Judith Kenigson » Members

Biographical Info

Judith Kenigson Kristy was born in Toronto and has lived and studied in Canada, Spain, Mexico and the USA. While living in Mexico, she translated two books on economic policy (“Foreign Direct Investment” and “Technology Transfer”) for the Fondo de Cultura Económica in Mexico City, after which she was invited to work as Spanish-English press-release translator for Mexican President José López-Portillo and, later, as Capital Goods Joint Project translator for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. After moving to the U.S.A., Judith earned credentials in both translating and interpreting: Federal and State (Consortium) Certified Spanish Court Interpreter (TN, KY, IN, and MS) and Certified Translator (English to Spanish and Spanish to English, CTTIC). She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee where she has continued her 40-year career working in the U.S., Mexico and Canada as a freelance court, business and conference interpreter, translator, consultant and instructor.

Judith has always been involved in promoting education and high standards in the world of translating and interpreting (T&I). She served for six years as a Member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT), Chair of NAJIT’s Certification Committee and Chair of the NAJIT Translation/Transcription Committee. She is Co-Founder and Governance Advisor of the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT), and a member of the American Translators Association (ATA) and the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO). She has participated as a consultant in the formulation of Rules and Ethics for the Tennessee and Mississippi Court Interpreters Certification Programs as well as conducting training courses for aspiring court, medical and community interpreters. In recent years she has been working as a Subject Matter Expert in test development and rating for national interpreter certification programs in the USA and Canada. Judith has published a number of articles and position papers for both T&I and Bar Associations and is a frequent speaker at conferences on various T&I topics, particularly Interpreter Ethics and the Transcription/Translation of Forensic Recordings (FTT).

Studied at the Univ. of Western Ontario (English Lang. & Lit.), Univ. Of Madrid (Hispanic Studies), Columbia Univ. in NYC (Philosophy), Univ. of the Americas, UNAM (Marketing), TN State University (Various). Ample variety of studies, no degrees (not my goal). Lived abroad in Spain (1962-63) and Mexico (1968-82). Have lived in the US since 1983 and spend summers on an island in Northern Ontario, Canada.

Credentials include Certification by the Admin. Office of U.S. Courts as a Certified Federal Court Interpreter, Certification in TN, KY, IN and MS as a Certified State Court Interpreter, Certification by the Canadian Terminologists, Translators and Interpreters Council (CTTIC) in Translation from English to Spanish and Spanish to English, as well as Court Interpretation in Ontario (Canada). Other T&I studies include Kaiser Permanente 40-hour Medical Interpreter Training; Monterey Institute of International Studies (Middlebury College Graduate School) Training of Trainers in Health Care Interpreting; 6-day Training of Trainers for The Community Interpreter (TCI); and numerous workshops and classes. For more see my CV (in the photo section).