At Metaphrasis Language & Cultural Solutions, June is a month filled with purpose. From celebrating the opening of the Obama Presidential Center to standing in solidarity with refugees on World Refugee Day, from representing women-owned businesses at the national stage to investing in the ongoing education of our professional interpreter community — this month reminds us of why our work matters.

Here is everything we explored in our June 2026 newsletter.

CEO Message: Every Connection Counts

June was a month of momentum for Metaphrasis. Our team connected with industry leaders, community advocates, and women entrepreneurs across the country. We sponsored organizations that amplify underrepresented voices. We showed up — at conferences, at community forums, and in the conversations that matter.

At the heart of all of it is a belief we carry into every project and every partnership: everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and understood.

Language is how that happens. And ensuring equitable language access — for refugees, patients, students, legal clients, and residents — is not a niche service. It is a fundamental requirement of a just and inclusive society.

Metaphrasis at the 2026 WBENC National Conference

This month, Metaphrasis CEO Elizabeth Colón attended the 2026 Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah (June 15–18), joining thousands of women business owners, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from across the country.

As a WBENC-certified women-owned business, Metaphrasis is proud to invest in experiences that strengthen our ability to serve diverse communities.

The conference brought together a nationwide community of women-owned enterprises, corporate partners, and government agencies committed to advancing the economic participation of women in business. For Metaphrasis, it was an opportunity to:

• Build new partnerships with corporate and government procurement leaders
• Learn from industry innovators across sectors
• Engage in conversations about the future of women-owned businesses and supplier diversity

Every connection made in Salt Lake City carries back to the communities we serve in Chicago and across the country. Our mission remains the same: ensuring everyone has the opportunity to be seen, heard, and understood.

What the Obama Presidential Center Can Teach Us About Inclusion

As excitement continues to build around the long-anticipated opening of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side, one of its most remarkable features is being discussed across the accessibility and inclusion community: accessibility by design.

From sensory rooms designed for visitors with sensory processing differences to carefully considered visitor flow and communication strategies, the Center is a model of what it looks like when inclusion is not added as an afterthought — but built in from the very beginning.

At Metaphrasis, this resonates deeply with our mission.

Accessibility is not only about physical spaces. True inclusion means that when someone arrives at a public institution — a museum, a hospital, a government office, a school — they can fully participate. That requires:

• Multilingual resources — materials, signage, and digital content in the languages of the communities being served
• Professional interpreter services — for visitors and community members who need spoken language support
• Captioning and ASL interpretation — for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals
• Culturally responsive communication — messaging that reflects the lived experiences and values of diverse communities

The Obama Presidential Center reminds us that inclusion is not simply about welcoming people through the doors. It is about ensuring they feel seen, heard, and understood once they arrive.

Because accessibility and language access go hand in hand.

Celebrating World Refugee Day | June 20

Every year on June 20, the world pauses to honor the strength and resilience of refugees — the more than 100 million displaced people globally who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, and crisis.

At Metaphrasis, World Refugee Day carries special weight.

For many refugees, language is one of the first and biggest barriers they face when navigating life in a new country. Whether they are:

• Trying to understand a healthcare provider’s instructions
• Navigating enrollment processes at a school
• Communicating with an employer during a job interview
• Accessing government benefits and legal aid
• Understanding their rights in a legal proceeding

…the absence of professional interpreter services can mean the difference between safety and harm, between stability and uncertainty, between dignity and exclusion.

Language access is not a luxury for refugee communities. It is a lifeline.

On World Refugee Day, we recommit to our mission of breaking down communication barriers and helping organizations across Chicago and Illinois build environments where every individual — regardless of the language they speak or the journey that brought them here — can feel genuinely welcomed.

Because belonging begins with understanding.

Boricua Talks: Amplifying Puerto Rican Voices

Metaphrasis is a proud sponsor of Boricua Talks, an organization co-founded by our CEO, Elizabeth Colón, that amplifies Puerto Rican voices and stories in the community.

Through storytelling, dialogue, and cultural celebration, Boricua Talks creates space for conversations that matter — about identity, community, justice, and the Puerto Rican experience in Chicago and beyond.

Our sponsorship reflects a core belief: language access is not separate from cultural advocacy. To truly serve a community, you must also celebrate and amplify it.

Proud Sponsors: Latina Economic Forum

Metaphrasis is also proud to support the 4th Annual Latin@ Economic Summit, presented by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity through its Office of Economic Equity & Empowerment (OE3) and the Latinx Business Colectivo.

The summit brings together Latina entrepreneurs, business leaders, community advocates, and government partners for a day of networking, expert panels, workshops, and economic empowerment conversations.

Events like this one are essential to building a more equitable economic landscape for Latinx-owned businesses in Illinois — and Metaphrasis is committed to being part of that work.

The Importance of Continued Education for Professional Interpreters

Professional interpreters do one of the most cognitively demanding and ethically complex jobs in the language services field. They work in emergency rooms, courtrooms, IEP meetings, immigration hearings, and mental health consultations — settings where every word carries real consequences.

That is why continued education is not optional for professional interpreters. It is essential.

Here is why ongoing training matters — and what it looks like in practice:

Terminology Evolves Constantly

Medical terminology, legal language, and industry-specific vocabulary change rapidly. New medications, updated diagnostic criteria, revised legal standards, and emerging policy language require interpreters to continuously update their knowledge base. An interpreter who was trained five years ago may lack familiarity with terminology that is now standard in their specialty area.

Ethical Standards Require Ongoing Reinforcement

Professional interpreters follow a strict code of ethics — covering neutrality, confidentiality, accuracy, and professional boundaries. These standards are not always intuitive, especially in emotionally charged settings. Continued education helps interpreters navigate complex ethical situations with confidence and clarity.

Cultural Competency Is a Moving Target

Communities change. Migration patterns shift. New cultural communities emerge. Interpreters who work with diverse populations need to stay current on the cultural contexts, communication styles, and community-specific dynamics that affect how meaning is conveyed and received.

High-Stakes Settings Demand the Highest Standards

In healthcare, legal, and educational settings, interpretation errors do not just cause inconvenience — they can cause real harm. Continued education strengthens accuracy, reduces the likelihood of critical errors, and reinforces the professional standards that protect both interpreters and the people they serve.

CCHI Online Practice Exams and CE Training Modules

For interpreters seeking to advance or maintain their professional credentials, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) provides a comprehensive library of online resources:

• Practice exams to prepare for national interpreter certification
• Self-paced CE training modules covering ethics, terminology, and professional skills
• Available through CCHI’s dedicated online training portal

Metaphrasis actively supports interpreter professional development and is proud to highlight these resources for the interpreters and language professionals in our community.

67th Annual ATA Conference — Save the Date

The American Translators Association (ATA) will hold its 67th Annual Conference in San Francisco, California, October 28–31, 2026.

The ATA Annual Conference is the largest gathering of language professionals in the Western Hemisphere, bringing together translators, interpreters, and language specialists from more than 60 countries. It is a premier opportunity for professional development, networking, and staying at the leading edge of the language services industry.

If you are a professional interpreter or translator, this is a conference worth adding to your calendar.

Why Language Access Remains the Foundation of Everything We Do

As we reflect on the themes of this month — refugee resilience, presidential legacies of inclusion, women in business, cultural sponsorship, and interpreter excellence — one thread connects all of it:

Language access is how equity becomes real.

It is not enough to build a beautiful presidential center if visitors who do not speak English cannot understand the exhibits. It is not enough to fund a refugee resettlement program if the people being resettled cannot communicate with the services meant to support them. It is not enough to welcome employees into a workplace if they cannot understand training materials, safety protocols, or HR communications.

Inclusion requires communication. And communication across languages requires professional, culturally competent, ethically grounded interpreters and translators.

That is what Metaphrasis has provided to schools, hospitals, government agencies, corporations, and communities across Chicago and Illinois for nearly two decades. And it is what we will continue to provide — with expertise, with heart, and with the conviction that every person deserves to be understood.

Connect with Metaphrasis

Ready to ensure your organization is providing meaningful language access to everyone you serve?

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