Voices without Borders: From Australia's Outback to the Global Stage

SIG Meeting Speaker

Despina Amanatidou 

Despina Amanatidou is a NAATI Certified Greek Interpreter and Translator. Despina is the Head of the Interpreting Department of 2M Language Services, and as part of her role she oversees interpreting recruitment, training, professional development as well as relationships between interpreters and other stakeholders. Despina worked for many years as an in-house interpreter in public health settings. Despina is a member of the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT) where she has served in various roles among them in the executive board as Vice-president for Events and Professional Development. Despina has had the opportunity to organise many events and conferences for interpreters and translators including the first fully online conference in Australia in 2020. Despina is the recipient of the AUSIT’s Paul Sinclair Award (2019) for outstanding contribution to the T&I profession, as well as the Eye and Ear Hospital’s Allied Health Excellence Award (2019) for leading projects that delivered significant improvements for CALD patients.  Furthermore, Despina is a published author, an interpreter tutor and research assistant for RMIT University. 

GALA Special Interest Groups

GALA SIGs are global communities that connect members on topics of shared interest led by volunteer moderators. Meet the moderators for the Interpreting SIG.

Viviana Bernabe, Welocalize

Viviana Bernabe is the Director of Global Interpretation Services at Welocalize. She has over 13 years in various aspects of language services including, Globalization, Localization, AI, and Interpreting with background in Project Management and Program Management. With the ever-changing landscape of live events and services, including increased integrations of multilingual meeting and event technologies over the last couple of years, Vivi is combining her expertise across different language services to promote a more well-rounded event globalization focus for an elevated end-to-end user experience.

Alan Evans, Meehan Group

Claudio Fantinuoli, University of Mainz / InterpretBank

Claudio Fantinuoli is an executive-level manager, innovator, and researcher specializing in digital transformation and speech technologies, with a focus on computer-assisted and machine interpreting. He is an Associate Professor of Interpreting Studies and Language Technology at Mainz University and the founder of InterpretBank, the leading computer-assisted interpreting tool for professionals. Recognized as one of the 16 thought leaders in the translation space for 2025 by Multilingual magazine, he serves as an expert and consultant for institutions such as the European Parliament and SINTEF. A frequent public speaker and inventor of several patented speech translation technologies, his work bridges academic insight with real-world innovation at the intersection of language, AI, and the human mind.

Aki Hayashi, Dell Technologies

Aki is a Senior Manager of the Globalization Program Management Office at Dell Technologies. She leads a team of Program Managers and oversees the globalization aspect of Dell’s strategic programs including Marketing, Digital, and Events to help enhance the global business landscape and customer journey in the fast-paced technology industry. Aki is based in Boston, MA, and with Dell since 2008.

Guilia Silvestrini, Acolad