What a year for
Found in Translation!
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Dear friends,
Looking back, what started out as a job training model has become so much more. Over eight years of organizational growth and learning, I’ve come to believe that
for women, economic mobility happens in community.
Today, by design, Found in Translation is, above all else, a community. Earning a Medical Interpreter Certificate and joining the interpreter workforce is just the beginning. Returning as volunteers, donors, instructors, and employers, our students soon become partners. They are our—and each other’s—greatest resource.
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Maria with staff and members of the Class of 2019 at the Interpreter Job Fair (December)
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Our Career Advancement programming evolves proactively and responsively to our graduates’ ever-changing goals and needs over the course of years as they advance in the workforce. And an engaged community of successful alumnae, in turn, accelerates and amplifies the success of new graduates.
Looking ahead, our 2020 vision (ha!) is ambitious: to double the number of interpreters trained per year. And as expected, investment in the social capital of our alumnae community is at the core of our growth strategy. In 2019 we’ve made investments into two key program areas:
1)
Growing our in-house Interpreter Services,
spearheaded by Partnerships Coordinator David Chen, to expand direct job placement opportunities in preparation for more graduating interpreters.
2)
The launch of a formal Teacher Training Track,
under the leadership of Career Advancement Manager Karen Walker and Head of Interpreter Education Bindiya Jha, to support our graduates with ambitions to teach interpreting, and in anticipation of our need for more trainers. I am proud to say that in Class of 2019, nearly 80% of our faculty were our own graduates!
With deep gratitude,
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Maria Vertkin
Founder and Executive Director
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Presenting... the Class of 2019!
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On December 7th, Found in Translation held our annual Program Celebration for our most recent class – the Class of 2019!
Having completed the certificate training, the women of the Class of 2019 are now ready to take the next step in their career and begin working as professional interpreters.
Held for the first time at the Geological Lecture Hall within Harvard University, the event this year was very well attended – with over 100 guests and community members present to support and celebrate our most recent program graduates.
We are so proud of each and every one of our newest alumnae, and we are so thankful to everyone in our community who have supported (and will continue to support) our graduates as they progress in their professional journeys.
As interpreters for 10 different languages, our 31 brilliant and inspiring graduates will provide critical language services for their communities in the years to come.
To view more photos of the event, see the album on our
Facebook page
.
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Members of the Class of 2019 enjoy a community potluck on the last day of language coaching (November)
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Students pose with their mentors on the last day of mentoring (November)
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Celebration Highlight - Graduate Address
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"Today is our day! Yes, we have learned about standards, protocols, and codes for our future careers, but we have learned more than any book can teach us. We have learned from each other: respect and tolerance, empowering yourself through empowering others, and most importantly, we have learned just how strong women can be."
Click on the video below to watch this year's Class of 2019 speaker, Sulima Elballa, share her powerful story at our Program Celebration event.
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Thank you, Boston Rotaract!
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Boston Rotaract members at their Karaoke 4 Charity event (September)
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This year, Found in Translation enjoyed the continued support of our partners at
Boston Rotaract
- in more ways than one! Once again, Rotaract provided our program with a steady group of dedicated childcare volunteers on Wednesday nights, ensuring that there were always enough volunteers each week to care for our large group of children.
In addition, Rotaract generously hosted two fundraiser events in September. Through their hard work, over $2,000 was raised and donated to Found in Translation to support continuing education scholarships ($1,000 each) for two members of the Class of 2019.
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These scholarships (up to $1,000 each) are available to every alumna for use in furthering their interpreting career through trainings and other resources. Alumnae of our program use their scholarship money to attend professional conferences, purchase interpreting equipment or business cards, acquire updated dictionaries, and even to subsidize the cost of the National Certification exams. This is a critical resource that is key for our alumnae to begin their careers, and another thing that makes Found in Translation unique.
Through Rotaract's support, two alumnae of our Class of 2019 will be able to access a wealth of knowledge, professional connections and learning opportunities through their continuing education funds.
Thank you!
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Language Access Fellows Lead Their Peers
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With your investment, our alumnae have built and continue to build impressive careers in the interpreting world. This year, our Language Access Fellows further solidified their presence in the Greater Boston Area’s top hospitals and healthcare providers, and have been actively using their growing power to influence the hiring of their Found in Translation peers at these institutions.
Over time, the Found in Translation program has employed selected alumnae to serve as part of the faculty and receive mentorship and guidance from our loyal and skillful veteran instructors. Each year, the number of alumnae serving as instructors has grown. This year, Found in Translation piloted our
Teacher Training Track Program
, an initiative designed to formally support the teaching skills of selected alumnae.
In the Class of 2019, 20 of our 26 faculty members were Found in Translation alumnae, serving as language coaches, assistant language coaches, anatomy & physiology instructors, and core interpreting skills fellows. Not to mention, alumnae were once again represented in our 2019 volunteer mentor and childcare communities!
It has been truly exciting and energizing to witness these women employing their expertise and collaborating with us in support of this year’s students.
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Elizabeth (Class of 2014) outlines the impact of language access laws during Interpreting Skills class (October)
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Lenira (Class of 2016, left) goes over terminology in Cape Verdean language coaching (November)
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Naomie (Class of 2018) explains the circulatory system during Anatomy and Physiology class (October)
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Sara (Class of 2018, right) participates in our 2019 Community Paddle Fundraiser event (August)
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Jahaida (Class of 2017, far right), serving as a mentor for the Class of 2019, shares a laugh during Mock Interview Night (November)
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In addition to their impressive work with our Class of 2019, this year our alumnae community continued to engage with our community as speakers and ambassadors at events, fundraisers and even donors.
We humbly thank each and every alumna who dedicated time and/or resources to giving back to our community.
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Ashley (Class of 2017, right) and staff member Ayolah pose at the Massachusetts State House during the MA Nonprofit Excellence Awards Event (June)
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2019 by the Numbers:
- In 2019, Found in Translation turned 8 years old, and as of December 7th, boasts an alumnae community of 256 and a staff of 9.
- This year, 77% of our faculty for the Class of 2019 were alumnae, and represented all Found in Translation class years - from 2012 to 2018. Collectively, they dedicated close to 650 hours to the success of the Class of 2019 through preparing materials and teaching.
- In 2019, we provided direct job placement to 37 alumnae in 8 different languages through our in our in-house Interpreter Services. Collectively, they provided language access to 476 limited English speakers, over the course of over 713 hours of interpreting.
- Our Interpreter Services clientele continue to grow! This year we added 7 new interpreter services clients, including Mass Metro North, the Children's Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, Project Hope and more. These new clients will provide recurring work for our interpreters in the coming year.
- This year we provided 203 hours of continuing education training, supporting our alumnae in various areas. Sessions included a Cover Letter Clinic, Preparing for an Employer Language Exam, Interpreting in Dental Encounters, and our annual Simultaneous Interpreting Intensive workshop series.
- For the first time ever, Found in Translation hosted a Job Fair for interpreters in the Boston area. Over 150 interpreters from across the Boston area joined us to learn about employment opportunities at many local language service providers. The event was well attended by alumnae, with 22 interpreters (including the Class of 2019) in attendance.
- Collectively, Found in Translation graduates report serving over 10,000 limited English speakers each year through their work as interpreters.
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Interpreting in Dental Encounters workshop at Tufts Dental School (March)
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Alumnae pose for a photo at the 2019 Paving the Way to Healthcare Access Interpreting Conference (June)
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Natasha (Class of 2018) poses with MA Rep. Ayanna Pressley after a simultaneous interpreting assignment for a community meeting (August)
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Found in Translation alumnae circulate and talk with potential employers at the Interpreter Job Fair (December)
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Found in Translation Staff 2019 *(December)
*Not pictured: Kerri, our grant writer who lives in Arizona
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Our Volunteers Make a Difference
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Over the past year our powerful community of 50+ volunteers has welcomed students,
professionals, and supporters from near and far - uniting them all under Found in Translation’s dual mission of language access and economic empowerment.
- This year, over 25 childcare volunteers donated a cumulative 840+ hours from their evenings and weekends entertaining the children of students and alumnae as their mothers attended classes and trainings.
- The 10 mentors in our Class of 2019 invested over 200 hours cumulatively in supporting students as they perfected their cover letters, set up their LinkedIn profiles, and honed their interview skills.
- Our pool of guest speakers and volunteer partners grows each year. This year, 23 individuals shared their skills and knowledge with our students and/or graduates on topics like Salary Negotiation, Impartiality, Working for an Interpreting Agency, and more.
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Tavi Sookoo of the AAUW spoke gave our class tips on Salary Negotiation (November 2019)
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Childcare volunteers pose at BMC with some of the children in childcare (November)
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Mentors worked with students to set up professional LinkedIn profiles (November)
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We would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and enthusiasm of our volunteers.
We are extremely grateful to all of our volunteers and for the impact they have made in the Found in Translation community!
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Group photo from our 2019 Mid-Class Volunteer Social (October)
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Your support makes all of this possible - Will you join us and Amplify our Impact in 2020?
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Training one interpreter through Found in Translation changes her life forever. After completing our program, she will earn on average $10,000 more each year than before, and have access to a permanent and supportive community invested in her professional success.
In turn, her language services as an interpreter will impact thousands of vulnerable patients over the course of her career. Through her, they will be able to regain their agency to access the healthcare services they need without a language barrier.
Giving opportunity to one gives a voice to thousands
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- $25 - provides a medical dictionary for 1 student
- $40 - $1 for every student expected to enroll in the Class of 2020
- $75 - registration for 1 alumna to attend a professional interpreter conference
- $100 - provides 1 student access to public transportation for 1 month of class
- $250 - covers 1 session of language coaching for 1 group
- $1,000 - funds 1 10-hour continuing education workshop for 15-20 alumnae
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