Jason Knapp

Member Spotlight: Jessica Sanchez

During the month of November, KITA would like to congratulate member Jessica Sánchez.

Earlier this year, the American Translators Association (ATA) announced that Jessica Sanchez, the interpreting coordinator for Fayette County Public Schools, would receive its 2018 School Outreach Program Award. More than 1,000 of her peers saluted Jessica during ATA’s annual conference Oct. 24-27 in New Orleans.

“We are thrilled to honor her effort in reaching out to students to educate them about promising careers in translation and interpreting,” said Corinne McKay, ATA president. “Her winning entry is a fitting testament to the lasting success of ATA’s School Outreach Program, which raises awareness of the role that translators and interpreters play in business, government, and society at large.”

To qualify for the national award, applicants must belong to ATA or an ATA-affiliated organization and must deliver a presentation at a school of their choice. Sanchez presented outreach sessions to several classes at Harrison Elementary’s Career Day, teaching students the difference between an interpreter and a translator, and demonstrating how interpreting headset equipment works as they listened to narrated stories simultaneously interpreted.

“Jessica is an outstanding asset to Fayette County Public Schools. Her dedication to serving students and families is inspiring, and her focus on continuous improvement and outreach is unmatched,” said Lori Bowen, director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, who oversees the district’s Interpreting & Translation Services.

Click here for original article.

Jason Knapp

Acting as a cultural broker: how medical interpreters navigate the patient-provider relationship | Twin Cities Daily Planet

The heart of Sergio Choy’s job as a medical interpreter is to capture the spirit of the message between patient and medical provider. “You hear things like, ‘I’m feeling a little blue today,’ in English, but not in other languages. You can’t feel a color in Spanish,” said Choy, who translates between English and Spanish, […]
— Read on www.tcdailyplanet.net/medical-interpeters/

Jason Knapp

The Lifelong Pursuit of Language Learning: How The Vocabularies of Native and Non-Native Speakers Compare (and Why Medical Interpreters Matter)

How do the vocabularies of immigrants to the US compare to those of native speakers. What does the process of learning a new language look like, especially as an adult, and how long does it take? Does a person who appears fluent in English ever need a medical interpreter? Learn more here.
— Read on blog.cyracom.com/the-lifelong-pursuit-of-language-learning-how-the-vocabularies-of-native-and-non-native-speakers-compare

Jason Knapp

Member Spotlight: Lynn Fors

KITA would like to congratulate founding board member and current Vice President and Program Committee chair Lynn Fors for being given the Amici Linguarum (Friend of Languages) Award by the Kentucky World Language Association.

This award is presented to an individual or organization not directly involved in the teaching of world languages that has made a significant contribution to our society through their efforts to increase and promulgate both a love and appreciation for, as well as the ability to communicate in a world language among all citizens in the community, the state, and ultimately the country.

In addition to her language access advocacy work, Lynn is an entrepreneur who recently founded Access Language Services. Check out her website and latest blog post here.

If you have a KITA member that you would like to see in the spotlight just contact us at help@kitanonprofit. Be sure to put “Spotlight” in the subject line and a brief description of some of the candidates outstanding qualities or contributions in the message field.