In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing a very special guest who was once a cryptologic linguist in the military and an interpreter in educational settings, but her experience doesn't stop there. Today's guest shares her inspiring story of growing up in Houston, Texas, and how she discovered her passion for language. She also discusses the challenges and importance of professionalizing the interpreting and translating industry, particularly in educational settings. One of the...

In this podcast episode, the host engages in a conversation with Dr. Bill Rivers, a highly respected advocate for language access and diversity. Dr. Rivers shares his extensive background and sheds light on the importance of acculturation over assimilation, the negative effects of shaming students for speaking their home language, and the challenges faced by language access providers due to insufficient funding. Additionally, he highlights the numerous benefits of being bilingual and...

For nearly 50 years the term Limited English Proficient (LEP) has been continuously used to refer to our multilingual communities since it was first coined in the Lau vs. Nichols Supreme Court case of 1974.  As we shift towards a better understanding and appreciation of multilingualism, perhaps it's time we start having conversations about a shift in terminology that more positively reflects our communities that speak a language other than English. In today's enriching conversation I have...

A Colombian native, Carolina Romero Ramirez is a passionate linguist on a mission to provide language access. In her roles as both Spanish teacher and community interpreter, she has interacted with diverse communities on the east and west coasts of the USA. She is a firm believer in continuing education and professional development and recently received her second master's degree with a focus on translation and interpretation. Today she's here to share her story and the steps she took in...

Joana is a Luso-American Latina helping organizations provide quality language and cultural services to Latino, immigrant, BIPOC, and Limited-English Proficient communities. For over ten years, She has worked with healthcare, education, public health, and community organizations in multiculturalism, health & social disparities, Diversity & Inclusion, and intercultural communication. After graduating from Rush University with a BS in Medical Laboratory Sciences, Joana started working...

Subscriber-only episode Happy 3 year anniversary Brand the Interpreter listeners! So happy you're here. On today's subcsriber-only episode I will be sharing with you some behind the scenes information, my moments of imposter syndrome with the podcast journey, the importance of starting messy, and the feeling of fear.       I hope you enjoy this special episode! Your host,  Mireya Thanks for tuning in, till next time! 👋 Subscribe to Exclusive access to premium...

Joey Cofone is the Founder & CEO of Baronfig, an award-winning designer and entrepreneur, and author of #1 bestselling The Laws of Creativity. Joey strives to make work that appeals to curious minds—work that’s beautiful, smart, and communicative. He believes that design is the least of a designer’s worries, that story is at the heart of all tasks, and jumping off cliffs is the only way to grow. In this episode Joey and I talk about: • What's killing creativity • The practice of ideas •...

Today's episode brings us Eulogio Espinoza an indigenous Mixteco language interpreter. Eulogio has been a professional interpreter for close to a decade. He's currently the Interpreter Coordinator at Centro Binacional (CBDIO), a non-profit organization  working with the indigenous communities in California. Eulogio brings his experiences and recommendations to the show and shares some great information about the challenges indigenous interpreters face in the language interpreting industry....

**Please note that the  descriptions referred to in this program apply to certain groups within the Deaf community and are not meant to define the entire population at large.** As a second-generation ASL interpreter, Sarah Baker passionately provides equal access for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community. Being raised bilingual, she never thought about interpreting as her career; however, after completing a bachelor’s degree in English from Bob Jones University and completing a three-year...

Francisca Hoces (Mana) is a Spanish consecutive remote interpreter. She is a certified yoga teacher with Yoga Soul Monkeys, RYS 200 hrs. She taught for years at an addiction recovery center, both acting and yoga. Francisca has a passion for learning and is continuously working to improve. Now, she is working towards becoming a translator for yoga, meditation and related topics. Francisca joins the Brand the Interpreter Guest list all the way from  Santiago de Chile, Chile in South...

It's surreal to think that another season came and went for Brand the Interpreter. This season was filled with so many more amazing guests. I had the chance to speak with professionals of all stages in their interpreting journeys. I feel so honored and humbled that people have chosen this platform to share their story and that you, the audience, has welcomed it with open arms.  To my amazement, the podcast continues to grow, spreading its message of interpreter stories across the globe. I...

Razan Roumany is a medical interpreter who is also trained in remote simultaneous interpretation. Although she specializes in medical interpretation, she has also interpreted for lawyers, teachers, social workers, and even a psychologist in a correctional facility. Having grown up as an Arab-American and hearing her family speak in both French and Arabic is what sparked her passion for interpretation and language learning.  She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where...

Today’s conversation is with Carlos Nuñez, a court-certified Spanish interpreter and a qualified medical interpreter with the Oregon Health Authority. Carlos grew up in Mexico and studied General Business at Eastern Michigan University. He is the president-elect for the Oregon Health Care Interpreter Association and enjoys working with nonprofits the most, particularly with organizations working on environmental issues and social justice issues. Carlos shares with us a language-industry story...

Danilo Formolo is the Assistant Vice President of Language Access at Atrium Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S. Danilo is entrusted with leading and transforming one of the most robust healthcare language access programs in the country, and is responsible for language access in four different regions of the Southeast.  In addition to operational leadership, strategic initiatives include building a large, scalable infrastructure through the use of technology to increase...

The passion for Civil Rights around Language Access of today's guest, woke up after she was returning  with her non-English speaking husband from working for Habitat for Humanity in Guatemala. Erika Shell-Castro tells us the story of how she was inspired by her husband's journey as a new immigrant to learn as much as she could about Title VI and immigrant and refugee rights, later becoming a subject- matter expert and getting hired by the largest hospital system in Central Ohio to build...

After boarding a plane on a one-way ticket to Barcelona in 2011 to live with a host family she had never met, the life of today’s guest changed forever when she spent a year becoming fluent in Spanish. Dominique’s unique take on how to learn Spanish as an adult has inspired many to jump into language learning. She has helped hundreds of her students build confidence in communicating with their families, having authentic connections with locals on their travels, and simply living the...

Daniel Tamayo is a translator, interpreter practitioner and educator.  Daniel taught Translation and Interpretation at the University of California at Riverside, as well as in Cal State University, Fullerton, for over 13 years, and Spanish at California State Polytechnic University for about 10 years.   He has served on the executive boards and committees of various national and California based translation and interpreting organizations. He has presented regularly at several of their annual...

Mohammed Nagy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature in 2016 and started his career as a literature teacher for 1 year before becoming an interpreter. In the last 7 years, Mohammed has dedicated himself to improving his skills and ascending the ranks with the goal to become a very highly rated interpreter. Mohammed is a medical interpreter, RSI United Nations Interpreter, court interpreter and recently became an interpreter manager.  He joins us today to share...

Nora Díaz holds a B.A. in Language Teaching and Translation, and combined her work as a language teacher and teacher trainer with translation and interpreting for a number of years, before deciding to work as a translator and conference interpreter full time. Nora enjoys using technology and finding ways to increase productivity, which combined with her love of teaching, has led her to share what she has learned through articles, webinars and workshops. She currently serves on the board of...

Francesca Manicardi is an italian interpreter, translator and copywriter working for the wedding, medical, marketing and patent world. In 2016 she founded Freelance Lab, a mentoring project for wannabe Italian interpreters and translators and in 2020 she founded Punto F Academy, her online language school for Italian learners. Francesca joins to the show to talk about her not-well-known but super interesting and fun specialty which is being a Wedding Interpreter & translator. She joins...

Iryna Iudina grew up in a small mining town in Eastern Ukraine with dreams to one day move out. One day on a bus tour to France,  which she describes as a flight to the moon, she encounters her first culture-shock experience: kind, polite, and smiling people, saying "bonjour" for no reason other than to say hello, confirming her beliefs that somewhere in the world existed a better quality of life, with different people and different experiences. She studied English and French majoring in...

This week we have the pleasure of sharing with you a conversation with the Policy, Education and Research Committee (PERC) of the NCIHC. Don’t miss this unique conversation with Linda Golley, a training and assessment specialist who as a community activist, has been honored to mentor many individuals from very diverse backgrounds.  Marina Waters,  who has served on several boards of regional hospital networks and organizations serving refugees and immigrants. Eva P. Stitt, who has presented...

John Arroyave is a first generation Colombian-American, he is keenly aware of how communication impacts access to community services, he is a passionate advocate for ensuring that interpreters are screened, trained and qualified. John is a graduate of the University of Florida, with an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, He has previously advised executives on organizational structure, change management, and process improvement projects.   He says that “Sometimes a...

From the T&I Ethics and Standards of Practice course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, two students and a professor share an ethical dilemma encountered during their final course project. Don’t miss the chance to hear the discussion with Dr. Ibrahim Aibo who designs translation and interpreting curricula for international organizations and currently teaches in the online Certificate in Professional T&I program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and in the online MS...

Join today's conversation with Esther Bonin, an international language industry expert with over 20 years of experience. Esther holds a degree in Translation & Interpreting Skills from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain) and an MA in International Relations from Durham University (Durham, England). She has worked on both sides of the Atlantic as a certified translator & interpreter, university professor, and language access consultant. Experienced in leading multicultural and...