TLC Executive Director Announces Retirement; New Interim Director Named

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Dr. Janice Snow Rodriguez, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Language Center (TLC), has announced her retirement, effective February 1, 2024. Eric Amos, currently Director of TLC’s Interpretation and Translation Services (ITS), has been named Interim Executive Director, a position he will assume on Dec. 1, 2023.

Dr. Rodriguez joined TLC (formerly the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute) in 1999 and has been the executive director for 22 years. She leaves a legacy of substantial contributions, notably the introduction of a certification program for court interpreters in Tennessee, which gained state adoption.

Dr. Rodriguez’s career at TLC included extensive community involvement across various boards, including the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Committee, the Metro Nashville Police Department’s El Protector Program, and the Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission. Additional boards on which Dr. Rodriguez has served include the Japan-America Society of Tennessee, the College of Public Service Board of Advisors at Tennessee State University (TSU), Sister Cities Nashville, and the International Education Advisory Board at TSU.

Staff headshot of Eric AmosHer efforts have earned multiple accolades, including the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Bridges Award and recognition from TSU as an Outstanding Doctoral Alumna. Under her guidance, TLC and its precursor, the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute, garnered significant honors, including the Nashville Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity and Best Places to Work awards, and a Level Two Baldrige National Quality Award from the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence.

Amos, the new Interim Executive Director, joined TLC as a project manager for Interpretation and Translation Services in 2018. He was named interim director of ITS in November 2022 and was named director of ITS in June 2023. His recent receipt of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service’s Pinnacle Award underscores his commitment to excellence. He has both bachelor‘s and master’s degrees in Intercultural Studies.

As we navigate this transition, TLC remains committed to our mission of fostering language and cultural understanding in Tennessee and beyond.

TLC Receives 2023 TNCPE Commitment Award

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TLC is excited to be recognized with the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence’s 2023 TNCPE Commitment Award. TNCPE helps organizations with affordable, in-depth assessments with the goal of performance improvement. TLC’s award was the result of a rigorous assessment and site visit process. An organization recognized with the Commitment Award demonstrates serious commitment and implementation of performance improvement principles.

“TNCPE’s vision is to be a trusted partner and regional resource in achieving performance excellence and one of the many ways we do that is through the Awards Program,” said TNCPE President and CEO, Heather Schoch. “Organizations being recognized this year have demonstrated a strong commitment to improvement and have chosen TNCPE and the Baldrige framework as their path to excellence. They have completed a rigorous assessment and site visit process which provides valuable feedback on their excellence journey, and I commend them! TNCPE is proud to be associated with these organizations.”

Established in 1993 as a public-private partnership, the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence strives to strengthen economic development and organizational health by helping companies and organizations grow more competitive in today’s global marketplace through affordable, in-depth assessments. A nonprofit, TNCPE is grounded in the Baldrige Excellence Framework—a holistic framework used by organizations across multiple industries to improve their performance and achieve sustainable results. More than fifteen hundred (1,500) organizations have participated in and benefited from the TNCPE award program.

 

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TLC Participates in TWLTA Annual Conference

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Brian Barnett and Maya Campbell from TLC’s World Languages department participated in the annual Tennessee World Languages Teaching Association (TWLTA) conference. In addition to promoting our Spanish and Arabic for Educators programs, Brian also presented “Enriching the World Languages Curriculum: Incorporating Language Varieties and Registers,”  as one of the conference workshops.

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TLC Provides Portuguese Interpreters for Company Celebration

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Portobello America, a Brazilian-owned porcelain and ceramic tiles company, celebrated the grand opening of its U.S. headquarters and first production facility in Baxter, TN. TLC provided Portuguese interpreters for the leaders, managers, and stakeholders from Brazil for the several-day celebration. We provided interpreters for Nashville trolley tours on Friday, the grand opening celebration and event in Baxter on Saturday, and a tour of the Jack Daniels distillery on Sunday.

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TLC Recognized with Helping Hand Diversity Award

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The Tennessee Language Center and Executive Director Janice Rodriguez were recognized by the Nashville Business Journal as Leaders in Diversity.

The NBJ’s inaugural class of 25 honorees in Middle Tennessee includes those individuals and companies leading the charge to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Woman standing in front of a presentation screen in a classroom

TLC Presents Spanish for Medical Professionals

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TLC’s Genna Linton presented a 4-hour long training to 30 nurses at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The course, “Spanish for Medical Professionals: A Linguistic and Cultural Toolkit,” was focused on words, phrases, and cultural norms to help non-Spanish speaking nurses better relate to non-English speaking patients. This will potentially impact hundreds of patients working with these nurses. Just being able to ask if they are in pain or if they need water in the language the patient understands will improve the quality of care they are receiving.

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TLC Consulting with Meraki Learning Center on World Language Curriculum

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TLC’s Director of World Languages Brian Barnett is consulting with Meraki Learning Center about developing a world language curriculum for its students. Meraki is a unique homeschool and enrichment center in Nashville tailored to the learning needs and interests of its students. Brian is also working with the French instructor to develop activities for several students with proficiency in French at Meraki. This work will help Meraki develop a well-planned world languages component to its curriculum to facilitate learning and enrich the language experiences of its students.

Construction worker laying on ground after falling

TLC Offers Fall Terminology Webinar for Interpreters

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TLC offered an online webinar in April for Spanish interpreters on the terminology for falls, particularly in regard to Workers’ Compensation cases. The work involves specialized knowledge of both medical and legal terminology. Spanish Interpreters from Tennessee, Louisiana, and New Mexico completed the webinar and are now better able to handle appointments for Workers’ Compensation cases after completing the course, and the clients they are interpreting for are better represented.

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TLC Translates Tree Care Documents

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TLC is translating the Cumberland River Compact’s Tree Care documents into Spanish, Arabic, Somali, Kurdish Behdini, and Kurdish Sorani. The Cumberland River Compact works with the three million people in the Cumberland River Basin in Tennessee to promote stewardship of the watershed and address causes of water pollution through education and restoration. Planting more trees is an important part of their programming, and translating the documents into these languages used in the Cumberland River Basin means they can reach more of the community.

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TLC Is Translating Housing Advocacy Documents

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TLC is translating housing advocacy documents into Spanish for The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands’ Right to Counsel program. The Right to Counsel is a two-year pilot program that increased the number of Legal Aid housing attorneys from two to six. The attorneys represent renters in civil cases with landlords. The documents inform Hispanic clients of their legal rights. This will allow the Right to Counsel attorneys to better assist their Spanish-speaking clients.