<p>Victoria Chavez-Kruse, adjunct instructor at NYU SPS, holds a BA in Spanish from Malone University and an MA in Translation Studies from Kent State University's Institute of Applied Linguistics. After completing her graduate studies, she taught Spanish at Hiram College in Ohio for three years while simultaneously launching a freelance Spanish translation and editing business.</p>

<p>&quot;I started out translating a little bit of everything as a generalist, but after a couple of years I decided to specialize in medical translation and editing,&quot; she recalled. &quot;In 2016, I co-founded a translator collective that offered translation and editing services. I started narrowing my focus even further to medical editing and proofreading.&quot;</p> <p>This led to a role at a healthcare technology company, where Chavez-Kruse started off editing and proofreading materials related to healthcare engagement. A colleague connected her with the academic director of the MS in Translation &amp; Interpreting program at NYU SPS, and she ended up exploring the opportunity to become an Instructor for the Editing for Translators course.&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;I grew into my love of teaching, but it started (and continues) as a love of learning,&quot; shares Chavez-Kruse. &quot;My mom was a high school Spanish teacher, and I always stubbornly insisted that I would never be a teacher—I would forge my own path. However, I kept finding myself in the classroom because I can't say &quot;no&quot; to more school! And, wouldn't you know, I actually loved the practice of teaching, interacting with students, and deepening my knowledge of the subject matter at hand.&quot;</p>

<p>Chavez-Kruse's current teaching inspiration comes from her former Spanish, translation, and editing professors. Their enthusiasm for learning and the way they shared feedback was instrumental in her professional and personal development. &quot;I also get excited about fresh perspectives from students and the opportunity to think about editing topics in different ways,&quot; she divulges.</p> <p>According to Chavez-Kruse, her students appreciate the flexibility of the online format and have said that NYU SPS courses are both challenging and rewarding. The program leaves them well-prepared for careers in translation and interpreting, she stresses.</p> <p>&quot;In my editing course, in particular, students work on skills that they can apply right away to their other coursework and to their work outside the classroom,&quot; she explains.</p>

<p>One of the challenges of teaching a remote, asynchronous course, continues Chavez-Kruse, is maintaining a visible presence as the instructor while helping students integrate into the learning community. After all, she wants students to know they can reach out to her and ask questions.&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;I'm a real human on the other side of the computer!&quot; she exclaims. &quot;Hosting a weekly Zoom office hour helps, and I record weekly videos so they know I'm available as a resource. I also want students to interact with each other, which can be a challenge with varying schedules and lack of face-to-face time. I've tried to account for this gap by having students work in small groups and with partners.&quot;</p>

<p>Her advice to students is to find a network of colleagues to support you and challenge you. &quot;Many translators and interpreters are likely going to be working remotely or as freelancers, which can be isolating,&quot; she muses. &quot;Encouraging colleagues and finding ways to combine skills and work together can open doors for you and be a more fulfilling work experience.&quot;</p> <p>Chavez-Kruse also believes that as AI machine translation continues to advance, the need for competent post-editors and proofreaders is growing. In fact, this is an area where translators can adapt to the changing industry landscape and learn to work with technological advances, whether in quality assurance or in editing machine translation output.&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;AI has some nifty applications in the translation industry, and I'd love to see more translators diving in to learn more,&quot; she continues. &quot;I don't think translators and interpreters should unthinkingly accept all AI applications in language-related professions, but I think new leaders in the field should ask tough questions and think critically about what value a new technology provides and maintain a position of openness and flexibility.&quot;</p> <p>Ready to add your chapter to our never-ending story? See if a <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-translation.html" title="Master's in Translation &amp; Interpreting in-person or online">Master's in Translation &amp; Interpreting online</a> from the Center for Publishing, Writing, and Media at NYU SPS is right for you.</p>