Spanish/ESL Tutor, Translator, & Interpreter

TUTOR FOR SPANISH AND ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, SPANISH

TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER

Mr. Tom Truitt

*** **** ******

Salisbury. Maryland, 21801

Phone: 443-***-****

E-mail: *************@***.***

Tom's Tutoring, Translation, and Interpretation: http://www.tomstranslation.com April 2016

CAREER SUMMARY

I have been passionately dedicated for over 30 years to helping people meet Spanish and English language goals. I provide clients with outstanding online and offline tutoring in Spanish and English as a Second Language, as well as high-quality Spanish/English translation and interpretation services. Before launching my own business in 2007, I was a mid-level supervisor and senior Spanish analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense for 26 years. My consistency, timeliness, and subject matter expertise help make seemingly insurmountable tasks possible to overcome.

POSITION: SUBSTITUTE TEACHER FOR WICOMICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DATES: January 2016 - April 2016

JOB DESCRIPTION: Taught at local middle schools and high schools. On-call assignments were daily, multi-day, or long term positions. My focus was Spanish and Foreign Language Exploration (FLEX).

- Completed online substitute teacher training program for Wicomico County in December 2015. Courses included Substitute Teaching 101, Advanced Classroom Management, Instructional Strategies, Exceptional Student Education, and Working With At-Risk Youth. Certificate available on request.

- Selected for a 13-day long term position covering the French unit of the FLEX program at a middle school and Spanish I and II at a high school. Taught five Spanish classes and two FLEX classes daily to 108 students. Introduced new concepts, worked through a FLEX unit on French, monitored and corrected disciplinary problems, ensured students stayed on task, graded papers, and worked with students individually to reinforce concepts.

- Accepted two three-day jobs covering Spanish II at a high school. Taught five classes each day to 120 students.

- Worked daily assignments for 20 Spanish classes, teaching a total of 400 students. Most assignments were based on pre-planned lessons. Helped students with any questions on in-class tasks, kept track of their progress, and resolved disciplinary issues.

- Sought out daily assignments for other foreign languages, including five Latin classes and two ESOL classes. Taught a total of 140 students.

- Substituted for three classrooms on Introduction To Business. Helped a total of 78 students find 25 points on a video I showed them on a business practices to compile into a summary paragraph.

- Taught three classes on AP English Reading Comprehension. Lead 120 students in answering questions pertaining to a short story they read on being judgmental.

- Monitored tests for two Advanced Computer Systems classes and one Data Management Systems class. Classes totaled 60 students.

- Managed an In School Suspension class. Helped students with math and Spanish assignments brought to them by their teachers.

POSITION: SPANISH TRANSLATOR

DATES: March 2007 to Current

JOB DESCRIPTION: Independent contractor. Translate immigration documents from English to Spanish and Spanish to English in accordance with the regulations of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U.S. National Visa Center, and the U.S. State Department.

- Translated birth certificates to help get apostilles issued by appropriate consulates or embassies. Apostilles authenticated documents as legal in both the U.S. and the clients' home countries under the 1961 Hague Convention.

- Rendered translations of hand-written notarized affidavits in connection with VISA applications.

- Converted legal paperwork into Spanish or English to help clients request U.S. citizenship. Included marriage certificates, apostilles, driver's licenses, child adoption agreements, personal letters, police reports, divorce decrees, diplomas, academic transcripts, and passports. Sample work available on request.

POSITION: SPANISH INTERPRETER

DATES: February 2008 to Current

JOB DESCRIPTION: Independent contractor. Simultaneous and consecutive interpretation in the medical field for Latino patients in Maryland and Delaware. Spanish to English and English to Spanish.

- Simultaneous interpretation for Latino patients undergoing physical therapy or independent medical examinations. Assignments allocated based on staffing requirements of Vernacular Language Services, Ad Astra, and Simulingua in the Maryland-Delaware area at doctors offices, physical therapy facilities, and hospitals.

- Consecutive interpretation for a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS). The Individualized Education Program team at a local elementary school meets monthly with a Spanish-speaking mother to provide her progress reports on her son. The COMS hired me to ensure English language input from the COMS was accurately conveyed to the parent during one of the meetings.

POSITION: SPANISH TUTOR

DATES: February 2008 to Current

JOB DESCRIPTION: Independent contractor. Tutor teens and adults at multiple levels to meet Spanish language goals in academic, cultural, and business fields. Each one to two hour session is usually weekly at a mutually agreed upon location. Profiles available on tomstranslation.com, WyzAnt.com, Care.com, and LinkedIn.

- Boosted grammar and writing skills of a high school honors program student struggling with Spanish III. Following eight sessions over a four month period, student earned an "A" on a major classroom project and a 3.0 average in the class, overcoming her initial fear of failure.

- Augmented home schooled student’s county approved online course in

Spanish I with 11 lessons over a three month period. Patient and innovative one-on-one approaches encouraged student confidence, helped with ADHD challenges, and re-sparked interest in Spanish. Clarified basic grammar and vocabulary rules through a comparison to similar patterns in English. Administered evaluations to measure progress.

- Refined retired school teacher’s intermediate Spanish skills and increased Latino cultural awareness. Five sessions clarified advanced grammar concepts through lectures and exercises to practice concepts. Read and translated Latino newspaper articles together to glean current vocabulary and compare/contrast what is grammatically correct with less formal, spoken/media language. Student felt well-prepared to take an immersion class in Spain and then travel to Guatemala.

- Sharpened high school student's Spanish III skills, later prepared him for Spanish IV, and helped him comprehend complex literary concepts and advanced grammar. Several months of lessons inspired student to travel to Mexico and successfully progress to Spanish V.

- Mentored high school student to help her pass a county-issued test to qualify to take Spanish III at a private school. If student had failed this test, she would have had to re-take Spanish II at the private school, even though she already had passed Spanish II in a public school system. Also practiced intermediate grammar to help her get an “A” on the final test in Spanish III.

- Role played conversational dialogues that might arise during taxi cab rides, restaurant dining, and shopping excursions, in preparation for student’s vacation to Panama. Supplemented basic vocabulary student learned during Air Force Spanish training with five practice sessions.

- Strengthened student’s speaking skills and increased cultural awareness prior to a one- week immersion class in Mexico and a trip to Barcelona, Spain. Four meetings enhanced Rosetta Stone lessons student had taken on her own.

- Refocused high school student with ADD who was failing his first year of Spanish. Continued informal learning over the summer. Testimonial on my WyzAnt profile indicates, “Mr. Truitt is a good tutor. He’s been professional, upbeat and patient. We recently asked him to change his teaching style to accommodate our child’s learning style and he immediately made the changes with good effect. We appreciate his thoroughness and responsiveness.”

- Practiced Spanish with an attorney in 2-hour sessions discussing the process of applying for social security benefits for stroke victims. Assessed that the lawyer's Spanish was sufficient to convey and explain legal options and complexities to Latino clients. Student feedback on my Wyzant.com profile states, "Very patient, very knowledgeable. By speaking in Spanish with him for almost the whole lesson, I was able to learn a lot and advance my goal of feeling comfortable with clients when speaking Spanish. I would recommend him for others."

- Applied intrinsic learning techniques to improve vocabulary in weekly meetings with an International Events Consultant. I introduced new vocabulary associated with a topic chosen by the student. Student then incorporated the terms and phrases into a writing assignment at home. Each assignment was corrected in subsequent classes. I also recommended authentic sources for Spanish material from TV, radio, and newspapers, so that the student could listen to, speak, write, and read about real-time situations. Feedback on my Wyzant.com profile states "Together we are developing lessons based on my interests. I wanted lessons that pertained to everyday life so having lessons based on my interests fits perfectly!"

POSITION: ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE TUTOR

DATES: March 2008 - Current

JOB DESCRIPTION: Independent contractor. Tutor teens and adults at multiple levels to meet English language goals in academic, cultural, and business fields. Each one to two hour session is usually weekly at a mutually agreed upon location. Profiles available on tomstranslation.com, WyzAnt.com, Care.com, and LinkedIn.

- Developed and taught a four-month course for five Latino restaurant employees to improve work-related conversational skills. Each one and a half hour class offered lectures, exercises, and graded home work in basic grammar, vocabulary, writing, and pronunciation. Although format stressed English whenever possible, portions were presented in Spanish to facilitate learning. Students with a stronger command of English volunteered to assist others when questions arose. Final exam was a field trip to a nearby café where students ordered in English and answered vocabulary questions.

POSITION: MID-LEVEL SUPERVISOR, SENIOR SPANISH ANALYST FOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DATES: November 1999 through March 2007

JOB DESCRIPTION: Mid-level manager of a diverse and dynamic work force. Included career counseling, performance appraisals, customer relations, personnel issues, and analytical and Spanish linguistic support.

- Synchronized an online budget matrix to gage allocation of personnel and dedicate appropriate funding over a four year period

- Advised junior translators, reporters, and public speakers on linguistic challenges, writing styles, and methods of presentation to optimize the impact of their final product

- Researched and populated language data bases to expeditiously provide current information on languages, situation reports, and military logistics to U.S. policy makers, military commanders, and other members of the U.S. Intelligence Community

- Networked to coordinate itineraries for agency visitors. Ensured topics of discussion were clear cut, tipped superiors to potential points of contention, and recommended courses of action boost the mutual value of visits

- Interviewed and placed new employees. Recommended training courses and on-the-job training programs to expedite integration into the work force. Evaluated employees semi-annually to shape performance, scope chances of being promoted, and enhance marketable skills for future positions

- Recognized outstanding contributions of military, contractor, and civilian employees in award write-ups

- Counseled employees on disciplinary issues

POSITION: SENIOR INTELLIGENCE ANALYST, SPANISH LINGUIST FOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DATES: September 1981 through November 1999

JOB DESCRIPTION: Translated foreign language material into English and issued reports to government agencies and military commands worldwide. Also maintained Spanish language data bases and briefed situation updates to coworkers, counterparts, and supervisors on breaking developments that impacted national security.

- Gained the trust and respect of colleagues, managers, and clients as a "go-to" person for Spanish language assistance

- Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills when briefing visitors, managers, and co-workers on time-sensitive matters

- Lead round tables, working groups, and conferences to keep government agencies current on political, economic, technological, and military developments in their areas of interest

EDUCATION

Wicomico High School. September 1973 through June 1977. Date of Graduation: 1 June 1977

Salisbury University. September 1977 through May 1981. Date of Graduation: 23 May 1981 Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Spanish

American Institute For Spanish Studies in Valencia, Spain, Valencia, Spain. September 1979 through May 1980. Spanish immersion program affiliated with Salisbury University, American Institute For Spanish Studies in Valencia Spain, and Universitat De Valencia. Lived with Spanish family off campus and attended advanced studies courses at Universitat de Valencia for one year.

Oxford Seminars, Baltimore, Maryland, January 2008 through March 2008. Three-month (60-hour) course entitled "Teaching English to Speakers of Other Second Language/Teaching English as a Foreign Language" held on weekends for nine hours per day at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Introductory Teacher Training (for Substitute Teachers), Salisbury, Maryland, December 2015. Wicomico County Board of Education offered five courses to provide a solid foundation for new classroom educators. Courses included Substitute Teaching 101, Advanced Classroom Management, Instructional Strategies, Exceptional Student Education, and Working With At-Risk Youth.

VOLUNTEER WORK

POSITION: Volunteer Teacher for Junior Achievement Of The Eastern Shore of Maryland JOB DESCRIPTION: A State-run program committed to helping students become more entrepreneurial thinkers and work ready

DATES: February 2016 to Present

- Taught high school students an after-school course on the basic concepts of entrepreneurship. Two-month program held at the public library in six 45-minute sessions. Class designed by Wicomico County Board of Education's "Project Success" to help students complete a business plan for a product or service they chose to develop.

POSITION: Salisbury University's (SU) Career Connections Mentor Network

Link: https://www.salisbury.edu/careerservices/alumni/MentorNetwork.html DATES: January 2015 to Present

JOB DESCRIPTION: Alumni-based interactive resource for students, faculty, and other alumni to share job experiences

- Served on the March 2015 Bellavance Honors Program Board. Provided academic counseling and guidance to freshman honors students during two 50-minute classes.

- Advised SU graduate on networking strategies applicable to Salisbury, Maryland. Student started working for Metropolitan Life Insurance in May 2015 and provided the following written feedback after our meeting:

"Thanks for all the helpful advice you had to offer. Everything was extremely useful and I'll be sure to implement it in my personal marketing strategy from here on out." ORGANIZATIONS

POSITION: Member of American Translators' Association (ATA) DATES: November 2014 to Present

DESCRIPTION: ATA is an organization for the betterment of translators and interpreters via worldwide resources. Focuses on career development, networking, certifications, seminars, and continuing education.

- Attended ATA 2014 Annual Conference in Chicago from 3 to 8 November. Over 175 interactive seminars, events, and exhibits. Many sessions were in Spanish only.

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