Testimonials

Training

Attendees to training “Mental Health Interpreting: Cultural Concepts of Distress”:

Thank you for your enthusiastic, surprising and interesting webinar. I am a CMI with mostly Mexican patients in my appointments. Having lived in Mexico for more than half my life, I was familiar with the “ataque de nervios”, “aire”, and “me duele el cerebro”, and other “males”,  however how other countries and cultures express their distress and their cultural beliefs was totally new for me.  For example Cambodia, Haiti, Japan, and Zimbabwe, I had no idea of their cultural concepts. 
I found intriguing that in Korea, Shin-byeong believe that a spirit tries to possess only women, both physically and spiritually. And that she herself becomes a shaman, for one. That the Koro in Malaysia believe that their private parts can recede into their bodies and cause death or that the South Asians believe that the loss of semen can cause anxiety and depression and even a belief of sexual dysfunction.  Loss of dhat.
It is amazing how you have studied all of these cultural aspects all over the world, sharing how some of our sisters and brothers of different backgrounds suffer with worrisome feelings, ideas and emotions. I have had little experience with mental disorders, so found your career in this realm interesting and enlightening. 
I am glad to learn of the Cultural Formulation Interview and how all of us in health care can keep learning and improving to become more competent in our field. Thank you for sharing your studies, Arianna, your books and your videos.

-P.F.L.

 

 

I really enjoyed the information presented in the webinar.  I loved hearing about the different culture-bound syndromes and how they have parallels in other cultures.  I have heard about ‘el aire’ but never really understood it, so I was really excited to get some more information about that as well as see the parallels in different cultures.  It’s fascinating!  It was also very informative to see how doctors can ask questions to better understand if a culture-bound syndrome applies.  Thank you so much for putting all this information together and presenting it!  I really enjoyed it!

-A.E.

 

I attended your presentation “Mental Health Interpreting: Unique Challenges and Practical Solutions” at the recent ATA conference. Thank you for presenting the examples in an interesting and insightful way.

Thank you very much, Arianna. It was very interesting and your presentation was excellent.

Thank you Arianna, your presentation was a major contribution to our profession. I wish there were more workshops on Mental Health Interpreting.

Attendees to ATA Conference Presentation on Mental Health Interpreting

Interpreting Services

Ms. Aguilar always demonstrated integrity, professionalism, punctuality and dedication to her profession and to the court system. She is very skilled in her profession and exhibits standards of excellence in her work ethic.

Chief District Court Judge
11th Judicial District, North Carolina

Arianna was a tremendous help conveying important life safety information to the class. Her professionalism and sense of commitment impressed Hotel management and myself. A hearty “well done’ to Arianna.

David L Dillion, Smithfield Fire Department , NC
Response to Interpreting Services for a Fire Safety Training Class

Document Translation

It has been a pleasure working with you on the translation of the Be Active Kids newsletters. We knew we wanted to better reach the Spanish-speaking families of children in the state using our program, and you were the resource that enabled us to make this happen. I greatly appreciate your attention to detail, your quick response time, and your determination to deliver a high-quality document. You were very easy to work with and professional.

I especially appreciate your insight into how words translate culturally from English to Spanish. Your sensitivity in making sure that concepts and words in our newsletters translate culturally is a huge help […] Instead of simply translating the words on the page, you are very aware of how they will be communicated culturally to Spanish-speaking parents and families.

Thanks again for all of your help! I will definitely recommend you services to the people I know!

Millie Smith, Be Active Kids Manager
Be Active, North Carolina, Inc.

I reviewed the publication [during the presentation] and again today. I think it is a super translation from English to Spanish. Not only the content was superb, but the punctuation marks, which are very essential, were placed on the right syllables. Many people lack that ability.

Also, the translation from feet to the metric system was very desirable as this system is used by most Spanish speaking people.

I enjoy helping people break the language barrier, and I always like to see quality material such as this, especially when it performs such and important mission. ¡Felicitaciones!

Joe Perry, Edgecombe County, NC
Cooperative Extension Publication