Hello! I was born and raised in El Salvador, went to an all-girls private school, and right after graduation I decided to go to the University of El Salvador with the goal of becoming a doctor, but couldn't complete my career due to the civil war my country was enduring at the time. I got married, and relocated to the United States in 1988 with the intentions of resuming my career, but that never happened. I decided to to take more English classes, like the ones I had taken in my country to make the college transition easier when the time came. After several small jobs, I got one in a public school working in a center to help families in need. Most of these families spoke Spanish only, and needed help communicating with ther children's teachers, and it became my job to advocate for them. Before that I had helped my own children's teachers by translating newsletters and/or homework for the Spanish speaking students, so I realized that this was something that could turn into a career for me. I signed up for a course on interpretation and translation at Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Washington, and since then I've been doing more and more jobs at the school I work at. I help during parent/teacher conferences, translate letters and notes that go home to the parents, etc. I also decided to take a test to become a DSHS certified medical interpreter, and now I'm planning on taking another exam to become ATA certified. At my job I have also helped the Hispanic community by helping them fill out forms, translating documents such as birth certificates, curriculum vitae, diplomas, etc. My experience as a medical interpreter/translator also comes from my time at medical school in my country. Besides working as a freelancer I work for Dynamic Language Center as an interpreter.