Arianna M. Aguilar, President of Latino Outreach Consulting of NC, Inc, a translation, interpreting, and consulting agency in Smithfield, NC,  has been chosen as one of the presenters at the special 50^th Anniversary Annual Conference  of the American Translators Association, to be held in New York City on October 28-31, 2009.  Her presentation and paper “Mental Health Interpreting: Unique Challenges and Practical Solutions” will explore the medical, legal and ethical challenges that interpreters face, and present real-life case studies and solutions.

“I am honored to have been selected as a presenter for this prestigious conference and to have the opportunity to address people with so much experience in the interpreting field,” said Ms. Aguilar.  “Mental health interpreting is a much needed subset of study in both the interpreting and medical field, but surprisingly, there has not been much academic or clinical research done on the subject. This is a subject I am passionate about, and I hope to be able to share the knowledge I have accumulated over the years from working in the field and training other interpreters to open the dialogue among our profession.”

Aguilar holds a communications and graphics arts degree, and has 10 years of experience translating and interpreting in the mental health, social services and legal fields. She is also certified as an English/Spanish legal interpreter by the State of North Carolina. A native of Western New York, she started her work in the mental health field by spearheading an outreach and interpreting program. She has continued her work in the field in North Carolina; her company provides mental health interpreting and translation services in Johnston County, North Carolina as well as interpreter training.