Translation, Interpretation, and Cultural Consulting

 

As Latin American country has its own linguistic and cultural nuances, translation without understanding the context particular to that country can be misleading. El Taller has served as translator, interpreter, and Latin cultural consultant to many organizations and individual artists over the years. 

El Taller's rich cultural history and continuing contacts in the music and art world also gives us access to a large network of talented artists and musicians representing a wide spectrum of Latino culture.

 

AMONG THE SERVICES WE OFFER: 

  • Interpreting for Latin American musicians who come to New York.

  • Coordinating trips to Latin American countries.

  • Developing culturally sensitive materials for native Spanish speakers.

  • Creating programs to educate non-Spanish speakers to the language and needs of their Spanish speaking clientele.

  • Creating workshops for children and adults about Latin America art and music.

  • Producing musical events for other venues, including museums, churches, and concert halls.

  • Providing musicians for corporate parties and other events.

 

Sample Cultural Consulting Projects

 

Art and Music Programs

  • Children's Museum of Manhattan: Created a family arts workshop for the Children's Museum of Manhattan.

  • Family Life Academy: Created a series of arts, music and dance bilingual workshops for children in grades 1 through 3. Also developed community building workshops for PTA

  • WestPark Presbyterian Church: Created a year-long series of concerts and art exhibits for the church, a collaborative effort of El Taller Latino Americano with the Church to provide a forum for fostering multicultural awareness and appreciation in the Upper West Side's highly diverse neighborhood. As its cornerstone, the Project features evening concerts one weekend per month and art exhibits.

  • Third Street Music School Settlement: Music recordings and video workshops with children from the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

 

Cultural Consulting

  • Latido Latino: Musical consultant and coordinator to Spanish television show on Latin music in New York. Educated production staff on Latin-American musical history, recruited musicians to participate in the project, acted as interpreter and musical consultant on all the interviews.

  • Philip Glass: Musical consultancy/coordination and recording of children's choir; technical advisor and consultant, co-composer theme music for the Wamer Brothers film Powaqqatsi.

  • Hispanic Policy Development Project: Co-author, design and graphic art for an education booklet for Spanish-speaking parents (with the Reader's Digest Foundation and Kraft General Foods); Production of parenting videos.

  • Sesame Street: Composed Spanish-language songs for the children's television program.

  • Environmental Protection Agency: Taught a seminar to employees on Latin American culture and music during Hispanic Awareness month.

  • Queensborough Public Library: Musical programs; video documentation; and radio and television public service announcement creation and production.

  • Health and Hospitals Corporation of the City of New York: Pilot program for Spanish-speaking patients at Lincoln Hospital, "Culture as a Support"/ a multi-art therapy for the mentally/emotionally disabled.

 

TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION SAMPLE PROJECTS:

  • Nonesuch Records: Interpreter and cultural consultant for visiting artists from Latin America including Ibrahím Ferrer, Compay Segundo. Acted as an interpreter with the press, providing explanations and musical context to interviewers, translations, and coaching on lyrics.

  • Maturana Productions: Transcribed Spanish interviews from audio tapes for show producer.

  • Polistino's (restaurant): Translated employee manual from English into Spanish.

  • Columbia University Law School: Translated court decisions for a workshop in Cuba.