Throughout the Spring 2022 Semester, the MS in Translation & Interpreting (MSTI) partnered with the Association of Language Companies (ALC) Bridge to feature six industry speakers. These online events consisted of language professionals sharing their wide variety of career paths and expert advice. Below are just the highlights of this speaker series.
April 26, 2022
MS in Translation & Interpreting Speaker Series with ALC Bridge
Kathleen Diamond, Chair of ALC Bridge
The Founding Chair of ALC Bridge, Kathleen K Diamond, MA, Principal Kathleen Diamond & Co. Kathleen is a consultant, entrepreneur, and business leader in the language services industry. She serves as Chairman of ASTM F43 Language Services and Products and is a Former Member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Language Companies (ALC). Kathleen is fluent in Spanish and French in addition to English. She holds a Master’s degree in 16th Century French Literature from the University of Florida.
“The goal of ALC Bridge is to form a bridge where the employers would talk to the educators about how to prepare the students for the jobs we have, all to the benefit of the students—you! To do it the most effectively, we want to bring people to you who have incredible stories finding their way in the language services industry. Most of us kind of stumbled in because we didn’t know it existed, and we want to help you not stumble. We want to help you be purposeful and thoughtful in your choice of looking for a job.”
Naomi Bowman, CEO of DS-Interpretation
Naomi is a popular public speaker on RSI, Remote Interpreting and the effects of AI on the language industry and a recognized expert on remote and conference interpreting. She represents the USA to ISO TC 37/SC 5 and is a member of ASTM International F43. She helps clients and interpreters be "compatible with the future". Co-author, The Interpreter’s Guide to Audio and Video (2021). Naomi has an M.A. International Relations (U.K.), and has lived in California, Colorado, the DC area, the U.K., Germany, Austria & Belgium. Global Thinker. Global Leader. Global Citizen.
“You have to focus on social media and building your network. Nimdzi, which is an organization that does research for the language industry, has a list of movers and shakers and leaders in the industry to follow. Follow all of them; get to know them. Interpreters are friendly folks. They love working with students, bringing new students into the fold. Network, network, and build your relationships.”
Doug Strock, Vice President of Global Languages Translations and Consulting
Doug Strock is the Vice President of Global Language Translations and Consulting, Inc. Prior to joining GLTaC, Doug worked as a global project leader at the Dow Corning Corporation. With over 20 years in the language industry Doug brings a wealth of knowledge to the ALC Bridge effort. In addition Doug has served in the Army for 30 years in a wide variety of assignments. He is a past president of the Association of Language Companies and is a voting member of ASTM Committee F43.05. Doug has an MBA from Oklahoma City University and studied aerospace engineering at the United States Military Academy.
“Your personality, your character, your integrity—those are the things that will get you hired, not necessarily your skill set. There will be some of that coming in, with the skills, but by and large they're gonna hire you as the person you are. So focus on those in your interview processes.”
Randy Morgan, CEO of Morgan Translation
H. Randall Morgan, Jr., is CEO of Morgan Language Services Corp., a comprehensive language solutions provider based near Washington, DC. Having providing written, spoken and electronic services in over 120 languages for the past 30 years, Randy has added “role playing” for U.S. Special Forces as a major focus for his company’s activities over the past 7 years. An international public speaker and executive coach, Morgan provides strategic counseling and Board guidance to multiple institutions, including the Association of Language Companies and the Association for Safe International Road Travel. Randy speaks Russian, French, Spanish and some Hebrew, and he is learning Dari and Pashto from his role player personnel.
“My friend was a Government contractor, and what he really wanted us to do was to recreate Afghanistan as authentically as possible in the United States for the military to train prior to their deployment. [...] We got consistent feedback that our training helped the military to not offend people that they were meeting in villages when they got to Afghanistan. We help them to avoid danger. We helped them to avoid casualties, and, as you know, our troops left Afghanistan last fall. And thus ended another chapter in my language career. Now I'm helping resettle those Afghan interpreters and their families have managed to make it over here.
But this is all part of what we can do as language services companies. So I hope I've sparked your imagination so you can all envision how your language skills can be used in any of thousands of different kinds of work. This is why we've built the ALC Bridge—to help students of language transition to careers in language. You all have the skills the world needs.”
Jinny Bromberg, President of Bromberg & Associates
Jinny Bromberg is the President of Bromberg & Associates, a Language and Technology Solutions Company. Under Jinny’s leadership Bromberg has grown from a startup to a nationally recognized language service organization working in over 200 languages. Jinny has dedicated her professional life to improving communication across borders and is a passionate champion of language access for all. Additionally, Jinny is the Executive Director of Linguist Education Online, an accredited online provider of language-specific testing and training programs, also known for its great online conferences.
“There are different skill sets. So, for instance, interpreters are considered extroverts, whereas translators are considered introverts. It's not necessarily the case, but as an interpreter, you have to be on whenever you're working. You don't have the luxury of stepping back from researching, consulting with colleagues, then getting back to your content. You have to be able to figure it out immediately, especially as a conference interpreter. But even if you're working in healthcare or court settings as a consecutive interpreter you still have to have that instant recall. So that's one challenge and one differentiation.”
Lelani P. Craig , President/CEO of CommGap International Language Services
Lelani started CommGap in 2000. CommGap is a translation/localization and interpretation company that works into more than 200 languages. In addition to CommGap, Lelani and her husband, Dain, own Leading Edge, Inc., Global 1 Voice, LLC and Capra Group, LLC. Lelani Craig has more than 30 years of experience in the language industry. She is an accomplished conference interpreter as well as a certified court interpreter.
“The SBA [Small Business Association] has a great program. Have you heard of SCORE? It's nationwide, and it's a group of retired business people who donate their time to the SBA. So you meet with people who started fortune 500 companies you meet with accountants you meet with all levels of people who can help you and give you the basic structure that you need to do. They'll explain to you which licenses you need in the city where you live, because it varies so make sure you understand the needs for where you live, specifically. Don't be afraid to get a business license—they're not expensive and they help a lot when it comes to taxes. It will help you get organized.”
Steve Kahaner, VP & General Counsel of Marste & Co., Inc. and Executive Director of Juriscribe®
Steve Kahaner is the VP & General Counsel of Marste & Co., Inc. and the Executive Director of Juriscribe®, a division of Marste & Co. that provides corporate and legal translations to major law firms, financial institutions and publicly-listed companies throughout the world. Steve is also a founder of and currently serves as the General Counsel for the Association of Language Companies, and is a long-time Board member and currently the Secretary of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of Tufts University, Mr. Kahaner received his law degree from the National Law Center of George Washington University and a Diploma in Advanced International Legal Studies from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Salzburg, Austria. He is licensed to practice in New York and Connecticut.
“One thing that you just cannot deny is the impact of technology and the changing technology, and so I cannot stress enough to all of the students: you must be masters of the technology. You have to have the linguistic aspect, obviously. You must dominate and understand the language itself, and the transfer between one language to the other. But it is just as important to understand and be able to manipulate and handle and respond to requests with the technology of the day.”
A translation and interpreting degree can help you to take charge of your career, whether you are new to the field or already working in the language professions. Apply for CALA’s MS in Translation & Interpreting, a fully online, 36-credit graduate program.