Svetlana Guggenheim is a highly experienced simultaneous and consecutive interpreter, translator and cross-cultural trainer with more than 20 years of experience. She has worked extensively throughout the United States, Russia, Armenia and other republics of the Newly Independent States (NIS) with government officials, scientists, economists, businesspeople, and a broad range of delegations since 1989.
Clients and Program Participants
Ms. Guggenheim has provided simultaneous & consecutive interpretation and written translation services for a wide range of clients and program participants, including:
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Experience and Qualifications
- Provided simultaneous and consecutive interpretation for professional conferences, speakers, and movie and television productions. Extensive experience with state-of-the-art interpretation equipment, including wireless systems and soundproof booths.
- Assisted American firms doing business in Russia and provided interpretation and translation for visiting delegations of Russian, Ukrainian, and other scientists and representatives from the Newly Independent States (NIS) sponsored by USAID, USTDA and other government and nongovernment agencies and organizations. Assisted visiting consultants and business persons visiting the U.S. to understand local practices and to successfully communicate with their American counterparts. Provided services for American delegations traveling throughout the NIS, including interpretation, translation and coordination of meetings and travel.
- Interpreted and translated a wide range of technical material, including energy and power issues, environmental, finance & business management, medical/health care, mathematical, educational, linguistic, and cultural information in a variety of settings, including the Office of the Vice President of the United States, World Bank, Securities and Exchange Commission, NASDAQ, AMEX, USAID, District Court of Maryland, nuclear power plants, offshore oil drilling platforms, operating rooms, etc.
- Provided numerous written translations of highly technical material, ranging from environmental treaties to economic/privatization issues
- Experienced with modern computer hardware and software.
- Extensive liaison and intercultural communication experience
Seminar: Pesticide Induced Infant Mortality and Genetic Defects in Central Asian Republics. Hosted by American International Health Alliance (AIHA). Provided simultaneous interpretation for visiting physicians from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
Russian-American Exchange on Public Health Issues. Under auspices of People to People International, Spokane, WA, provided interpretation for a Russian-American exchange of physicians, public health officials, and environmental scientists, including children’s health problems, reproductive health issues, emergency medical care, environmental effects on health, and epidemiologic research.
Medical procedures meeting. Provided simultaneous interpretation for an editorial meeting on developing an international manual for neonatal resuscitation medical procedures. Meeting was hosted by the American International Health Alliance, Washington, DC, and was attended by American, Russian, Ukrainian, and Uzbek participants.
Conference: U.S. Trade & Development Agency Conference on Power & Transport Projects. Provided simultaneous and consecutive interpretation for a U.S. Trade and Development Agency-sponsored conference in St. Louis examining power and transport project opportunities in the NIS and Central and Eastern Europe. Conference was co-sponsored by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Provided simultaneous interpretation for U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Mickey Kantor.
Translation of Business Contracts. Translated a range of business contracts for Russian firms and visiting business persons from the U.S. and U.K.
Seminar: Environmental Clean Up and Nuclear Safety. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored seminar series for MinAtom officials.
Center for Political and Strategic Studies; conference dedicated to economic reforms and political changes in Russia and Ukraine.
Hazardous Waste Delegation. Interpreter and coordinator for an American delegation to Russia and Belarus examining hazardous waste management and radiation waste issues, including Chernobyl.
Water Resources Management Orientation Tour for Central Asian Officials. Administered and designed by USAID and CH2M HILL covered a wide range of topics, including water quality and safety, water reservoirs and aquifers, transboundary rivers and sociopolitical implications of their usage.
Global Climate Change. Assisted Applied Environmental Research, Falls Church, VA, in negotiations with Russian scientists and officials to develop joint projects examining global climate change mitigation strategies through management of Siberian forests.
Seminar: ISO Standards in Oil and Gas Industry. Provided simultaneous and consecutive interpretation for Mobil Oil Seminar seminar for Gazprom representatives.
opportunities in the NIS and Central and Eastern Europe. Conference was co-sponsored by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Provided simultaneous interpretation for former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Mickey Kantor.
scientists and officials to develop joint projects examining global climate change mitigation strategies through management of Siberian forests
Technical Documents, Books, Manuals and other documents.
Liaison services between host and visiting delegation. Ms. Guggenheim serves as a liaison among the participants and host companies and has played a ongoing role in planning, logistics and otherwise ensuring that the programs run smoothly. This work has also required interpretation of telephone interviews and translation of exit surveys and other forms completed by program participants. When traveling with visiting delegations, interpreters must often serve as a liaison among different individuals and companies participating in the programs. This role goes beyond the translation of spoken language and requires the interpreter to develop an in-depth knowledge of program participants in order to provide each with a better context and fuller understanding through the course of the program. Through the course of most exchanges, the interpreter serves as the primary liaison between the visiting group and its hosts. This requires sensitivity and good listening skills, as well as the ability to think on one’s feet and solve problems.
Logistical support (Travel, Interpretation Equipment, Conference Logistics). A successful program begins with good planning and attention to detail and the clear and consistent communication of this information to planners and participants. Of course, as programs evolve, changes (both expected and unexpected) are inevitable. Therefore, it is important to be flexible and creative, to be able to adapt to new circumstances, and to keep the program on track. Throughout a program, visiting delegates in unfamiliar circumstances find themselves challenged by a myriad of minutia. It is critical to be well-organized, monitor and record individual needs and schedules, and serve as a repository for important information, such as telephone numbers, room numbers and travel information. Finally, the frantic pace of a traveling seminar requires strong discipline in the ongoing tracking and organization of expense information, receipts, and the tracking of hours for accounting purposes. Drawing upon extensive experience with traveling delegations, Ms. Guggenheim is well-prepared to provide strong logistical support for any delegation.
Seminar: The Role of Environmental NGOs in Policy Making Decisions. USAID-sponsored seminar for Russian NGOs, administered by Futurepast, Inc.
