Originally from Mexico City, Lorena is a native Spanish-speaker who holds a BS in Accounting and postgraduate certificates in Taxes, Translation and Interpreting. Lorena holds a Master of Arts in Spanish from UNLV where she taught Spanish (2009-2013) in the Department of World Languages and Culture, and a medical interpreting certificate diploma from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a past president of the Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association, the former editor of the e-NITA Newsletter, and former chair of NITA’s Advocacy Committee. She is the webmaster for ATA’s Educators Division. In addition to teaching translation and interpreting for UCSD and UCLA’s certificate programs, she works full time as a court interpreter and legal translator in California.
Courses, presentations, and publications
• “How to Avoid Anglicization of Spanish Contracts by Using Proper Terminology.” National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Annual Conference. St. Louis, MO. May 2013.
• “Intro to CAT Tools.” NITA professional development event. Las Vegas, September 2012 and Reno, June 2013.
• “FATCA: The Long Arm of the Law.” American Translators Association Annual Conference. San Antonio, TX. November 2013.
• “A Translator’s Guide to Computers and Information Technology.” American Translators Association Annual Conference. San Antonio, TX. November 2013.
• “Spanish Translation of Business Contracts.” National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Annual Conference. Las Vegas, NV May 2014 / American Translators Association 62nd Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN October 2021
• “Adoption and Foster Care: A Vocabulary Workshop.” National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Annual Conference. Las Vegas, NV May 2014.
• “Spanish Translation of Business Contracts.” Interpreter continuing education workshop sponsored by the Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association. Las Vegas, NV September 2014, October 2014, February 2015.
• “Avoiding Anglicization of Spanish Contracts.” American Translators Association Annual Conference. Chicago, IL November 2014.
• “Adoption & Foster Care in the U.S.: A Long and Winding Road.” American Translators Association Annual Conference. Chicago, IL November 2014.
• FATCA: The Long Arm of the Law. The Chronicle – American Translators Association. (March, 2015) p. 25
• Tanslationese in Legal Translation. National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Annual Conference. San Antonio. May 2016.
• Hispanidad e indigenismo: varias lenguas en contacto. Intercambios. (May 2017) p. 7
• Interpreters Galore: Why are there so Many Interpreters in my Courtroom? Intercambios (May 2018) p. 4
• Intro to Court Interpreting Workshop. Santa Barbara County Superior Court & California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 2016, 2017 & 2018
• Class Action Lawsuits: Terminology and Translation Pitfalls. California Federation of Interpreters Annual Conference. Oakland, CA. October 2017 & American Translators Association Annual Conference. Washington, D.C. November 2017.
• Identifying Speakers of Indigenous Languages: Tips for Spanish Interpreters. California Federation of Interpreters Annual Conference. Oakland, CA. October 2017 & ATA Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA October 2018.
• Sexual Harassment: Terms you need to know. ATA Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA October 2018.
• Caló mexicano. ATA Annual Conference. Virtual Conference. 2020 / NITA ProfDev Event Feb. 2023.
• Regular Contributor to ¡Al rescate del español! (formerly 4Mosqueteras) blog www.rescatedelesp.com
• Language Access in the Courts: How Technology Saved the Day During a Pandemic. The Chronicle – American Translators Association. (August 2021) p. 16
• El tercer género: una mirada realista al léxico no binario. ATA Annual Conference. Minneapolis Oct. 2021
• Spanish Translation of Business Contracts, Part I & II. ATA Annual Conference. Minneapolis Oct 2021.
• Legally Translating: A Practical, No-Nonsense Guide for Entering the World of Legal Translation. ATA Annual Conference. Minneapolis Oct. 2021
• Miss Judgment: Tips to Avoid Implicit Bias in Translation and Interpreting. ATA Annual Conference. Los Angeles Oct. 2022