Register Now: Translate-A-Thon 2025!
Friday, November 7, 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm | Saturday, November 8, 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
[Zoom] Keynote Panel Friday, November 7, 3:00 pm
Meeting ID: 971 8782 1630 | Passcode: TAT2025
Keynote Panel
Friday, November 7, 3:00 pm [Zoom]
Join us for an inspiring panel presentation featuring four University of Michigan alumni who have successfully leveraged their diverse language skills in the professional world. Hear firsthand how these Wolverines turned their language expertise into real-world impact, working with translation and interpretation across various fields. They'll share their unique experiences, challenges, and success stories using languages to bridge cultures and communicate across the globe.
This is a must-attend event for anyone studying languages, interested in translation/interpretation, or planning a career with an international focus. Come be inspired by the possibilities that await when you make languages your superpower!
Meet our panelists
Emmanuel Orozco Castellanos
Emmanuel was born and raised in Jalisco, Mexico, and has lived in Michigan for the past seven years. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in International Studies and a double minor in Latin American Studies and Critical Translation Studies, where he also studied Portuguese and French. His translation work is in English and Spanish and encompasses legal translation, migrant story-telling, and creative non-fiction. He was a fellow at Perseus Strategies, where he contributed to the Organization of American States’ first-ever report on the Responsibility to Protect. His work includes the development of Translating Michigan, a public humanities initiative celebrating immigrant communities through storytelling and research, his later project being Muralism, Multilingualism and Migration in Southwest Detroit.
Emmanuel also served as a paralegal at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, where he assisted attorneys representing unaccompanied children in federal immigration custody. Most recently, he earned an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies as a Rhodes Scholar. He is currently completing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford.
Peter Matarweh
Peter Matarweh graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 with a degree in Comparative Literature and International Studies. He also completed a minor in Translation. He is currently a Lecturer of Legal English at the University of Montpellier School of Law and Political Science in Montpellier, France.
As the child of Arab immigrants, Peter grew up speaking a dialect of Arabic alongside English. He discovered his love for languages in high school, taking Spanish, French, and German, and continued studying Spanish and French at U of M.
Peter has been working in the language-teaching and translation realms for years, having volunteered to teach ESL to immigrants and working as a foreign language tutor at U of M throughout his four years of school. He received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship grant to teach English at a high school in Libourne, France. He has also used his language skills to work with immigrants and refugees as a paralegal at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
Kelsey Trotta
Kelsey Trotta is an award-nominated culinary, media, and marketing translator specialized in translating the language of baking and fashion from Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and French to English. Her previous work has been featured in The New York Times, Christopher Kimball's Milk Street TV, and National Geographic.
Kelsey has established her own translation agency: Trotta Translations where she works as a translator and interpreter specializing in marketing and culinary translation; menus, cookbooks, restaurant websites, and subtitles for television shows. She also translates marketing materials for international companies looking to expand into the American market. She is currently working on a few books including one on the history of Italian pastries and one on style for language providers that is tailored to helping people dress for their target market.
"I can’t speak highly enough about the quality of instruction from every professor I have and can say that I use what I was taught during my time at Michigan every day in my professional career."
Omar Mahmood
Omar Mahmood worked for 4 years as a professional medical interpreter in the Detroit area while attending medical school at Wayne State University. He contracted with the Henry Ford Health System through Multilanguage Services, LLC and Global Interpreting, logging thousands of hours working for patients and communities who speak Spanish, Arabic, and Hindustani.
During his medical school education, he founded Yes, No, Fingers A Clinical Language Guide for healthcare professionals. This guide presents simple, direct questions that are most crucial in taking a patient’s history. They can usually be answered with a yes, a no, or a show of fingers. Therefore, an individual need not know the target language to take a patient history. Although not meant for conversation, the questions in this guide help narrow down the relevant symptoms and potential causes of the HPI.
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Why participate? Read the following testimonial
"Participating in Translate-a-thon was an easy decision for me. The event truly embodies everything you would want for students studying translation or language more broadly.
For students of translation, Translate-a-thon offers a unique, hands-on glimpse into real-world translation projects. Everything we discuss, practice, and prepare for in class comes to life at this event—from community engagement and collaborative teamwork to the exciting challenge of producing high-quality translations with support from peers.
For any language learner, it is a wonderful opportunity to actively use the language they are studying. Translate-a-thon provides a supportive environment to push your limits and often discover that you can do more with your language skills than you thought possible. It’s also a chance for meaningful community outreach—making a positive impact while practicing your craft. And if the work benefits the U-M community, students can take pride (and maybe earn a little bragging rights) in giving back to their own campus.
Above all, Translate-a-thon is about collaboration. It brings together a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for using their knowledge for good.
Overall, Translate-a-thon is the perfect event to inspire language students, boost their confidence, and welcome them into a vibrant and supportive community. Year after year, my students consistently mention in their course evaluations what a wonderful experience they had at Translate-a-thon!"
Andrea Stiasny Casrruthers, Ph.D.
RLL, Introduction to translation course instructor
