A Matter of Interpretation

As the interpreter for Lee Kramer at Kramer Financial in Frederick, Maryland, 23-year-old Lisa Soyke got an associate degree in Sign Language Interpreting in 2001 from Catonsville Community College in Catonsville, Maryland, and picked up the financial knowledge along the way. "I started out as an administrative assistant, and I learned the business from Lee's old interpreter who ended up moving away," she says. "I was fortunate that I didn't come in cold as the interpreter. When I started working with Lee I knew nothing about the industry, but through working with him I have learned a lot." For the most part, she only travels with him when he has meetings with his hearing clients. If he has a meeting in the Philadelphia or New York office, she will drive. For other locations that would require her to fly, with the exception of conferences, Kramer hires other interpreters.