Barry Slaughter Olsen is a language and technology consultant and a veteran conference interpreter and technophile with over 30 years of experience interpreting, training interpreters, and organizing language services. He built the Client Success team at the RSI and AI company KUDO from the ground up during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) from 2007 to 2022, and co-president of InterpretAmerica from 2009 to 2020. He is a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC). Barry has been interviewed by international media (CNN, CBC, MSNBC, NPR, and PBS) about interpreting and translation. For updates on interpreting, technology, and training, follow him on Twitter @ProfessorOlsen or visit his website www.whataboutlanguage.com.

Candid Thoughts on AI and the Future of Cross-language Communication: What can a professional do when the tools of the trade radically change?

Change rarely happens the way we expect. Translators have been adopting new tools into their workflow for years, while interpreters the world over were forced to suddenly grapple with the abrupt transition to remote interpreting brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, other impressive new technologies, like generative AI and speech-to-speech translation, have burst onto the multilingual stage, leaving professional translators and interpreters worried and nervous about their future. Artificial intelligence is nothing new in the translation space but the speed with which these innovations have emerged have caught everyone (translators, interpreters and language service companies) by surprise. In this insightful and honest keynote, Professor Olsen will seek to define some of the challenges that lay ahead as well as ways agile language professionals can adapt to a professional landscape that is changing at breakneck speed.  

2023 Remote Simultaneous Interpretation Update: Current standards of practice, technologies, trends and opportunities

In 2018, when Professor Olsen last spoke at the DVTA Conference, remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) was in its infancy. In the five years since, the use of RSI exploded largely fueled by COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and the shift to remote work. It has now become an important source of work for interpreters all over the world and introduced significant opportunities and challenges as well. Join Professor Olsen for this two-hour workshop where we will explore the latest developments in RSI, discuss the best way to set up your own RSI practice, and survey the current RSI technology landscape, all to help you take advantage of current and future opportunities.  

Vonessa Costa is Sr. Director of Quality & Member Engagement for the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN), a collaborative of health systems that share interpreter resources. Prior to her current position, Vonessa was director of Multicultural Affairs & Patient Services at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), named the number one hospital in Massachusetts for Health Equity and Community Benefit by the Lown Institute (2021). She was a project lead for CHA’s video interpreting initiative honored with a 2014 Amerinet Healthcare Achievement Award for technological advances that have enhanced capacity to care for a diverse patient population, over forty percent of which receives care in a non-English language.  Prior to her work at CHA, Vonessa was director of the Cross Cultural Communication Institute at CCCS, Inc., where she specialized in curriculum development for interpreter and provider training and lectured nationally on topics related to intercultural communication and language access. Vonessa is a member of the NCIHC Outreach and Membership Committee. She is a Core Certification Healthcare Interpreter™ (CoreCHI™) credentialed by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, and has served as a CCHI Commissioner since 2020. She is a past secretary of both the Forum on the Coordination of Interpreter Services and the International Medical Interpreters Association. Vonessa is a graduate of the America’s Essential Hospitals Fellows Program, and has co-authored articles on strategies to improve care for LEP patients, published in the AMA Journal of Ethics and The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. She was the 2019 Tony Windsor Award recipient, chosen by the MassAHEC Network for her advocacy in the professionalization of medical interpreting.

From Drawing Board to Lived Experience and Back: Co-Producing Language Justice Infrastructure to Advance Health Equity

The number of patients receiving care in languages other than English (LOTE) has increased significantly over the past decade. Still, nearly one-third of U.S. hospitals fail to offer language services, and new research indicates that even in hospitals that have language access systems in place, over half of medical communication still occurs without professional interpretation. This workshop will outline how health systems can apply the principles of co-production in building language justice infrastructure that measurably advances health equity. Participants will explore how to adapt tools from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s “Engaging People with Lived Experiences” resource collection to enlist local communities in language access co-design and implementation efforts. Participants will also be introduced to replicable and sustainable language access models, how-to strategies for scaling an in-language experience systemwide, and data collection and analysis methods for program evaluation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the principles of co-design and co-production in healthcare.
2. Learn how to adapt IHI tools to engage community members with lived experiences in building your organization’s language justice infrastructure.
3. Compare and contrast proven models for sustainable language access in healthcare.

Marco Hanson is a Spanish translator, interpreter, and instructor with two decades of experience. He was born and raised on the Mexican border, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in

foreign languages and a master’s in Spanish linguistics. He holds state and federal certification as a court interpreter and is certified by the American Translators Association for Spanish to English. Marco is active on the boards of professional organizations as a language access policy advocate, mentor and trainer, and is now studying his twelfth language.

Translating Official Documents: Certified, Notarized or Apostilled

This is a two-hour CE for translators of all languages. About 14% of US residents are foreign-born, and when they apply for residency, citizenship, marriage, divorce, employment, passports, drivers licenses, a relative’s burial, college, etc., many of them will need certified translations of their non-English, official documents. Interpreters may also be called on to sight translate some of these same legal documents. For most purposes in the US, no certification or other credential is required to produce a “certified translation,” but certain standards are expected by the government agencies that receive them.

1. Practical aspects (evaluating an order, setting up the Word document, writing your certification statement, handling illegible content, terminology sources, etc.)

2. Business aspects (positioning yourself as a credible translator, how to conduct the transaction, delivery in various formats, notarization and apostilles, payment methods, etc.)

Armas, escuadras y cuernos de chivo: Firearms in English and Spanish

This is a two-hour CE for court interpreters and legal translators, with English as the language of instruction and terminology discussion in Spanish. The presenter is co-author of the book, Firearms and Other Handheld Weapons, with English to Spanish Glossary, Berkana Language, 2018

1. Introduction: terms common to most modern firearms (front and rear sights, barrel, bullet, cartridge, firing pin, hammer, magazine, grip, trigger and trigger guard, muzzle, safety)

2. Handguns: animation and lecture on semi-automatics (box magazine, magazine release, safety) and revolvers (cylinder, grip, hammer)

3. Long Guns: animation and lecture on rifles (stock, butt, forestock, chamber, bolt, bolt handle) and shotguns (fore end, tubular magazine, rib, bead, action bar)

4. Action (semi-auto, full auto, selective fire, bolt, lever, pump, break-open) and ammunition (bullet, casing, projectile, propellant, smokeless powder, primer, cartridge, shotshell, slug)

5. Nicknames: calibers and gauges (.22, 9 mm, .357, .38 Special, .380 ACP, .40 S&W, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, .30-06, .410, 20 gauge, 12 gauge) and brands (Armalite, Benelli, Beretta, Browning, Bushmaster, Colt, Glock, Heckler & Koch (H&K), Kalashnikov, Kel-Tec, Mossberg, Panther, Patriot, Remington, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Savage, Seraphim, SIG Sauer, Springfield, Steyr, Taurus, Thompson, Uzi, Walther, Weatherby and Winchester)

6. Ballistics Testimony (exercise using an actual trial transcript of expert witness testimony on firearms)

Born in Paris, France, Pascale Ledeur Kraus joined the Translating Division of the State Department’s Office of Language Services bringing over 30 years’ experience working as a contractor for such clients as the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, NATO, and the International Olympic Committee, both as a translator and a high-level conference interpreter. She holds a diploma from the Institut Supérieur d’Interprétariat et de Traduction (ISIT) in both Translation and Conference Interpretation, an MA in Conference Interpretation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and an MBA from the George Washington University, as well as a Law degree from the Université de Paris-Sceaux.

She teaches advanced translation and interpretation at the University of Maryland’s Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation program.

Ms. Ledeur Kraus was a permanent translator and interpreter for Intelsat and held a one-year conference interpretation contrat cadre with the World Bank.

She was the Translation coordinator for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, as well as the official French announcer for Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1996, 2000 (Sydney) and 2002 (Salt Lake City) Games.

Language and World Affairs – the Art and Science of Diplomatic Translation and Interpretation.

Looking through the history of the US State Department Office Language Services, this session will discuss the special challenges associated with diplomatic translation and interpretation, as well as the roles and duties of a diplomatic translator and interpreter.   

Katharine Allen is the Language Access Training Specialist at Boostlingo, an interpretation software company. She is a community and conference-trained interpreter with over three decades of experience interpreting, training, and designing curricula. She is a licensed trainer and co-author for The Indigenous Interpreter®, The Community Interpreter® International, and the upcoming The Remote Interpreter® textbooks and training programs. She worked for 10 years to raise the profile of interpreting as co-President of InterpretAmerica. Katharine is a founding member of the American Association of Interpreting and Translation in Education (AAITE). Katharine has an MA in Translation and Interpretation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Educational Interpreting: Stepping Out of the Shadows

Interpreters have been working in schools for years with little acknowledgment of the complex skills needed to do the job. Educational interpreters work in settings every bit as complicated and nuanced as those used who work in mental health, workers’ comp, court, and conference interpreters. Now, this specialization has come out of the shadow and is rapidly professionalizing. In just the past few years, the field has see the birth of two national associations, job task analyses and the publication of a national code of ethics and standards of practice. Training programs are sprouting up all over and conferences dedicated to this area are now running annually. Join this session to get learn about what it takes to go into educational interpreting.

Learning Objectives:

After attending this profession, participants will be able to:

• Understand the current state of educational interpreting as a specialization.
• Describe the skills required to enter the educational interpreting field.
• Describe current efforts to create a national code of ethics, standards of practice and unified training programs.

Katty Kauffman is a seasoned federally certified court and conference interpreter and a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) and TAALS. Her extensive conference experience includes several presidential summits and OAS General Assemblies, among other major events. She  works as an independent contractor for the U.S. Department of State at the Conference and Seminar levels and, in the legal arena has worked as a staff interpreter in  Miami and a freelancer in the Washington, DC and Philadelphia metro areas. Her language combination is ES/EN: A; PT: C.

From Court to Conference: Best Practices

This language-neutral session is designed to help working court interpreters devise strategies for making the transition to conference interpreting by identifying best practices and professional ethics demanded by colleagues, direct clients and conference organizers. The session will introduce participants to the similarities and differences in the conference and court interpreting worlds and identify potential avenues for continuing education and professional development with a view toward working on the conference circuit. A special accent will be placed on best practices in the interpreting booth and team-interpreting on the conference market, both virtually and in on-site environments.

As the Vice President, Contracting and Compliance at Language Services Associates, Inc (LSA), Jodi provides strategic guidance to the Executive Team at LSA regarding Compliance and Contracting related issues that may have an impact on the organization. Additionally, Jodi is responsible for oversight of LSA’s Contracting, Credentialing, and Compliance Department including the overall Compliance of the organization including written policies/procedures, HIPAA compliance, annual compliance training, and monitoring and auditing.

As a respected member of the senior leadership team, Ms. Bralow works closely with organizational stakeholders to build, train, and engage successful teams providing them with the tools to maintain a successful Compliance Program and understand operational impact as it relates to company contracts, compliance, and solicitations.

A former Elementary Education teacher, Jodi joined the Compliance world in 2013 working for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). During her time at CHOP, Jodi assisted stakeholders in the effective and efficient operation of the institution-wide Conflict of Interest program, including collection and review of all annual and research specific conflicts disclosures from administrative, medical and research staff; supporting the Conflict-of-Interest Committee (COIC).

Ms. Bralow lives in Maple Glen, PA with her husband and two children, Blake and Mia. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Connecting the dots of Compliance: breaking apart the complex picture of Compliance and your role as an interpreter

Compliance, while necessary can often be confusing and hard to understand the impact on your role as an interpreter. Through this session, you will be provided with tools to help you better connect the dots to the larger picture of compliance including: HIPAA, 1557, The Joint Commission and other federal regulations and the impact it has on your role as an interpreter. You will also glean insight into Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, how to report compliance concerns, and supports in place to ensure your role as an interpreter doesn’t conflict with compliance regulations.