Posts by Found in Translation

As COVID-19 cases surge and exacerbate existing health disparities, and economic instability threatens the lives and livelihoods of women and immigrants – the need Found in Translation is greater than ever. Fuel the work of 2021 today by giving a year-end gift, and help us meet our goal of raising $2021 by December 31st. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank…

On Thursday, November 12th, Maria Vertkin served as a panelist on Asian Women for Health 8th annual State of Asian Women’s Health in Massachusetts Conference. The topic of the conference was “Trust in the Time of COVID: Best Practices for Culturally Responsive Care and Support.” Maria was invited to speak on a panel reacting to…

Dear friends, No single year has thrown as many challenges at us as 2020. Amid the grief of twin pandemics—centuries-old racism and the novel coronavirus—we are swimming upstream. But earlier this month, the result of the presidential election infused me with new hope. For the past four years, the outgoing administration has targeted immigrant communities…

Dear Found in Translation community, We hope you and your families are doing well amidst the challenges of this year. Our team would like to extend our immense gratitude for your generous support of our endeavors to transition our medical interpreter training from an in-person to an online model, and to our program applicants for…

Today is Found in Translation’s 9th Birthday! Staff and members of our board gathered this afternoon on Zoom to celebrate and share reflections and favorite memories of our time with the organization. Here are some things they shared: Ester remembers our 2017 graduation event, when she looked around the room and saw all the families who…

Get to know our Program Director, Bindiya Jha! Earlier this summer, she was interviewed for “not quite magic” – a podcast about interpreting by Seven Sisters Interpreter Training & Consulting. In this one-hour conversation, Bindiya talks about how she began interpreting, her journey into working as a remote interpreter and trainer, and how Found in…

By Lisa Walker, MPAS, PA-C This pandemic has highlighted the selfless nature of the work of so many health professionals; a new generation of heroes to whom we say, “Thank you for your service.” The pandemic has also highlighted the fact that we have largely failed in the care of our patients of color who…

Dear Found in Translation Community, 2020 isn’t what anyone expected. A pandemic is sweeping the globe, ravaging livelihoods and lives. We are grieving state-sanctioned racist violence, and rising up in a powerful resistance.  As we demand that institutions do better on race, we are making the same demand of ourselves. We are vowing to be more…

Reflections by Maria Vertkin. A missed opportunity. Not long ago, an unconsciously-biased interpersonal incident involving a non-Black program participant and a Black man took place in our office—a misunderstanding that, complicated by gender and culture, got out of hand. A threat was perceived where there was none. Staff were able to intervene in time and…

Reflections by Maria Vertkin. Facing our silence. The recent string of police killings came on the heels of the coronavirus outbreak: we had just learned to declare an emergency. Now the training wheels are off and the world is responding to the bigger pandemic: racism. Statements of solidarity are flooding inboxes—including some surprisingly good ones.…