I’ve had the privilege of growing up in a bilingual household and learning both English and Spanish at the same time since I can remember. Speaking more than one language has been a blessing, strength, and an advantage in both my personal and professional life.
All that being said, having interacted and collaborated with a wide spectrum of individuals in my multilingual #Interpreters #LiTranslators community over the past 25 years has taught me that to be successful as a language interpreter or translator you need to be: “More Than Bilingual” which will be our theme for 2024.
My parents' first culture is Puerto Rican, and I was raised with: domplines, habichuelas guisadas, arroz con salsichas, arroz con gandules, tostones, and mofongo, to name just a few traditional dishes. Music? Salsa, Merengue, and Trios. Entertainment included a lot of Univision, Sábado Gigante with Dón Francisco, and reruns of El Chapulín Colorado.
This gives you an idea of what #MoreThanBilingual is all about. It’s a lot about culture, community, and engagement. Sometimes, it’s being an advocate when necessary for the underserved and overlooked monolingual or limited English proficient speakers.
It’s understanding that active culture matters and that cultural relativity should influence how we communicate effectively and respectfully with others.
That’s why our network of language professionals are more than bilingual. They are professionally trained and culturally competent experts that continually work on improving their skills and awareness.
Throughout the year, we’ll be sharing stories and experiences of entrepreneurs and professionals that live this reality everyday. We hope to spotlight these individuals and inspire the next generation of #MoreThanBilingual speakers.
If you’d like to join our community and/or receive the necessary training, please reach out to us online via our website: myintersys.com
Best,
Johnny Romero, InterSys, LLC www.myintersys.com copyright 2024