Week 1 – Discussion Board 1

[Art Liebl]

In 250 words talk about yourself. Where do you live? What languages do you speak? Why have you decided to become an interpreter? Reply to 2 other students by Monday night.

[Flaviane Wronski]

Good afternoon, everyone!

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Flaviane Tremea Wronski. I’m originally from Brazil (I know, it doesn’t sound like a typical Brazilian name!), and after living in the Boston area for over 20 years, my husband and I bought a house in Londonderry, NH. It was a big change for us. We traded the tall buildings for birds, apple trees and horses. It certainly gave our son more space to enjoy the outdoors. He loves soccer, and the combination between soccer and an apartment isn’t the best so, we’re very happy with our new home.

I speak English and Brazilian Portuguese, and I decided to become a medical interpreter because I wanted to combine my academic background in pharmacy, which I studied in Brazil, with the skills I developed as a business owner in a completely different field in the US.

I believe that being vulnerable when dealing with health problems can be intimidating for anyone. For people with limited English proficiency, it can be even more challenging. It goes beyond not understanding medical terminology, it’s about not being able to express yourself, rely on a someone else to understand what is happening to you.

I see medical interpreting as a wonderful opportunity to bring these different parts of my experience together: The academic, the businesswoman, and the immigrant who understands what it means to be in that situation, and how secure you feel when you can connect with someone. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you, and I’m excited to learn with and from you all.

[Art Liebl]

Bom Dia Flaviane! It is great to have you in our class!

I totally agree with you. Dealing with medical doctors and treatments can be quite intimidating when you do not understand the language…thus our role is super important. Great to have you on board!

Art

[Flaviane Wronski]

Boa tarde Art!

I have a feeling that these 10 weeks are going to be an intense, fun and exciting learning experience. I’m glad to be here!

Flavi

[Marjetta Juul]

I completely agree!

Even when patients speak the language FLUENTLY, the reality of modern healthcare is that appointments have become so rushed—often leaving only 15 actual minutes with the doctor. Because time is so compressed, if a patient doesn’t walk in with the right questions, the visit can easily get derailed by routine paperwork instead of addressing their real concerns. That makes self-advocacy critical, especially when navigating systemic biases or specific conditions where patients aren’t always taken seriously right away.
On a slightly different note, I also think having an active third listener present—someone tracking the exchange to interpret or document—introduces a helpful kind of mental accountability. Just knowing someone is listening intently keeps everyone more focused, helps reduce vague phrasing, and keeps the conversation on track when appointments move too fast.

[Art Liebl]

Welcome to week 1! This first week is to get you used to the online platform and for you to get to know each other!

Your instructor for this week is Art Liebl. Please feel to connect to me through my email, or the button, “Contact Instructor” with any issues you may encounter this week.

Here are your assignments for the week:

1. Weekly Reading: Read chapter 1 from the manual. Please translate any and all terminology in the chapter- translating English terminology into your target language.

2. Discussion Board Topics: From the dashboard, scroll down to Week 1 – Posting #1 and posting #2. Please respond to the initial question from the instructor. During the week, bounce off other students’ comments, or the instructor’s comments. By the end of the week, you should have an initial posting and 2 other postings based on other students or the instructor.

3. Weekly Quiz: Take the first quiz- week one. It is auto graded

4. No written assignment

Instructor: Art Liebl
Instructor email: aliebl@interpretersassociates.com

Week starts: September 22, 2026
Week ends: September 28 at midnight

If you have any technical problems or questions: aliebl@interpretersassociates.com

[Marjetta Juul]

Hi Flaviane, welcome!

It is so wonderful to meet you. 🙂

Trading city life for apple trees and horses sounds like an absolute dream, especially with a soccer-loving son! I love how you weave your background in pharmacy with your business experience—that unique blend is going to make you such a phenomenal interpreter. You hit the nail on the head regarding the deep vulnerability of navigating healthcare in a new language.

Thank you for sharing your story; I’m so excited to learn alongside you in this cohort!

[Marjetta Juul]

Hi everyone,

I’m so glad to join you all! My name might catch people off guard given my face and background as a BIPOC individual—something I know many of us can relate to—but my story spans a few worlds. I grew up the child of diplomatic parents and former Peace Corps volunteers, with my mother representing my American side and my father my European side.

Because my parents and the bulk of my family live in Finland, it will be a wonderful treat to visit them this coming Christmas holiday. Growing up nomadically, I speak French and English, and my family’s roots run deep; my brothers even lived in Mauritania before I was born and didn’t know English at the time. I also carry some profound history, having lived through apartheid and witnessed Nelson Mandela’s release firsthand.

Professionally, my path has been wonderfully winding. I’ve worked as an account manager in a forensic drug testing laboratory, served as a consultant interpreter and translator on an international ecological project, and worked as a school site director. Personally, I love gardening and am an avid walker, though I completely lack the attention span for TV and series these days.

Right now, I am navigating a health condition involving hypermobility and instability, which requires me to balance my energy carefully. Because of this, I am especially happy to find a remote work opportunity that lets me be in charge of exploiting the parts that move fast while actively protecting those that move slow. I’m looking forward to learning and growing with all of you!

Thank you for the space to share a bit of my story. Whenever people open up and share their contexts so willingly, it feels like an honor.

[Flaviane Wronski]

Hello Marjetta,

What a fascinating story! I can’t imagine what it must have been like to witness Nelson Mandela’s release firsthand-that must have been an unforgettable experience.

I’m sorry to hear that you’re facing some health challenges. They can certainly be difficult, and I really admire the way you’re handling this situation-finding new ways to navigate life’s changes while continuing to make a difference in the life of others.

Your story is truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing with us!

[Laura Sewall]

Good afternoon friends!

My name is Laura. I was born in Rhode Island, but lived in MA and GA throughout my school years, which is where I learned how to speak Spanish. My dad is from New Hampshire and his name is Ken. People often joke saying that my mom´s name should be Barbie, and I find that to be so funny. My mom´s name is Michelle and she is from Minas Gerais, Brazil. I once saw a quote that said: “made by mom and dad” and I could not relate more to it. It is only thanks to my parents that I am able to speak native English and native Brazilian Portuguese since I was born. We´re always moving back and forth from each country but we are currently living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was a decision my parents made a few years ago because they wanted to simplify their life and live by the beach. We live in the country side of Rio so it is actually super safe and beautiful.

The idea to become a medical interpreter started in 2024 when a friend (that is now my boyfriend) suggested I look into this profession. But the initial desire to be an interpreter started long ago. Speaking and interpreting two languages has always been a part of who I am. Although my parents are bilingual, I have always had to help translating something between them in conversations. This came in handy when a new Brazilian student arrived at my school. My teachers would always ask if anyone spoke Brazilian Portuguese and I would always proudly raise my hand and say: “I do! I speak Portuguese!”. Then the teacher would assign me to be that student’s official interpreter for every class we had — until they eventually learned English. I did not know it back then, but I was doing a mix of simultaneous and consecutive interpreting.

I was enjoyed reading fictional books and I started reading them in Portuguese after I moved to Brazil. I believe this secretly prepared me for being able to achieve a dream that always had — to be a volunteer translator. After an unexpected invitation from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society I took a translation course and lived there for a few months translating all sorts of materials — both oral and written. I am still working for them as a volunteer translator, and seeing how much it touches people´s hearts to understand something in their mother tongue, made me sure of what I wanted as a career. The thought of becoming a medical interpreter has been on my mind since that first year I discovered about it. My mom told me about times where she would need to go to appointments by herself and how it was not scary because she knew she would have an interpreter to help her. That touched my heart and moved me to do my best today to be that person for someone else as well.

Sorry if I shared a lot, I am just so passionate about languages and translation!!
Thanks to everyone who stuck with me until this point. I look forward to learn from everyone in these next few weeks.

Best, Laura.

[Flaviane Wronski]

Hi Laura!

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little bit jealous that you’re in Brazil right now, especially with the winter around the corner.

When you mentioned your dream of becoming a volunteer interpreter, it really touched me. The world feels a little heavy right now, and meeting people who are still working hard to make a difference in this world is truly a dose of hope.

Congratulations on your initiative!

[Marjetta Juul]

Hi Laura!

Thanks so much for sharing your background—seriously-what a cool background you have !
It’s pretty wild how much your whole life has naturally pointed you toward this. A few things stand out:
Built-in skills: Growing up bilingual with English and Portuguese, plus picking up Spanish along the way, is an awesome foundation. You’ve basically been doing this job since elementary school when your teachers drafted you to interpret for new students.
Real experience: Doing volunteer translation and seeing firsthand how much it means to people when they can actually understand things in their native language is huge. That’s not just resume padding; that’s real practice.
The personal connection: Hearing how much having an interpreter helped your mom during her own appointments really grounds the whole thing. It gives you a great perspective on what patients are actually going through.
Moving from the countryside of Rio to tackle this is a fun next step. Thanks again for opening up and sharing your story!

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