challenging, as you have to muster all the discipline necessary to persist in combining practice / experience with supporting courses on your own – or follow the path of “full” academic education, there is simply no substitute whatsoever for practice, practice, practice. So, finding (pre-recorded) material to sink your teeth in and keep at it, is absolutely a key pillar to successfully build up your skills to a satisfactory level, and beyond. Trust me, even more “seasoned” interpreters need to keep at it; there’s always a next level (e.g. as in sustained words per minute rate) to work towards, waiting to be overcome.

Also: don’t hesitate to look up and contact practicing professional interpreters. Ask if you can “shadow” them, see how they do their job, and – time and circumstance permitting – learn also and especially why they do what they do, in the manner they do. You’ll probably learn fairly quickly that “us” interpreters have widely differing approaches to our profession; in part, that’s a reflection of individual differences (personality, particular skill set, etc.) and to a fair degree, also a difference in professional perspective. Learning and understanding those differences, the “reasons why” (even without picking any one as “right” or “correct”) will be of great benefit to you. It’s probably a good idea to shun “secretive” interpreters, who don’t (can’t) handle it when people nearby closely watch (and listen to!) their performance. Odds are, there’s little to learn from them! We all occasionally make mistakes; if one’s not comfortable admitting that, able to deal with it professionally, that’s a big sign that there’s still a steep learning curve ahead.

Of course, as (almost) needless to say, join (or at least look up and hook up with) members of one or more interpreter and translator associations. Arguably, NITA is perhaps less obvious a choice due to the distance, but I’m sure you’ll find plenty if not many more colleagues in Florida, too. Don’t forget the American Translators Association, ATA! You’ll see that by and large we’re fairly gregarious people, happy to share and offer tips, pointers, and ideas to help you find and improve your skills. Also, have a look at NITA’s Recommended Links and Resources for language professionals, which has a bunch of links for you. Of special interest to you as an aspiring court interpreter is the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, NAJIT. I warmly recommend signing up with them.

Now, finally this: it all starts and ends with a deep-seated love for “your” two languages and the people who speak it. It’s quite obvious that if you don’t have a natural respect for the people you interpret for, you won’t get far; similarly, if you don’t truly respect and love both languages that you work in, you will sooner rather than later find that the discipline required to always keep your linguistic mind open, looking for better translation solutions, working toward “a more perfect language mastery” is dreadfully difficult. You really have to love, admire and respect both languages (and of course the people) to have the ongoing motivation to remain open, to learn and to improve your game. Routine, comfort, overconfidence (a big one!) and contentment are professionally speaking your mortal enemies!

Trust me, only such a professional orientation, seeking out and struggling to reach excellence, is what will keep you going, well after your fifth year in the profession. And as you work at it – which is an ongoing effort, no matter your level of experience – you’ll find that others will recognize your achievement.

Hopefully this gives you some tips and ideas to move further into our exciting and (certainly in my experience) immensely gratifying profession building bridges among people and their goals in life.

Good luck!