For 25 years, Amparo Ames has been a common sight at Newport-Mesa Unified school board meetings. She translates English into Spanish for Latino parents.
So in a zone is Ames when on the job that she's been jokingly been called the 'mumbler' — for the manner in which she puts her hand over her mouth and transmits Spanish words to parents wearing headphones in the audience
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Conversely, when the Spanish-speaking parents have questions to ask, Ames steps out into the audience like a talk show hosts and translates Spanish to English for the board members.
The following is a question-and-answer session with Ames.
Where were you born?
Mexico City. I lived in two different neighborhoods there, in a place called Navarte, then as a teenager, I lived in Bosque de las Lomas.
Did you go to college there?
Yes, I went to La Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, where I earned a B.A. in TESOL, which stands for the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
