Meet Two New Federally Certified Interpreters

BY BARBARA DERTHICK

Congrats to our TAPIT member Lynne Purvis and President Elect Matt Benton who recently passed the Spanish Federal Interpreter oral exam!  We commend your hard work.  See the creative tips they give about how to study for interpreter exams and other interesting tidbits about their lives.

 

LYNNE PURVIS, FCCI 

Where are you from?

I am from South Florida, of German and English heritage.

How did you learn Spanish?

I studied Spanish formally starting in middle school, through college. I spent a summer in Puerto Rico, and then many long trips to Guatemala. I had friends from many Latin American countries to practice with.

How did you become an interpreter?

I got pulled into being an interpreter at community events when there wasn't one there. There is a need for people to unite for justice across language barriers, and I wanted to foster those connections.  I built up skills at small community meetings, then started doing simultaneous interpretation at conferences for immigrant and worker rights, and other social justice movements. When I moved to Tennessee 8 years ago, I learned they needed court interpreters and was looking for a job, so I entered the field.

How did you pass the Federal Court Interpreter Spanish Exam? Any tips for others?

Years ago, I had been struggling with passing the state certification test, and got private coaching with Athena Sky, who taught me a method of precise self-evaluation so I could really identify where my issues were. Then with every practice session, I could methodically choose what aspect to focus on - grammar, false starts, delivery, vocabulary, etc. This helped my practices be more productive.  This January, I took an FCICE (Federal Court Interpreter Certification Exam) prep intensive with Carola Lehmacher in January, and had a dedicated schedule of practicing 3 or 4 times a week for several months. She offered a mock exam platform that closely mimicked the federal exam platform so I became super comfortable with the format. Once it came time to take the actual exam, it was just like what I had been doing for months, so I was less nervous. For those studying to take the FCICE, I would recommend some kind of private coaching to help you better evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and a plan for how to improve those weaknesses. And a rigorous practice schedule and study of federal crimes!

What do you do in your free time?

I love to be on the rivers - canoe, kayak, tube, swimming! Hiking and identifying wild mushrooms, and of course, dancing!

Anything else about you that you would like others to know?

I live in an off-grid community, where I raise dairy goats, use solar electricity, drink from a mountain spring, rely on a woodstove for heating, and cut and chop all my own wood. No A/C. Sometimes before heading into court, I have milked the goats and walked 10 minutes through the forest to get to my car - what a grounded way to start the day!

 

MATT BENTON, FCCI 

My name is Matt Benton and I am from East Ridge, Tennessee, a suburb of Chattanooga on the Georgia line. My Dad and grandfather also grew up in Chattanooga so I have roots in the area. East Ridge has changed a lot since I was growing up and now has a very large Hispanic population with pupuserias, tiendas and Hispanic auto shops lining the main highway into town.

I learned Spanish in high school, continued studying Spanish at Vanderbilt and then lived in Chile for seven years. In Chile I taught English in middle and high schools and several language institutes. I also offered English tutoring.

I first learned about the interpreting profession in Chile. I thought interpreting was interesting since I, like most interpreters, served as an informal interpreter before getting certified.

While preparing for the Federal Court Certification oral exam, I took the Southern California School of Interpretation’s federal exam preparation course and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It was challenging, even daunting at times, but in the end the actual exam almost felt easy by comparison and I was happy to have passed it very recently.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, hiking, listening to music and being involved in Interpreter Organizations. Some of my favorite Chilean musicians are Camila Moreno, Javiera Mena, La Ley, Manuel García, and of course Víctor Jara. I am also involved with NAJIT on the advocacy committee, and will be the President-Elect of TAPIT for 2026.

I like variety in my work.  In a given week I travel to 3-4 counties and often drive up to 1000 miles a week. I am a Spanish state certified court interpreter in TN, Mississippi and Arkansas, and have immigration court certification. I recently took about 75 hours of mediator training and am now on the roster of certified mediators for Tennessee, able to mediate in civil and family mediations.