The Power of the Spoken Word
Mila Golovine. Photo By Sonya Abid
Soft spoken, mellow and poised. Ms. Mila Golovine recounts the success that the recent years have brought to MasterWord, her renowned, dynamic language translation and interpreting company that has been evolving since its founding in 1993. “We work with over 250 languages in Houston and over 400 languages worldwide. Through our work, our interpreters give people access to education, healthcare and government services. We have a diverse company that deals with translations in various aspects of the business sector. We’ll help internationally expand a company or product to the global market.”
The Bauer College of Business graduate, who credits her life’s mission to a strong desire to help others learn, is optimistic about this year’s interpreter training at the Jung Center’s Mind, Body Spirit Institute. This is just one of several programs Mila has created to assist the company’s interpreters with the trauma they see on any given day.
Mila Golovine. Photo By Sonya Abid
“Trauma?” I ask, puzzled.
“Oh yes,” Mila pauses. “Let me give you an example. MasterWord provided interpretation services for the Ebola crisis here a few years ago. Knowing that you might die, too can be very traumatic. We help people communicate in emergency rooms, and in medical settings, during birth and during end of life, in courts and in jails. We interpret for victims of human trafficking and child abuse and in many other difficult situations. Interpreters don’t just witness the trauma, as they convey the information from one language to another, they channel the trauma and are affected at a very deep level.”
In addition to her work with MasterWord, Mila serves on the Board of Directors of the Rothko Chapel, Advisory Board for the Mind, Body, Spirit Institute of the Jung Center, Chairs the Advisory Subcommittee for the Translation and Interpretation Program at Houston Community College, is the Manager of the Texas Chapter of Women in Localization, and is an active member of several professional organizations. She is also an avid supporter of the Asia Society, Friends of Integrative Medicine at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Greater Houston Partnership.
Mila’s persistent dedication to Houston and its diverse community are what I find most inspiring about the Russian-born entrepreneur. “Every culture has value. Here in Houston, we can see the beauty of every culture and every language without even leaving the city. Diversity is something to be embraced and celebrated, always. We speak Russian, English, and Spanish just around the house, my son learned Chinese and the baby is learning French.” It is important to Mila that her children be given a taste of all cultures and communities locally and globally. Their travels thus far have taken them to 26 countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America – with many more to come.
And when it comes to Houston? How do they spend their precious time? “Here in Houston we very much love to visit the museums. I don’t think there’s a single exhibit we’ve missed,” says Mila. “I really recommend taking a day to visit Houston as though you were from out of town. You just might see something you didn’t see before.”
