2023 – Celebrating Milestones & Building Momentum

December 18, 2023
Divya (front row far left) with members of the Spring Class of 2023 (May)

Dear friends,

As I reflect on the last few months as the new Executive Director of Found in Translation, I am filled with immense gratitude and pride to be a part of this incredible organization that tirelessly serves our mission of supporting low-income women on their journey towards economic independence through the use of their language skills. From day one, I have witnessed the unwavering dedication of each member of our team that has allowed us to achieve significant milestones in 2023.

Looking back on my own journey as an immigrant and a bilingual leader, I understand profoundly the power of language that connects us all, transcending barriers and nurturing communication that fosters understanding and equity within our community. Looking ahead, I am filled with hope and excitement for the potential that the upcoming year holds, and inspired by the possibilities that lie before us as we continue to innovate, adapt, and refine our strategies to better serve the evolving needs of the women we support.

As Found in Translation prepares to welcome a new year filled with opportunities and possibilities, I am filled with gratitude for the unwavering support from our donors, volunteers, and the wider community. Thank you for your support and dedication to our cause.

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season and a prosperous new year.

Divya Chaturvedi, Executive Director

As we approach the end of 2023, Found in Translation is not just reflecting on milestones achieved, but leveraging them to build unstoppable momentum.

Will you make a year-end gift to ensure that our mission continues to thrive in 2024?

2023’s Top 10 Milestones

1 – Training around 70 students across three class cycles – the Fall Class of 2022 (completed in February), the Spring Class of 2023 (completed in July) and the Fall Class of 2023 (currently in progress). Together, these women represent 16 different language groups, including Urdu, Bangla, Russian, Cantonese and Swahili. Mothers and guardians to nearly 100 children, our participants this year joined our programming from across Massachusetts from Boston to New Bedford, Waltham and Lowell. Alumnae from these classes are already working as interpreters for at least eight different interpreting agencies – including Found in Translation!

Members of the Spring Class of 2023 at an in-person celebration (August)

2 – Welcoming new staff to Found in Translation, including our new Executive Director, Divya Chaturvedi. With added capacity and expertise on our development and program teams, our organization is stronger than ever. 

Our new Development Director Mitchell Tiah (left), at a board recruitment event with board members Renee Cammarata-Hamilton (center) and Sarah Lukas (right) (September)
Student receiving a free laptop before beginning the Fall Class of 2023 (August)

3 – Reaching 100% alumnae faculty for the first time! Our Spring Class of 2023 was taught completely by Found in Translation alumnae serving as lead instructors and language coaches. We plan to maintain near 100% alumnae faculty in our programming moving forward, with external instructors only used to fill language coaching needs for new languages. In addition, our pool of licensed lead instructors grew by two alumnae this year – Rabya Sheikh ‘21 and Felicia Barbosa ‘19. 

4 – Strengthening partnerships with area nonprofits to better support our participants with financial literacy and technology support. In collaboration with Women’s Money Matters, 21 alumnae graduated from their program across three classes in 2023. Partnerships with PCs for People and Mobile Beacon/TechSoup have made it possible to meet 100% of technology equipment and internet access needs for our newest students.

5 – Hitting new records for attendance at our annual Virtual Job Fair for Interpreters event, connecting 18 language service providers with nearly 500 professionals from Boston and around the world – including Found in Translation alumnae!

6 – Implementing a brand new custom Salesforce database that centralizes our program, fundraising and operations data. This new system was deployed in stages across 2023 and has dramatically increased the sustainability and effectiveness of our work, saving time and providing our team with powerful analysis and collaboration tools that will be essential to furthering our mission in the years to come.

Swahili interpreters and alumnae Janety Quee ’21 (center) and Elizabeth Otieno ’14 interpret at the Boston Marathon (April)

7 -Achieving significant growth in our Interpreter and Translation Services, completing nearly 600 assignments and employing 69 unique alumnae in providing interpretation or translation services for 21 different languages in 2023. In addition, our ITS gained 24 new clients across metro Boston including nonprofits, educational institutions and even government agencies.  

8 – Building up our advocacy efforts through participation in symposiums on language equity and support of state-level language access legislation. 

Found in Translation Executive Director Divya Chaturvedi (second from right) speaking at the 2023 Language Equity Symposium, hosted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (August)
Technology and Outreach Coordinator Christine La (left) shares information about our training program at the Bridges to Moms Career Day (October)

9 – Processing applications to our medical interpreter training program on a rolling basis using our new database. Interested applicants can now apply to our program at any time through our new application, and if accepted, are placed in the next available training cycle. Applications are still being considered for our Spring 2024 class – check out our website for more information!

10 – Transitioning our model to a hybrid approach with increased in-person programming to build community, incorporate organizational partnerships and advance educational outcomes.

Members of the Fall Class of 2022 with volunteers, staff and family at an in-person celebration (March)

Making our Momentum Possible

Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, donors, and supporters! Your time, energy and resources made these incredible milestones a reality in 2023. We are so grateful for your dedication to and investment in Found in Translation’s mission and community. 

  • Thank you to our fantastic mentors who donated a cumulative 475+ hours of professional development expertise to our students this year!
  • Thank you to our returning funding partners, many of whom have supported our work for many years including the Cummings Foundation, Tufts Medical Center, the Imago Dei Fund, the Lynch Foundation and the Royer Foundation! 
  • Thank you to our volunteers, who have provided critical outreach and logistical support for events and our application process!
  • Thank you (and welcome!) to our new funding partners, including UnitedHealthcare and the Allstate Foundation!  
Mentor session with the Spring 2023 morning cohort (June)
Found in Translation staff pose with Tufts Medical Center representatives (February)
Ruth, an outreach volunteer, distributes flyers about our application around Boston (December)

Thank You!

Found in Translation’s future is bright thanks to you, our dedicated and passionate community. Thank you for your support in turning milestones into momentum, creating economic opportunities and advancing language access in 2023 and beyond.  

We wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

The Found in Translation Team

PS. Your support has been instrumental in our journey, and as we set our sights on the future, we invite you to be a part of the momentum.

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