October 1, 2011
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Novi, MI

SPEAKER BIOs

Katharine Allen is the co-president of InterpretAmerica, LLC and owner of Sierra Sky Interpreting and Translation. She is a freelance English>Spanish interpreter, translator, trainer, and language access consultant specializing in health care, education, and international environmental issues. A past president of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA), she continues to participate in state and national collaborative efforts to help raise the profile of the interpreting profession. She served as the Assistant Administrator of ATA's Interpreters Division from 2005 to 2007. She has an MA in translation and interpretation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Jost Zetzsche is an ATA certified English into German translator, a localization and translation consultant, and a widely published author of books and articles on technical aspects of translation. A native of Hamburg, Germany, he earned a Ph.D. in the field of Chinese translation history and linguistics, and began working in localization and technical translation in 1997. In 1999, he co-founded International Writers' Group on the Oregon coast. His computer guide for translators, A Translator's Tool Box is currently in its 9th edition and his free technical newsletter for translators is being sent every other week. For more information see www.internationalwriters.com.

Born and raised in Taiwan, Chi-Wei Chang is a native Chinese speaker who has been living in the US for the last 23 years.  Chi-Wei holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the National Taiwan University and a Masters in Child and Family studies from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.  Chi-Wei has been a staff Chinese interpreter for the Interpreter Services Program at the University of Michigan Health System for 7 years and currently she is one of the Lead Interpreters. Chi-Wei also works as a staff nurse and a case manager at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.

Jessica Chudy is a graduate of Michigan State University where she studied French and International Development. She is currently a Project Manager for the Translations Department at Vocalink Language Services, which is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. She has been working as a project manager in the translation and localization industry since 2008 and enjoys the fast-paced, diverse environment this industry affords her. Jessica believes that successful translation comes from good fundamentals.

Ellen Donohue is an experienced state and federally certified court interpreter.  She formerly trained court interpreters and works for Lutheran Social Services Refugee and Immigration Services.  She is a pro bono translator for Kiva and Planned Parenthood.

Ms. Hiromi Fujii is a graduate of the Monterey Institute of International Studies with a Master’s degree in Translation and Interpretation Japanese< >English. She has interpreted for various fields since she started her career as a conference interpreter, with focus on the auto industry. She also has experience in other fields including legal and medical. She is a Director of Translation and Conference Interpreter at Suzuki, Myers & Associates, Ltd.

Since 1995, Rita has been working for the University of Michigan Health System as a medical interpreter, and was one of the two staff interpreters first hired for the University of Michigan Health System.  In April of 2007, she was appointed Lead Interpreter in charge of Spanish and Chinese interpreters.  She also instructs a Medical Terminology and Body Systems class that she developed for medical interpreters.  Rita uses her knowledge and experience to improve services for patients, staff and interpreters.

Attorney Leonid Garbuzov is a solo practitioner operating a general practice law firm in Ferndale, MI who specializes in assisting limited English proficiency persons in a variety of legal matters.  He is fluent in Russian and conversationally proficient in Spanish.  He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his Juris Doctor degree from the Boston University School of Law.  He has worked as a law clerk and attorney in Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio, and has substantial experience in insurance law and litigation. 

UMHS was one of the ten hospitals selected for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Speaking Together grant which focused on quality improvement measures.   As a result of this grant, Michelle continues to have a strong interest in quality improvement and lean principals, as well as finding innovative ways to reduce the cost of providing interpreter services while maintaining a high standard of quality.   She also strongly supports training for interpreters as well as staff who use interpreters.  She feels this is the key to providing quality services to patients.

Irina Jesionowski is a certified Russian court interpreter and a contract seminar-level interpreter with the U.S. Department of State. She has served as a conference and court and interpreter in the U.S. since 2001. As an interpreter trainer at Bromberg & Associates, she oversees interpreter education and performance evaluation programs as well as client and community education. Since 2008, Irina has served as a Senior Curriculum Designer and Content Developer at Interpreter Education Online.

James Kirchner, vice president of MiTiN, has a master's degree in linguistics from Wayne State University, where he specialized in phonology and syntax.  Now a full-time translator, he has also worked for two decades as an adult language instructor and pronunciation coach.  He has been a tester and advisor for pronunciation textbooks from major publishers, including three editions of Clear Speech (Cambridge University Press).

Elke Kramer is a native German speaker. She has a Master’s degree from the University of Detroit. She also holds double BA degrees with honors in International Business Studies from the University of Plymouth in the UK and the University of Applied Sciences in Dortmund Germany. Elke started her own company, Forefront Corporation, in 1997 and grew it from a one- person operation to an 85 people language expert enterprise. Elke also has extensive teaching, interpreting and translating experience since 1997. Besides English and German, Elke also speaks and works in Dutch and French.

Carlos Pava is the co-founder and Vice-President of Voices For Health, Inc.  He graduated from Michigan State University where he studied Psychology and Business Administration.  His professional experience includes entrepreneurship in Colombia and USA and coordinating refugee resettlement.  For the past 11 years he has been a language agency owner participating in all aspects of the industry.  Carlos oversees the Interpretation program of Voices for Health and is responsible for all business operations including sales and marketing, HR administration, operational logistics, and company-wide training.  For over 6 years, Carlos collaborated with MiTiN as the director of the West Michigan division as well as a board member where he started the medical division of the Network.

Izumi Suzuki became a conference interpreter in Tokyo after graduating from the Japan Interpreter Training School and the ISS Simultaneous Interpreters Course.  She moved to Michigan some 30 years ago and established Suzuki, Myers & Associates, Ltd., a language, marketing and cultural training firm in the Japanese/North America interface, in 1984.  She is an ATA-certified (J< >E) translator and has served as a grader over a decade in ATA’s certification program.  She is a certified court interpreter in the Supreme Court Consortium including 40 states.  Her language specialties are manufacturing, engineering and law, now expanding into the fields of medicine, health and pharmaceuticals. Contact: izumi.suzuki@suzukimyers.com