On the Horizons

“My experience at MIIS changed every­thing,” says Ewandro.

Because the Institute does not have a Portuguese interpretation program, Ewan­dro picked English as his A language and Spanish as his B language. In addition to adding a new language to his interpre­tation repertoire, Ewandro developed professional skills that would become use­ful in the next phase of his career—such as consecutive interpretation of longer pas­sages often used in diplomatic and other formal settings.

More than anything, though, he says “MIIS expanded my horizons.” Not only has he gained the added prestige and rec­ognition he sought when he enrolled at the Institute, he now belongs to a network of influencers and like-minded professionals in the field.

Hired immediately by the U.S. Depart­ment of State after graduating and passing the professional exam, Ewandro and his family moved to Washington D.C. High demand for qualified Portuguese interpret­ers led to an exciting three-year period of work on high-level negotiations, confer­ences, and summits for various interna­tional organizations.

In 2010 Ewandro, his wife, and their three children moved to Geneva, Swit­zerland, where he was recently promoted from his role as chief interpreter in the United Nations system in Geneva to head of conference services at the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agen­cy, and transitioned from interpreting to managing interpreters. “You really have to be an interpreter to do that job well,” he says, adding that he enjoys the opportuni­ties he has to help shape the profession. He is active in exploring new technology and training young professionals.

Laughing when he describes the ad­justment his family went through moving from the 24/7 culture of D.C. to the slow­er-paced life in Geneva, he says life is good but he still misses Monterey and hopes to have an excuse to return soon.