1. Where are you based and what brought you to
the Midwest?
I’m based in St. Louis, which is where I’m from originally. So,
birth pretty much brought me to the Midwest, I guess –
although my ancestors did leave Germany for Wisconsin about
150 years ago, too.
What got you started in translation/
interpreting?
Growing up, I was always into the idea of foreign languages,
even if I didn’t always understand them. I first learned a bit of
Russian, German, Spanish and French during a summer course
when I was 10 years old. And then a couple of years later, when
I was finally able to study a foreign language in school, I chose
the one I’d felt most fluent in (relatively speaking), which was
Spanish. I ended up studying it until the end of college, which
also included a Journalism major and a year-long stint in Spain.
Journalism didn’t work out for me as a career, and my heart
was never really into it anyway. But with Spanish, somehow I
felt like there was the beginning of a pathway that I couldn’t
afford to lose. So, I just followed it and found my way in.
What are your language combinations and
specialties?
I’ve been a Spanish interpreter for a little more than 10 years
now, and I work on-site chiefly in medical, educational and
legal settings. Things have stepped up for me in the past couple
of years, though, since I became a Certified Medical
Interpreter, earned court certification in Missouri and – of
course – joined MICATA! I do a bit of translation on the side as
well: Most of the things I do into English are fairly simple these
days, although I have taken a non-native crack at translating
booklets, brochures and even the closed-captioning subtitles for
a documentary series into Spanish.
What is your favorite thing about being a
translator/interpreter?
Coming from more of a writing background, I just love the
creative process involved in translation. And it means a lot to
me as an interpreter to have learned about the language and
cultures from places that aren’t my own and to use it all to help
people who’ve come to make their lives in a place that is my
own. (In fact, the work has taken me through so much more of
St. Louis than I ever saw growing up here, and I feel like this
place is more of a part of me than ever!)
What is your least favorite thing about being a
translator/interpreter?
This profession can entail a great deal of isolation on either side
– whether it’s slaving away in front of the computer to meet a
deadline, or sitting around and waiting for hours in a hospital
hallway during down times or an empty courtroom during
recess. I don’t much care for that part of it.
What has been your strangest assignments?
You know, the assignments themselves usually aren’t so
strange, but what happens during them sure can be. There
was the childbirth I witnessed where the woman finally had
her first baby after several hours and then thanked me for my
patience after it was all over, as well as the time I was
called to assist the police and had to read a suspect his rights
in Spanish over the phone . . . right as the cop was arresting
him on the street!
What are your goals for this year?
I’m moving to a really vibrant part of town, near a major
park and some great museums, restaurants and attractions.
I’m looking forward to making my home there, both
indoors and out.
What are your interests and hobbies outside
translation?
Actually, a couple of them are even a bit informed by it – like
seeing foreign films and reading literature in translation. And
whenever a prominent novel comes out that’s been translated
from Spanish, I tend to seek out the original. It’s just that
sometimes it takes me longer to get through it because one part
of me is reading it and the other part is checking how it sounds
in English!
 What advice would you give someone starting
out as a translator or interpreter?
Just keep your eyes, ears and mind open. Don’t be afraid
to seek out the advice of people who’ve spent time in the
profession, or to show up at the ATA Conferences and
MICATA Symposiums if you can: Even if it’s just
mentioned in passing, you may well find out about the
degree program, technology, market trend or even the job
opportunity that gets your foot in the door.
VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2, JULY 2015 PAGE 4
Meet a Micatan
AN INTERVIEW MARK NETTESHEIM
Mark Nettesheim is a
Certified Medical Interpreter for
Spanish and court-certified
Spanish interpreter for the State of
Missouri. (He gets lost in
Translation every so often, too.)