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WWW.CNYBJ.COM

February 24, 2012

CENTRAL NEW YORK

MAMI Interpreters settles into bigger Syracuse office

Brooke Leone
Contributing Writer

SYRACUSE The Multicultural Association of Medical Interpreters of Central New York, Inc. (MAMI) recently relocated its Syracuse office to a larger space to accommodate increased demand for its interpreting services. The nonprofit MAMIs new home at 731 James St., to which it moved on Jan. 23, is 968 square feet. Thats more than twice the size of its previous 400-squarefoot location at 404 Oak St. MAMI is leasing the new office through Conifer James Street LP. The organization had leased its prior space on Oak Street from Longley Jones Management Corp. That building is now for sale, which necessitated all leaseholders to relocate, according to Evelyn Weisbrod, MAMIs director of operations and regional manager of the Syracuse office. With the demand for interpreters throughout the immigrant and refugee community, MAMI has grown extensively and needed more room. Recently we received 210 calls for interpreters in one day, said Cornelia Brown, executive director and founder of MAMI, which is based in Utica. MAMIs mission is to ensure equal access to services for limited-English proficient persons by providing highly skilled language and cultural aid, according to its website. The Syracuse MAMI office now has eight full-time employees and one parttime worker. It is training an additional 15 interpreters as well. MAMI employs a total of 130 interpreters across all three offices of the nonprofit. Many of them work as independent subcontractors from their homes. The organization has an office in Albany, in addition to its Syracuse site and Utica headquarters, which is located at 309 Genesee St. MAMI needed to expand in Syracuse because of the rise in clients. MAMI, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation, funded this move with its own funds. The organization says it incurred costs of

about $800 for the move. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, MAMI generated total revenue of slightly more than $1 million, according to the organizations IRS Form 990. That was up from more than $804,000 in the prior year. As of June 30, 2010, MAMI had net assets or fund balances of more than $422,000. MAMI generates fees for the translation services it provides to clients ranging from hospitals and physician practices to courthouses, police departments, schools, and businesses. The organization generated almost $950,000 in translation fees in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, according to its Form 990. MAMI charges slightly lower rates to nonprofit associations than to businesses in order to stay competitive. Weisbrod explains, Even though we are a nonprofit, we charge for the services to the businesses, so that enables us to pay for the overhead. The organization also receives some government grants to provide training. In 2006, the MAMI Syracuse office merged with Family Ties, now titled Reach CNY, and rented a small office in its facility. Within six months, MAMI found a separate space and continued to grow as an organization. We just grew too much. Our first office just didnt have the space for the staff that we needed. Brown explained. The organization again faced space constraints at its Oak Street office in 2011. MAMI hopes to continue its growth. In April, the organization will offer interpreter training in the Albany area. Along with the training, it hopes to expand on the number of languages it offers, as well as the number of interpreters for each language. Mary Stronach, the outreach coordinator for MAMI, stresses the need for it to provide 24-hour coverage to clients.

To ensure 24-hour coverage, right now we are sending interpreters from the Utica market over to Albany and Syracuse when necessary, she says. MAMI currently provides interpreting services to about 1,400 people per month collectively at its three branches. When seeking prospective interpreters, the organization stresses the need for social and cultural skills. The interpreters must understand what theyre interpreting as well as the cultural differences. To illustrate the point, Brown shares a story about a Vietnamese man who was accused of child abuse because a doctor discovered a series of small red marks on his childs back. What the doctor didnt know was that it resulted from a an alternative form of medicine common in Southeast Asian households, called coining, used to treat children with respiratory problems. The practice involves rubbing heated oil on the skin, often the back or shoulders, and then vigorously rubbing a coin over the area until red marks are visible. This wasnt child abuse; it was an accepted household remedy within that culture. The interpreters must know the differences among cultures to avoid misunderstandings like that, Brown explains. MAMIs medical training addresses these kinds of differences.

Browns background, MAMIs start

Brown, who holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of California at Berkeley, founded MAMI in 1998. While working as an interpreter with refugee relatives and other community members, she saw that she didnt possess the skills needed for the medical field. Browns main training was providing interpreting for speeches and lectures rather than medical training. She began attending weekend training sessions for medical interpretation and saw that other interpreters were running into the same problems with their work. Very few people had the skills needed for medical clients. Brown used this as her motivation to start a new organization to provide interpreting services in the health-

care sector. Brown continued to train to improve her skills and gather partners to help form the Multicultural Association of Medical Interpreters of Central New York, Inc. At the time, in 1998, she was working with 30 interpreters to form the association. Brown previously worked at Hamilton College as a full-time literature professor. When between jobs, she had the opportunity to devote time to the organization. She is a trained translator and saw the importance of establishing the organization. Brown planned MAMIs first training through the Oneida County Health Department and the funding came from

the New York State Department of Health. She brought in trainers from New York University, who taught a medical training course in the summer of 1998, which 17 people completed, In June 1998, MAMI had 5 board members and filed for incorporation as a 501(c) (3). The nonprofit began offering training that fall, with Brown operating the organization from her apartment in the Utica area. MAMI found space in the St. Francis de Sales building in August 1999 and began working with clients that Spring. In its first month of service, MAMI had just five appointments. Over the years, the nonprofit has moved

beyond its medical-interpretation roots, branching out to provide interpreting for legal and court proceedings, police matters, schools, and even businesses that employ a large number of non-English speakers. MAMI started with commitment to quality and that continues today. Brown explains, Our commitment was to help the community and to help it by providing highly skilled services necessary for communication and understanding. MAMI offers services in 50 different languages and continues to expand. q Contact The Business Journal at news@cnybj.com