MCS Celebrates Graduates of its 2009 Community Interpreter Training Program  

MCS Celebrates Graduates of Its 2009 Community Interpreter Training Program

On September 17, 2009, Multicultural Community Service (MCS) and the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) celebrated the achievements of 22 students who graduated from the 2009 Community Interpreter Training Program. 

Guest speakers at the ceremony included Mercedes Lemp, Director of OLA, Aryan Rodriguez, Language Access Director at the D.C. Office of Human Rights, and James W. Plunkett, III, Foreign Language Services Coordinator for the D.C. Superior Court.

In the past eight years, over 150 students have participated in the Community Interpreter Training Program.  Through a rigorous 70-hour course directed by MCS and sponsored by OLA, the program prepares participants to serve as interpreters in a variety of community settings.

“The role of an interpreter is key so that many Latinos who do not speak English can access the services in our community.” – Mercedes Lemp, Director of the Office on Latino Affairs, as quoted in El Tiempo Latino.

“The truth is that most of us have experience as interpreters, but we came here to learn the legal and ethical aspects that we were not familiar with.” – Participant Carolina Cruz, as quoted in El Pregonero.

“Now all that remains is to practice what we’ve learned, in order to fulfill our commitment to help our communities.”  – Participant Angie Garcia, as quoted in El Pregonero.

“It’s satisfying for me to know that from now on, every time that I act as an interpreter, I will feel supported by the training that we received during the course.”  – Participant Juan Carlos Benavides, as quoted in El Tiempo Latino

For information about upcoming Community Interpreter trainings, please call 202-238-9355 or email LSPCoordinator@mcsdc.org.

MCS graduates 22 new bilingual community interpreters on Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 PM at DC's famous Havana Village Restaurant located at 1834 Columbia Road, NW.

Twenty-two (22) community members recently completed the rigorous Community Interpreter Training (CIT) in June of this year.  Their completion diploma ceremony will be held this week.  The keynote graducation speakers will be Council Member Jim Graham, Mercedes Lemp, Executive Director of the Office on Latino Affairs, and Aryan Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Office of Human Rights in DC.

The Office on Latino Affairs sponsored the training program and has been in collaboration with MCS for many years.  The Community Interpreter Training (CIT) Program began in 2001 when Council Member Jim Graham, MCS and OLA joined to support the training of culturally competent interpreters.

For a full view of the Press Release for this event click here.

Left to Right: Gloria Quirarte, Albert Honegan, Rosa Carrillo, Rosemary V. Fennell, Gloria Jurado

Mercedes Lemp

Barbara Laur talking to Ezequiel Williams, Grant Program Specialist