Summit Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

​

Jost Zetzsche, Translator and Author

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: TRANSLATION AND TECHNOLOGY - A CAUTIONARY TALE FOR THE INTERPRETING PROFESSION
Jost Zetzsche is an certified English-to-German technical translator, a translation technology consultant, and a widely published author on various aspects of translation. Originally from Hamburg, Germany, he earned a Ph.D. in the field of Chinese translation history and linguistics.  His computer guide for translators, A Translator's Tool Box for the 21st Century, is now in its eleventh edition and his technical newsletter for translators goes out to more than 10,000 translation professionals. In 2012, Penguin published his co-authored Found in Translation, a book about translation and interpretation for the general public. His Twitter handle is @jeromobot.

Jonathan Levy, Director of Linguistic Services, Transperfect Remote Interpreting

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DO I HAVE TO MARRY THE MACHINE? LOOKING FOR THE INTERPRETER'S SOUL IN THE NEW INFORMATION AGE

Jonathan Levy is the Director of Linguistic Services at TransPerfect Remote Interpreting and was previously the Director of Language Services at CyraCom International, the Assistant Director of the University of Arizona’s National Center for Interpretation and the president and founder of his own language service start-up. Jonathan’s expertise lies in the development and implementation of interpreter testing, training and quality solutions for both remote and on-site operations.  He has extensive experience working with healthcare, court, education and defense/intelligence organizations and is currently a Commissioner on the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI).  He has also overseen development projects for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and the Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary education among others. Jonathan is a former teacher of history, English and ESL and holds a master’s degree in Cultural Studies from the University of Arizona and a bachelor’s degree in East Asian History from the University of Chicago.

SUMMIT MODERATORS

Barry S. Olsen, Co-President, InterpretAmerica
INTERPRETAMERICA 5 MODERATOR: Barry Slaughter Olsen is founder and Co-President of InterpretAmerica. He began his career as an interpreter and translator in 1993. He has worked for clients such as the US Departments of State, Justice and Defense, Inter-American Development Bank and National Geographic Society. He is an associate professor of translation and interpretation at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). Barry holds an MA in Conference Interpreting from MIIS. You can learn more about his work by clicking here.

 
Katharine Allen, Co-President, InterpretAmerica
INTERPRETAMERICA 5 MODERATOR: Katharine Allen is co-President of InterpretAmerica, an organization dedicated to raising the profile of the interpreting industry, which hosts the annual InterpretAmerica Summit. She trains interpreters and interpreter trainers, provides curriculum design, and language access consulting to hospitals. Clients have included Kaiser Permanente, the Department of Defense, Glendon College of Translation and the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). Katharine holds a Masters in Translation and Interpretation from MIIS.

SESSION SPEAKERS AND POSTER PRESENTERS
 
Rosanna Balistreri, Instructor, Cal State University & Founder, REACH-reaching diversity
SPEAKER: INTERPRETOPICS: MERGIVING THE PROFESSIONAL WITH THE PRACTICAL-OVERCOMING THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN INTERPRETERS, COMPANIES AND CLIENTS  

Rosanna Balistreri is an instructor at Cal State University Fullerton in the Translation and Interpreting Certificate Program and a member of its Translation & Interpreting Education Advisory Board. She is founder of REACH-reaching diversity, which trains healthcare interpreters and providers in cultural awareness and medical interpreting. Miss Balistreri is past President of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (2010-11). She is also a Subject Matter Expert for the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI), a member of the National Council of Interpreters in Health Care (NCIHC) Standards & Training Committee and she co-chairs the NCIHC’s Language of Lesser Diffusion Workgroup. Miss Balistreri holds an M.A. in Spanish Linguistics.

 
Margarita Bekker, Lead Interpreter, Education and Training at Stanford Health Care
SPEAKER: PLENARY ROUNDTABLE: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETING INDUSTRY

Margarita Bekker was born in Leningrad, Russia. In 1989, upon graduating from nursing school, she immigrated to the United States and continued her education at UC Berkeley, studying Slavic Languages and Literature. Since 2002 she has been working at Stanford University Medical Center. She holds the position of Lead Interpreter, Education and Training.  Margarita is a certified Bridging the Gap Trainer. She also taught Russian students in her capacity as Russian Language Coach at the City College of San Francisco HCI program for several years. In 2012, she became a curriculum developer and an instructor for Glendon School of Translation at York University, Toronto, Canada.  Margarita is a former President of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association as well as a former Chairperson of the CHIA Conference Committee. 

 
Naomi W. Bowman, President, DS-Interpretation
SPEAKER: PLENARY ROUNDTABLE: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETING INDUSTRY

Naomi has over 25 years of experience providing high-level conference interpretation services and is now President of DS-Interpretation after serving as Vice President since 1991. She is known industry-wide for her skills in interpreter organizing, managing large-scale events and contracts, and helping to set the highest standards in the industry. She lived in Europe for 9 years and currently telecommutes from her home-base in Colorado.

 
Laura Burian, Associate Professor, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-PREPARING TOMORROW'S INTERPRETERS FOR THE CHALLENGES AHEAD 

Laura Burian is Associate Professor of simultaneous and consecutive interpretation of Chinese and English at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.  She has worked as an in-house translator, interpreter, and legal assistant in the Beijing office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and freelanced as both a translator and interpreter in the US, mainland China, and Taiwan. Laura has worked behind the scenes as an interpreter for a number of high-level meetings between the US and People’s Republic of China. Her most recent assignment to be caught on camera was in March 2014, when she served as interpreter for First Lady Michele Obama for a 6-day state visit to China.

Julie Burns M.Ed, Owner, The Communication Bridge

SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-THE CONNECTED INTERPRETER: A CASE STUDY FROM A MEDICAL MISSION TO CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Julie Burns, M.Ed. is a veteran interpreter trainer, Spanish interpreter and translator. She is former director of Bridging the Gap Interpreter Training Program and has trained thousands of interpreters. Julie has served as board member of NCIHC and CHIA and has 20 years experience in health care interpreting and translation. Her recent focus is on sharing her passion for well-being with the interpreter community to support interpreters in reducing their stress.

 
Gilbert Calhoun, President, CWCIA
POSTER PRESENTER: SHAPING LEGISLATION IN THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION INDUSTRY - THE LARGEST AND MOST CODIFIED SOURCE OF JOBS FOR INTERPRETERS IN CALIFORNIA

Gilbert Calhoun has been the General Manager of  Christina Arana & Associates, Inc. for almost 30 years, a LSP in Southern California, having been married to Christina Arana, a State Certified Administrative Hearing Interpreter.  Prior to that he worked in banking for fifteen years.  He was a founding member  of CWCIA in 2002,  and has served as it's President and chief spokesperson since it’s inception. Gilbert has been active shaping legislation that affects interpreters in the state of California, as far back as 1994.

Giovanna_Carriero_Contreras_headshot
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras, Owner, CESCO Linguistic Services
SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-A PROFESSION IN SEARCH OF ITSELF-COMMUNITY INTERPRETER PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY

Giovanna Carriero-Contreras graduated from Instituto Orientale in Naples and the School of Translation and Interpretation in Geneva. She began her career in the U.S. as an Italian translator in 1998 and went on to work as an interpreter, tester, and project manager before founding Cesco Linguistic Services in 2004. A licensed trainer of trainers for The Community Interpreter®, Giovanna has developed innovative approaches to teaching interpreting skills. She is an active advocate for the profession and language access rights, and served on the Board of CAPI from 2009-2013. Giovanna is also a member of the ISO committee that is developing international interpreting standards.

Jeff Cordell, Chief Information Office, Language Line Solutions

SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-EXPLORING INNOVATIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF LANGUAGE ACCESS 

A seasoned executive and technology innovator, Jeff Cordell comes to LanguageLine as the former Senior Vice President, Technology for West Corporation, a global leader providing enterprise mission critical communication services. While at West, Jeff led development and delivery of industry leading IP-enabled SaaS voice, video and web conferencing solutions as well as cloud-enabled teleworker and proactive mobile communications offerings. Jeff has been awarded 6 patents, with 12 patents pending, in the field of emerging communications technology. Previously, he worked at Electronic Data Systems as an Architect and also served as a communications officer in the United States Air Force. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

 
Kathleen Diamond, Vice Chair, Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters
POSTER PRESENTER: INTERPRETER CERTIFICATION: MITIGATING HEALTH DISPARITIES

Kathleen Diamond is a consultant, and business leader in the language services industry. In 1979, she founded Language Learning Enterprises, Inc. (LLE®), a full-service language company. She is recognized as pioneer in Telephone Interpreting, launching LLE-LINK in the 1990s. Today, Kathleen serves as Vice-Chair of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, Director on the Board of Association of Language Companies, and Membership Secretary of ASTM F43 Language Services and Products.

 
Robert Duran, Committee Chairperson, CWCIA
POSTER PRESENTER: SHAPING LEGISLATION IN THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION INDUSTRY - THE LARGEST AND MOST CODIFIED SOURCE OF JOBS FOR INTERPRETERS IN CALIFORNIA

Robert Duran was a founding member of CWCIA in 2002 and past Chairperson Los Angeles Chapter. He is currently the Co-Chairperson of Issues, Plans & Objectives Committee and is on the Board of Directors. Robert has made compelling oral presentations before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, CAB and Department of  Workers’ Compensation hearings held in Oakland and San Francisco supporting interpreter issues. Over the years, he has effectively lobbied members of the State Senate and Assembly regarding interpreter issues on behalf of CWCIA.

​

​

Stephen Frank, RID CI & CT; President, Clear View Innovations; Former Director of HASA Video Remote Interpreting

SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED:

VIDEO REMOTE INTERPRETING 2.0: CROSSING THE THRESHOLD FROM TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION TO INTERNALIZATION

Steve Frank is a business owner, video interpreting consultant and career interpreter of English, Russian and American Sign Language (ASL). Directing HASA VRI, he developed VRI 2.0 and performed groundbreaking assignments of national and international scope. Steve’s company, Clear View Innovations (CVI), innovates unique goods and services for the business mobility, video interpreting and ASL interpretation industries. Mr. Frank was the first Moscow Office Director for the American Council of Teachers of Russian, a contracted State Department Russian interpreter and court interpreter in Maryland. Steve is a seasoned, widely-diverse ASL interpreter in the Baltimore-Washington area who specializes in legal, technical, deafblind, video and tri-lingual interpreting between ASL, English and Russian.

Dan Gatti, Executive Director, Health Cloud Solutions
SPEAKER: INTERPRETOPICS: THE IMPACT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY ON IMPROVED PATIENT CARE AND MEDICAL INTERPRETING  

Mr. Gatti serves as Executive Director of Health Cloud Solutions, a unique organization focused on providing the latest information about technology and impact on healthcare. Also serves as VP Business Development for Stratus Video. Mr. Gatti is managing partner of Innovative Capital Ventures focused Healthcare, Green Data Centers, Energy efficiency, and “Big Data” applications. Mr. Gatti was a venture partner at ArrowPath in Silicon Valley and rose over $150M as President and CEO of venture backed companies including: OnSite Systems selling wireless backhaul solutions, BigBangwidth selling nanophotonic switches, MAYAN Networks, selling optical switches. Mr. Gatti was the VP/GM at 3Com responsible for telecom networking solutions. Previously, VP WW Sales at Primary Access, President of Aptec providing (PACS) for the healthcare market, VP Marketing at Amdahl, VP Marketing at GTE and Regional Manager at IBM. Mr. Gatti is on the board of the California Healthcare Interpreters Association, and FoneClay a smartphone platform company. Mr. Gatti has a BA from Fairfield University and completed the executive MBA program at the Harvard Advanced Business School.

 
Bill Glasser, President and Founder of Language World Services
SPEAKER: PLENARY ROUNDTABLE: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETING INDUSTRY

Bill Glasser is President and Founder of Language World Services, Inc., Northern California's largest on-site healthcare interpreting and bilingual staffing agency. Under Bill’s leadership, Language World has flourished by emphasizing careful preparation of its employee workforce and by providing excellent customer service to its growing roster of human service and healthcare customers. Bill is the current President of Language World Services and sister company, Fluency, Inc. an Internet technology company that equips interpreting agencies, non-profit human assistance organizations, and hospital-based interpreting service departments with efficient, web-based back-office management platforms that improve quality, efficiency, and documentation for on-site interpreting.

 
Jacolyn Harmer, Professor, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-PREPARING TOMORROW'S INTERPRETERS FOR THE CHALLENGES AHEAD 

Jacolyn Harmer has been a practicing freelance conference interpreter and translator for over 30 years; her clients include both the major international organizations and the private market. She is a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) and served for several years on the AIIC Training Committee. Since 1985 she has taught in the French and German Programs at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation and Language Education. In addition to translator and interpreter education, she has co-taught Training of Interpreter Trainer programs in the US, Asia and Europe. Her translation of Pédagogie Raisonnée de l'Interprétation (Seleskovitch and Lederer) was published in 1996.

 
Angelica Isidro, Co-Founder, Indigenous Interpreting +
SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-FROM OUR EYES, THE INDIGENOUS INTERPRETER EXPERIENCE

Angelica Isidro, Co-Founder of Indigenous Interpreting+, is a Mixteco Bajo/Medio-Spanish speaker who came to the U.S. from Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1991 to work as a farm laborer. After completing medical interpreter training and a supervised internship at Natividad Medical Center through II+, Ms. Isidro completed a summer English immersion class at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She is the link between her community and Natividad Medical Foundation, and her commitment, love and passion for the development of a workforce to improve her community has had a direct impact on health care language access for her family, friends and neighbors. Ms. Isidro currently provides indigenous language medical interpreting at Natividad Medical Center. She was featured in the Los Angeles Times for her community leadership in Greenfield, California.

 
Max Mejia-Chatino Interpreter, Indigenous Interpreting +
SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-FROM OUR EYES, THE INDIGENOUS INTERPRETER EXPERIENCE

 
Rita Monroy, Program Officer, Senior Service America, Inc.
POSTER PRESENTER: ENHANCING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SENIOR EMPLOYMENT: TRAINING LATINO/HISPANIC ELDERS AS PEER COMMUNITY INTERPRETERS

Ms. Monroy manages the Community Interpreter Project, and provides technical assistance to Senior Community Service Employment Program subgrantees helping low income seniors 55+ find employment. She also has extensive experience in managing outreach programs and communications projects to Hispanic communities across the country for various organizations. She is a licensed community interpreter trainer with 10 years of experience as an interpreter. Ms. Monroy received her Law Degree from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru and a Masters on Environmental Management from the University of London.

 
Esther Navarro-Hall, Chair, National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators
SPEAKER: PLENARY ROUNDTABLE: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETING INDUSTRY

Esther M. Navarro-Hall is the owner of 1Culture (www.1culture.net), an interpreting, training and consulting company. She is an Adjunct Professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS – Now the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey), where she teaches Conference Interpreting (EN>ES, FR>ES) and Court Interpreting (EN<>ES). She is a pioneer in online training, practical technologies and social media for interpreters. She is also the creator of the Sim-Consec™ method (an innovative combination of two interpreting skills plus various digital technologies), and has taught it to hundreds of interpreters around the world. She is a Federally-certified Court Interpreter and a State-certified (California) Court and Medical Interpreter. In addition, she has interpreted for the U.S. State Department and is an ATA-certified EN>ES Translator. Ms. Navarro-Hall is currently the Chair of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT).

 
Lorena Ortiz-Schneider, Board Member, California Workers Compensation Interpreter Association

SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-WHO'S IN CONTROL? INTERPRETER PAY AND WORKING CONDITIONS  

Lorena Ortiz Schneider is a professional interpreter and translator and owner of Ortiz Schneider Interpreting & Translation, Inc. a mid-sized local agency on the Central Coast of California. Lorena sits on the Board of Directors of the California Workers Compensation Interpreters Association (CWCIA), and actively participates on the IP&O Committee. She is an American Translators Association Certified Translator and California State Certified Administrative Hearing Interpreter, has worked for the US Department of State as Escort and Seminar Interpreter, and as a Conference Interpreter for private industry and community based programs. She is bilingual in English and Spanish, fluent in French and has Portuguese as a working C language.Lorena earned her BA at UCSB and MA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Translation and Conference Interpreting.

 
Tomas Pascual-Kanjobal Interpreter, Indigenous Interpreting +
SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-FROM OUR EYES, THE INDIGENOUS INTERPRETER EXPERIENCE

 
Rosa V. Pichardo Heredia, Trainee, Senior Service America
POSTER PRESENTER: ENHANCING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SENIOR EMPLOYMENT: TRAINING LATINO/HISPANIC ELDERS AS PEER COMMUNITY INTERPRETERS

Ms. Pichardo is a graduate from Senior Service America Community Interpreter Program. She has been a freelance interpreter/translator in the State of Maryland for over 10 years. Her experience includes customer service and sales to Spanish speaking clients for different companies like Primary Care Coalition; and health outreach services to communities at African American Health Program. Ms.Pichardo received her Associate Degree in Business Administration from the National University Pedro Henriquez Ureña in the Dominican Republic; and is a Certified Medical Interpreter.

Kristin Quinlan, CEO, Certified Languages International
SPEAKER: PLENARY ROUNDTABLE: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETING INDUSTRY

Kristin Quinlan serves as CEO of Certified Languages International, a U.S. based on-demand telephone interpreting company.  A recognized leader known for approaching business with a unique blend of industry-wide collaboration and insightful decision-making, she’s led CLI to be named three times to the Fortune 500/5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies. Kristin’s commitment to the language industry earned her a position on the Association of Language Companies’ (ALC) Executive Board of Directors (2010-2014) and January 2015 was nominated to serve on the Joint National Committee for Languages Board of directors in Washington DC.

​

Dr. Bill Rivers, Executive Director, Joint National Committee for Languages 
SPEAKER: PLENARY ROUNDTABLE: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETING INDUSTRY

Dr. Bill Rivers serves as the Executive Director of the Joint National Committee for Languages, representing more than 100 organizations from all sectors of the Language Enterprise in Washington, DC. A long-time researcher, strategic planner, and business leader, he advocates for language with the US Government and the business community. Dr. Rivers has 20 years of experience in culture and language for economic development and national security, with expertise in research, assessment, program evaluation, and policy development and advocacy. During his career, Dr. Rivers has also taught Russian at the University ofMaryland, worked as a freelance interpreter and translator, and conductedfield work in Kazakhstan, where he regularly returns to teach at severaluniversities. Having received his Ph.D. in Russian, Dr. Rivers has lived and worked in more than 20 countries.

​

Dijana Rizvanovic, Interpreter Relations Specialist, Cyracom International

SPEAKER: INTERPRETOPICS: ONLINE INTERPRETER EDUCATION: MEETING THE NEEDS OF A MOBILE WORKFORCE

Dijana Rizvanovic is the Interpreter Relations Specialist with CyraCom International in charge of blended distance learning and onsite interpreter training initiatives through curriculum development and training provision. Ms. Rizvanovic has been involved in language access advocacy, research, training and development for over 18 years and is an experienced interpreter herself. Her experience expands over the areas of industry leadership, nonprofit management, fiscal management, interpreter training, grant writing, adult education, resource development and strategic planning amongst others. Ms. Rizvanovic is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with educational background in journalism.

Nelle Sacknoff, Product Marketing Manager, Google Cloud Platform

INSTRUCTOR: SAVVY INTERPRETER BOOTCAMP: ONLINE PLATFORM AND PRESENCE: DEVELOP AND GROW YOUR PROFESSIONAL BRAND ON THE WEB

Michelle Scott, CEO, Voices for Health, Inc.

INSTRUCTOR: SAVVY INTERPRETER BOOTCAMP: MAPPING YOUR INTERPRETING CAREER

SPEAKER: INTERPRETOPICS: ONLINE INTERPRETER EDUCATION: MEETING THE NEEDS OF A MOBILE WORKFORCE   

Michelle Scott is a bilingual RN and founder of Voices For Health, Inc., a small business with offices in Michigan and California. She has bachelor's degrees in Spanish and Nursing and a master’s degree in Medical Anthropology from Michigan State University. She joined the board of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association in 2015. Her love of medical interpreting, training and curriculum development has been combined to film interviews for VoicesACADEMY.com.

 
Victor Sosa, Director, Indigenous Interpreting +
SPEAKER: INTERPRET-ED-FROM OUR EYES, THE INDIGENOUS INTERPRETER EXPERIENCE

Victor Sosa has served as the Medical Interpreter Coordinator at Natividad Medical Center since 2011. Mr. Sosa received the 2013 National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) Language Access Champions Award and was a featured speaker at the 4th InterpretAmerica Summit (2013), From Indigenous Immigrant to Professional Medical Interpreter. He was also an invited panelist at the 2013 Critical Link 7 conference discussing Breakthroughs in Aboriginal Interpreting: Innovation and Insight for Indigenous Communities. Mr. Sosa is an experienced certified medical interpreter and certified court interpreter with a special gift for connecting with everyone. Mr. Sosa trains and supervises interpreters and provides expert guidance related to video remote interpreting delivery platforms.

 
Caitilin Walsh, President, American Translators Association
SPEAKER: PLENARY ROUNDTABLE: THE STATE OF THE INTERPRETING INDUSTRY

Caitilin Walsh is an ATA-Certified French-English translator who delights in producing publication-quality translations for the computer industry and food lovers alike. A graduate of Willamette University (OR) and the Université de Strasbourg (France), she currently serves as President of the American Translators Association, and represents ATA in the National Interpreter Association Coalition (NIAC). She brings her strong opinions on professionalism as an instructor of Ethics and Business Practices at the Translation and Interpreting Institute at Bellevue College, and to the T&I Advisory Committee for the Puget Sound Skills Center (both in Washington State). When not at her computer, she can be found pursuing creative endeavors from orchestra to the kitchen. She can be emailed at cwalsh@nwlink.com, and you can follow her on Twitter @caitilinwalsh.

  
Jeffrey B. Wood, Translation & Interpretation Career and Academic Advisor, Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation and Language Education (GSTILE), Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS)
INSTRUCTOR: SAVVY INTERPRETER BOOTCAMP-GETTING HIRED IN THE NEW ECONOMY

Jeff Wood has served as a career and academic advisor and manager at five colleges and universities across the United States for 41 years. He is an expert in the career development and employment of student and alumni interpreters, translators and localization managers into the US and world market. His unique position in the language industry has given him a broad understanding of where the jobs are in our field and what it takes to get one. Set to retire in July 2015, he currently runs student/alumni career advising/career management for the MA degrees in Translation, Translation & Interpretation and Conference Interpretation at MIIS.