Interpreter and Translator
lynn@languagejustice.org
Lynn Wise is a native Texan and has been in Austin for more than 10 years. Lynn first became interested in language justice when she began boxing as a teenager. Many of the boxers were monolingual Spanish speakers, and as the boxing gym became her home, she became interested in their stories and struggles. The strong cultural, political and economic bonds connecting Texas and Mexico fascinated Lynn, but she was disturbed by the injustices that many of her immigrant friends faced. She became convinced that increased communication was key to addressing these injustices, and she wanted to help. The first hurdle was learning Spanish. Lynn began learning from her friends in the boxing gym and beyond and eventually earned an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. There she was introduced to the concept of language justice and was formally trained as a social justice interpreter in 2013. Lynn was a founding member of the Austin Language Justice Collective and currently works as co-director of the collective’s training team.