Conferencing as an Emerging Interpreter

As an emerging interpreter, networking in a space of 400-700 professionals can be terrifying. I (Katie) as an introvert have a hard time approaching and starting conversations with others, and I struggled at my first conference to make networking worthwhile. Since then I have made it my mission to get better at every conference I attend. How do I do that though?

First, attend the first-timer meet-up! It sounds silly, but it is worth your while to attend! Last year, I witnessed a group of approximately eight young professionals connect there, and I then saw them throughout the week interacting and laughing up a storm. At this meet-up, you will also be introduced to the ten NAI Regions and eight NAI sections, all of which offer a starting place to network with people in your geographical area or whose interests align with yours.

A few years ago NAI started using the app Whova to assist in facilitating the conference experience. There is a feature where you can plan socials and meet-ups with like-minded individuals. Some from past conferences are games night in the lobby, morning bird walks, and JEDAI happy hour. The Whova app is a great tool and resource when you put the effort into it. It is also a great way to get your name out there, because if you participate in the app, you get points that go towards a leaderboard which everyone can see. Then, you might have people coming up to you asking, “Are you so-and-so? I saw you at the top of the leaderboard and wanted to meet you!” Trust me: it happens. It’s happened to me multiple times! In fact, competing for the top spot in the 2021 leaderboard is how Brendan and I met!

Another place to network is at lunch. It can feel like a high school lunchroom at first, but you have to remember sometimes this yearly conference is the only time old friends get to see each other. They aren’t trying to exclude you from the conversation. Usually, you just have to simply ask, “Hey, is this seat taken? My name is (insert name here), what’s yours?” You can make an endless amount of connections just by sitting next to someone you don’t know. This also applies to during sessions and on field trips. I sat next to a stranger on a field trip and now two years later she is the maid of honor in my wedding.

Once you have made a connection, use it! That person knows so many people in the field and most likely at the conference. Ask if they can introduce you to some of their colleagues or friends. You never know who your next employer, coworker, mentor, or friend could be. I met someone at a dinner through my mentor, and she ended up being on one of my interview panels for a job two years later.

Networking doesn’t have to be scary. It can be as simple as saying “hello,” having a short conversation with someone, and seeing where it goes. It doesn’t have to end in a mentorship, a job, or a best friend. It’s the first step in making a connection with someone that may or may not end in a mentorship, a job, or a friendship in the future; or it may fizzle out to only a face you recognize at a conference. However it works out, be proud of yourself for taking those steps to network in an overwhelming, but rewarding environment.

The sessions offered at NAI’s National Conference are led by some of the finest interpreters from across the country and typically include a few field trips. Prior to the start of the conference there are a few pre-conference workshops, some lasting half a day and others a full day. These are great opportunities to hone specific skills, like interpretive media, or look at specific local interpretation. For example, last year, there was a pre-conference workshop about the Trail of Tears.

Once the conference officially begins there are usually five or six sessions each period to choose from–which isn’t easy since so many of them are awesome and very applicable! Thankfully, through the Whova app, some sessions are live-streamed and recorded, so you can go back and watch them after the conference. I (Brendan) think the best advice for choosing what sessions to attend is to find a mix of sessions that are applicable to what you’re doing now or want to do, but also find ones that will help you in the future. There’s nothing stopping emerging interpreters from attending sessions for middle or upper management. The most important thing is finding sessions that you’ll enjoy. If you think blacksmithing is super cool, and there’s a session about blacksmithing, check it out, even if you have never talked about blacksmithing before!

Once you get home from the conference it feels like you’ve just run a marathon, because in a lot of ways you have. Take a few days to decompress and get settled back into your normal life. I (Brendan) love allowing for about three days to reacclimate before I even think about how amazing the last few days were.

Once resettled, I start reflecting on a common question in many of our interpretive programs, the “So What.” What can I take away from this week and apply to my programs or myself this month, this year, and within the next five years? I also sit down with all of the business cards or contact info and organize them. I’ll add many of these contacts on LinkedIn or the Interpreters Network through the NAI website.

Katie and Brendan had the opportunity to meet so many mentors through the National Conference. Some of these are people that we only get the chance to see at the conference and love catching up with, but others are like Sarena Gill, a personal friend and mentor to both of us. We met her at the 2021 National Conference in Palm Springs, California, and we have had the pleasure and treasure of learning from her since.

When NAI launched the Mentor Match system in late 2022, we both jumped for the chance to have Sarena as our official mentor. But you don’t have to go through the Mentor Match system to find a mentor. If there’s someone at the conference that you got to talking to and think you can learn from, ask them if they’re able to take on a mentee or just be available for questions.