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. She is a past president of the Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association, the editor of the e-NITA Newsletter, and Chair of NITA’s Advocacy Committee. 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