What we do
Just Words is comprised of experienced translators and interpreters who share a commitment to social, economic, and environmental justice. We are a worker-owned cooperative organized on the principle of equitable distribution of work, resources, and responsibilities. Our objectives include supporting migrants, community-based organizations, innovative companies working for ecological sustainability, and other individuals and groups that share our vision by offering a range of language-related services, including pro bono work as needed. These services include translation, interpreting, editing, subtitling, and writing. We believe that we can achieve these goals while building and maintaining an equitable and sustainable working environment that recognizes the value of the work that we do. At the moment, our members work in English, Spanish, German, and Catalan, however were are eager to bring in people who work in other languages too (including non-European languages). If you're interested in joining us, send us a message via our contact form.
In addition, we are interested in partnering and working with organizations whose objectives focus on social and language justice. At the moment, we have a partnership with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center offering interpreting and translation support while they support us as a co-operative.
How we work
In acknowledgement of the reality of income inequality, we offer sliding scale rates whenever possible. At the same time, as a workers collective we honor translation and interpreting as a profession and recognize the importance of paying a competitive wage. Sliding scale and volunteer services as an interim measure allow us to work with small businesses and nonprofits that are slowly building translation costs into tight budgets over time. In accordance with our mission, we also network with volunteers and seek grants to help individuals and community groups have access to translation services that would be otherwise unaffordable. Please email us at info@justwordscoop.net to inquire about our sliding scale options.
Who we are
Jocelyn Langer
Translator
Jocelyn Langer is a translator, with a focus on medical translation and interpretation, educational texts, and translation and interpreting for social justice movements. She manages collaborative translation projects and facilitates connections between translators and community groups seeking translation. Jocelyn also specializes in plain language editing and messaging for advertising and outreach materials.
Worker-Owners
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Joe Keady
Translator
Joe Keady has been a working German- and Spanish-to-English translator since 2008. He mostly works with legal and technical documents as well as ad copy, but has also translated two books of historiography (so far), a number of essays for the value-critique journal Krisis, and is working on a translation of Rudolf Rocker's memoirs for PM Press. He has also been subtitling film and video releases since 2016, beginning with his work as the in-house subtitler at the DEFA Film Library, and is a member of the editorial collective for Barricade: A Journal of Antifascism and Translation.
Elena Igartuburu
Translator
Elena Igartuburu (PhD.) is an experienced translator and interpreter working in English, Spanish, Catalan, and French. She has worked in a variety of fields in both areas, from the translation of academic texts and conference interpreting to legal and medical interpreting. Currently, she specializes in theater translation while working consistently interpreting in Western Mass.
Juan Camilo Saavedra
Spanish-English Interpreter
Juan Camilo Saavedra is an English-Spanish interpreter and translator. He focuses on topics of sustainable development, conservation, agriculture, immigration, and Latin American culture and society. He has experience interpreting and translating for small-business, academic groups, non-profits, and community organizations. Juan holds a Master's degree in Rural Development and natural resource management from the Colegio de la Frontera Sur (Mexico) and a bachelor's degree in business management from the Universidad Externado (Colombia).
Liana Foxvog
Spanish-English Interpreter
Liana Foxvog is a Spanish-English interpreter experienced in working with unions, worker centers, cooperatives, and immigrant rights groups. Her approach is informed by Roberto Tijerina’s Interpreting for Social Justice workshop for community interpreters and two decades of involvement in the global justice movement. She has coordinated interpreter teams for up to seven simultaneous languages at international conferences. Liana holds a Master’s degree in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Allison Castillo Rosenblatt
Spanish-English Interpreter/Translator
Allison Castillo Rosenblatt is an English/Spanish interpreter/translator whose native language is English. She has worked professionally in the field for the past 6 years with a focus on interpreting for legal, social justice, and educational organizations. She can offer interpretation both consecutively or simultaneously, in person or virtually, or translations. In addition to working as a freelance interpreter, she currently works at the New England High School Equivalency Program, coordinating an online GED program for migrant farmworkers in Massachusetts.