Partners in Language Access (PILA) is led by Romina and Sarah, two translators with a passion for language equity and clear communication.
After moving from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Durham, North Carolina in 2015, Romina was shocked to discover the limited offering of high-quality Spanish translations for everything from basic government services to healthcare to cultural and recreational facilities. Recognizing how privileged she was to be fully bilingual, she started volunteering her services to translate for local community organizations, which eventually inspired her to delve deeper into the world of translation and the many obstacles it presents.
Meanwhile, Sarah, who had spent several years after her Fulbright research in Argentina translating for international organizations and streaming services, was working as a project manager in a large translation agency environment and quickly tiring of the limitations this corporate structure placed on both clients and translators. She was looking for a way to get back to translating important content, while also providing services that would be accessible to a more diverse range of clients, like researchers and non-profits.
And so, two women from two different cultures, countries, and native languages realized that they shared a common goal: to improve access to Spanish versions of materials originally written in English, and to be a partner that organizations could trust with their most important messages.
Partners in Language Access (PILA) was founded in 2019 (originally under the name Paper Plane Translations) and, since that time, has offered English ↔ Spanish translations and language access consulting services to a wide variety of local community groups, national non-profits, and university-based research teams. As we continue to grow, we hope you’ll consider joining us on our mission to make language access the new normal.
