{"id":640,"date":"2025-06-26T18:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/?p=640"},"modified":"2026-01-21T19:01:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T19:01:18","slug":"hilda-tejada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/2025\/06\/hilda-tejada\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Professional Interpreter Is Made Of: A Conversation with Hilda Tejada and Sergio M. Alarc\u00f3n"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p id=\"viewer-ember1098\">I recently had the privilege of engaging in a meaningful conversation with&nbsp;<strong>Hilda Tejada<\/strong>, former president of the&nbsp;<strong>Mexican Association of Conference Interpreters (CMIC)<\/strong>, current faculty member at the&nbsp;<strong>University of Massachusetts Amherst<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>ENALLT-UNAM<\/strong>, and active member of&nbsp;<strong>AIIC\u2019s Training and Professional Development<\/strong>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<strong>Sign Language Network<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember719\">From our respective journeys in professional interpreting\u2014hers through academic and association leadership, mine through over 50 years of fieldwork and a lifelong commitment to professional unity and continuing education\u2014we engaged in a key conversation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-4f08u2139\"><strong><em>What truly defines the work of a professional interpreter, and why do we charge what we charge?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember722\"><strong><em>What exactly does a professional interpreter do, and what are we being paid for?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"viewer-ember723\"><strong>More Than \u00ab\u00a0Speaking Languages\u00a0\u00bb<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember724\">To outsiders, interpretation may seem like a spontaneous act of switching languages. But as Hilda and I agreed,&nbsp;<strong>conference interpreting is a high-level intellectual activity<\/strong>&nbsp;that demands intense focus, deep research, and advanced cognitive skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember725\">Behind every successful session, there\u2019s an essential process that includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In-depth analysis of written, audio, and video materials<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Terminology extraction<\/strong>\u00a0and the creation of a specialized glossary<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Background research<\/strong>\u00a0on political, institutional, or technical contexts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Collaboration and rehearsal with booth partners or co-interpreters<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember727\">This is&nbsp;<strong>not optional or extra work<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 it\u2019s part of the&nbsp;<strong>core service<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"viewer-ember728\"><strong>RSI: Remote Simultaneous Interpretation with Professional Standards<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-gmy1o2877\">Today, many of our assignments are delivered via&nbsp;<strong>Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI)<\/strong>. But this doesn\u2019t mean lower quality or less preparation. On the contrary, interpreters working with international organizations now do so from&nbsp;<strong>professionally equipped home studios<\/strong>&nbsp;featuring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High-speed (redundant) wired internet<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Power backups and no-break systems<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dual or triple monitor setups<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sound-treated booths or acoustic workspaces<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>30-minute early log-in and 15-minute post-event availability<\/strong>\u00a0for sound checks and unexpected scheduling shifts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"viewer-ember731\"><strong>Expertise, Preparation, and Ethics<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember732\">During our talk, Hilda and I shared stories where thorough preparation made the difference between successfully conveying a diplomatic nuance \u2014 or losing it entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember733\"><strong>An interpreter&rsquo;s rate is not just for microphone time.<\/strong>&nbsp;It reflects the&nbsp;<strong>expertise, preparation, and infrastructure<\/strong>&nbsp;required before, during, and after each assignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"viewer-ember734\"><strong>Elevating the Profession<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember735\">One shared concern and aspiration that Hilda and I discussed was how to continually raise<strong>&nbsp;the standards of our profession<\/strong>, both in Mexico and worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-k5pwx3313\">That means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ongoing training and professional development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clear ethical and quality standards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Educating clients about the real scope of our work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember737\">Interpreting is not a \u00ab\u00a0technical service\u00a0\u00bb or logistical convenience \u2014 it is a vital function of&nbsp;<strong>human communication<\/strong>&nbsp;across legal, medical, diplomatic, and social domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sergio_Hilda.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sergio_Hilda.png 840w, https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sergio_Hilda-480x314.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 840px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"viewer-ember738\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember739\">Conversations like this renew my admiration and commitment to a profession that often operates behind the scenes \u2014 yet makes global understanding possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember740\">Thank you, Hilda, for your dedication to excellence and your continued work in shaping new generations of interpreters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"viewer-ember741\">We\u2019ll continue working \u2014 word by word, voice by voice \u2014 to build real bridges across cultures and languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:24% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"634\" height=\"634\" src=\"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sergio.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-309 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sergio.png 634w, https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sergio-480x480.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 634px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Sergio is a chemical microbiologist, licensed interpreter, and the founding president of Colegio Mexicano de Int\u00e9rpretes de Conferencias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#contact\">Click on the WhatsApp icon&nbsp;below<\/a>&nbsp;and talk to us to help us understand your needs for efficient communications solutions. No sales pitch!&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/19365295165\"><strong><u>Just a free consultation call<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hilda Tejada, former president of the\u00a0Mexican Association of Conference Interpreters, speaks with Sergio Alarc\u00f3n about the nature of professional interpreting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":644,"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions\/644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}