World Speaks, July 2026: Laying the Foundations of Community Interpreting

A selection of photos from an interpreter training. Students it in a classroom and listen to several different presenter.

A collage of photos from the Interpreters Course

Hey Reader,

June 30 marked the start of our newest cohort in the Foundations of Community Interpreting course! We’ve got students who speak 5 different languages - English, Spanish, Karen, Hindi, and Mandarin. Over the last few weeks, participants built a strong foundation in community interpreting. Here’s a quick look at what they learned:

Core concepts of community interpreting
The differences between interpreting and translation
The history – and evolution - of community interpreting
The interpreter’s role within the community
A look at professional ethics
The distinctions between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting.

In addition to theory work, they’ll get hands-on practice to apply what they are learning, strengthen their technique, and build confidence with realistic scenarios and interactive activities. They also get to learn from experienced professionals and guest speakers, including Angela Monterroso from NATI and Vladimir Bazana, a court interpreter.

The best part? Beyond developing their interpreting skills, they are building a supportive learning community with a group of other multilingual people where they can encourage one another, develop trust, and grow together. As Paulina Campos Guzman, our Programs Manager, says, “Their enthusiasm, collaboration, and commitment in our latest cohort are making the course an engaging and rewarding experience for everyone involved."

The cohort graduates this week, and we’re excited to welcome this new group of future interpreters and can’t wait to see all they accomplish!

Congratulations to Paulina Campos Guzman!

A photo of a smiling woman in glasses, with a quote next to her that says: “I’m very thankful for Paulina. She joined the team as a contractor during the height of the pandemic, and she has been an integral part of World Speaks' growth. We are so honored to have her – and are so grateful for making the move to Omaha and continue to develop as a leader in our community and help our team grow!” - Leah Whitney Chavez

If you’ve met our Programs Manager, Paulina Campos Guzman, you know that her history with World Speaks goes back a long way. Paulina first joined us as an interpreter, translator, and Spanish instructor, and then she became our Programs Manager! They say time flies when you’re having fun (and doing great work), but this month marks Paulina’s 4th year with World Speaks, and we want to say THANK YOU to Paulina for everything she does.

Not only is July her anniversary, but she also recently graduated from the Good Works Leadership Academy from Heartland Family Services! This professional development program helps strengthen leadership skills with a focus on solving problems and enhancing nonprofit services. Paulina was part of the newest iteration of GWLA, which included employees from Heartland Family Services along with other nonprofit organizations for the first time.

We are so proud of you, Paulina, and all the work you do for World Speaks – and for your community!

Connecting Comunidades

Join us for a bilingual community event designed to bring people together through language, culture, and connection. This event will create a welcoming space for participants to practice English and Spanish, build confidence, interact with members of the community, and learn from one another. Whether you are a native English speaker wanting to practice your Spanish, or a native Spanish speaker wanting to practice your English, this event is for you. All proficiency levels are welcome!

Únase a nuestro evento comunitario bilingüe, diseñado para reunir a las personas a través del idioma, la cultura y la conexión. Este evento ofrecerá un espacio acogedor para que los participantes practiquen el inglés y el español, desarrollen confianza, interactúen con miembros de la comunidad y aprendan unos de otros. Ya sea que su idioma materno sea el inglés y desee practicar español, o que su idioma materno sea el español y desee practicar inglés, este evento es para usted. ¡Todos los niveles son bienvenidos!

Registration begins August 6 at this link.

Language Access Learning

We’re continuing our Language Access myth-busting series where we look at some common assumptions or misconceptions related to Language Access.

Instead of telling you, we’re going to ask you. What’s wrong with this statement:

“If you speak the same language, you have the same culture”

It confuses language with worldviews.

It overlooks generational or geographic shifts in language.

It ignores regional diversity.

All of the above!

If you picked all of the above – you are correct! The assumption that a shared language means a shared culture ignores all three of the statements above. First, it confuses language (a communication tool) with culture (the values, norms and beliefs that shape how that information is interpreted.

Next, it overlooks generational or geographic shifts. Anyone who has tried to figure out what’s so funny to their 10-year-olds about “6/7” or has tried to understand how to say “cool” to their teenager without sounding like an old person knows what “generational” language shift can feel like.

Finally, it ignores regional diversity. The recent World Cup has shown us how diverse language really is - an English speaker from Nebraska has a different cultural heritage than one from Scotland, and a person raised in Madrid has a different cultural background from someone raised in Argentina.

OneWorld Staff Picnic Highlights Volunteerism!

The World Speaks team got to participate in the OneWorld Staff picnic in July! Here’s why it was different – and fun! During the staff picnic, OneWorld team members got to meet with local organizations (like World Speaks) to learn about volunteer opportunities. It was a great way to connect with community changemakers.

Language Access in Action

White text on a blue background reads Access in Action

What do you get when you put a bunch of World Speaks supporters in a kitchen with ingredients, the team from the House of Bah Foundation, and an Arabic interpreter?

The Moroccan Empanada event during Language Access Week!

Our food-making event is always our favorite every year, because we pair talented chefs with World Speaks supporters so we can learn not only how to make delicious food, but also what it’s like to receive language support live. Using the same equipment we use during conferences, meetings, and events, participants learned how to make Moroccan Empanadas from our culinary partners at the House of Bah Foundation.

Experiencing simultaneous interpretation helps participants understand what it's like to receive language access support and shows how important it is that everyone is understood – and can understand.

If you missed it and want to see what it was like, watch our video recap on Instagram!

Thank you to our staff, our culinary partner, the House of Bah Foundation, and our Language Access Week sponsors, Valmont, the Weitz Family Foundation, Emspace + Lovegren, and the Omaha Community Foundation!

GET INVOLVED

Want to join World Speaks in our work? There are four ways you can do so!

Volunteer! We are always looking for native speakers interested in being in-class mentors. We’d love to have you join us this spring!
Donate – Help us get to our goal for Language Access Week! We just need $100 more in donations to hit our $2,000 goal!
Leave us a Review – If you’ve taken a language class, don’t forget to spread the word by leaving us a Google review!
Visit our store for our Stay Cultured wear and encourage Omaha to learn a language and break barriers!