Brand the Interpreter
What if La Malinche—the Indigenous woman who famously served as interpreter and advisor to Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of Mexico—could share her stories? Imagine the insights and experiences she could offer about the power of language and navigating the complexities of two worlds. That’s the spirit behind the Brand the Interpreter Podcast!
Hosted by Mireya Pérez, an interpreter and personal brand advocate, this podcast gives today’s interpreters a platform to share their own fascinating stories, challenges, and triumphs. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the world of interpreting, from navigating high-stakes conversations to facilitating cross-cultural understanding, offering listeners a glimpse into the lives of the professionals who bring meaning across languages.
Whether you’re an interpreter, a bilingual professional, or simply curious about the magic that happens behind the scenes, Brand the Interpreter immerses you in the stories of language professionals making an impact every day. It’s more than just a podcast—it’s a celebration of language, connection, and the vital human element that makes communication possible.
Join us to explore how the power of language, driven by human connection, shapes understanding, opens new worlds, and transforms perspectives, revealing the deeper truths that unite us all.
Brand the Interpreter
A Journey of War, Love and Entrepreneurship with Ana and Jordi Vidales
What happens when love and resilience intersect in the midst of chaos? Ana and Jordi Vidales found themselves in the heart of civil war in El Salvador, their lives forever changed yet intertwined by fate. As high school sweethearts torn apart by conflict, their journey eventually led them to Chicago, where they rekindled their connection and built both a family and a business. Their story is one of overcoming adversity and finding strength in each other, a testament to the enduring power of hope and community.
Ana and Jordi's foray into the world of language services began serendipitously but quickly evolved into a shared mission for language justice. They took their diverse experiences from El Salvador and the United States and transformed them into a thriving interpretation and translation business. With Ana's cautious planning and Jordi's adventurous spirit, they navigated the complexities of freelancing and established JAV Language Solutions. Their commitment to inclusivity and community engagement shines through their work, making a tangible impact in the communities they serve.
In this conversation, Ana and Jordi also shed light on the delicate balance of being both business partners and life partners. They open up about the strategies that keep their professional lives distinct from their personal ones, ensuring both flourish. From addressing everyday challenges to celebrating successes, their journey emphasizes the importance of clear communication and mutual respect.
Join us as we explore the Vidales' inspiring narrative, one that champions the cause of language justice and offers invaluable insights into building a successful partnership grounded in love and purpose.
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Welcome back to another episode of Brand the Interpreter podcast. Happy end of November. Every time, I pause for what I feel is a brief moment. An entire month has passed by and now here we are, at the brink of the end of the year. If you're new to this podcast, welcome. I hope you enjoy it and become a returning listener. If you're one of my faithful listeners, welcome back. And hey, if you celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a beautiful time surrounded by friends and family Folks. I have some news to share with you. Get closer, as I'm about to share an insider secret.
Speaker 1:Next year, in 2025, I'll be launching a brand new show titled Echoes of an Interpreter. Unlike my current show, this new series will bring real stories of interpreters to life through compelling narratives enhanced by voice actors and immersive audio production. As I prepare to launch Echoes of an Interpreter, I'm reaching out to you, my incredible listeners. Do you have a story from your interpreting journey that has stayed with you, a moment that perhaps challenged you, moved you or even changed how you see the world? This new show is about bringing those stories to life, your stories. So, if you're ready to share those stories to life, your stories, so if you're ready to share? Visit the link in the episode notes. All right, and now on with the show.
Speaker 1:Today we bring you an extraordinary story of resilience, love and purpose. Meet Ana and Jordi Vidales, a couple whose journey begins as high school sweethearts in war-torn El Salvador, separated by the Salvadoran Civil War. Their paths crossed again in Chicago, where they turned their shared experiences into a thriving partnership, both in life and business. From navigating the high-pressure world of interpretation to promoting language justice in their community, anna and Jordi's story is one of strength in their community. Ana and Jordi's story is one of strength, collaboration and passion. Get ready to be inspired by their heartfelt tale of overcoming the odds and amplifying voices that deserve to be heard. Let's dive into a journey of war, love and entrepreneurship with Ana and Jordi Vidales only on the podcast that shares your stories about our profession. Let's get started. Ana and Jordi, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here today.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Amadeus. We're so excited to be here. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Well. Usually the conversation is between myself and one other individual. Every so often I do get the opportunity, such as today, to speak with more than one individual, so in this case, I'm going to ask if you would be so kind as to just introduce yourselves, and then we're going to get started with the conversation.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, I'm Ana Ana Rueda de Vidales. This is my better half, jordi Vidales. We've been together for a long time. We're high school sweethearts. We met in school an English class, by the way. He was a year older than me, but because we both were fluid in English, they kind of put like the different levels and that's when we started, you know, developing a friendship. And a friendship became into him being my best friend and a year later we were dating. Where are you guys from?
Speaker 3:We have been stuck together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're from El Salvador, san Salvador.
Speaker 1:Oh wonderful, okay, yeah, eventually, and we'll get to that Eventually. There's a whole story actually involved, so why don't we just get into that story first, before we talk about the eventually? But what? How did you end up actually here getting together?
Speaker 2:When we just started dating, there was kind of like a funny story. Well, there was kind of like a funny story. Well, there was a attack, like a final attack in the civil war, that the guerrillas came into the city and definitely we had to spend shortly that day. The day that that attack started, he went and visited his brother for three months. He was going to spend summer vacation with him and, uh, I had to stay in san salvador and it was really scary.
Speaker 2:I mean, we were like one week we were in a, in a walk-in closet. There wasn't, no, we couldn't even wander through the house because we were afraid maybe a, you know a last bullet would hit us. So, um, I just my grandparents, decided to bring me to san sal, to san Francisco, you know, to get me out of that danger. And when I get to San Francisco, they tell me so you know what, because you weren't coming this year, we were thinking of visiting your aunt, so do you want to come with us to Chicago? So we ended up meeting each other in Chicago and I don't know if you already want to jump in a little, yeah definitely Meeting each other in Chicago, and I don't know if Jordi wants to jump in a little.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely. When I arrived that same day to Chicago, it was surprising how many Salvadorians were at the gate, even though I took two planes to be able to arrive. I had a connection in Miami and then what happened was that people knew about the final offensive, called Ofensiva Final to San Salvador. Then what happened is that a lot of families that didn't speak English were trying to communicate with the passengers that were coming from that connection that came from Miami, thinking that they were people that were from San Salvador, trying to know what was going on, because the news were really scattered.
Speaker 3:That was my first time where I confronted people, really fellow citizens, that were making a living through here in Chicago. They were trying to know what was going on. They were speaking Spanish to a lot of Americans that didn't understand them and they were saying what are they asking us? What are they asking us? Some of them were crying and my brother came with two fellow neighbors with him, and they were telling us hey, they're trying to talk to you. They were talking in the line, in the line getting out of the airport, and then we didn't understand what they were asking us okay at all, and so it was kind of impactful to go through that. We didn't understand at all, I didn't realize what will be a last offensive, and then I stayed with my brother. All of a sudden I received a call from Ana and telling me that she was coming to visit. It was quite a surprise.
Speaker 3:It was a big surprise for me.
Speaker 1:Did you know by then that what was happening? I imagine so, but did you know what was happening back home and that Ana was there and everything that was going on?
Speaker 3:When we were driving back from the airport it was a long drive to the suburbs in Chicago the two neighbors were hearing the radio and the news were coming on the radio. My brother and I were speaking so all of a sudden the neighbors caught our attention. Hey, there's something going on in el salvador, because it was a. It was a big thing. It was a big thing. They were trying to take over the control of the capital. The guerrillas, uh, the right, the right way, the right wing was trying to defend the capital.
Speaker 3:So in that moment, uh, we notice how you can get disconnected from me here, even here in the radio, when you're speaking in your own language. You know, and it was. It was impactful to us right away. We called our parents and we knew that was that was going on. That vacation turned into for me at least five months staying in Chicago, and my dad thought about leaving me there in Chicago. And my dad thought about leaving me there, but my mom said, no, I want him back and I want my sister as well. She was sent to Guatemala as well, but we went back. We knew what was going on and then she came and we spent time going to all the museums and all that.
Speaker 2:It was fun. Yeah, it was fun. And you have to remember, maria, that it was 89, 1989, no internet, no Facebook, no Twitter, nothing. So it was all phone, it was all news. So, yeah, it was. It was scary. It was scary at first for me. That stayed um. It was really, at the end, nice to be able to meet up.
Speaker 1:It was right, yeah after such turmoil I mean in the experience, because it pre-recording anna, you were mentioning that, um, you were, you and your family were all at a wedding yes, we were.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we were at a wedding and we were all dancing and then suddenly I just see this lady run in and stop the band and she just tells us the Capitol's under attack. And then we all ran to the windows and the balcony and we could hear it. It was really terrible. So we were really close by to the venue. We were able to walk back home, back home, but a lot of people had to stay the night there because there were roadblocks. They couldn't reach their houses. Their kids were alone home.
Speaker 2:Yeah, funny story is my grandpa. I mean, he got drunk by smelling liquor. He was old and he was annoyed because he was mad and he was a military, he was a colonel, and he was like why did they stop this party here? It's boring? And he would grab my hand and say let's go back to the party. And I'm like, grandpa, we're under attack. And then he comes out and he brings his rifle and he says, annie, I can't see well, but you're going to help me, I'm going to go kill these people. And then we're going to go back to the party and my mom is like no. So yeah, he's like, oh, my God, how boring. And then he fell asleep, but it was yeah, it was scary.
Speaker 2:It was like one week of us all together in one, walking closet. Then we were able to go to Guatemala and then from Guatemala is that I traveled to San Francisco and yes, I did. I remember I stayed about four months also and I also decided to come back. My father and my grandparents were trying to tell me to stay also, but I think we both wanted to come back. I mean, we had just started dating. We wanted to continue suing each other, so we went back to El Salvador.
Speaker 1:So you guys did go from Chicago back to El Salvador, but then you did come back to the States eventually.
Speaker 2:Yes, we did, but we did many years later because we got married, we had two kids, so we traveled to el salvador, we tried, we moved to united states 2012. Yeah, so not that long ago.
Speaker 2:So we traveled with my two oldest uh children, uh, my chihuahua even the chihuahua made it, even the chihuah made it, yeah, and when we were here we came here in August and in February I found I was expecting a gift. Yeah, the worst surprise ever. I just didn't understand why at this moment, because we thought wait, I mean, our kids are older, they were 10 and 15. So we don't have to deal with daycare. I was even thinking of going back to my legal career. I enrolled in a paralegal course because that was my idea. But then when I got pregnant, I'm like, oh, I have to rethink things.
Speaker 1:Oh, and what was the decision then?
Speaker 2:Well, jordi started working as a bail bondage. So I mean, it's a a good business, it's lucrative. And he told me you know what if you want to go back to? But then they started giving me some translations. I had another friend that started interpreting. So we decided that the first two years I was going to stay in study, I was going to get my interpreting, and then, um, I was going to start working when my I was going to get my interpreting, and then I was going to start working when my daughter was two. Yeah, so Jordi worked for those two years while I studied and prepared, and I started working exactly two years after.
Speaker 2:And I mean being a bail bond agent, you can imagine that the people you see is not the best, it's not like the best environment. So he started thinking about changing. And that's when he told me and I said well then, what do you want to do? And he says, you know, I like what you do and I'm like, really there's such a broad world out there. Do you want to do what I'm doing? Because at the beginning I just couldn't imagine ourselves working together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Okay, so let me ask. So, so let me go back a little bit to you were introduced to the world of interpreting by a friend that was also interpreting, and you, in in your, in your day-to-day job, were being asked to translate some documents, potentially, or how did you? How did you even start to do some work in it?
Speaker 2:No, actually I have a cousin who's a lawyer and she started giving me some translation documents and that's when I decided I enrolled in UCSD. So I did the two-year course while I was at home taking care of my baby and then, after I finished, is when I started looking. I think a little bit before I finished I started looking. I got a call from a hospital that they needed a contract interpreter and that's how I kind of started getting more into interpreting than into translation. And then you know, you make other people, you get called by agencies and you start getting work and I had an overflow and I was always rejecting jobs and he noticed that. He says why don't I just start taking your overflow?
Speaker 3:I was doing graveyards, but even my graveyards. I started in graveyards as a bail agent. I passed the insurance commissioner test for at once the first time that I took it, something that it's rare. There was a lot of pressure. She was pregnant. So we were in a jiffy.
Speaker 1:So we just got here.
Speaker 3:So for me, interpretation happened in El Salvador. We just got here. So for me interpretation happened in El Salvador. Definitely I kept my English. And then the last two years I worked in the industry that is there in El Salvador Now it has overgrown that is, the call centers, and I used to manage the interpreter lines, the landline, the interpreter lines. So I was handling that. You know, when different companies would have the request of having an interpreter, I would be the interpreter but I wouldn't be able to write down what is being said, so it was easier to say to Spanish what it was being, what it was being written. So that was my first encounter on that, when I came here to the United States and passed my test. So 60 to 70% of the clients were Hispanics because I was in graveyard. So people that definitely they don't obey the laws as a regular American because they don't know about them or they come from countries that unfortunately they don't obey, and then they find themselves in a DUI domestic violence, things that over there are prohibited as well but are more common and then they have to work Foreigners that as well have been brought here by high-tech companies. So it was a good experience as well.
Speaker 3:I was translating the contracts, because that's what I did Analyze, evaluate, give a loan, pass a loan. But it was to evaluate the risk. But I had to translate the documents to the co-signers. Some of them were family members that were fluent in English, had a good job, good credit, and then I was translating to them okay, this is what it says in English. So it was an on-site translation of all the documents. When I had an overflow, I wanted to get out of that because it was really, really hard. You know, the weekends I would be working and then then for me it was kind of fun when I would come and before I fall asleep in the morning she was telling me what, what had been her day before. So I was kind of interested on that. I knew that it was going to be start. It was going to be a slow start building of of, you know, the flow of the jobs that you can get. So but hey, we wanted to change that. We wanted to change that life that we had, you know.
Speaker 1:That's great. Yeah, I like the way that it just Anna gets into it and then is bringing back the stories of what she's doing, and Jordi's already thinking about potentially, if something else you know could come into the picture and is intrigued by the stories that you're sharing on now and then, and then the decision is made at some point we're joining forces. Was that? Was there something that you were picturing in terms of how you would work together? Or tell me a little bit more about that. How did you decide? Yeah, we're just going to do right now, jordi, you just take my overflow. Or what was the initial thought behind that, if there was any, because sometimes I think we might make decisions and we just go with the flow, or sometimes there's some intention there. Were you thinking let's grow together, as you know a company of two, or what were you thinking?
Speaker 2:Well, at the beginning it was just, you know, working with agencies working together, doing our overflow. Jordi is like a pusher he pushes, he takes more risk. I'm a little bit more cautious. I'm like, oh, are you sure you want to do this? And like we had a retreat where we met one client, referred us to the other, and then, you know, word of mouth. We just started getting a lot of clients and sometimes they would ask us do you have your equipment? And we haven't invested in that. And he was like we have to invest in that. I'm like, are you sure? It's a lot of money. But at the end we did it and we are so happy we did because that was one of the things that allowed us to grow more, because you know, it's just more comfortable. You know we come with the equipment, it's easier for the client, it's just like one stop, we do everything.
Speaker 2:And you know he's always been pushing let's do this, let's do that.
Speaker 2:Or, for example, we have to create an LLC and little by little, at the beginning we would say that it was maybe 40% direct clients, 60% agencies, but now I think we're almost to a 95% with direct clients and we just barely work with one or two agencies that we still have kind of like a relationship in sometimes, and of course there's also city councils and courts, but mostly we do have a lot of clients that are nonprofits and school districts. So I don't know. We just little by little started growing, pushing each other, planning. I really both of us agree that if we wouldn't be together, I don't think we would have grown as much as we've grown, because we kind of like respect he has parts that he's really good at. I have other things that I'm good at. We would have grown as much as we've grown because we kind of like respect he has because parts that he's really good at, I have other things that I'm good at and we try to make decisions together well, the biggest doubt was from my mom.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah anna.
Speaker 3:are you sure you want to work with him? You're gonna end up divorced, sweetie, you should think thoroughly about she didn't tell that to me, she told that to her. Are you sure you're gonna be? Because my mom was concerned that, okay, I have a strong character, definitely a really strong character. I'm a risk taker, I'm a go-getter. If that's the, that's the, that's the industry that I was, and in Salvador I was in sales and I was a sales manager. So before going into the call centers for a very long time.
Speaker 3:So when you sell I see this as you're selling yourself as a good interpreter Definitely you have to prove that you're a good product for what you're being asked to. So I see it that way. Thank God that we don't advertise ourselves. Definitely we show that to the clients and we're so thankful of that that they give us the opportunity.
Speaker 3:But definitely, to be someone that has to go to a place, I don't mind driving an hour, an hour and a half to get to a place, as long as what I can do it is for the benefit of the community and definitely it is mutual, a mutual agreement of both. Both parties benefit. Definitely. I like to try, I like to drive, so I'm the one that I see. If the go-getter go to to San Francisco, go to King City that's our long distance or go to even Santa Rosa it's an hour and a half, two hours drive as long as we are able to provide a service to our clients if they need us there. Sometimes it's online, so definitely we work as a team. She doesn't want to drive, I will go, even though it was her assignment, I will do the, the, the assignment and the advantages.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's one of the great and I think that that is exactly what makes a couple grow not necessarily a husband and wife, couple, interpreters, but maybe a partner in business. That we don't see it. We have recommended that to a lot of people. Work as a, as a couple, partner sometimes, but you have to dispose yourself of all those. Oh no, I don't want to do this. I don't want to do that. You have to see yourself as a couple, that you're going to do it for the benefit of the other end and comes back. You know that can work also also for partners and interpretation, and I think that that is a great way to grow in any business, in sales, it happens. It happens that if you're able, someone has some advantages. I'm not explaining.
Speaker 3:I wasn't a shoemaking manufacturer. I was really detailed into manufacturing shoes so I could sell the products. I was really detailed into manufacturing shoes so I could sell the products. Other sales agents were more knowledgeable of timing, cost effective and everything. So we would come together to a place, and that is how I see it now. We come together and we bring our learn, expertise. She's really accurate, I'm really fast, and we're Salvadorians. We tend Salvadorians tend to speak too much and too quick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, and we cover more ground Because the thing is that if we have both our time, sometimes we realize that his meeting is ending at this time, but mine starts at this time. So sometimes we kind of like he jumps in, finishes mine, I start his, so we're able to cover more ground. You know, provide more service to our clients and you know it just makes it easier, because sometimes you do get like these last minute calls and I said, okay, let me see if I can fix it. I see my schedule. I say would you take this step for me so I can do this one. And then we organize our schedule to be able to fit as much as we can and we also subcontract. We have a I mean we have a lot of interpreters that work with us and if we see that we can cover this, if we subcontract here, we arrange our schedule to be able to provide as much service as we can to our clients.
Speaker 1:It's a difficult decision to have, I imagine to have the consistency of one partner's income and diving into something such as freelancing with agencies, let's say, to suddenly go to removing that certainty component and jumping in, like Jordi says, into something that you don't really know. There is no certainty at that point. What was your intention, jordi, to say? I know you come from that background and that mentality, but what were you thinking first? This is what I'm going to do to ensure that, you know, we don't find ourselves in a situation where, oh no, I left the day job right for this and now look at us. What were you thinking? In that sense, because I say it, thinking of, potentially, maybe, other couples that might be thinking the same but might be dealing with that. You know that uncertainty component. What would you suggest there? What were you thinking?
Speaker 3:Well, in my case, I came in. What I would suggest it is that I came from a background of sales, so you have a base salary that I became a manager and then I had a big salary, but still I had to look for the benefit of the whole company. Then when I came here, it was like, okay, you're going to have your base and you're going to have your commission. So I have been exposed to that. Definitely, it is really comfortable when you get to a point that you're there, you got there base, commission, and then you're making a salary practically and you're quite sure, but you're quite tired of the life that you have. You're working for others, but you're quite tired of the life that you have. You're working for others. Still in life, I believe that you work for others and yourself, even though you have your own business. Once you have your own business, it's more, you become a slave of your trade. Definitely, it is something that you have to first of all understand that, uh, that once you become your owner who has a in? In spanish there's there's a saying who has a tienda que la tienda, whoever has a store, take care of it. And that is, that is my motto. That was my first.
Speaker 3:First of all, that I would say once you realize that you want to come into your own business, okay, the stores or any business has to evolve through regular clients. Okay, those are the agencies. And then you start to spread your wings, try to get people to know you, and then you get your own clientele, your own clients. And then, what I do believe, and I still even yesterday I was having a conversation with one of the owners of the agencies and I tell them hey, I treat your client as it was mine, give the same 100%, even though it's an agency, because that's your name and you're going to be the first call. Once you get clients, definitely they're going to say they're the best. First of all, think about that. Think about this is a commitment by both of you. If you're going to go into this or the three partnership, it is going to take time. Definitely Get as much context as you can of the agencies At the beginning. You're going to start working for agencies and it's a great thing to do because you learn, you commit mistakes.
Speaker 3:You don't get there on time because you didn't calculate the distance, or something happened or the traffic, because you didn't calculate the distance, or something happened, or the traffic, or the traffic, or even the appointment got extended, yeah, parking, yeah, that's another thing. Or something failed. But then you learn, but you learn with the money of others. You're not learning with your own money and you're still getting paid. Appreciate that I still, up to this moment, I take some from now, and then I still feel that, okay, I haven't got to my, my quote, because that's how we, anna and me, work we have to get to a quote monthly.
Speaker 2:We have a healthy competition. Every week we see a week more.
Speaker 3:Yeah, who? And then at the end of the month we we say, okay, we got there. And but if I, if I didn't make it in a week, then I call an agency and definitely, hey, I'm available, and I know that that agency is going to send me to a place that I know I'm going to surpass what I needed. Definitely that's my sacrifice. Be willing to do that, because to be on your own it's incredibly.
Speaker 2:It's a satisfaction, but it takes a lot of risk. I mean it takes a lot of work.
Speaker 3:I meant to say and definitely I can say that maybe sometimes it's kind of frightening because you don't have that certainty of an income and you know you have your family, you know you have your bills to pay and everything. But once you become free, I could have never expected on the end of my life because, I see it, this is my last job that I'm going to have being an interpreter and I'm free. I don't respond to no one but her and she's the owner of what I do.
Speaker 2:But still, we have an inside joke. He says I'm the boss and I say I'm your boss when it's convenient to you.
Speaker 3:When it's not, I'm your secretary, or you know, or accountant or your accountant, yeah, yeah, but definitely I see it that way. All our life we worked with somebody you know and you have that frighten of getting fire and the fear of not making it. With this report, now we only have to worry of of study more, expand your wings, have more vocabulary, be more precise. She recently was fearful of our investment in new equipment, but we got the advice in Berkeley through a conference that was given for a week of AI and we did that. And what were we told? What we were told hey, distinguish yourselves. You're already the best, so try to be the best, improving your sound. You know the guy told us. You know what you need to improve and definitely still at this age, you don't want to invest in new equipment. You don't want to be expending that, but we just saw the benefits of doing that.
Speaker 3:There are things that you will have to do. Either you want it or not. Yeah, you will have to uh, acquire new equipment. Uh, leave a client because you see, hey, this is not being beneficial to me. The management have changed. They don't have the same values that I have. They just fill in the box. They're not here for language justice and luckily we can say that we are with the clients, that we are because they know how important it is to have language justice, how important it is to have language justice.
Speaker 1:That's actually an excellent segue into the next topic. I like what you just said, jordi, about working with companies or individuals that align with your own values. I think that is absolutely fundamental as you begin to, as you say, grow and expand, being able to sort of make the decision of no longer working with individuals that don't align with your own values, that's important. I feel it's definitely one of those very foundational, I feel, almost elements of any company is number one, knowing what those values are and a lot of those values have to do with your own personal values that carry over to the business values and then making the alignment with the people that you will be collaborating with or working with. I'd heard Ana say earlier that a lot of your niche areas or companies that you work with are actually nonprofit organizations. Talk to us a little bit about your experiences, first and foremost, with nonprofits, and then bring us into the topic of language justice in that specific area, sure.
Speaker 2:Well, it is just so inspiring to work with them. They're working so hard to better the community. They do so much. They work so hard because the community needs these leaders, needs people to help them get ahead. So it's really important for us when they have their plans or their actions. I feel like it's our responsibility. They work hard on doing their job. It's our job to be able to have everybody on the same page, so we're really passionate about that. We're really passionate about making sure that everybody is really understanding what's going on, because that's the only way to move things forward.
Speaker 1:You know.
Speaker 2:So like, for example, there's going to be a training, have the materials translated ahead of time, having, like, for example, the opportunity to really being able to uh, you know, speak in both languages, like they can express themselves in the language that they feel more comfortable. Uh, recently, with the investment we did, we we are able to. For example, we have two bases. One base goes to all the english speakers, the other goes to the spanish speakers. That way they don't have to be putting, and it's kind of the Spanish speakers, that way they don't have to be putting in. It's kind of like a Zoom in person, so they don't have to put up and down their microphone, their headphones, I'm sorry so they can just listen and whenever they want to talk, we're the ones that are switching, they're not. So that's really something that it makes it like more seamless.
Speaker 2:We're going back and forth all the time, you know. So they know that everybody's going to be able to speak, and in real time. So anybody that's monolingual has a headset. So we're just going back and forth. We don't do consecutive, we do simultaneously and everybody can express themselves however they want. And it's really important, it's really important that that that communication really flows, like, for example, I think a lot of awareness came up with COVID, because I think that before people would like if they don't understand, well, it's fine, I mean, but with COVID if they don't understand, we don't flatten the curve. So I think it's kind of like the same thing, like if they're realizing that if interpretation is not provided and there's not really language justice, things are not going to move forward.
Speaker 1:Give us an example of what that looks like, Ana, Sorry, what is language justice? I think I heard you say right now which it's such an amazing example of just that feeling inclusive. Right, that you're in an inclusive space when everyone is wearing headsets monolinguals, you know, or non-English speaking alike everyone's wearing headsets. That's you're feeling like everyone's the same. I'm like everyone, as opposed to, maybe, someone not wanting to put on their headsets because they have the fear of what it might look like or it's singling them out, maybe if they're the only person there with headsets. And in this case, you know, it's a great example of an inclusive environment where everyone, everyone's wearing headsets. But what does language justice look like?
Speaker 2:as an example, Well, there's many places like, for example. One thing that I really like in city council is when they really allow the public to come and do the public comment and really express themselves. They're not cutting their time, because when there's translation, let's face it interpretation there's going to take more time than somebody that's speaking in English. So, for example, we have the blessing to work with some city council that even allow people to come and speak in indigenous languages. For example, they come, they speak in Mixteco, and that is really impactful because all these meetings are being broadcasted to YouTube, so the Mixteco community is hearing what they're saying. Then they do it in Spanish and then I interpret it into English. And I'm not cutting their time, I'm not cutting their train of thoughts. I'm taking notes and I'm letting them talk. You know, because when you're cutting them, you're kind of making them lose their train of thought. So they're able to express themselves freely, regardless of time, and then I'm able to really convey. You know, so that for me it's a really good example of not just giving them the opportunity to come and talk to the council members but really express what is going on, you know, and when there's spaces where they really like, give the time that they need because, for example, you know that the indigenous community, they take longer to express because they don't have that many words. You know there's a lot of words that they have to explain because they don't exist in their language. So when they interpret they have to have more time to express themselves.
Speaker 2:English and Spanish is going to be quicker, but Mixteco needs more time and to be aware of that, give them more time. You know, put them in the same. You know all of us really have to understand what is going on and, for example, in the community meetings, when we're in action, you know, allow everybody to speak, everybody to understand. Like, for example, we're screening the room and if we see that somebody kind of like is like a face like this, or we go to them and says is something wrong? Is the headset not working? Do you want me to change the headset, or maybe your batteries are low? You know, to that detail, because for us it's really important that everybody that's there really understands what's going on, the example being these public hearings or public events where they're giving time, specific time for public comment.
Speaker 1:Usually it's three minutes or something around, right? Are you saying that there are agencies that not language agencies but institutions in this case, let's say, city council events that allow for the full three minutes for the speaker in addition to the interpretation, and then there's others that do not.
Speaker 2:Yep, yes, In our region it happens Well there's different city councils, there's different board of supervisors, there's differences, and you can see when a city council or government is really really in tune with the community and is really hearing them, and you can see when they're like not really allowing them to express themselves that they should, and that's that's across the board, because there's also like non-profits or organizations or schools or everything that when we get there we see that like there's like, for example, they hire us for an event and it's they say, ok, it's going to be an event, there's going to be like 75 or 100 people, and when we get there, nobody shows.
Speaker 2:And then we ask them did you put on the flyer that there was going to be interpretation? And they're like oh no, should we? And I'm like, of course, I mean so a lot of things that you think that it would be like logical no. Or, for example, they're going to have a trainee and they're going to do some exercises, or they're going to resolve some questions or surveys and they don't translate it ahead of time. But they're not. They don't want to give the you know, the Spanish speakers or the other language more time to work on it.
Speaker 3:That that's not language access, that's just checking the boxes that's just saying we had an interpreter there I do believe that justice comes when you include someone that hasn't been included in the talk for a very long time or in those trainings. If you are gonna, you're gonna do a big conference about how to eat more healthy definitely why you shouldn't include the ones that are producing uh, those those uh products, so you can eat more healthy? Definitely they are the ones that they are one of the stakeholders on our table. Definitely they should be invited and they should be notified, not only say we're going to check the box, we're going to get the best interpreters that we can get, the ones that we know. But you have to let them know. That is justice, that is communicating, even go the extra mile, facilitate transportation for them, because we know that they don't have a way. They don't have a way and we want to have them, we want to hear them the struggles that they go through producing the manufacture of everything in our region as well.
Speaker 3:There are instances that you think, okay, we are here in a region that we are lacking as well in all California housing. So in one region that we live, definitely they're into it, they understand it. But in the big city, hey, what can we do about it? But the big city has more money to be able to make affordable homes. So what are they thinking about? They're giving up the spaces, but they're not hearing the struggle of people. They're going to say, okay, they're going to be displaced. Yeah, we have our first client, one that we truly feel a lot of love for them, especially Anna. She sees her as their first child, and now it's a huge collective and we have the complete collective in our hands as clients and we value uh the job, the work that they have done. They have empowered and they have given uh justice and access to members of the community to be able to form co-ops, to evolve in their own business, so they can stay in the east side of the city where they live, even though it's the most marginalized red linings area of the city. They're able to be there, but they have formed something that is beautiful and they have been able.
Speaker 3:They have always been a non-profit, but all the members, all the neighbors, are the leaders. As they say, nothing's moved. The needle doesn't move if we all agree into it. Okay, not the ones that head of this organization, no, the whole neighborhood. So that is where you feel that okay, okay, now they don't need me that much because now they're holding their meetings in spanish, but you feel proud that the work that was done you know it was done a long time ago. Now they invite me to the main events that they have or the meetings that they have with the council members or the city to be their interpreter and you feel proud of what you have accomplished as a human being, giving them that justice, that fair play to all.
Speaker 1:As a company working with other companies or working with other for-profit organizations, let's say, or just institutions that are public facing, do you provide that feedback? When you see that it's very much a checkbox being checked off, Do you provide that feedback? And what has been your experience, if that is the case, with how they receive that feedback?
Speaker 2:You know, most of our clients are aligned with us and they understand and, for example, there have been situations where maybe they're organizing an event in a way that interpretation is not going to work call it weather, call it placing, call it whatever. But when we're doing the tryout, we're trying to start the system. We see that something is not going to work before the meeting, so we immediately alert our client. And there's been situations where we've been brushed off like, ah, who cares? But we immediately go to our client. We say, hey, this is not your values, this is not what you stand for. You're here and you know that the only way that something is going to work is that everybody is involved, because they hear the community voices, they hear everybody and that's the way it's going to work. So we have stood up to clients. We have stood up to people. We have told them hey, this is not going to work, something is missing, we need this, we need that and we give them the feedback.
Speaker 2:And maybe at the beginning we did have like a very bad experience where we feel like we weren't able to do our job. And that's when I tell you when something goes wrong, where, for example, we're situated or you know, in a place where maybe the bad, you know, the equipment is not, we're not going to be able, it's not going to be able to reach, because maybe we're at a wall that is not allowing the, the sound to go out. You already can explain that better than I. But when that that happens, nobody's going to say, oh, you know what, they were placed against that wall. Most likely that's why it's not. No, they're going to say interpretation did not work, we did not hear. And, as you say, having a bad interpretation is like not having anything. So we're not giving language justice. So that's when we really have to think do I really want to continue working with somebody that is going to not really? You know, just do it to check the boxes and nobody's going to really hear what we're saying. So, yeah, we do stand up, we do tell them this is not going to work. We should do this. Your values are always that everybody should understand.
Speaker 2:And an interesting thing I remember sometimes we say we give voice to people that don't have voices. But that's not true. We don't give voices to people that don't have voices. We give voices to the people that haven't been heard in the past. They've always had a lot to say but they haven't been heard. So that's really important for us, that they really hear them. And the thing is that nothing is going to change if not all of us give our input and I think that's really something that's raising that awareness, community input. If they want something to change. Everybody has to be on board, because maybe I have a problem that you don't know about, but if I don't hear you, we're not going to fix it. Everybody has to be on board, and language justice is one of the first pillars of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like what Jordi said earlier. Language justice is community empowerment. You know it goes hand in hand. You provide language justice the correct way, right? Like you said, it's not just about providing an interpreter, hopefully a trained interpreter at that, but it's not even just that. There's so many other elements that come into play which result in, just like any PR company that focuses on the audience who are they serving? What is the audience? How do they? How do they bring in everyone? Bring in everyone, you know the potential clients. If they find that, oh, it's a Hispanic market, let's start, you know, creating PR that focuses on the Hispanic market and then revenue starts to increase. It's the same way when we're talking about bringing in individuals that are part of our communities. How do we involve them all? And being able to provide appropriate services, which entails more than securing somebody to interpret or someone to translate documents. I think that it goes with exactly what Georgie said being able to empower the individuals. And I love what you said, ana, about it's not that they don't have voices, you know. They just haven't been heard before. You're providing the ability for them to actually, for someone to understand what they have to say, which is very different because, absolutely, they definitely have a lot to say. The communities that we serve, they can absolutely be empowered and we can help make that happen.
Speaker 1:I want to go back to the conversation of you know, as we get ready to close out our episode on being able to work with your lifelong partner in creating and managing a business.
Speaker 1:So I'd like for us to sort of go back to some of the conversations about making decisions together and how potentially someone that is again thinking about, or maybe even already there, what should they be looking out for? What are some of those recommendations that you would say you should be focusing on this, or allow the partner to do that, because I'm thinking about myself. I'm, I'm very I want to. I want to be able to see what's happening in every, in every aspect and know what's happening and be able to, well, yes, provide feedback, even maybe the decision-making component. But in pre-recording on that, you said what's what really makes this a balance is that Jordi has his strengths, what he brings to the table, and then you have yours. So talk to us about how you're able to sort of balance those out to ensure that you have a successful business in light of the fact that you're.
Speaker 2:You're a married couple as well yeah well, I mean I'm gonna kind of lie, we haven't. We've had our fights. I mean, we had our like. When we're going to an assignment, we're like, oh, you know, like, but we always keep it professional. Once we get to the place, it's like nothing had happened. But I think one of the and, and you know, and even the event helps us to forget what happened before we got there. But I think for me, one of the important things is never making an important decision without asking him first.
Speaker 2:Like, for example, if a client calls me and he wants I don't know a special price or something like that, I always tell him hey, you know what? I have to ask my better half, because if he does not agree, I'm not only getting in trouble with my business partner but my life partner. So I really have to ask. We make the decisions like, for example, how much we charge, what we're going to do, who we're going to serve. All of that we do it together and I think that's important. When they call me, I'm like no, I have to ask first.
Speaker 3:And center your values. What are your values as a partner, as a couple, as an associate? What do you stand for Definitely? What do you want to be recognized for as an interpreter? Definitely he's good, he's excellent, he's good, but he's mean. Definitely, center your values. Definitely, we're there to serve. You're giving customer service, you're providing, but you have to give out. Both ways. Either way will be Anna, or either will be me, will be the best experience for the client for the participants and for the client, for the participants and for the community.
Speaker 3:Definitely, because they're a proud community, Make them feel proud of the interpreter that they got, that they gave voice to their thoughts in English, or vice versa. So for me, centering yourself on what you want to give and what you want to get.
Speaker 2:And really analyzing and analyzing because, like, for example, there have been times where we have reached a decision that maybe I'm not too I don't agree with it, to be honest, and I'm like okay, so why are you making the decision based on what? Is it because you really think this? Or it's okay, give me the facts? Is it because this is because that? And if I think if we give the facts he gives me are solid enough, I say, okay, let's go that, but if not, we continue until we get to a point where we can both feel comfortable with that decision yeah, and be and be truthful to yourself, because sometimes we have been like I said no, because of this experience that we live with this client I don't want to provide a service, and I'm firm and all.
Speaker 3:And we're truthful, we're saying, okay, I don't want to do this because of this. And then when I go to the next, the next assignment, all of a sudden I find that client and I'm able to give the truth of why I want to work with you directly.
Speaker 3:I don't want to go through organizers. I want to go through you, definitely, directly, and have a clear vision on both sides where you want to get and how you want to deliver your best experience to them. That is, set a clear golden vision that you want to have. Which area do you want to focus in? If it is going to be at court, it goes the same way. One day another one will be in another place. Maybe we can switch and if your partners you both recognize that are good and try to level up, you know, like, level up our game.
Speaker 3:Definitely she will be good at certain things, I won't, but, uh, those differences have to be seamless. You have to try to be both at the same level of where you are. She likes to study a lot, she likes to have all the titles and everything. That's fine, definitely. But I have to be at the same level of knowledge of what we're doing, that work. That moment.
Speaker 3:You're not dragging someone, you're bringing someone aside and if that people advance, feel proud of that, feel that, hey, this is what we have accomplished, definitely. And I feel proud of her being able to do certain things that I'm not able to do. I'm not able to do long consecutive. She can write down five minutes. Someone saying something I can't, but she's able to do long consecutive. She can write down five minutes. Someone saying something I can't, but she's able to do it and I feel proud of that. That is what she can give and definitely she's the special and I even I tell it to the clients she's, she's the right one, I'm the right one in another things, and recognize that and and tell your partner or your spouse or whoever you decide to make a collaborative effort to do a business, create this business to be in an association with. Tell them that this is what I expect from you and this is what is it that you expect from me.
Speaker 1:How do you separate that? Like, how do you, for instance, for the two of you you mentioned earlier on, let's say that you're you're, you're griping about something between each other when, when two people work in separate spaces, they can say, hey, whatever happens at work, you leave out the door at home, and then you know whatever happens at home. You leave out the door at home and then you know whatever happens at home, you leave out the door at work, sort of thing. But how do you do that with a business you know at home?
Speaker 2:I don't know what is your strategy there. Um, I think, when, when we don't agree on some things, we do try. I mean, we work a lot together, but not all the time. Like, for example, he has his assignments, I have my assignments. We do work soon by. You know, he has his office, I have mine. But we try to like stay away from each other until things calm down a little.
Speaker 2:But to be honest, I mean, yes, we've had our, our disagreements. That would be a lie, you know. But to be honest, I, of course I we were going to have a lot more. We have been able to like manage. I mean, we both respect each other. You know I, he knows that I do like the accounting and the invoicing. My daughter works with us Also. She helps us with all the invoicing, so we give her the invoices, she's the one that sends them out. So we've created like a system that we both, you know, each knows what we have to do. And I don't know, and I think one thing that he said about us, you know, making the other person better.
Speaker 2:That's really important because, like, if he looks good, I look good you know, because we're the company and that way we can really give each other like very, very honest feedback without getting upset, and that's something maybe with another interpreter you wouldn't dare to do that because you don't know how they're going to take it, but with him we can be honest and also we know each other so well we've been together for a long time so that like when we're interpreting together and a word comes out, I just have to look at him and he knows the word that I need and he searches it up and then he comes and we do it both ways. So I don't know, it just works. I don't know it works.
Speaker 1:Well, you make it work. I think there's effort right. It doesn't. I don't think it's necessarily. I don't anticipate something such a big decision, at least for it to be automatic.
Speaker 1:I think you find these areas to make it work and it is very strategic. Also, I love your notion of the healthy competition and setting quotas and for the two of you to sort of have these healthy competitions just to get to that quota. I think that's great. I can see the sales component coming in there, jordi, and being able to establish a quota and do this healthy competition but also creating just those healthy boundaries around. That's work-related, that's not us-related, and being able to have that clear and I think that definitely has been something that it sounds like has added so much value to the expansion of of your business. Because, as you mentioned in the beginning, you feel that Jordi, coming on to you know, working alongside you and being a part of the business, has expanded that and you don't think you would have grown without him. So it's clear, you knew, in other words, where you were trying to head, which is what Jordi was saying earlier. You set those objectives and then you work together to try to work towards that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, we feel very blessed. We feel very, very blessed because we love what we do. We're passionate, we're both just as passionate. I mean, it's not strange that he's in one meeting and I'm in another. And when it finishes we call each other and he says you know, this happened and that happened. And we're always like talking about things that happen and how we feel Like, for example, that there's a policy, that our, that our you know clients have been working for a long time and it finally passes. We celebrate with them. No, for us it's kind of like yay, you know, we we really get the goosebumps and we really get the tears and we're like so excited and when some things go wrong, we feel sad next to them too, because we've been part of that journey for so long that we feel like their success is our success, you know, oh and once you get there, you feel that you want to clone yourself.
Speaker 2:You just oh, yeah, you can't serve all of them.
Speaker 3:And and from monday from four. And from monday to friday, from four to eleven, because in our case that is our life. We work really hard from a four o'clock to 11 o'clock. Many times all the weeks are the same and we know that that's the price that we have paid. But we got into a point in life that we are already in our 50s. We're're not going to go out and party every night. We don't have to wake up early as others do. And definitely you want to give out more, but you can Once you get there. You're there Because an uncle of Annie told me where are you right now in the business? You're not able to give out as much as you would like because you are the only two. That's where you want to be. You want to be asked. You want your client to ask you hey, when are you available? And and that's the place that you want to get hey, you didn't call me on time.
Speaker 3:I'm not available that day, but you can say it about I'm available this day and they think, and they will think, hey, I'm willing to change it once you get there and with the relationship with your clients, because you have gone there, you're able to not dictate how they're gonna do the things, but even in way of hat time, you can tell you hey, put aside the date, and that's where you want to get it's a collaboration at that point right it's it's, yeah, it's that healthy dance together, yeah I know, and the thing is that we get to know their story, you know.
Speaker 2:So sometimes we're even their memory. It's happened like on one occasion I remember that they were looking for some slides that they could not find and they were about to put them in the presentation and and I said, oh, I have them and I sent it to them because I have their story or they sometimes they don't remember, and I said, no, this happened in this, in this meeting. And the thing is that because we serve certain areas, like we serve San Jose, we serve Monterey and Santa Cruz, we're across the board. So sometimes, like they're thinking, what happened in that meeting? Did city council approve it? And we're, yeah, it did, it did pass, it did pass. So we're at the point that we sometimes come and tell our clients did you find out that this happened Because we were interpreting in this meeting and they approved your funds, you know. So it's incredible, I mean it's really a big blessing.
Speaker 3:Every niche is different, definitely In the world of nonprofit and city councils and a board of supervisors is still different than in court. It's still different than educational. Never, never, think that you have gotten there. It's always a learning curve. Definitely, every area has their endowments. Definitely, and this is one of the one of those areas of of trade that we have. Definitely things are changing, things are evolving, new technologies are coming, so use them into your own best and best advantage.
Speaker 2:Definitely we see what's coming out down the pipe, so use it to that best of your ability to improve yourself and that is an important message too, because sometimes, like for example, there are other city councils that the community is so involved. They're there, they're demanding good interpretation. They they're demanding, you know, to documents be translated, versus others that there's not that much community involvement. So what happens? I mean, we've been hired for other communities or for other city councils that nobody comes to the meetings and we're just sitting there. And what has happened there?
Speaker 2:Ai has taken over. Now they're using word early for the city council interpretations, but why? Because the community did not get there. Ai has taken over. Now they're using Wordly for the city council interpretations, but why? Because the community did not get there. So I think it's something that has to go hand in hand. The community also has to speak up and say we want this, but if the city council has nobody to tell them what they want, they're just going to give whatever they can. So I think it's something that if we really want to keep this, we really want to like continue providing good interpreting, good language, justice. Also. The community and people have to get involved.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Well, ana Jordi. It has been such a great conversation. I think I've been inspired to go find me a partner myself just to start, just to bring them on board as well, but I really appreciate your insights and all of the recommendations that were given. I'm sure that there are plenty of individuals that are listening to us currently, that are already in business with their lifelong partners as well and they've gotten potentially more ideas or agreeing with everything that you say. Or maybe there's individuals that have been thinking about it and haven't been so sure and, thanks to today's conversation, hopefully they got some ideas and some inspiration on which direction to take. I want to thank you so very much for the opportunity to have this conversation and, as I end all my episode with all my guests, is there anywhere that our listeners can find out more about you and the work that you do?
Speaker 2:Well, yes, we have our website. It's wwwjavls Language Solutions. That's the name of our company, jordiana Vidalis Language Solutions, but we call it JAV and we also there. You can see the links to our Facebook and our LinkedIn. So, basically, those are the places where you can, you know, know a little bit more about what we do.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, Jordiana. Thank you so very much.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Maria. It's been a really great experience. Thank you so much for inviting us.
Speaker 3:Thank you for inviting us. Thank you.
