Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diana Sanchez-Vega. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Diana, thanks for joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

I moved to the US in 1999 from my native Argentina, and I learned to speak both English and Spanish at the same time. When I arrived here, those close to me told me I would make a killing with my language skills. However, it took me 12 years to monetize my language skills, and I was only able to do it by becoming an interpreter and translator.

There is much talk about how to make sure all workers are taken into consideration in the workplace, especially as it relates to minorities. I’m in the field of bilingual communications, and employees who are bilingual are not paid for their language skills, unless their job is specifically language related (like an interpreter, translator, or language instructor).

Job posting after posting from corporate America states “bilingual preferred, or bilinguals encouraged to apply, or bilingual a plus!”, but bilingualism, a skill that takes decades to master, is either not monetized, or not appropriately monetized. When a salary differential is offered, it is, for example, $1 additional an hour, or $50 per pay period (every 2 weeks). In fact, on average, bilinguals in the US workplace make only 2% more than their monolingual counterparts(1).

American businesses lose $2 billion a year due to language barriers and cultural misunderstandings(2). You would think that with these types of losses, someone in a corporation would have an “Aha!” moment and realize that truly monetizing language skills is profitable. Yet, doing so might mean that the value is placed in those who, for the most part, were raised abroad and could get ahead faster than those who speak English only.

I guess we need to wait for a bilingual employee (or several of them) to file a language-based discrimination lawsuit against a corporation for asking these employees to have duties and responsibilities through the use of their language skills, that they are not getting paid for.

Like most things in life, it’s a matter of time …

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References
(1)MIT Press Direct: https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/87/3/523/57561/Listening-to-What-the-World-Says-Bilingualism-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext

(2)CED, 2006. “Education for Global Leadership: The Importance of International Studies and Foreign Language Education for U.S. Economic and National Security.” https://www.ced.org/pdf/Education-for-Global-Leadership.pdf

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I was born and raised bilingual (Spanish/English) and bicultural in Buenos Aires, capital city of Argentina. From ages 2 to 5, I attended full-time (9 to 5) an English immersion kindergarten (like a school for little people, with full-time academic components and activities), where I acquired my English language. Then, I attended a bilingual British school for 12 years, daily from 8 am to 5 pm, where we would have all our classes in English in the morning (Math, Science, Social Studies, etc.) and all our classes in Spanish in the afternoon. Because when I learned to speak, I learned to speak both English and Spanish, I am one of those people who sometimes thinks in English, and sometimes thinks in Spanish. Additionally, as a twice nationally Certified Healthcare Interpreter (verbal translator), language is my trade, so I relish in the idea of knowing when some things are better expressed in one language than in the other. For example, the term “printer-friendly” is such an effective, visual, and functional term, that one cannot mistake its meaning. In Spanish, we don’t have that term, so we need to find a brief phrase that conveys the same meaning. Conversely, Spanish, given that it is a romance language, offers layers to express love. Both “querer” and “amar” mean ‘to love’, but “amar” has a connotation of loving deeply. So, context, especially level of interpersonal relationships, define how to express ‘to love’, and we can leverage the different ‘layers of love’ that Spanish offers.

My foundational 15 years of schooling exposed me to instructors and peers from all over the world. So, for me, cross-culturalism has always been a way of life.
Additionally, my stepfather, who is American and lives in Argentina, married my mom when I was 5 years old, so when interacting with him it would always be in English. Although my stepfather travelled extensively, when he was home my parents would regularly entertain both national and international guests. I loved to observe the different ways hosts and guests expressed their views and thoughts, and how connections developed based on the different ways people used language.

As I was getting ready to graduate from high school, I was unsure about what I wanted to pursue as a career. Having had several notable roles in plays at school, I seriously considered acting, but eventually decided to pursue international business as it seemed more promising.

Even though I was mostly a good student throughout my school years, I struggled with being able to read productively. It would take me hours to incorporate knowledge from the extensive reading assignments we were given in high school so, when I got to college, I would start classes and drop out because I would fall behind in trying to learn all the material.

Colleges and universities in Argentina are all commuter – there are no on-campus living or college dorms. About 80% of college students in Argentina work full time while going to school, as we have no reliable credit system or student loans. Most college students also usually live with their parents, and the “college experience” means very few hours of sleep, a lot of studying and working, and a little fun every now and then, whether you are studying graphic design or medicine. That was my experience as well.

And, I worked a lot. At age 17, I started tutoring English and then added engagements teaching English in middle school, and Introductory Business and Economics in high school. At 24, I married my high school sweetheart and wanted to move away from teaching, so I worked as an administrative assistant for Eastman Chemical (Kodak) Argentina.

However, 2+ years later we got divorced and I needed a change. I was still trying to figure out my career path, so I landed a job as an executive assistant with an international concert promoter in Buenos Aires. Although I worked with that business for just 1.5 years, I saw first-hand how business contracts were negotiated, what accelerating growth looked like, and contributed to grow the business from 2 to 12 employees. I also got to interpret for press conferences and meetings for international artists such as Deep Purple, James Brown, Lisa Stansfield, Alan Parson’s Project, and Scorpions, among others.

Even though I had long work days, I still continued my studies in college, albeit at a start-and-stop rhythm.

Eventually, the unpredictable schedule and politics of the entertainment industry got the best of me, and I started to look for a new position. I found a job as an on-premise account rep for a multinational alcoholic beverage company in Buenos Aires, where my main job was brand awareness of the products that the company sold. My main clientele were trendy bars, pubs, and discos, in the night districts in the center of Buenos Aires. In Argentina, discos do not open till past midnight, so I would often have business meetings at 2 AM because that is when the owners/managers are on-site. In this position, I honed my skills at sales development and acquired some very much needed street smarts thanks to Fernando, my awesome boss at the time.

In September 1998, through my stepfather’s musician cousin who was touring in Argentina with the Backstreet Boys, I met my second husband, Chris, who is American, and was doing sound for the band. We dated long distance as I was finalizing my college studies and, after I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I moved to the US in December of 1999, and lived in Atlanta, GA, for 2 years.
Back then, I truly believed that the transition to the US would be easy. I had travelled here multiple times, visited with American extended family in a variety of cities, had interacted regularly with American expats in Argentina, and I spoke the language. However, unbeknownst to me, I was embarking in a true process of acculturation that would change my life.

Three months after arriving to Atlanta, I was hired for a job at the Consulate of Argentina in Atlanta, where I served as a Community Liaison. In that position, I was exposed to protocols and procedures involved in processing all kinds of documentation – such as visas, passports, and international gun permits. In this job, I experienced biculturalism from “the other side” – as an immigrant rather than as a member of a host country.

When we moved to Nashville in 2001, Nashville was not very diverse. It took me a while to figure out where “I fit” in this southern city, so for more than 12 years I did a lot of volunteer work and engaged with those around me in a way that involved a more genuine connection. I sat on a myriad of nonprofit boards and committees, wrote a guest column on immigrant education for a local Spanish newspaper, and participated of events that fostered intercultural connections.

Among those endeavors, in 2003, I founded an arts nonprofit called Tango Nashville, which I ran as a volunteer for 7 years. The organization grew organically and it became very popular locally, as locals and newcomers connected through the art and culture of the Argentine Tango. I did everything except dance and teach the Argentine tango: all production for live events and classes; hiring of dancers, musicians, and production staff; daily operations and financials; grant applications; speaking engagements; board of directors’ recruitment and coordination; scheduling and running board meetings; community outreach, and media appearances and presentations.

I usually “worked” a 50-to-60-hour week, but it was volunteer work that energized me, as I felt it was a way for me to ‘fit’ and share a bit of my Argentina in Nashville. I was known as “The Tango Lady”, a nickname I regularly used when establishing new connections. I learned all the ins and outs of operating a nonprofit: the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. I built a lot of long-lasting community relations and was honored with Nashville Business Journal’s 2007 Women of Influence Award for Nonprofit Leadership.

In addition to my work with Tango Nashville, I took on-camera acting classes, and periodically booked work in commercials, voiceovers, educational videos, and the occasional movie/TV show cameo. I also participated in multiple community theatre plays. I learned how to apply and detect nuance in my communication, and how to adjust my communication styles between camera and stage – and how this adjustment impacts message reception.

“On the side”, I also engaged in ‘paid’ work as a Spanish tutor, as support for two advertising sales teams at The Tennessean newspaper, as a standardized patient for a university medical school, and as an interpreter. I incorporated my business (initially called: Hispanic Link Consulting) and offered cross-cultural consulting, and related services, such as bilingual staff recruitment, interpretation, translations, and Spanish language lessons.

Slowly, my work as interpreter started taking over and, by the time I decided to move on from Tango Nashville in 2010, most of my revenue was coming from interpreting. I took an introductory workshop about court interpreting but quickly decided that it was not a setting I would enjoy.

So, a year later I found a training to become a healthcare interpreter. Once I finished the training, I registered with a couple of interpreting agencies. I estimate that in the Nashville area, about 95% of interpreting work in healthcare is on a freelance basis. Nationwide, I estimate this percentage is 85% to 90%. These “interpreting agencies” (there are hundreds of them throughout the US) act as the middle person between organizations that need interpreters – such as hospitals, schools, community center, hotels, etc. -, and freelance interpreters who provide these services.

The more I focused on interpreting, the more I enjoyed it, so I decided to become nationally certified as a healthcare interpreter, and I currently hold both available national certifications in healthcare interpreting.

Although my language skills have always been my main competitive advantage, interpreting has been the most rewarding career I have ever had. I interpret in all kinds of settings except court, with my main focus being healthcare and education interpreting. I feel interpreting brings me full circle with who I am, and ‘what I am made of’. It allows me to integrate components of language, cross-culturalism, facilitation, and yes, acting, while I serve others. It invites me to ‘live in the hyphen’ (in-between two parties, two cultures, two languages) with ease, and navigate that space with pride and commitment. Like in all communication, when there is rapport and dialogue flows, all involved benefit and prosper in their goals to brighten their connection.

Those hiring me noticed that I kept getting requested as the interpreter of choice, and they would send other interpreters to shadow me. Shortly after, I was asked to start teaching interpreting techniques to bilingual staff who would act as dual role, that is, who, as part of their job, would act as ad hoc interpreters. Teaching came back to my life in this unexpected way, and I welcomed the opportunity to empower others to put to great use their amazing language skills and brighten their connections.

In 2015, I got divorced from my second husband, and, once again, I needed a change. I had always wanted to experience living in the west coast, by the ocean (I find water very energizing), and I also thought that I might give acting a last fair shot. So, I moved to the Los Angeles area. I believed, yet again, that settling into my new surroundings would be pretty straightforward, that engaging with what is a very diverse population in California should be smooth and organic.

Well, I was wrong. The unique sense of community that Nashville offers was hard to find. The opportunities to connect with others who truly care, even in the field of healthcare interpreting, were rare. I worked as a staff interpreter at a children’s hospital and learned a lot about working with trauma in the emergency department, and interpreting for “end-of-life and withdrawal” scenarios, in situations when the decision is made to disconnect a patient from life support.

I recall interpreting for a case of a 2-month-old child who was brain dead. This tiny being was surrounded by about 25 people – friends, family, and spiritual representatives – who chanted in crescendo with the hopes that the child would wake up, as I interpreted the statements from the medical staff describing the end-of-life process, and the specific steps that they were executing. As I was leaving the room, I was humbled by the thought that what we do, as healthcare interpreters, truly contributes to language equity and justice.

After close to a year at that hospital, a couple of freelance opportunities came along, and I decided it was time to fully embrace self-employment. I learned that, because I am very driven when it comes to work, my best option is to be my own boss. I enjoy both the responsibility and the accountability, and the freedom to choose and build what I believe can create health, wellbeing, and prosperity for those around me.

As I was doing research for a client’s project, I came across a Master’s degree program that piqued my interest, so I decided to go to grad school. Although it was really not good timing financially, I felt a calling. I felt that it was imperative that I pursue this next step, that I had to make my move to the west coast worth my while.

Juggling full-time self-employment work, bills, and grad school was no easy feat, and I started to think about moving back to Nashville. The truth is, when I lived in L.A., I missed Nashville more than I missed Buenos Aires when I moved to the US. Because Nashville has a way of latching on to you and not letting you go. The Nashville community – at least the community I know – allows for belonging to grow at your pace. It generates opportunities for unexpected, bright connections among its eclectic array of residents, opening up paths of dialogue that are both easy and difficult, but always worthwhile.

And I missed all that. The work and life opportunities I so wished would transpire in the west coast, never did. So, after close to 2.5 years in L.A. I gave away or sold everything that didn’t fit in my little red sedan, packed it to the rim, and drove 2,000+ miles back to Nashville.

Once here, I had to start again, as I had closed up shop when I had moved to California. I knew that, besides interpreting, I wanted to continue teaching interpreting, and I knew Nashville needed all that I had learned in a more established diverse community like L.A. I had also noticed that, in the field of healthcare and education interpreting, there was a large variance in skills training for both bilingual individuals who want to pursue interpreting as their career, and those who just want to maximize the use of their bilingual skills in their current or potential new job.

My US legal last name is Holland (from my 2nd ex-husband). During my acting days, I would oftentimes be asked if I was truly Latino because my last name was not Latino. Being that I am a pretty proactive gal, over 4 months I explored and researched options for a “Latino-sounding” last name, and came up with ‘Sanchez-Vega’. So, once I was back in Nashville, I rebranded my business as Sanchez-Vega Communications and started offering interpreter training in September of 2019. I also continued to offer interpretation, translation, consulting, and Spanish voiceover services.

In October 2021, I was honored to receive the ‘Spirit in Entrepreneurship’ Award from the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Training bilingual/multilingual individuals to be interpreters is a large part of my business. My trainings include a career coaching session for those who get a training average grade of 75% or higher. Throughout the first 2 years of delivering these trainings, I kept hearing stories that resonated with my experience as a bilingual individual: that the true value of bilingualism is not monetized in the US.

I believe that, from a communication standpoint, a fully bilingual individual equates to someone who has a Ph.D. in a specific field/area. They are able to navigate back and forth from one language to the other and back without hesitation, and with the same skill as anyone who doesn’t have to stop to think about something they dominate, because it is part of who they are – like a gymnast doing a backflip. They possess a skill that takes decades to learn and master.

According to 2020 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2021/data-on-display/education-pays.htm), the pay differential between someone who has a 4-year degree and someone who has a Ph.D. is 20+%. However, according to this study (https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/87/3/523/57561/Listening-to-What-the-World-Says-Bilingualism-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext) wage differentials for bilingual individuals with a college degree (in any discipline) are between 2% and 3% – 10 times lower.

Interestingly, for decades, online information and research related to the benefit of hiring bilingual individuals has stated that there isn’t, in fact, much of a benefit. Only in recent years has reliable research come out stating the multiple benefits for organizations – whether nonprofit or for-profit – of hiring bilingual individuals. Why, otherwise, would automated translators such as Google Translate or the thousands of translator apps be so popular?

According to this 2017 report from the New American Economy (http://www.newamericaneconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NAE_Bilingual_V6.pdf), “demand for bilingual workers more than doubled in 5 years”. Evidently, language skills are of great value to the American economy. Why, then, are they not monetized even close to what they should be?

This question sparked a need in me to do something about it and, in April 2022, I launched a new initiative called “Monetize Bilingualism”. This 4-week (10-hour) career coaching boot camp trains bilinguals and multilinguals to leverage their language skills in the workplace, whether they are applying for a new job, they want to negotiate a promotion, or change careers and work for organizations that truly value what they bring to the table.

This offering is in addition to the 1-on-1 career coaching services, language proficiency assessments for bilingual/multilingual individuals, and language equity consulting for HR departments that my business currently provides.

Empowering bilingual/multilingual individuals and those who hire them to monetize the true value of their language skills is a win-win for all involved: it tells employees they are valued for skills that take decades to master, and it positively impacts an organization’s bottom line by reducing HR costs and lowering human capital turnover.

The ’Monetize Bilingualism’ initiative makes me feel more empowered and excited about my life, and that of my fellow bilingual peers, than ever before.

Finally, and in hindsight, although my acculturation process forced me to evaluate my true identity and approach to life, and had its very dark and very bright moments, it has been an enlightening and unbelievably empowering journey, and I am eternally grateful for it.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I love this question! I am big on reputation and also know that not everyone can like you. So I focus on those clients – whether organizations or individuals – who value someone who always walks their talk – always. And I do that when things go well and when things don’t go so well.

That is, if, for example, I promise to deliver a project in time and quality and, for “x” reason, I am unable to fulfill that promise, I make sure that I am accountable for it by:

a) Immediately speaking up and stating the problem
b) Suggesting a possible solution, and
c) Offering something to make up for it (a courtesy discount or a freebie).

By doing this, I remind my clients that:
a) I am human and I don’t have control over every item in the world (like the power going out when I’m doing voiceover work)
b) I think on my feet and can pivot as needed
c) I am honest and have integrity.

And the way to ensure there is no confusion about what I committed to doing, is that I document what I say I will do, and ensure that the client understands and agrees to it – every time.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

This question is a natural segue to the question about reputation. My answer here: referrals, referrals, and yes, you guessed it, referrals!

Over a year ago I was hired to interpret for a global business organization. The pandemic had been with us for just over a year, so we were doing everything virtually with masks and the whole shebang! One of the guest speakers was Seth Godin, the renowned marketing guru and author. The session MC asked him how businesses could, in light of business loss due to the pandemic, “pivot” to get more clients. His answer confirmed what I was doing with my business all along: find 10 clients who really believe in what you are doing, and walk your talk. They will go out to the world and share the good news about you, and bring you more clients. Mic drop!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sanchez-vega.net
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/diana-sanchez-vega
• Other: www.monetizebilingualism.com

Image Credits
I have signed releases in perpetuity on file for everyone on the pictured in the photos. Credit for Chris D. Holland: – Landscape headshot (with blue top) – Pix 1, Pix 4 and Pix 8 Credit for Yuri Cunza: – Pix 2 Credit for Diana Sanchez-Vega: – Pix 3, Pix 5, Pix 6, and Pix 7.