Jerga de las Américas:
Puerto Rico

Ricardo Abdel Avilés-Avilés was born, raised, and educated in Puerto Rico. He served in the Military Police for the US Army. After serving, Mr. Avilés earned a BA in Criminal Justice and Organizational Leadership, as well as a certification in
Counterintelligence Operations from the American Military University. He currently holds a security clearance since he works with various Federal Agencies around the United States. He has extensive experience as an interpreter performing translation and interpreting work at the local and federal level with law enforcement agencies and the Department of Homeland Security where he has had firsthand experience with numerous drug-related cases.

Mr. Avilés is also the owner and director of Aviles-Translations and currently
operates in Springfield, Missouri as a Spanish Interpreter/ Translator. He has been working for several years with various agencies that work with children as well as government agencies providing his expertise to break language barriers. He works with organizations such as Freedom’s Rest, Springfield Partners, CPS, and other agencies helping children and teenagers who come from a high-stress background.

Édgar Hidalgo García is the director and lead instructor of the online interpreting school, TransInterpreting. He was also the academic coordinator of Cal State Fullerton’s Legal Interpretation Program and a former instructor at UC Riverside’s Court Interpreter Training Program. Edgar spent half of his life in South America, where he finished high school and attended college. He completed his Bachelor’s in Translation & Interpretation Studies at California State University, Long Beach and his Master’s in Spanish at California State University, Fullerton.

He initially became a Certified California State Medical Interpreter and worked several years as a staff interpreter both at Long Beach Memorial Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County and in the private sector, as a freelance medical interpreter. Later, after becoming certified by the Judicial Council of California as a Court Interpreter, he became employed for the County of San Bernardino where he worked as a staff interpreter for 9 years and as a freelancer for 6 additional years. Mr. Hidalgo is an active member of interpreter organizations such as the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) and the American Translators Association (ATA).

He currently trains novice and seasoned interpreters to pass the State and National Certifications both in the legal and medical fields. He also provides continuing education for certified interpreters and translators in all languages.