معرفی
Melissa Wallace is an Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), affiliated with the College of Liberal and Fine Arts. Her work bridges translation studies, legal interpreting, and public service ethics, with a focus on language access policies and interdisciplinary research.
Key research areas include:
- Legal Interpreting: Quality standards, certification models (e.g., bifurcated testing), and collaboration between academia and professional practice.
- Medical Interpreting: Virtual exchange programs, global competencies, and healthcare communication equity.
- Language Justice: Asylum seekers' rights in detention centers, gender-based violence cases, and ethnolinguistic lawfare.
- Ethics in Interpreting: Non-professional translation dynamics, professionalization challenges, and feminist/postcolonial translation frameworks.
Her scientific contributions span empirical studies on interpreter practices (e.g., 2023 article on problem-solving strategies) and policy analyses (e.g., 2024 article on lawfare). She has presented internationally at venues like the European Society for Translation Studies Congress and Health Humanities Consortium, addressing issues from Texas detention centers to European Union standards.
Award Highlights:
- Fulbright Scholar (2015)
Notable Activities:
- Co-organizer of the RTI Conference Series on translation/interpreting research
- Speaker at NAJIT and ATISA conferences
- Collaborator with institutions in Spain, Finland, and Norway on language access initiatives
- Advocate for integrating team-based learning and competency-based education in translation pedagogy
