Entries by Missy Pankake

Bridging Language Gaps for Law Enforcement

We recently hosted our second Spanish for Law Enforcement class at the Gallatin Police Department in partnership with our sister agency, the UT Law Enforcement Innovation Center, thanks to funding from the TN Office of Criminal Justice Programs. This intensive three-day course provided officers with essential Spanish-language skills for real-world situations, including traffic stops, arrests, […]

Translating Country Music History

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is making history—this time in multiple languages! Known as the “Smithsonian of Country Music,” the Museum partnered with the Tennessee Language Center (TLC) to translate and record its Sing Me Back Home audio tour into French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese. The exhibition features artifacts, photographs, […]

TLC Training Specialist President-Elect for TAPIT

TLC Training Specialist Richard Ponce de Leon has been chosen as President-Elect for the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT). TAPIT members are professional interpreters and translators of written, spoken, and signed languages across the state. TAPIT advocates for interpreters and translators, fosters ethical and professional standards, conducts training and workshops, and promotes communication […]

TLC Piloting Medical Interpreting Course at Nashville H.S.

TLC is partnering with GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a federally funded college and career readiness program, to offer our Medical Interpreter Training Course to bilingual high school students at Maplewood High School in Nashville.  By participating in this training, students will gain valuable experience and certification, opening doors to […]

Maya Language Pilot a Success

TLC Training Specialist Richard Ponce de Leon and Director of Vanderbilt Interpreter Services Hope Collins recently presented to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Office of Health Equity. The presentation, Expanding Mayan Indigenous Language Resources for Vanderbilt Health, provided a brief description of the two 10-hour interpreter training courses we offered to speakers of indigenous languages […]

Tennessee Language Center Names Eric Amos Executive Director

Eric Amos has been named Executive Director of the Tennessee Language Center. He has been serving as the Interim Executive Director since December 2023. Eric joined TLC in 2018 as an Interpretation Senior Project Coordinator and was named Director of Interpretation and Translation in 2022. He has served as interim Executive Director since December 2023. […]

TLC Attends Adult Education Summit

TLC Assistant Director of English Programs Erin Keafer represented and promoted TLC at the Nashville Public Library’s Adult Education Summit. The Summit offers Nashville’s adult education providers the opportunity to engage in discussion and strategy-building around the issues most pressing to our community.

TLC Provides Simultaneous Interpretation for Nashville Mayor’s Speech

TLC partnered with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell to provide simultaneous interpretation of his first State of Metro speech earlier this month. The speech was available in Spanish and Arabic through TLC as well as ASL. This was the first time that a Nashville Mayor has provided spoken interpretation for a speech. In addition to providing […]

TLC Promotes Language Access to Medical Administrators

TLC Training Specialist Richard Ponce de Leon recently presented information about language access in health care to the Medical Group Managers Association in Clarksville. The event was attended by medical practice administrators with the goal of improving service to their limited English proficiency patients.