This month was my second time volunteering as a Spanish interpreter at IFAM: The International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had so much fun helping the artists and browsing the many colorful booths full of textiles, ceramics, jewelry, paintings, and more.
IFAM has a robust volunteer program, and several languages are represented within the volunteer interpreter team. If an artist requests an interpreter, the volunteer coordinator does their best to assign someone to their booth. The interpreter helps the artist while they explain their work and carry out sales.
I was assigned to Cirila Aragón Cortés, a weaver from Mexico who works with a collective of women to produce beautiful ponchos, sweaters, vests and table linens by weaving on backstrap looms. All the work is made of hand-spun wool that is colored with natural dyes. I enjoyed helping Cirila and the other women in her collective as they described the process of carding, spinning, dyeing and weaving. They made quite a few sales while I was with them, which is great!
If you speak a language other than English and are interested in practicing your language skills by volunteering at the market, I highly recommend it. People travel from all over to attend the market; our interpreter coordinator lives in New York! Here’s an article about this year’s market: “Santa Fe’s International Folk Art Market reports record $4M sales”
Image courtesy of Cirila Aragón Cortés and the International Folk Art Market.
Alison Trujillo Translations 