Instructor — Judith Kenigson-Kristy
Judith Kenigson-Kristy has been a freelance Spanish interpreter and translator for about 40 years. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, she has lived and studied in Canada (University of Western Ontario), Spain (University of Madrid), the U.S. (Columbia University in New York City) and Mexico (University. of the Americas). She worked as an independent translator for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Mexico City and translated two books on Mexican economic policies and trends for the Fondo de Cultura Económica, a Mexican government publishing house. During this period, she was also an official translator of press releases for Mexican President Lopez Portillo.
After moving to the U.S.A., Judith continued her translating activities and added interpreting expertise. She became a Federally Certified Spanish Court Interpreter in 1991, and, in 2002 was a consultant for the task force that established TN Supreme Court Rules 41 and 42 governing court interpreter certification and professional standards in Tennessee Courts . Under the resulting certification program, she became a TN State Certified Interpreter in 2003, with subsequent reciprocal state court certifications in KY, IN, and MS. In 2007 she gained accreditation as a Certified Translator (C.Trans. #2772), both from English into Spanish and from Spanish into English, and as a Certified Ontario (Canada) Court Interpreter, from the Canadian Terminologists, Translators and Interpreters Council (CTTIC).
Ms. Kristy served for six years on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT), and was Chair of the NAJIT Certification Commission for seven years. She frequently serves as a subject matter expert in the development, administration and scoring of national translator and court interpreter performance examinations. Judith also co-founded the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT), an organization in which she is a lifetime member and consultant. Through these and other national and international associations, she has authored, co-authored and edited numerous articles and position papers on Translation and Interpreting published in professional journals.
Judith currently travels throughout the US and Canada to interpreting assignments in courts and private sector conferences, in addition to frequently presenting workshops on interpreter skills building, interpreter ethics, and the transcription and translation of forensic recordings (FTT), a specialized field in which she is considered a primary national expert.
Judith welcomes inquiries and can be reached at jkinterp@gmail.com.
