Indigenous Language Interpretation Conference

Dear Colleagues and Community Members,


In collaboration with CEPIADET (Centro Profesional Indígena de Asesoría, Defensa y Traducción) in Oaxaca, Mexico, we are organizing a symposium to bring together Indigenous language interpreters who advocate for the language legal rights, representation, and sustainability of Indigenous communities across the globe. The conference, Challenges and Perspectives: The Professionalization of Indigenous Language Interpreters in The Legal System, will take place at the Juan De Cordova Public library in Oaxaca, Mexico on August 8-9, 2019. As members of the conference organizing committee, we are writing to request your support and participation in this initiative. The conference will host translators, interpreters, students, scholars, social activists, attorneys, and public servants, and will provide a professional development opportunity for Indigenous language interpreters and professionals in related fields. The presenters' contributions will help us build better training programs for Indigenous language interpreters and will produce seminal work for a better inclusion of indigenous languages in legal settings around the world.

The lack of Indigenous language interpreters represents a problem at a global level because it limits Indigenous peoples to full access to their guaranteed rights and appropriate representation. At this time, we are seeking monetary donations to offer scholarships for Indigenous language interpreters, particularly from Central and South America, to attend the symposium, offer their perspectives, and gain training in effective language interpretation that will only become more critical in our current global political climate. Our goal in organizing this symposium is to build community across Indigenous language interpreters while providing a platform for these interpreters to gather and share best strategies and practices for providing language accessibility to Indigenous communities across the globe. Your tax-deductible donations will help cover the cost of travel, lodging, and food for Indigenous language interpreters who would not be able to attend this gathering without this assistance. Our goal is to facilitate this conference free of charge to Indigenous language interpreters who are willing to come share their expertise and build community at this event.

We are grateful for your support in our efforts to strengthen language accessibility and legal representation for our communities, particularly during a time of increased violence and discrimination within and beyond our geographic borders. If you would like more information about the conference, the backgrounds of the organizers, and/or other ways to support this work, please contact us at [email redacted].

 

Sincerely,

Monica Morales-Good
University of British Columbia Okanagan

Nora Rivera
The University of Texas at El Paso

Cristina Kleinert
Universidad Veracruzana

Tomás Lopez Sarabia
CEPIADET

Laura Gonzales
The University of Florida


A Few Notes About Oaxaca

Oaxaca has approximately 3,506,821 people, and about 1,091,502 of its population speak an Indigenous language. The state is home to fifteen constitutionally recognized Indigenous tribes and five linguistic families from which approximately 176 linguistic variables derive. It is also worth noting that besides having one of Mexico's largest Indigenous populations, Oaxaca also shows the worst indexes of poverty within the country (Hoobler 441-460). This State hosts organizations highly involved in the betterment of the Indigenous communities through cultural and language revitalization movements. The Centro Profesional Indígena de Asesoría, Defensa y Traducción (CEPIADET), one of the organizing committee members of our conference, has actively fomented the training of Indigenous language interpreters through updating sessions. Thus, we selected Oaxaca as the location for this conference because of its diversity regarding language and culture, and because of its trajectory on language reclamation. Another important reason for the selection is the proximity to Central American countries such as Guatemala and Bolivia, among others—countries that count with a significant Indigenous population and that struggle gaining access to the right to speak their traditional languages.