The 6th episode of “How to Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty” is a conversation with MIIS alumna, Lorena Ortiz Schneider. The social distancing order imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus has had a severe impact on work opportunities for interpreters. On-site interpretation has been especially hard hit.
Given that many of my MIIS students aspire to a freelance interpreter career, I was particularly interested in Lorena’s perspective as a freelancer herself and as someone whose business works with freelance interpreters day in and day out. She pointed out that downturns can take a variety of forms from the macro-economic environment, to professional challenges, to personal setbacks and provided many heart-felt and practical suggestions.
Thank you Winnie for the work you do at MIIS and for these very helpful podcasts about How to Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty. Your endeavor is very timely and extremely helpful for up-and-coming interpreters and for seasoned ones. I enjoyed Lorena Ortiz Schneider’s insights and advice tremendously. She is such an outstanding Monterey Institute alumni and an asset to her profession. I confess my bias in expressing great admiration for her, a wonderful person, because I am her dad. She is so well rounded: A good wife, mother of two college graduate boys, exceptional athlete, outstanding professional and loving daughter and sister. My wife and I are very grateful.