Suzanne M. Zeng, a community liason with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature’s Center for Interpretation and Translation Studies, has been appointed by Govenor David Ige to serve as a member of the Language Access Advisory Council for the Office of Language Access for the State of Hawaiʻi. The purpose of the office is to address language access needs of limited English proficient individuals.
Zeng has been with the Center for Interpretation and Translation Studies since 1992. She conducts research and teaches on topics such as principles and theory of interpreting, medical and court interpreting and interpreting skills and techniques.
As an advisory council member, Zeng will help to:
- establish statewide goals and objectives to improve access to programs, services and activities of state and state-funded agencies by limited English proficient individuals
- coordinate language access plans by state and state-funded agencies
- oversee and monitor compliance by state and state-funded agencies of Hawaiʻi’s language access law
- provide training on language access technology
- resolve complaints
- work with private and public agencies to address resource needs
College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature Dean Jeffrey Carroll says Zeng will make an excellent Language Access Advisory Council member. He notes that beyond her experience within academia, she has extensive practical experience applying her knowledge in a multitude of settings—from courtrooms to international conferences. Zeng is also a certified trainer for the national Bridging the Gap medical interpreter training program and has helped translate and edit books and other works into Chinese.
Zeng, a Kaimukī resident, received her MA and PhD in Chinese linguistics from UH Mānoa and holds certificates in Chinese-English simultaneous and consecutive interpreting.
