International Prisoner Treaty Transfers:

World Class Prisoner Translations

We are internationally-known prisoner treaty transfer experts who work with treaty-partner governments worldwide.  To our knowledge we have assisted more foreign prisoners obtain treaty transfers than any competing firm, law firm, lawyer or non-governmental agency.  As a large percentage of our clients are from Hispanic countries, our logo "TIP" derives from the Spanish Traslados Internacionales de Presos¹ which means "International Prisoner Transfers".
If we are talking with the client, almost always the person for whom the translation is being done is incarcerated.  If we are not talking directly with the client, then we are usually dealing with a family member or close personal friend.  In either case, please follow these guidelines:
1.  Please give only your first name.  This is important because we use many interpreters and they have universally informed us that they prefer a first-name basis only.  We do not know personally the people for whom the translation services are being provided and therefore, to protect the privacy of the interpreters we have adopted this rule.
2.  Please speak only in the first person.  A translator is a professional position that is, at its heart, quite impersonal.  The job of translation is not a job of understanding the contents of a conversation; rather, it is a job of effectively communicating the contents of a communication to the principals involved.  Think of the United Nations interpreter.  He, or she, is translating from one language spoken by a single person at a time to a group of, perhaps, hundreds.  None of the listeners know, or even care, who the translator is.  The satisfaction of the translator, then, comes from having done the translation job correctly and efficiently.  Accordingly, please follow these itemized practices:
  a.  Please never say, "He said..." or "She said...", or "Charles said..."  Remember, speak only in the first person.  An interpreter is speaking as though he, or she, is the actual person originating the speech - but in a different language.  Thus, when the client states, "My name is Jose."  The interpreter will say, for example in Spanish, "Mi nombre es Jose."  Never say, "He said his name is Jose."
  b.  Do not carry on a conversation with the client.  An interpreter's sole purpose is to convey the sentences spoken from one language to the other, not to converse with the client.  The interpreter is considered by the client my extension and representative.  Thus, it is fair for the client to believe that any conversation an interpreter has originates from me.  A one-sided conversation between the interpreter and the client can result in a great misunderstanding and should be avoided at all costs. 
  c.  An individual's ability to remember what was said is limited.  After all, we can only remember so much.  Therefore, if a client is making a long statement it is perfectly permissible to interupt the client by saying, "Excuse me..." and then to begin translation into English.  After you're done, you can say something such as, "Please continue...".  If the interpreter does not do this it becomes quickly imossible to remember what was said at the beginning.
  d.   The best translation is simultaneous.  Some people obtain the mental power to perform simultaneous translation simply by believing that they can.  True, even though amazing.  It is easy to perfect if you wish to have this capability.  Simply force yourself to listen in one language and speak the same thoughts into a second language.  Going back to the United Nations example, every UN translator does simultaneous translation.  If you are not a simultaneous translator and wish to be please tell me and I'll work with you to help you perfect this great skill.  One of my former partners, who met a very untimely death due to cancer, Guy Kruse-Brooke, could literally translate simultaneously into and from English, Spanish and French consecutively and take great joy in doing so.  He would start rattling on so fast it was amazing.
  e.  All conversations that we have that are interpreted are recorded as per our habitual business custom and practice to assure quality control.  Thus, at any time you wish to listen to your translation skills, simply ask to be provided a copy.
  f.   If you wish, I will critique your translation with you after the session. 
  g.  A translator performs a wonderful service and we do our best to pay well for your efforts and work with you to improve your talents.
Remember, all translations you provide are confidential and the subjects discussed are not for you to repeat to any person other than myself.  If anyone asks, or demands, that you divulge the contents of any of your translations, please contact me immediately.
Sincerely,
   Charles Benninghoff Signature - Traslados Internacionales de Presos

Sitemaps