The goal of the NCTA Member Spotlight is to showcase our association’s diverse and multitalented members. Let’s meet Sue Randolph.
1. When did you first join the NCTA?
Executive Linguist Agency joined the association back in the 80’s. The exact year is lost in the midst of time.
2. What motivated you to stay an NCTA member?
We regularly needed to check the registry to find interpreters.
3. Are you more of a translator? Interpreter? Both?
Being an agency, we handle both translation and interpretation.
4. What is your language pair?
Multifarious!
5. Care to share a memorable professional anecdote?
I will never forget the confusion when an adjuster called to say that the interpreter for her claimant, Maria Gonzalez, was not at the MD office. We called Maria and she was, in fact, there. Eventually, it became clear there were two Maria Gonzalez’s at that office that day and the secretary had used our interpreter for the other one. The doctor had to pay our bill.
I also remember the fun we used to have finding exotic language interpreters in other counties before the internet connected us all. It usually involved going to the library, consulting the yellow pages of the city in question, looking up the restaurants for that ethnic group and asking them who in their community did interpreting. That was how we found our first Amharic interpreter in San Diego!
6. What is something notable you have learned from an NCTA meeting or colleague?
The WCIG committee has been very educational for me. There were gaping holes in my knowledge of the workers compensation system.
7. What do you think the biggest challenge our industry faces today?
Convincing (often monoglot) decision-makers of insurance companies and other translation/interpreter clients that they will save money if they choose competent professionals, rather than low-bidders, for their translation/interpreting needs.