From Refugee to Language Interpreter

I was truly moved when reading about a Bosnia refugee who came to the US in 1997 with no knowledge of English and now currently owns his own language interpreting services company. His story is quite unique. As a police officer he would use his knowledge of Bosnian and English to providing translation services to the refugee community, but not always in the capacity of a police officer. He actually worked for a language translation company but was not happy with how the company operated. So he ventured out to start his own language translation company. His wife speaks both English and Arabic so was also able to assist with the start of their new interpreting service company.

Today the couple services multiple languages and run a tight ship. He requires language interpreters to wear a uniform, be on time, and act professional at all times. He finds that the most common language interpreting service requested is for medical appointments and translation services for private meetings with attorneys. Before his interpreter services were available, refugees would take their children out of school to be their interpreters. Many times these were Elementary age children. This is the reality of many refugee communities. This is why IU works with so many Department of Health and Human Services to provide language translation.

As a refugee himself who struggled for so long, this police officer and business owner’s motivation was simple: to give back to the community that supported him so much.