Main instructors

Helen Eby, owner of Gaucha Translations, is an ATA-certified translator (Spanish<>English) and a certified DSHS Translator (English > Spanish) by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. She is also a Spanish state-certified (Oregon) court interpreter and a medical interpreter certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) as well as the Oregon Health Authority.

One of Helen’s major interests is guiding translators and interpreters who are just entering the profession. This commitment to helping newcomers prompted her to co-found The Savvy Newcomer, a blog that is now recognized as a go-to resource for launching a career in translation and interpreting.

Helen’s background as an English and Spanish teacher also led to her involvement with ¡Al rescate del español!, a layman’s guide to good Spanish writing skills, as well as her participation in the ASTM work group for translation standards.

Her desire to improve the professional standards of Spanish editing in the United States led her to work with other dreamers to found the Spanish Editors Association.

Helen is a member of the American Translators Association, the International Medical Interpreters Association, and the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators among others. She served as president of the Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters from January 2014 to September 2016.

Daniela Guanipa is an ATA-certified translator (English>Spanish, since 2005), and a certified Court Interpreter (English/Spanish, since 2005) in the State of Indiana. Ever since completing her bachelor’s degree in International Studies in her native country, Venezuela, she has devoted her entire professional life to the art of communicating effectively and writing compelling copy in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Her career as a linguist and trainer spans over 21 years and has amounted to a wide and rich professional experience. Daniela is an experienced educator who has taught Spanish at different levels—from beginners to advanced, to native Spanish-speakers—and settings, including private individuals, government and law enforcement agencies, judges, high-level executives, and corporate clients. In 2006 she became a trainer for the Indiana Certification Program, teaching sight translation to certification candidates.

Ms. Guanipa is very active in the T&I community and has served on the Board of her local ATA Chapter, the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Florida (ATIF), first as Secretary, and later as Vice-president, ATA’s renowned blog for new T&I professionals; she is a former member of the Professional Development Committee of the ATA Spanish Language Division, and reviewer of its quarterly newsletter, Intercambios.

Helen and Daniela have been working together for years. They are both founding members of the newly created Spanish Editors Association, the first and only association created in the United States to address the needs of editors working for the US-Spanish market. In addition, they are founding members and contributors of The Savvy Newcomer.