U.S COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS
  • LANGUAGE OPTIONS


Meet USCRI Vermont’s New Interpreter, Baudouin Mandaba

September 17, 2021

Hello, I’m Baudouin Mandaba, USCRI Vermont’s full-time Interpreter. As a pentalingual Interpreter-Translator, my role at USCRI is to serve as a bridge of communication between the whole community of French-Swahili-Lingala-Kikongo-speaking immigrants and USCRI staff and outside service providers who only speak English. I myself am an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, and understand the difficulties refugees and immigrants face very well. I can say from experience that the first two years of resettling in Vermont are not easy at all for new arrivals.

The need for interpretation is so great that it prompted me to get involved in making a career out of it in order to be useful to refugees and immigrants who face language and cultural challenges. Interpreting can be critical in the case of something like a medical emergency where communication between doctors and the client is essential. In a court setting, a client needs very precise interpretation in order to help them explain their case and to understand their legal rights.

My favorite part of this job is seeing clients are satisfied after the service I give to them. This satisfaction creates joy in the client and even in my heart because the client has found the solution to a language barrier thanks to my talent as an interpreter. This work also helped me to discover and appreciate several other areas of immigrant life because each immigrant is a special case and has a new life experience. Overall, the work is fulfilling because I’m giving the best of myself and trying to exceed client expectations, by God’s help.


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