Barbara H. Clark

207-409-2873

E-mail:

Notary Public for the State of Maine, USA

SUMMARY:

French native speaker with near-native English fluency

In-person and over-the-telephone Interpreter in the business, media, legal & social services fields

English > French Translator, Editor & Proofreader and language consultant

Translation Management experience verified with PROZ.COM’s Professional Network Certification

Over seven years of experience interpreting for French-speaking refugee communities

Oral Proficiency Interview Tester in French for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

OBJECTIVE: Developing International Projects To Achieve A Successful Global Career

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Oral Proficiency Interview Tester, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
2008-present –Alexandria, Va

  • Testing of the spoken French proficiency of candidates through language assessment interviews (OPI Testing)
  • Translation of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
  • Evaluating recorded audio segments in French as well as written texts and questions for reading comprehension tests primarily for the Defense Language Institute (DLI) and Language Testing International (LTI)

English> French Interpreter & Translator
2001-Present - Portland, Maine

  • In-person & over-the-telephone French interpreter for clients including businesses (B2B, B2C), governmental agencies, judicial courts and law firms, and medical facilities. Assignments include interviews, consulting sessions, business meetings, medical appointments and court hearings for entities such as Certified Languages International;
    the U.S. Department of Human Services; Refugee & Immigration Services of Catholic Charities Maine; The United Way; Maine District Courts; Frannie Peabody Center; Community Counseling Center; Immigrant Legal Advocacy Program:GersonLehrman Group Consulting; the State of Maine, the Office of Multicultural Affairs; Portland School Department; Maine Publicity Bureau; and Johnson Northwest
  • Translating, editing & proofreadingtext for press releases, advertisements, product labels, websites, brochures & instruction manuals, etc. Projects include economic analyses for the World Bank; art history articles for The Language Shop, Europe; public relations material for Digicel and product labels for JC Penney; Online translations for Portland Webworks

French-English Internet Advertising Consultant

2005-2007 - Sonoma, California

  • Employed as an outside contractor for Google Inc., as an Advertising Quality Consultant in French and English, combining cultural and marketing knowledge with internet research skills to help improve Google’s search engine advertising placement accuracy
  • Evaluated websites’ quality, content, and suitability in relation to ad copy and search query, contributing to improved search advertising placement for the Google AdWords and AdSense programs

Translation Services Coordinator

2004-2006 - Portland, Maine

  • Successfully implemented and managed translation services for RISinterpret - Refugee & Immigration Services of Catholic Charities Maine, generating a revenue increase of 500% within the first year
  • Acquired new clients and coordinated requests for translation services in over 25 languages, prepared pricing estimates and contract agreements, and edited & proofread French translations for quality control. Translated documents included official court forms, booklets, case management packages and notices such as HIPAA for various governmental agencies
  • Recruited and established a working relationship with a team of over 100 translators and interpreters, assigning interpreters and translators to requests from various clients including health care providers, lawyers and judicial courts, businesses, and social service agencies
  • Created and maintained a translation project billing system database, received and processed payments from clients and handled interpreter and translator payroll. Also provided customer service follow-up and compiled sales statistics and budget analyses

Director’s Assistant, Cultural Center of Morhange, France

1993-1995 - Morhange, France

  • Employed by the town as Assistant to the Director of the Morhange Cultural Center. Responsible for administrative tasks; scheduling; invoicing and ensuring customer service follow-up. Also managed event planning such as the 50TH Anniversary of the French Liberation; local network television presentations; job fairs and city hall receptions

EDUCATION

University of Paris XII – LICENCE EN SCIENCES DE L’ÉDUCATION

(Bachelor of Arts in Educational Sciences), Créteil, France, 2000

  • Concentrations in Developmental Psychology, Communication, Philosophy and Social Studies.
  • Internship at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris: Assisted students in a Franco-American school exchange program to create a website on environmental issues

University of Paris XII - DIPLÔME D’ÉTUDES UNIVERSITAIRES GÉNÉRALES

(Two-Year Undergraduate Diploma), Créteil, France, 2000

  • Major In Foreign Languages, Literature & Civilizations: Concentration in English
  • Concentrations in Interpreting & Translating
  • German translation courses

CERTIFICATES & WORKSHOPS

Interpreting in Protective Custody Cases

State of Maine Judicial Branch, Portland Maine 2013

Court Interpreter Advanced Training: Skill Building to Improve Oral Performance

State of Maine Judicial Branch, De la Mora Interpreter Training, Portland Maine, 2013

HIPAA Awareness for Business Associates

HIPAAtraining.com, Online 2012

  • Introduction to HIPAA, Transactions, Code Sets, and Identifiers,
  • Privacy, Security, ARRA/HITECH Act of 2009/2010, Implementation

Notary Public

State of Maine, Portland Maine, 2012

Skill Building for interpreters: Interpreting for Cancer patients

Language Access for New Americans (LANA) of the United Way, Maine Medical CenterPortland, Maine, 2011

Interpreting for Torture Survivors

Language Access for New Americans (LANA) of the United Way, Maine Medical CenterPortland, Maine, 2011

  • Certificate of attendance: Completed workshop on Interpreting for Survivors of Torture, Clinical Work Through an Interpreter and the Role of Interpreters in Psychotherapy with Refugees

Skill Building for interpreters: Simultaneous Interpreting,

De la Mora Interpreter Training, Portland Maine 2011

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and

Defense Language Institute (DLI) Foreign Language Center, White Plains, New York, 2008

  • Certificate of Completion of the ACTFL/ILR OPI Tester Training, qualifying as a Tester.

Maine Court Interpreter Program TIER I & II

Language Access for New Americans (LANA) of the United Way, Portland, Maine, 2008-2009

  • Received a Superior Level French language rating based on the standards of the ACTFL French Oral Proficiency Exam
  • Successfully completed the written exam of the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification: Courtroom Protocols and Procedures, Maine Court System,Modes of Interpreting, Sight Translations
  • Completed a four-day advanced training course on court interpreting skills

Medical Interpreter Training

Language Access for New Americans (LANA) of the United Way, Portland, Maine, 2006-2007

  • Demonstrated Superior English-French level through an oral examination administered by Pacific Interpreters
  • Graduated from a 104-hour Medical Interpretation Competency Program covering theRoles & Responsibilities of Medical Interpreting; Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Terminology

Pro Network Certification, ProZ.com, Syracuse, New York, 2008

  • Certified as a professional-level English to French Translator

American Translators Association Conference, Seattle, Washington, 2005

  • Certificate of Attendance: Completed workshops in Searching & Researching on the Internet; General Theory of Translation Companies; and Methodology for Translation of Personal Documents

Massachusetts Medical Interpreting Association Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, 2004

  • Certificate of Attendance: Developing Simultaneous Interpretation Skills; Raising Interpreter Services to a Strategic Level; HIV and New Treatments

Spring Harbor Hospital, Portland, Maine, 2004

  • Completed training on Interpreting In Mental Health Settings: The Mental Health System in Maine; Children’s Mental Health; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Intergenerational Trauma: Bridging Cultural Differences

Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Portland, Maine, 2004

  • Completed training on Legal Interpreting: Basic Court System, The Role of Interpreters & Domestic Violence Interpreting

Franco-German City Partnership Exchange, Ubach-Palenberg, Germany, 1997

  • Six weeks of full language immersion while living with a German family.
  • Internship in Ubach-Palenberg City Hall, assisting with administrative tasks, narrating and appearing in a promotional video presenting the city to its twin city in France: Rosny-sous Bois
  • Internship in the Human Resources Department of the MOBAU Hardware Store, implementing and administering a feedback survey to employees and customers

EXPERIMENT Exchange Program, Kennebunk, Maine, 1995-1996

  • Full language immersion working for 13 months as a live-in au pair for an American family; studied English Composition, Computers and Elements of Acting at York County Community College while working as an au pair; successfully completed the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine