CHIA Saturday Webinar Series!
Saturday August 23, 2025, 9:00am-5:30pm (PDT)
CHIA is delighted to bring to you five webinar sessions for an all-day special Saturday virtual training day. Sessions will be recorded and offered on demand*. See details below!
Language Access for Indigenous Populations with a focus on Mexico and Guatemala
9:00am-11:00am
Presenters: Aurora Pedro and Luis Lopez Resendiz
CEUs: Application in progress for IMIA/NBCMI 0.2, CCHI 2.00 CE Hour CEAP and RID Activity 0.20 CEUs in Professional Studies
Description:
There are over 500 Indigenous languages spoken in Latin America. Why is it then, that the narrative that everyone from south of the US-Mexican border speaks Spanish (with a few exceptions)? This is not by accident, but rather by design. During this presentation, you will learn about the diversity of Indigenous languages, best practices, and techniques for identifying Indigenous languages led by Indigenous experts in the field. You will learn about case studies that demonstrate how this dominant narrative has fatal consequences and the efforts of Indigenous peoples to fight for their language rights.
Objectives:
Participants will:
- learn about the diversity of Indigenous languages and techniques on how to identify these languages. Participants will walk away with the knowledge to apply these techniques in their everyday work.
- learn about best practices for interpretation when working with Indigenous interpreters and the community. This will include unique situations that may arise when working with Indigenous populations.
- learn about the historical context of migration and displacement of Indigenous populations and how these historical trauma arise when working with Indigenous populations. Participants will learn how to recognize and work through these challenges.
Bio:
Aurora Pedro is Maya Akateko and Q’anjob’al from San Miguel Acatan and Santa Eulalia Huehuetenango, Guatemala. She manages the Center for Indigenous Languages and Power (CILP) at Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO). She co-facilitates CIELO’s cultural sensitivity workshops with a focus on language diversity and migration patterns by looking at root causes and historical contexts of displacement of Maya communities from Guatemala. Aurora is a trained interpreter in English, Akateko, and Q’anjob’al and incorporates her linguistic skills as a doula for Indigenous parents. Aurora continues to develop her skills to assist Indigenous communities and fight for linguistic rights.
Luis López Resendiz is CIELO’s program director; he is a Ñuú Savi. He is committed to fighting for Indigenous peoples' rights and visibilize their migration to the United States. Mr. Lopez Resendiz graduated from University of California Berkeley with a B.A. in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. He is a poet whose work has been presented at the Center for Race and Gender at UC Berkeley. He has been featured in La Jornada, La Trinchera , KPFK, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times. Luis hosts Tu’un Dali, a podcast for and by Indigenous people.
Note that this session will use key words in Spanish to describe Indigenous history. This will be contrasted with words from Indigenous languages: Akateko and Q'anjob'al.
Supporting Language Justice Work as a Community Health Worker
11:30pm-1:00pm
Presenter: Darouny Somsanith, MPH
CEUs: Application in process for IMIA/NBCMI 0.15, CCHI 1.5 CE Hours CEAP and RID Activity 0.15 CEUs in Professional Studies.
Description:
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth of Interpreters and Translator is estimated to be about 2% for the next 10 years, while Community Health Workers (CHW) growth is expected to be at 13% nationally. As more health and social service providers are looking to support diverse communities throughout the United States, including those who speak a language other than English, they are looking to hire more bilingual CHWs.
"A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
A community health worker also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy."
This definition was first developed by the CHW Section and codified through American Public Health Association in 2009.
Come learn about the intersection and differences within the HCI and CHW profession in supporting language justice work.
Objectives:
- Participants will be able to explain the core roles CHWs play in the field of public health, health care, and social services.
- Discuss emerging models of healthcare and opportunities for HCIs, as bilingual CHWs.
- Discuss the importance of language access for clients and communities with limited English proficiency within health and social services.
Bio:
Darouny Somsanith is the coordinator of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Program and faculty member within the Community and Public Health Department at City College of San Francisco (CCSF). She started her public health career as a CHW and has over 20 years' experience working on issues of workforce development and supporting the diverse training needs of community health workers and bilingual staff. Before coming on as the program coordinator for the CHW program, she coordinated the Health Care Interpreting Program at CCSF and taught within the program.
The Educational Setting: An Interpreting Crossroads
1:30pm-3:00pm
Presenter: Gabriela Espinoza Siebach
CEUs: Application in progress for IMIA/NBCMI 0.15, CCHI 1.5hrs CEUs and RID Activity 0.15 CEUs in Professional Studies.
Description:
Interpreting in education can provide for more diversity than many other interpreting sectors, making many educational interpreting settings a true knowledge and skills crossroads between legal, health care, education, and even conference interpreting. In this session, we will have an opportunity to discuss the various areas of overlap in educational settings. We will have an extensive discussion related to the challenges that are specific to educational settings where interpreters may find themselves, and brainstorm ideas to more successfully facilitate communication in those settings in an ethical manner.
Objectives:
- Compare areas of overlap between interpreting in healthcare and educational settings.
- Determine the educational settings where healthcare interpreting protocols, knowledge & skills are and aren’t applicable.
- Identify resources and tools to successfully interpret in educational settings, including the collaborative-adversarial spectrum.
Bio:
Gabriela Siebach, Director of Interpreting Services at Cesco Linguistic Services and Adjunct Professor at UMass - Amherst, has accumulated more than 15 years of professional experience. Gabriela holds a graduate degree in Spanish translation and interpretation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Gabriela also Co-chairs the AAITE Job Task Analysis Committee, sits on the ATA Government Division Leadership Council and Interpretation Profession Advisory Committee, and volunteers on several initiatives of the NCIHC Policy, Education & Research Committee. She is also a member of the CATI, NAJIT, and ASTM.
Understanding Consent: More than Meets the Eye
3:30pm-5:30pm
Presenter: Gustavo R. Negrete
CEUs: Application in process IMIA/NBCMI 0.2, CCHI 2hr general CE and CEUs, and for RID Activity 0.20 CEUs in Professional Studies.
Description:
As interpreters, what are we really taught about consent? Not much! Especially as it is not part of the usual curriculum nor a knowledge requirement for certification. Some healthcare interpreters know of consent and others, through work experience, gain basic knowledge of what to expect when a provider is attempting to ensure informed consent or, as may be the case for court interpreters, when an attorney is questioning if informed consent was indeed obtained. It is the intention of this presentation to expand the attendees knowledge on the subject of consent. Why? Because the better we understand consent, the more we realize that there is more than meets the eye.
Objectives:
- Define informed consent.
- Review relevant ethical principles applicable to interpreting during consent.
- Take a deeper dive into the elements of consent and discuss special circumstances and situations
Bio:
Gustavo Negrete is the past Chair of the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. He is President and CEO of Titan Language Solutions, a boutique interpreting and translation company which offers diverse services and is the Managing Director of TransInterpreting an interpreter and translator education organization. He is a Certified HIPAA Privacy Expert and has over twenty years of experience in health care. He is a staunch advocate for language access, LEP rights and the interpreting profession as an active participant in and consultant for organizations who lobby and or promote these causes.
Program:
The program will commence at 9:00 am and conclude at approximately 5:30 pm. There will be a 30 minute break between each session. CHIA reserves the right to amend the program in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Please ensure you are aware of the time zone for the live streaming of the event: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Cost:
Live attendance on August 23, 2025:
- CHIA Members: $80
- Non-Members: $160
Important! *Attendees who register before August 23 will be able to use their zoom links to watch session recordings on demand until September 23, 2025. Registrations close August 23. On-demand viewing will require attendees to complete some additional tasks to qualify for any performance-based credits. If sessions are not viewed or completed by September 23, attendees may re-register and pay for individual sessions when they are re-released at a later date for all-access on demand viewing. Registration costs will increase when the webinars become available on demand via CHIA's Educational Hub.
Become a CHIA Member for $50 You do not need to live or work in California to join—membership is open to all!
Please note: All registrations are final. Refunds and cancellations are not available. Cancelling your Zoom registration link alone does not cancel your event registration or billing.
Platform and Recordings:
The platform will be Zoom and webinars will be recorded. They will be offered on demand on the provision that the quality of the recording is adequate. CHIA cannot guarantee the availability of on demand viewing.
CEUs:
CEUs are awarded per individual session, not for the full day as a single program. To receive CEUs for a session, you must participate in the entire activity—partial attendance will not qualify. Your participation will be timestamped to verify completion and issue certificates. CEUs are available for both live and on-demand participation.
Application has been submitted for RID ceus!
Languages:
Unless specifically mentioned in each session, all sessions will be presented in English. The content of presentations will apply to both spoken and sign language. Presenters may draw on examples using multiple languages as relevant to their content.
Training level:
This event is intended for working interpreters and is appropriate for all experience levels. While interpreting students are welcome to attend CHIA events, these events are not specifically designed for students.
Questions?
Email the Education Committee Chair:
education@chiaonline.org
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