In this thought-provoking episode, host Maria Ceballos-Wallis is joined by Shawn Norris and Dr. Holly Silvestri of the SAFE AI Task Force (Stakeholders Advocating for Fair and Ethical AI in Interpreting) to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on the interpreting profession. They delve into the role AI could play in shaping language access, both for oral languages and the deaf and hard of hearing community, and the safeguards needed to protect fair practices. The conversation also explores insights from a recent survey, interpreters' responses to AI developments, and the crucial need for human oversight to ensure ethical standards and cultural sensitivity are maintained.

Learn More at safeaitf.org
SAFE AI (Stakeholders Advocating for Fair and Ethical AI in Interpreting)

About our Guests:

Dr. Holly Ann Silvestri has significant experience in the field of translator and interpreter training in addition to running her own language service provider agency as well as freelancing for other agencies and government entities. Currently she works as Senior Coordinator for Translation, Training, and Curriculum at the National Center for Interpretation at the University of Arizona. Her working languages are Spanish, French and English. She is a founding member of the American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education as well as Chair of the Public Relations Committee for SAFE AI. She is also a member of the American Translators Association and the Arizona Translators and Interpreters.

Shawn Norris is a seasoned language access leader, holding key roles such as President of FRID and CCHI Commissioner. Raised by Deaf parents, he's a passionate advocate for the Deaf community with over a decade of experience in the interpreting field. Shawn founded a local agency in Jacksonville, enhancing language accessibility, and is now the COO of AI Deaf, focusing on advancing VRI services.

In this inspiring episode, David Hardin, a seasoned business advisor and entrepreneur, joins host Maria Ceballos-Wallis to discuss the transformative theme of his upcoming keynote speech for DLMII’s Annual Business Retreat & Holiday Celebration, The Power of Purpose: Embracing Your Mission in Life. Drawing from his 25+ years of experience, David talks about the profound difference between merely working and living with intention and offers practical strategies for aligning your values with your daily actions.

David also provides a sneak peek into his exclusive workshop for freelance interpreters that will be held during DLMII’s Business Retreat. He’ll cover essential strategies on how to grow and sustain a successful business, from building client relationships to maintaining work-life balance. Whether you're a new interpreter or an established freelancer, this episode is packed with insights to help you find purpose and thrive in your career.

Join us in Florida on December 7th to hear David's keynote live and participate in his workshop at our Annual Business Retreat: https://de-la-mora-training.thinkific.com/courses/annual-business-retreat-2024 

In this episode, veteran judiciary interpreter Janis Palma and our host Maria Ceballos-Wallis, delve into the evolving ethics of judiciary interpreting. They explore the foundational impact of the Court Interpreters Act of 1978, the influence of early conference interpreting standards, and the challenges interpreters face in maintaining ethical practices while ensuring fair due process. They also touch on how technology and collaboration are reshaping the field and the necessity of bridging linguistic and cultural gaps to enhance communication for limited English proficient individuals.

About this week's guest:

Janis Palma has been a federally-certified judiciary interpreter since 1981. She is also certified by NAJIT (the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators) as an English-Spanish interpreter and translator, and by the State of Texas as a Master Licensed Court Interpreter.

She holds a Ph.D. in Language Studies, a Master’s in Legal Studies, and a Master’s in Puerto Rican and Caribbean History and Literature. She is now enrolled in the Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design Ph.D. program at Clemson University.

She has been teaching judiciary interpreting through professional associations, private organizations, higher education institutions, and government agencies since 1986. As an independent researcher her interest is focused right now on the intersections between judiciary interpreting theory and practice, law and legal language, but is also starting to explore the rhetoric of justice for language minorities in the U.S.

Her most recent published work includes “Literary metaphors in legal English and their conveyance to Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals in the context of U.S. courts.” (Oct. 2024) International Journal for the Semiotics of Law.; “When interpreting does not remove the language barrier: interpreter ethics at odds with due process rights in U.S. courts.” Texas Hispanic Journal of Law & Policy, U. of Texas at Austin Law School, Vol. 29, Spring 2023. (pp. 25-45).; The Legal Duty of Care: What is it and how does it impact the role of the judiciary interpreter? (Available at The ATA Chronicle. Vol 52)

In this insightful episode of Subject to Interpretation, host Maria Ceballos-Wallace sits down with Danny Serna and Miguel Juarez Vidales, two recent graduates of the De La Mora Institute's Train the Trainer Medical Track. They share their unique experiences and challenges in teaching medical interpreters, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the course structure and their teaching methods. Both Dani and Miguel reflect on their first classes, the importance of language diversity, and how community needs drive the demand for trained interpreters.

Curious about becoming a trainer yourself? The next Train the Trainer Workshop starts January 14, 2025. 

Apply now: https://de-la-mora-training.thinkific.com/courses/dmtt25-01-train-the-trainer-workshop

About the Guests:

Danny Serna is a Spanish Certified Medical Interpreter with more than 20 years of experience, and he currently serves as the Cultural Services Manager at Logansport Memorial Hospital in Logansport, Indiana. Before coming to LMH in 2020, Danny worked as a freelance medical interpreter in Madison, WI for entities such as The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Meriter Hospital, St Mary's Hospital, Dean Health Care systems to name a few. He was a staff medical interpreter at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and now resides in Logansport, IN. Danny earned his undergraduate degree in Spanish Language and Literature as well as French Language and Literature from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He obtained his Master’s in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Danny is passionate about language access for optimal patient care and about giving back to the professional field of interpreting.

Miguel Juarez Vidales is a National Certified Medical Interpreter with over 13 years of experience in language services. He holds a BA in Spanish from Boise State University and has worked in various fields, including education, medical interpreting, and interpreting for nonprofit organizations and state government agencies. Originally from Mexico, Miguel now resides in Nampa, Idaho. Currently, Miguel works full-time as a Program Specialist at the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, where he combines his interpreting skills with advocacy to advance language access. He is also an interpreter trainer and is actively involved in policy-making and local organizations that promote social justice and language access in Idaho. In his free time, Miguel mentors aspiring interpreters, providing guidance and support as they navigate the path to national certification. In addition to his training role, Miguel is a conference interpreter and the owner of Juárez Translations, a small company offering a variety of language services, providing high-quality interpretation and translation services across different sectors.

In this episode of Subject to Interpretation, host Maria Ceballos-Wallis sits down with Odilia Romero, a leading advocate for Indigenous rights, to explore the challenges Indigenous interpreters face and the work being done to create a more equitable code of ethics in interpreting practices. Odilia shares her experiences from growing up in Oaxaca to co-founding Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (Cielo). Tune in to listen to Maria and Odilia's discussion on the importance of language access, the concept of language violence, and the need for culturally relevant interpreting practices. 

Cielo: https://mycielo.org

Born in Zoogocho, Oaxaca, Odilia Romero is the co-founder and executive director of Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO). She is also an independent interpreter of Zapotec, Spanish, and English for indigenous communities in Los Angeles and throughout California. She has more than two decades of experience organizing indigenous migrant communities, and advocating for language access. Her knowledge and experience are highly
regarded, with multiple academic publications, awards, and lectures in universities across the United States. In 2024, she was listed on the ‘L.A. Influential’ list, for her work eradicating indigenous stereotypes. Ms.Romero has published on the challenges of training indigenous interpreters, developing women’s leadership, and preparing a new generation of youth. Her work has also been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Vogue, Democracy Now!, Quien, El País, TED X, Forbes, and the Day Emmy award-winning series Pan Y Circo "Nadie es ilegal migrantes de Ida y Vuelta" with Diego Luna.

In the latest episode of Subject to Interpretation, host Maria Ceballos-Wallace dives into an insightful conversation with Natalya Mytareva, Executive Director of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). They discuss the groundbreaking ETOE™ (English-to-English) exam, a unique assessment designed to evaluate cognitive interpreting abilities in English without requiring a second language.

Natalya shares the exam's structure, its relevance for certification, and how it sets the stage for future testing. She also sheds light on how the ETOE™ exam can influence other interpreting disciplines, making it a crucial tool for the future of interpreter certification.

Natalya Mytareva, M.A., CoreCHI, ICE-CCP, is Executive Director of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, and a Commissioner of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). In 2000-2013, Natalya was Communications Director at the International Institute of Akron, a refugee resettlement agency in Ohio. She developed and taught several courses for healthcare and court interpreters, with the focus on languages of lesser diffusion. She is a recipient of the 2023 Language Access Champion award from the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care. Natalya is a Russian interpreter/translator and started her career as instructor of interpretation/translation courses at Volgograd State University (Russia) in 1991. She holds a combined BA/MA degree from VSU in Philology & Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

In the latest episode of "Subject to Interpretation," host Maria Ceballos-Wallace sits down with Carola Lehmacher to discuss the development of a new code of ethics specifically designed for interpreters in educational settings. Tune in as they explore the unique challenges educational interpreters face, how this new code of ethics serves as a tool to clarify expectations for service users and the potential for similar updates in the codes of ethics from other fields, such as legal interpreting.

Carola Lehmacher-Richez is a seasoned freelance translator and interpreter with over 15 years of experience in government and industry. She holds a master’s in Conference Interpreting from Glendon College, York University, and degrees in Translation Studies from the Universidad de Buenos Aires. She is a federally certified court interpreter (FCCI), a certified court interpreter for Spanish and a registered court interpreter for German for the State of Georgia, as well as a certified medical interpreter for German. On top of her work with the courts, Carola works as a conference interpreter for various local and international clients, and is one of the voices of a major news network where she interprets live shows that are broadcasted to Spanish-speaking viewers. Moreover, she is a licensed trainer of “The Community Interpreter®” and dedicates many hours to volunteer as Chair of the Ethics and Standards Committee of AAITE, as Advisory Member to the Georgia Commission on Court Interpreters, and as President of AAIT, the Georgia chapter of ATA.

Join host Maria Ceballos-Wallis and special guest Dr. Tatiana Gonzales-Estarri as they discuss the upcoming new Medical Webinar Series offered by the De La Mora Institute of Interpretation. Dr. Tatiana shares her background in pharmacy and pharmacology and how she transitioned to become an interpreter. She highlights the importance of continuing education for interpreters to enhance their skills and knowledge.

Listen to the full episode to get an exclusive glimpse into the upcoming webinar series, covering a range of topics including remote interpreting in healthcare, addressing communication breakdowns due to cultural misunderstandings, proactive approaches in psychoactive scenarios, and much more. This is an one of a kind opportunity for interpreters from all backgrounds to improve their precision and effectiveness in interpreting medical related topics.

‘Subject To Interpretation’ is a podcast that deep dives into the topics that matter to interpreters.🎙 Hosted by Maria Ceballos-Wallis

Join us for the second-part of the discussion on "Interpreting in the Educational Sector". In this episode, host Maria Ceballos-Wallis talks with Ana Soler, chairperson of NAETISL - the National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages.

Watch or listen as Maria and Ana discuss the role of interpreters in education, the support for emergent bilingual family engagement, and the development of a certification process for educational interpreters. 

Ana Soler is the Chairperson of the National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages (NAETISL) and Founder of SeSo, Inc., a source of qualified and trained interpreters in education. She completed her degree in Social Work at Georgia State University, her Master’s Degree in Public Health at Emory University, and is close to obtaining her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Georgia. Ana has been an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Georgia for 11 years teaching three online courses she authored including the Professional Interpreter in Education Certificate course, the Professional Interpreter in Special Education Certificate course, and the Professional Translator in Education Certificate course. As part of her doctoral studies, Ana and a team of Subject Matter Experts are developing a national certification pilot test for spoken language interpreters in education.

‘Subject To Interpretation’ is a weekly podcast that deep dives into the topics that matter to interpreters.🎙 Hosted by Maria Ceballos-Wallis

Join us for an insightful first-part discussion on "Interpreting in the Educational Sector". In this episode, host Maria Ceballos-Wallis engages with Giovanna Carriero-Contreras, the chair of AAITE - The American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education.

Listen to this information-packed episode, as Maria and Giovanna delve into the unique challenges of working as an interpreter’s association, interpreters’ professional conduct and code of ethics, the impact of AI in interpretation, and much more.

Don't miss out on this compelling conversation that sheds light on the intricacies and importance of educational interpretation. 

Giovanna Carriero-Contreras is the chair of AAITE (The American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education), as well as a Master Interpreting Trainer, Language Access Advocate and Honorary Consul of Italy. Giovanna conceptualized and launched Cesco Linguistic Services as a foreign language agency and a conduit between Colorado's Limited English Proficiency residents and the service providers who tend to the needs of this growing population.