Certification for Domestic Violence Interpreters

How's certification coming along for domestic violence interpreters?  Here's an update on what we're doing in Kentucky:

In Every Language Position on Ky SB6

As a business, In Every Language tries not to engage in political debate. But as interpreters, we must be aware when political issues threaten or affect the people we work with.

Kentucky Senate Bill 6 is an Arizona-style immigration bill for the Commonwealth that, if made law, would allow state and local police to fine or detain anyone they suspect of being undocumented.

Regardless of your position on immigration or your personal political beliefs, the passing of this bill--and even its being considered--has a clear impact on Kentucky's limited-English proficient (LEP) population.

What You Can Do
First, we would like interpreters to consider how this bill impacts LEPs you interpret for.  Are they going to feel welcomed in the facilities where we interpret?  Are they going to be forthcoming with medical, legal, and other information?  How does this change the tone or vocabulary you use as an interpreter?  If the bill passes, will you as an interpreter need to bring your residency documents with you to appointments?

Secondly, we understand that some of you may be adamantly for or against this bill, which has already successfully gone through the Ky Senate.  We encourage you to contact your Kentucky House Representative to express your opinion and to tell your representative how you would like for him or her to vote.  You may find your representative's contact information by clicking here.

Third, be present so you can learn more! Community information sessions regarding this bill will be held in Louisville on

Saturday, January 22nd (2 pm) at the Americana Community Center
(The Americana is independently seeking volunteer interpreters for this event. To volunteer, call 502-366-7813.)

Saturday, January 29th (3 pm) at Beechmont Presbyterian Church
(In Spanish)

Yours to Decide
Again, I would like to stress that you have a right to your own opinion.  Whether you are for or against Ky SB6 is yours to decide and our interpreters' individual positions will not affect whether or not In Every Language gives them interpreting assignments.  But, again, as interpreters, we must be aware of what impacts our clients and our LEP audience, which is why I am posting this in my blog.

Thank you.

Interpreting for Domestic Violence Victims

A few weeks ago, I discussed an upcoming training for domestic violence interpreting that In Every Language was putting together with the Ky Domestic Violence Association.  Well, the training was a success!  For those of you who were unable to make it, please find a clip from the training below, where we discuss the (lack of?) appropriateness of physical contact with the LEP.

So What Is Title VI, Anyway?

Edgardo Mansilla, director of the Americana Community Center in Louisville, Ky, explains what Title VI is at a recent mayoral candidates forum. Video also includes Jackie Green, former candidate for Louisville mayor.

Free Workshop on Domestic Violence Interpreting

On November 17^th, In Every Language and the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association (KDVA) will present a free workshop for interpreters on violence against women. The event will take place at the Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort, Ky from 9 AM to 5 PM.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. For refugee and immigrant women experiencing domestic violence, language barriers complicate getting assistance. And for interpreters working with these women, their professional roles and expectations are just beginning to be defined. The workshop will introduce interpreters to the domestic and sexual violence program system and examine how they can incorporate standards of practice when working in the domestic violence field. Continuing education credits will be awarded by the American Translators Association.

In Every Language currently provides language services to the Center for Women and Families in Louisville, but hopes to prepare interpreters working with domestic violence victims statewide by partnering with the KDVA for this workshop. In Every Language offers translation, localization, and interpreting services internationally in 175 different languages.

Multilingual Mayoral Forum

On October 20^th at 6:30 pm, the Americana Community Center presents “A Multicultural Evening with Candidates Greg Fischer and Jackie Green,” as part of their mayoral candidate forum. Interpreters from In Every Language will interpret the forum from English into Spanish, French and Swahili.

Non-English languages are playing a vital role in tight races, such as the one for Louisville mayor. A recent Huffington Post article (“In Tight Races for Congressional Seats, Language Could Make a Difference”) stresses the importance of candidates reaching limited-English-speaking audiences in the upcoming election. According to the article, 4.2 percent of Kentuckians speak a language other than English in the home.“[E]ven tiny margins can make or break a candidate. The ability to communicate to potential voters in their native languages is taking on new importance,” says Nataly Kelly, the article’s author.

In Every Language is providing free interpreters at the event so that Louisville’s international community members may access the same information as Louisville’s English-speaking community.  In Every Language offers translation, localization, and interpreting services nationally in 175 different languages.

Why "They Speak English" is a Crap Excuse

Of all the arguments I’ve heard against professional translation (and I’ve heard a few), “they speak English” has got to be the worst.

I am not a natural salesperson.  I feel funny inside when I think of cold calls.  So when I try to sell a client translation, it’s not because selling is what I do; it’s because I think translation will help them in what they do.  I love the idea of helping a growing business, of working with a company that is going into a country for the first time.  So much is new.  Everything’s exciting, brimming over with possibility as jobs are created and new markets born.

I get especially excited when I see another Kentucky business expand internationally.  I’m proud of my state, but you must admit we’re not known for being the most international people on the face of the planet.  We do wear shoes, but we’re not exactly seen taking them off at airport security as we fly to exotic destinations, either.

What we are known for, though, is hospitality.  As my grandfather put it, Kentucky is “south of the river.”  And while Kentucky’s being southern vs midwestern is cause for debate, when you’re south of the river, we put on that Southern hospitality shine.  Except when it comes to international business.  And there, we are some of the most inhospitable people in the nation.

I made a sales call this morning to what Louisville considers to be a large business.  They’re going international, preparing to open up locations in eight Middle Eastern countries.  It was easy to get the name of the person in charge of this international expansion.  This is a typically Southern company, after all, hospitable in the fact that the polite person (no push-button system here) who answers the phones will say, “Why, sure, sugar, I can put you through to her!”  This restaurant sells itself on Southern kitsch and making you feel comfortable.  But evidently, their highly-marketed hospitality stops at the Atlantic.

In no uncertain terms did the contact tell me that the company has no intent whatsoever to ever purchase translation.  When I asked her why (call me a glutton for punishment), she said, “They speak English over there.”

This has to be the worst argument against professional translation I have ever heard. 

For starters, it’s just lazy.  Instead of judiciously considering communications and how to improve them, let’s just make our foreign partners do the work.  Let’s not actually make any effort to make sure our message is perceived in the way we want it to be; let’s just assume they’re getting all of our highly colloquial, Kentucky-specific references and that nothing is lost in (lack-of-)translation.  It’s not like there’s a professional translation provider six minutes from the office or anything.  It’s not like a simple look at the American Translators Association website would give us access to 11,000 members ready to serve.

This argument also makes you look like a dumbass.  Now, forgive me for cursing in my blog, which I know is an unprofessional move on my part, but there’s no other word for this than “dumbass.”  You don’t have to watch “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” to know Arabic is the main language of choice in the Middle East, among others.  If anyone reading can think of a better word than “dumbass” for a college-educated adult who doesn’t know this, I’m happy to hear your suggestion.

But the reason that burns my biscuits most is that it’s completely lacking in Southern hospitality.  I don’t know about y’all, but my momma told me to always accommodate the other person above myself.  When you are a guest in someone’s home, you do as much as you can to put them out as little as you can.  You make your own bed, you help with the dishes, and you don’t eat the last piece of pie.  So why is it so hard for people to transfer this attitude to their companies?  Why is it so hard to realize that going into someone else’s country, asking them for their money, then making them speak your language is so highly rude?  Forget being ruder than eating the last piece of pie, it’s even ruder than I’ve been to this company in my blog entry.

Momma also taught me that honey killed more flies than vinegar and that no one listens when you’re yelling.  So I truly had a hard time deciding to write this blog.  We are good to our clients. We care about them and like to consider ourselves accommodating to all levels of professional language services purchasing experience.  We’ll work with new and first-time buyers when many providers of our caliber won’t.  Again, I love to help a growing company move into new markets, but I grow weary.  I grow tired of this attitude that goes against the grain of everything I’ve been taught, all I know to be logical.  If we cannot be professional, if we cannot be accommodating, then what can we be?

Thanking the Troutmans

Louisville is losing the Troutmans.

Yesterday, the announcement came that Dr Adewale Troutman had accepted a job at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health.  Today, the announcement followed that his wife, Denise, would be leaving, too.

Adewale is currently the director of Louisville's Department of Public Health and Wellness; Denise is the director of the Center for Women and Families, Louisville's domestic violence and rape crisis center.

Both LMDPHW and the Center are In Every Language clients, so we've been fortunate to see first-hand the impact these two leaders have made on our community.  While Adewale heads out in November and Denise next March, we already feel the difference.  Thank you, Adewale and Denise, for the work you've done.

Rand Paul, Racism, & Professional Interpreters

Full disclaimer: I’m proud to be a Kentuckian.

No matter which state you’re from, though, you’d have to be living under a rock, far far away from CNN to not have heard about US Senate hopeful Rand Paul’s unfortunate remarks.  In an effort to share his beliefs on government’s role (or lack thereof) in business, he unfortunately side-stepped into a nasty civil rights debacle.  What the man actually said is beside the point; what’s he’s been accused of saying is that the US government had no right to force businesses’ hand in repealing Jim Crow.  Whether those were his exact words or not, the national media rush resulting puts Kentucky forth as the Land of Johnny Redneck, while we scramble as a state to protest the embarrassment Mr Paul has caused.

From recent efforts to un-redneckify this image, something good has come forth: State Senate Resolution 10SS SR31.  Proposed by Senator Gerald Neal (D-33), the four page resolution reaffirms Kentucky’s belief in and adherence to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a state.  With language that is forthright, moving, and as passionate as you can get and still call it government, Senator Neal invokes the battle long-fought in our country for civil rights.  The resolution calls the Civil Rights Act “a statement of a core American value.”  Throughout the resolution, the message is clear: civil rights = good, prejudice = bad.  But civil rights for whom?

As the owner of a translating and interpreting company, I see a new discrimination when I look across the Bluegrass State.  Yes, racial discrimination still exists.  I may have personally been born post-Jim Crow, but even I have seen restaurants with separate doors and dining rooms for whites and blacks, still divided by the community in a jus au sanguine kind of way.  Laws mean nothing if they are neither followed nor enforced.  Racism is still an unfortunate reality in the South.  But where racism is slowly starting to disappear, a new form of discrimination is coming forth: prejudice based on national origin.

As a nation, we have Title VI, the portion of the Civil Rights Act that prohibits prejudice on national origin and which requires, thanks to a back-up executive order from President Clinton, that any agency receiving federal funding provide equal language access under the law.  (For you lay people out there, that means, in part, translating and interpreting.)  But, again, as we learned with laws, they must be either followed or enforced to take meaning.  The 1960’s seems like a long time ago to some.  The issues we faced with immigration then were different than the issues we face now.

That’s why I was so proud to see Senator Neal’s resolution.  Whether he intended it or not, whether the other senators who unanimously voted for it were aware or not, we now have new legislation in Kentucky that says Kentucky is a welcoming state to immigrants.  It’s right there, in the final paragraphs (for a full copy, visit http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/10SS/SR31.htm):

        WHEREAS, if the United States is to remain the welcoming country for persons from all locations, regardless of race, color, religion and ethnicity, enshrined by the Statue of Liberty, the welcoming of persons from all nations, and the "melting pot" for persons coming to the United States, the core values must continue to be protected; and

        WHEREAS, the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky finds and declares that any ideology, philosophy, or position which does not recognize these core American values is repugnant to the citizenry of the United States and to the advances made since the United States declared itself independent of Great Britain in 1776, and to the guarantees of equal protection, enshrined in the amendments to the Constitution of the United States and is hereby rejected;

NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
Section 1.   The Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky finds discrimination in any form to be inconsistent with American values and stands firmly behind the principles of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966.

Section 2.   The Senate of the General Assembly rejects any attempt to retreat from the guarantees provided by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966, and urges all residents of the Commonwealth to do likewise.

Maybe I’m stretching for it.  But did you see?  We are “a welcoming country [and] the welcoming of persons from all nations, and the ‘melting pot’ for persons coming to the United States…must continue to be protected… [A]ny ideology, philosophy, or position which does not recognize these core American values is repugnant to the citizenry of the United States.”  

I don’t know about you, but English-only political positions and other anti-translation efforts definitely seem unwelcoming to me.  To me, there is nothing more repugnant than a non-English speaking person being denied quality health care because they do not speak English.  There is nothing more repugnant than doctors who don’t care if their patient understands, who aren’t willing to invest the time it takes to open the phone book and call a qualified interpreting provider.  There is nothing more repugnant than a state Medicare system that turns down federal funding to reimburse interpreting costs.  There is nothing more repugnant than an abortion clinic administering abortions to non-English speaking women without first explaining the procedure in their language.  There is nothing more repugnant than a government that bars non-English speaking people from taking a driver’s license test, and in so doing, keeps these same people from getting to work or English lessons.  There is nothing more repugnant than school systems that do not understand the importance of having an interpreter explain a child’s progress to his parents.  There is nothing more repugnant than these things, yet they and many others continue to be in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

It is my hope—no, it is my challenge—to Senator Neal and others that 10SS SR31 will take teeth and bite, that it will enact change, that it will not stop at the whites-only door, but rather march right into both dining rooms and say that ending discrimination means ending discrimination, no matter who is being discriminated against.

I am challenging you to be better, Kentucky.  I am challenging you to keep me proud.  I know that it’s in you.

Becoming a B Corp

Gone are the days of for-profits and not-for-profits; a new year is here. And with it comes a new business formation: the B Corp.

So what's a B Corp?  Officially, B Corporations are a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.  Unofficially, it's a for-profit company that puts people before profits.

And Kentucky now has its first.

Located in Louisville's NuLu District, In Every Language is the latest business to receive B Corp certification and the first in the Commonwealth.  The company is also the first translating and interpreting provider to be added to the B Corp list, joining well-known brands such as Dansko, Seventh Generation, King Arthur Flour, and Numi Organic Tea.

"At our core, we help people."  This is how the In Every Language mission statement begins.  This mission of putting community first is part of why In Every Language was the perfect certification candidate.  In addition, the medical interpreting services In Every Language offers provide limited-English speakers with intrinsic, medical benefits by helping them to better understand their care.  The company also contracts with low-income refugees and immigrants in the area, providing many under-employed individuals with opportunities for economic self-sustainability.  And by contracting with female translators and interpreters originally from more oppressive cultures, the company also gives many of these women their first opportunity to work outside the home.

In order to qualify for certification, businesses must score a total of 80 in the following areas: community leadership, community involvement, employment policies, consumer involvement, & environmental policy.  In Every Language's score was 127.4, one of the higher scores that Hardik Savalia with B Lab, the B Corporation certifying body, says an applicant company has ever had.

For more information on B Corps, please visit bcorporation.net/about.

For more information about In Every Language, please visit ineverylanguage.com.

DV Certification Process Gets National Attention

August 4th, I posted a copy of a press release on this blog about our recent efforts toward developing the nation's first-ever interpreter certification for domestic violence situations. Today, I found out on Twitter--of all places--that Ode Magazine has featured the story on their website. While their coverage doesn't include any information not already available on this blog, we think being on their home page is a pretty cool deal and would just like to thank them publically.

Who Do Amateurs Practice On?

No long post today, just a couple of ideas for thought:

We've all seen bilinguals looking to get their "start" as interpreters. But my question is, who are they starting on? And what are they starting with?

All these thoughts tonight got started when I found where I'd written down a Cynthia Roat quote after hearing her speak at a medical interpreters' conference in Lexington, Ky. I put it here below, then leave you with that:

"The emergency room, the courtroom, these are not the places to be practicing!"

Courier-Journal Profiles Company

The Courier-Journal, Kentucky's statewide newspaper published in Louisville, profiled In Every Language above the fold in today's paper. While we encourage you to click through the the article on the Courier's website here, I'm also blogging the text from the article, written by Paula Burba, below:

"Snapshots of people at work: re: Terena Bell, translating interpreting"
August 10, 2009

Four years ago this month, Terena Bell started In Every Language Translating & Interpreting Services — (502) 213-0317, www.ineverylanguage.com — in her home. Business boomed and she recently relocated to new offices at 812 E. Market St. in the NuLu District downtown.

Ditching dictionaries: “I called Kentucky Refugee Ministries offering to volunteer six years ago and showed up out there with a dictionary. The first mark of an amateur is bringing a dictionary with you.”

From the French: “I had been a French freelance interpreter, so I built it off of that. Starting out in her guest bedroom, "It got very, very hectic,” as it moved into the dining room and soon took over the living room. “When we moved into the kitchen, I said, ‘That's it.'”

Translate vs. interpret: "Language service provider — that's what you call what we do. We offer services on site and over the telephone, all over the southeastern U.S. … Translation is written; interpreting is oral.”

Territories: “Anywhere from here to Cincinnati to Atlanta to Raleigh (N.C.) — if it's in the South, we can help you.” On-site interpreters don't go too far north of Cincinnati or Indianapolis.

Certifiable: The company belongs to the American Translators Association, Association of Language Companies and the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, which “has a very clear code of ethics and standards of practice.”

Navigating health care: “Within healthcare, we do a lot of individual patient appointments. … A lot of surgeries, where the patient needs to know exactly what is going on.”

Not all legality: “We're very much more about the difference (we can make in the world) than about the dollar. … If we didn't do as much community service, I'd be a much richer woman, but I wouldn't sleep well at night.”

--Paula Burba

Terena's Note: I thought it was a nice little piece. Thanks, Courier!

In Every Language and Ky Domestic Violence Association Work Toward Certification

Check out the following press release we issued this morning:

In Every Language, a Louisville-based interpreting and translating provider, has joined the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association’s council for the development of domestic violence interpreting certification. As there is currently no domestic violence interpreting certification available in the United States, the certification will be the first of its kind. Lead by Isela Arras with the KDVA, the Interpreter Certification Project hopes that its certification model, once complete, can be used to qualify or certify domestic violence interpreters in other states. This project therefore only not impacts victims of domestic violence in Kentucky, but has the capability to help people throughout the nation.

A separate certification for interpreting in domestic violence situations is needed due to domestic violence interpreting’s highly-specialized nature. The field is quite different from interpreting for other situations due to the job knowledge, personal sensitivity, and bilingual vocabulary it requires. While resembling medical interpreting in its confidential nature, domestic violence interpreting also requires legal and community interpreting expertise, as well as skill-sets not involved in other interpreting specializations. The council is also writing a training manual and continuing education modules that will serve as aids in certification preparation and maintenance. Once completed, a database of those interpreters in Kentucky both trained and certified for domestic violence situations will be available to KDVA’s shelter programs in the Commonwealth.

The Interpreter Certification Project has grown out of KDVA’s existing Immigrant and Refugee Women Project, a statewide task force working to ensure immigrants and refugees receive equal access to domestic and sexual violence services in Kentucky. In Every Language was selected for the council because of the company’s commitment to community outreach and service.

In Every Language is located in Louisville, Ky, where it works to provide quality translating and interpreting services for social-service and social-entrepreneurial situations throughout the Southeastern United States. The company’s website is http://www.ineverylanguage.com.

Based in Frankfort, Ky, the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association works to ensure that the right to live free of any form of domestic abuse is valued, protected, and defended in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The KDVA can be found online at http://www.kdva.org.

Training Students So They Can Leave?

This month's issue of The Lane Report is dedicated to "Kentucky's workforce getting smarter." The feature article discusses how recession is (or isn't) driving students into school and how Kentucky is one of only five states in the nation to have a drop in college enrollment.

What I found more interesting, however, is a table in the back of the issue supplied by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. It lists the number of bachelor's degrees awarded by public colleges in Kentucky by subject. I was very surprised to see that foreign language BA's were up. With an average that had been 95.2 foreign language graduates per year for 1999-2007, the Commonwealth's public colleges awarded 195 foreign language BA's in 2008.

While on the surface, this seems like a good thing, my question is, are we preparing them for nothing? Yes, there is a great deal you can do in Kentucky with a degree in foreign language. In addition to translating and interpreting, you can work in government, social service, tourism, journalism, and the list goes on. The jolly old fall-back I always heard was “You can teach.” And of course, the more successful graduates are always welcome to come apply to work for me. The jobs are there. And while the Kentuckians stepping out this spring to apply for them are, as The Lane Report puts it, getting smarter, is Kentucky?

Today, I lost my interpreting coordinator to Ohio. A talented employee with a true passion for learning, she and her fiance wanted to pursue PhD's and couldn’t get them in Kentucky. I know, I know, you CAN get a PhD in Kentucky. But can you get one in Spanish? Nope. Sorry, Charlie. No PhD’s in Spanish or French or German or in any other language for that matter. Simply put, if you want to learn a language at that level, Kentucky’s universities can't help you. In an economy striving to educate its workforce for survival, one of my best employees is having to leave the state in order to further her education. And now I'm trying to fill a position that wouldn't have even been open if Kentucky had offered my employee the opportunity to learn.

I understand the Commonwealth is doing all it can. I understand you can't be the best at everything. But I also understand that if these 195 students, plus their equivalents from private schools like Centre and Asbury, can't keep learning what they love best, they will learn it elsewhere. This is what smart people do: they go where they can grow.

So, what next Lane Report? Now that Kentucky’s workforce has gotten smarter, what will Kentucky do to keep them?