1
Buasawan Simmala
RESUME
BUASAWAN SIMMALA
6355 Crooked Oak Lane, Falls Church, VA 22042
Lao Native Speaker
Cell: 262-327-0928
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Ph.D., Urban Education (ADB since May 2007) Expected Spring Semester, 2009
Focus:Adult Education & Continuing Education Leadership
Minor:Second Language Acquisitions
University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
Dissertation: Cross-cultural Adjustment in the Educational Process of Lao and Vietnamese International Graduate
Students in the United States
M.A., International Commerce and Public Policy August, 2002
GeorgeMasonUniversity, School Of Public Policy Arlington, VA
B.A., International Trade June, 1987
Foreign TradeUniversity Hanoi, Vietnam
High school June, 1981
VientianeHigh School (Lycee Vientiane) Vientiane, Laos
WORKING EXPERIENCE
PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH-LAO LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETATOR, AND LAO INSTRUCTOR IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE
Voicing Lao Language,Transcribing, Translating and Interpreting from English to Lao
Freelance Translator, Interpreter, and Voice Recorderof Lao language, 2001-Present
Translates from English/original materials to Lao and record voicesfor American actors who work for King of the Hill of the Twenty First Century Fox Film Corporation in CA.
Produced, voiced/readLao for Beginnersbook for recording in CDs, which are used to supplement to the book for sale in international market in 2003.
Editstranslation document from English documents.
Translates, edits and proof reads translation of English documents into Lao in different fields, such as educational laws, housing and urban development policies, health insurance, work compensation agreements, news and letters into Lao language for Lao immigrants in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany.
Served as the Lao interpreter and translator from English to Lao and vice versafor Lao and American high ranking officials who met in WashingtonD.C.(45 hours per week for two weeks in Summer 2002).
Interprets English-Lao-English for businesses, welfare offices, clinics, and immigration custody units or prisons in the United States,which are conducted both in person and via telephone-conference.
Language Instruction
Lao Literacy Instructor and Curriculum Developer Summer 2003 and 2004, Fall 2005-Spring 2006
Department of Foreign Language and Linguistics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Taught Lao beginning and intermediate levels to first generation Lao and Hmong American students
Developed curriculum and testing materials for both beginning and intermediate levels
Lao as a Foreign Language Instructor (intensive courses) Summer 2001
Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI
Instructed and designed curriculum mainly based on communicative teaching approach to help
students at both beginning and intermediate level to acquire high levels of proficiency in Lao in 8 weeks
Developed testing materials and tailored curriculum for teaching all four skill areas of language (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) to foreign students at both beginner and intermediate levels to four students (three European and one Korean American student)
Serves as a Lao private tutor for an American student at University of Wisconsin-Madison who is interested in learning Lao language and culture via Webcam/video conference (1 hour per week since January 2, 2008).
PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATER AND INTERPRETATER IN LAOS
Translated news, diplomatic official letters, agreements and U.S.trading regulations from English to Lao and interpreting for official meetings
Freelance Research Winter 2005
- Interviewed Lao government related officials, local community in different provinces, Hmong students to examine the impact of the economic regional integration impact on people life, culture and education in Laos
Commercial Assistant February, 05, 1995-March, 2000
Embassy of the United States of America Vientiane, Laos
Worked with U.S. diplomats and other government visitors to Laos(approx. 4hours per week for five years)
Acted as an interpreter and facilitator for all negotiations of different agreements related totrade and economics, and for the visits of American Ambassadors to Lao high ranking officials, such as ministers and her/his attendance in important ceremonies, such as trade show opening ceremonies and launching a mining project in Laos (approx.5 hours per week for four years)
Translated documents and letters made by American officialsto submit to Lao officials in different ministries (approx. 10 hours per week for five years)
Translated news or broadcasting materials related to economics policy, laws and regulations, procedures and events from English to Lao and Lao to English for the Embassy (approx. 10 hours per week for five years.
Provided bilateral trade-related information for both U.S. and Lao businesses, which were interested in importing-exporting goods from both countries (approximately 5 hours per week for five years)
Conducted in-depth analysis of economic sectors (e.g. textiles, telecommunications, and tourism)
for U.S. Department of State and the Department of Commerce (approx. 5 hours per week for five years)
Translating reports, and action plans in educational, gender and rural development projects from English to Lao
Education and Women’s Development Program Officer July,1993-November, 1994
Consortium for World Learning, World Education, and U.S. Save the Children Vientiane, Laos
Translated reports and action plans in English, which were made by the American officers into Lao to submit to Lao related government officials in ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Social Welfare, Public Health, and Education
Reported activities related to educational and women’s development projects in Lao and English for American officers and related international staff who worked in the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) program
Trained adult literacy teachers for Lao and Hmong refugees returning from refugee camps in Thailand to resettle down in Luangprabang and Sayabouly provinces
Assisted local government in developing budget proposals for health, education, and women’s development of repatriate Lao and Hmong villages in Northern Laos for UNHCR
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
International Trade Relations,Business Administration/Public Relations
Office Manager June, 1992-June, 1993
Lalitha Clothing Company (French Garment Manufacturing and Exporting Company) Vientiane, Laos
Facilitated government relations to ensure smooth business operations and expansion
Supervised import-export staff in inventory clearance and in expeditious preparation of documents for
imports of materials for garment production.
Import-Export RepresentativeJuly 1991-May 1992
Lalitha Clothing Company (French Garment Manufacturing and Exporting Company) Vientiane, Laos
Handled import procedures for national and international suppliers and shipment companies for
Import-Export RepresentativeDecember 1987-January 1991
International Construction Company (government enterprise)
Vientiane, Laos
Handled import procedures for national and international suppliers and shipment companies for
construction materials to be sold and used in the company’s construction projects.
SKILLS
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Lao (native), fluent in speaking, writing, listening and reading
Thai (second language), fluent in speaking, listening and reading
Vietnamese (second language), fluent in writing, listening and reading and fair in speaking
French (limited in all four language skills, writing, speaking, listening and reading)
COMPUTER
MS Word, Excel, Microsoft Access, Power Point, Adobe PDF, Adobe Indesign and Recording voice using MP3 and Internet
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Publications (both in Lao and English)
Second Language Learning Related Publications
Simmala, B. & Becker, B. (2003). Learning Lao for Beginners. Bangkok, Thailand: Paiboon [AEB1]Publishing Co.
Economic integration and social development of ethnic minority communities in Laos Research and Publication (1)
Well-Deng, A. & Simmala, B. (2006). Economic Integration and Social Development of Ethnic
Minority Communities in Laos: Case Studies from Luang Namtha and SavannakhetProvinces, Lao PDR. Juth Pakai 6, (both in Lao and English Languages), the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) of UNDP–United Nations Development Programme, Vientiane, Laos. Available at
Research Method and Scholarly Analysis
Simmala, B. (2005). Review of the book: Doing qualitative research by David Silverman (2nd Ed.),
2005. New Horizons in Adult Education, Volume 9, Issue #2, pp. 56-58. Available at
International Higher Education and Cross-cultural Studies
[AEB2]
- Simmala, B. (2008). Social and Cultural Adjustment of Asian International Graduate Students in the United States. Global Currents Volume 5, Issue 2, Spring 2008.
- Simmala, B. (2008). Historical, Social and Cultural Factors Affecting Educational Achievement of Southeast Asian Americans: Analysis within Ogbu’s Cultural Model. Messenger of MoscowStateUniversity of Culture, Spring 2008 (both in English and Russian Languages).
Scholarly Presentations/Public Speaking Experiences (both in Lao and English)
The 49th Annual Adult Education Research Conference, The University of Missouri – St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri (Expected) June 5-7, 2008
- Cross-cultural Adjustment of AsianInternational Graduate Students in the United States: Theorizing from the literature
Preobrazhesky’s Readings, International Conference(used a video CD to record and present the paper) May 2006
- Racial and Ethnic Dimensions of Adjustment of Minority Students to College in the United States: Experiences of Lao, Hmong, Cambodian & Vietnamese Americans
Southeast Asian Celebration Event Lao Student Organization of University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison,
April 22, 2006
- Learning Experiences of Lao, Hmong, Cambodian, and VietnameseAmericanCollege Students in Higher Education Institutions
First International Laos Studies, Northern IllinoisUniversity, De Kalb, IL May, 2005
US-Laos Relations: “Opportunities and Challenges” in Trade and Investments
Academic and Professional Awards and Honors
Grant Awards for Conducting Research in Lao and Asian Regional Economics and Politic
Co-awarded of $10,000 Collaborative Action Research Grant from the Social Science
Research Council to conduct a research in Laos on the State Capacity and Ethnic Relations in Laos: Integration Within and Without, Winter and Summer, 2005
Awards in American Foreign Relation Service Performances
Received Meritorious Honor Award from American Embassy, Vientiane, the U.S. Department
of State’s award for excellent performance 1998
Scholarships for Studying Globalization, International Trade Relations and Adult Education
Russell D. Robinson Adult Education Award, School of Education, University if Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2005-2006
Refugee Teacher Training Assistantship for pursuing Ph. D. education, Fall 2002-Summer 2005
Fulbright Scholarship for pursuing education in Master Degree Program Fall 2000-Summer 2002
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Vice President of Southeast Asian Network for Education & Research, Inc. December 2005-Present
National organizer committee of the First International Studies Conference May 20-22, 2005
Steering Committee Members of US-LAOS Normal Trade Relations National Coalition 2004
References
TLS Farm
41-500 Waikupanaha Street
Waimanalo, HI96795-1438
[AEB1]What is this space?
[AEB2]Why do you have numbers only for 2 parts? I would say leave them out or label all.