MACEDONIAN ASSOCIATION OF TRANSLATORS & INTERPRETERS
ONLINE EVENTS
Conference speakers
MARYSE BENHOFF
Keynote Speaker
President, BG Communications International
International Committee Manager of ISO’s TC37/SC2 and International Chair of ISO's TC37/SC5
Maryse is President of BG Communications International Inc., a leading translation services provider headquartered in Montréal, Canada. She is recognized for being a pioneer in translation standardization and for championing the advancement of women in business. She currently serves as International Committee Manager of ISO’s TC37/SC2 and International Chair of ISO's TC37/SC5.
She also sits on the Board of Directors of Canada's national Language Industry Association (AILIA) and, in 2019, was nominated by AILIA to sit on the Industry Advisory Committee on Neural Machine Translation. Maryse also sits on the Translation Programming Committee at McGill University with a view to shape curricula and course content to align with market demands.
Maryse supports various community organizations such as the MADA Community Centre and is a member of institutions such as Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce and the Réseau des femmes d'affaires du Québec. She has been a member of the Women Presidents' Organization since 2007 and WBE Canada since 2009. Most recently, she was nominated to the Supplier Advisory Committee within WBE Canada in 2019 and was elected its Chair in 2020. With 25 years of experience as a successful business owner, this powerhouse draws energy and passion from her family and enjoys spending time with her three sons.
GORAN PLETVARSKI
Mr. Goran Pletvarski graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of St. Cyril and Methodius, at the Department of Industrial management, with his graduation thesis on the subject of Strategic management, strategic planning, and forms of ownership in small businesses. In 2016 he received the title of Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management. His main subject of research was Principles of organizational design in public sector institutions in the Republic of Macedonia.
Starting off his career in the private sector, he later moved to the Standardization Institute of the Republic of North Macedonia (ISRSM) a public institution. He holds the position of Head of the Unit for General Standardization. He also represents Macedonian national interest in standardization, acting as a representative from ISRSM in the work of the European standards organization (CEN) and its main governing bodies, CEN Technical board, and CEN General assembly.
Mr. Pletvarski has completed numerous training courses ranging from: the principles and practices of standardization: fundamentals of standardization and elements of globalization, process of development of Macedonian national standards, writing technical standards, to project management, handling the secretariat and training for managers: effective management of standardization activities and technical and normative revision of the proposed ISRSM standards.
ANA POPOVA MANASIEVSKA
MATA President
Ana Popova Manasievska graduated from the Skopje Faculty of Philology in 1999 and until 2012 was working as an in-house translator and interpreter for the Ministry of Interior, as well as for several US and EU funded projects.
In 2000 she was appointed as court translator and interpreter by the Ministry of Justice. Since 2012 she has been the proud owner of a boutique translation/interpretation agency which promotes standards among other such entities on the market. During this time, she has been contracted as freelance translator/conference interpreter by many national institutions, international organizations and several UN agencies and has interpreted on many trainings, round tables, and conferences in the country and abroad.
Manasievska acquired her master’s degree in Conference Interpreting in 2018. She has been a MATA active member since 2013 and MATA President since 2020. She actively supports various community initiatives as well as MATA initiatives and programs. She has been mentoring interpreting students since the establishment of the MATA mentorship program.
Head of the Unit for General Standardization
Standardization Institute of the Republic of North Macedonia (ISRSM)
JULIO R. MONTERO
Regional Director, Megalexis Communications Inc.
Convenor of the Translation Working Group of ISO’s Technical Subcommittee on Translation, Interpreting and Related Technology (CAC/ISO/TC37/SC5)
Mr. Montero is Megalexis Communications Inc.'s Regional Director in the Greater Toronto Area. A language industry expert with more than 20 years of experience. His combination of qualifications and with his passion for languages, world affairs and service excellence, have been instrumental in his career trajectory in the language industry.
Mr. Montero’s past roles have ranged from advising governments and international development institutions on institutional reform and technical assistance projects, contributing to develop national and international standards for the language industry, to acquiring and overseeing high-value, public and private sector accounts in a wide variety of areas, including insurance, legal, e-commerce, hospitality, defence and security, automotive and government.
Mr. Montero holds a civil law degree from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and a master’s degree in comparative law with concentration on regulated industries from McGill University. He has taken part in publishing and editorial projects with LexisNexis and the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations' oldest specialized agency. He is also a certified translator, member of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) and affiliate member of the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC). Mr. Montero holds the professional designation as a Certified Localization Professional. With a unique combination of legal, business and linguistic qualifications and experience, his areas of expertise include translation, interpreting and localization service delivery, consulting, sales, procurement, management, contract administration, training, compliance and industry regulation.
Mr. Montero is the Convenor of the Translation Working Group of ISO’s Technical Subcommittee on Translation, Interpreting and Related Technology (CAC/ISO/TC37/SC5). He’s also a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Language Industry Association and a member of the Canadian General Standards Board’s Technical Committee for the development and systematic review of the Canadian Standard for Translation Services (CGSB-131.10).
MARGUERITE LELY
Formerly Staff Conference Interpreter for the EU Institutions and Head, Technical Compliance of the Interpreters working environment at DG Interpretation
Convenor of ISO TC37/SC5/WG3 since 2014
Marguerite Lely is a veteran in the interpreting profession and interpreting standardization process. She earned her MA in Translation and Interpreting Studies at Antwerp University, Belgium and was a Fulbright scholar at East Stroudsburg State College, Pennsylvania.
Her rich professional biography includes positions such as freelance interpreter, translator and text editor, interpreter trainer and manager of a Brussels-based interpreting agency. Marguerite spent more than 10 years as staff conference interpreter at the Directorate-General for Interpretation, European Commission, Brussels, and then became Head, Technical Compliance of the Interpreters working environment, a position she held for over a decade.
She is currently retired, but on an Active Senior contract with the Directorate-General for Interpretation, European Commission, coordinating all ISO-related activities within the service.
DR VERÓNICA PÉREZ GUARNIERI
Consultant Interpreter-Member of AIIC/Calliope-Interpreters
Convener of ISO TC37/SC5/WG2 since 2012
Dr Verónica Pérez Guarnieri obtained her PhD Cum Laude from Universidad de Córdoba in Spain in 2017. The topic of her doctoral thesis was translation of court rulings. She has authored several technical papers in the field of translation, interpretation and standardization in indexed journals.
In 2016, Dr Pérez Guarnieri was elected to the Executive Council of the Professional Association of Certified Translators of the City of Buenos Aires (Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires), where I served as Vice President until 2021. In the field of standardization, she has served as the Convener of ISO TC37/SC5/WG2, made up by close to 80 experts working on the standardization of interpreting for almost ten years.
Dr Pérez Guarnieri is the Author of ISO 18841 “Interpreting-Requirements and Recommendations”, the first international umbrella standard on interpreting. She has participated in drafting a pioneer national standard on interpreting, published by the Argentinian NSB, IRAM 13612. As to Veronica’s teaching activities, she has trained court interpreters in Argentina for many years and is the Director of the first post-graduate university interpretation program in Argentina.
ANGELA SASSO
Founder & Director of The Interpreter’s Lab
President, Critical Link International
Convenor and Project Leader of ISO TC 37/SC 5/ WG4 Interpreting and translation teaching and training programs
Angela Sasso is the Founder & Director of The Interpreter’s Lab (a program of Shifting Pictures Inc.), where interpreters come to learn and grow as language professionals.
Angela began working as an interpreter in 1989, has since worked as an interpreter educator, researcher, policy development and expert consultant. She is currently the President of Critical Link International, serving her 3rd term, and Canadian Vice Chair of ISO TC 37/SC 5 Translation, interpreting and related technologies.
Ms. Sasso is also the International Convenor and Project Leader of ISO TC 37/SC 5/ WG4 Interpreting and translation teaching and training programs.
LUKRECIJA MALJKOVIC ATANASOVSKA
MATA Board Member
MATA Conference Interpreting Work Group Coordinator
Dr. Lukrecija Maljkovic Atanasovska is an experienced freelance translator and conference interpreter from Macedonian, English, Italian, Croatian and BCS languages. She is an accredited interpreter for the EU institutions and her portfolio includes the UN Tribunal for War Crimes and many international clients and organizations and she often interprets during high-level state meetings and events.
She holds a doctoral degree in political sciences, a master’s degree in international affairs and diplomacy a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and Italian language and literature. She specialized consecutive and simultaneous interpreting at the Professional Linguists in Cambridge. Currently she also teaches at the postgraduate studies at the Department of Conference Interpreting as an assistant professor in the practical part of the curriculum.
Dr. Maljkovic Atanasovska is the founder and director of the Protocol Academy of Macedonia®. She is an international consultant in corporate and diplomatic protocol and etiquette, certified by The Protocol School of Washington® and is a member of the Protocol & Diplomacy International Protocol Officers Association, seated in Washington, USA. She was educated and trained in Brussels, London, Frankfurt, Washington and Cambridge. She also teaches “Diplomatic protocol for interpreters”, specialized training for conference interpreters at high-level events.
IRENA KACARSKI KIMOVA
MATA Founding Member and first President
MATA Board Member, WG Standards Coordinator
Irena Kacarski Kimova is a seasoned freelance conference interpreter and translator. She is hired by numerous domestic and foreign companies and state agencies, and international organizations. Irena was one of the official interpreters during the accession negotiations of the R. Macedonia with the WTO (2000-2003).
Irena is a founding member and the First President of MATA (2010-2017). Under her leadership the MATA Annual Professional Development Conference and BABYLON The Best Young Translator Award were initiated. Irena was coordinator of the first four MATA conference committees, and member or all nine to present. She was also President of the BABYLON Organizing Committee by 2017. At the moment, Irena is a Supervisory Member of the MATA Managing Board and Coordinator of the MATA WG in Standards.
Ms. Kacarski Kimova is also a translation and interpreting mentor in the MATA Mentorship Program for Students. She has delivered a number of MATA workshops for translators and interpreters on different topics, spoken on conferences and participated in numerous professional development events. In addition, Irena has developed the MATA draft-concept on self-employment of translators and interpreters as natural persons, that was submitted to the Macedonian Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in 2015 and 2019 (revised). In 2019, together with five more colleagues, she participated in the development of the MATA Guide to Public Procurement of Translation and Interpretation Services published on the MATA website in Macedonian.
Ms. Kacarski Kimova holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philology, UKIM (1989). She was accredited as court translator and interpreter by the Macedonian Ministry of Justice in 1990.
SALLY BAILEY-RAVET
Head of Department of Interpretation, Travel and Events Management, and Head Interpreter, Council of Europe
Sally Bailey-Ravet – M.A in conference interpreting from ISIT (Institut Supérieur d’Interprétation et de Traduction) in Paris. She started her career as a staff interpreter for the FAO in Nigeria in 1989. She then worked as a freelance interpreter in Strasbourg working maintly for the Council of Europe, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, ARTE, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation).
Became a staff interpreter of the Council of Europe in 1997. She has been the Head Interpreter since 2007. She is a visiting professor at the Cambridge Conference Interpreting Course and an external examiner at ISIT, ESIT in Paris, ISTI in Brussels and ITI-RI in Strasbourg.
FARDAD ZABETIAN
CEO and Founder of KUDO
Member of the ISO working group on Interpreting technologies
A visionary entrepreneur, the KUDO CEO and Founder, Fardad, has founded and placed another two companies among the fastest growing business in America. He has also expanded to key markets over Europe and Asia.
Fardad is no stranger to big challenges. In 2012, he was part of the design and roll-out a complete makeover of the United Nations’ meeting facilities, including the general assembly hall in New York. He has also played a key supporting role as a high-end equipment provider to various iterations of the IMF/ World Bank Annual Meetings and several European Institutions.
With KUDO, Fardad now takes the meeting experience beyond the room to connect business and people in true borderless fashion, without language or geographic constraints.
HRISTINA DOJČINOVA KOCEVA
MATA Founding Member and first Vice-President
MATA Conference Organizer, since 2014
Hristina Dojčinova Koceva is a Macedonian translator and interpreter from English and French, and communications & event management professional, holding a BA in Interpreting and Translation in English and French from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, and a master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Bonn.
In the past, Hristina has provided interpreting at hundreds of conferences as well as high profile political and business meetings to clients such as diplomatic missions, multinational companies, international organizations and top state national administration, including the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Macedonia. Ms. Dojčinova was a junior faculty teaching assistant at the Department of Interpreting and Translation, having taught Consecutive Interpretation, Political and EU terminology and Written Translation for eight years. Hristina is an EU accredited interpreter for English/Macedonian, an authorized court translator by the Macedonian Ministry of Justice, and an accredited interpreter by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Immigration and Refugee Board.
Hristina is a founding member and the first Vice-President of the Macedonian Translators and Interpreters Association. As an active member of the Macedonian ProZ.com community, with the support of the Congress Service Center, she organized the first translators’ meetup - powwow in Macedonia in July 2007 and even more notably, she was the organizer of the 6th ProZ.com International Conference and 10th ProZ.com Anniversary Conference in Ohrid, Macedonia in 2009, and many events since then, including the MATA annual conferences.
Hristina is active in the Canadian language industry as part of BG Communications International, a leading translation firm based in Montreal. She has assisted in the organizing of the 2019 ISO TC 37 International Meetings in Ottawa, the 2020 annual conference of the Canadian Language Industry Association (AILIA), and was the event manager of the Women in Localization Eastern Canada Chapter during 2019. Ms. Dojčinova Koceva has had several conference presentations on translation and interpretation-related topics, and often holds the moderator role of international translation and interpreting conferences.
