Frequently Asked Questions

Multilateral is not a translation agency. It is a boutique international communication company for British and Latin American governments, businesses, and professionals with a strong emphasis on languages and strategic intercultural communication run by its owner and lead interpreter, Cecilia Lipovsek.

It's service offer includes: diplomatic interpreting, British-LatAm intercultural training, strategic communication support, written translation, copyrighting, proofing, and more.

My team is comprised of a small group of hand-picked colleagues who are outstanding interpreters but, most importantly, share the values in The MULTILATERAL Way.

I have personally worked with each one of them before inviting them to join my team; that is how I know they are up to the mark - and more.

Yes and no.

Let’s see, if you need my support with intercultural coaching or your communications strategy – be it online, in-venue, or hybrid – then, yes I do!

However, if you need my support with a Diplomatic Mission, then I do not.

See, diplomatic work requires deep cultural awareness; therefore, in order to do a good job, it is best for interpreters to ‘be from’ the context in which the mission is happening as we need to have thorough understanding of the cultural dynamics and linguistic nuances at play. I get to be outstanding by being immersed in the host culture and knowing how to best translate its subtleties into the visiting culture/s own frameworks, among other reasons.

Also, diplomatic situations tend to be unpredictable and, in consequence, difficult to manage at a distance – at least not with the professional and discerning touch my clients are accustomed to.

So, if you are coming to the UK with a Latin American delegation, I will be delighted to assist you! And, if you need support with a mission to another country, then I will gladly put you in touch with trusted colleagues around the world.

I purposely do not list any clients or jobs on my website. And I don't talk about them on social media, either. This is to protect my clients’ confidentiality as well as that of the missions and projects with which my team and I assist them.

Those whose praise about our work is featured as testimonials around my website have given their express consent and authorisation.

You see, in my line of work, discretion and confidentiality are essential. So, you will not find any client lists, names or logos – nor any behind-the-scenes gossip – here nor in any of my social media channels.

I call this comprehensive approach to discretion and confidentiality The Othello Principle.

The MULTILATERAL Notes are a collection of insights, tips, and resources about multilingual communication, intercultural engagement, Latin America and the UK by experts in their fields.

The Notes are available for free to anyone who is interested.

You are welcome to subscribe and get them straight in your inbox or you can also follow MULTILATERAL on social media and enjoy them there:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram 

My British-LatAm Masterclass™ is a practical, culturally-sensitive, step-by-step guide to help you improve your British-LatAm relations.

It explains the Slot and Flow Systems™ and how to use them to build stronger bonds with your British/Latin American partners and collaborators - old and new.

The British-LatAm Masterclass™ will be available in Spring 2024. You can sign up here. 

The Masterclass is available online and on-demand so you can watch it and re-watch it at your pace. Signing up will give you access to it for a calendar year.

If you wish to give access to the masterclass to your team, please drop me a line to learn more about group packages.

Once you've signed up for the Masterclass, you can access it any time you wish by logging into MULTILATERAL's website here with the credentials you set up when you signed up.

Of course! 

Please schedule a call so we can go over your plans, goals, and requirements. 

Private masterclasses can be either:

• online, on your organisation's preferred platform
• in-person, either in your organisation's premises or in a third-party venue

Yes, I do. The British-LatAm Masterclass™ covers the equivalent of 2 hours of CPD training.

My Mission Companion™ is a specialist service designed to help you have a successful Latin American mission to the United Kingdom so that you, your delegates, and your guests can make the most of your time together here.

It combines versatile language interpretation with intercultural communication and ad-hoc local support. The goal is to make your chosen delegates and guests instantly bilingual (for a while, at least) so that no one gets left behind. 

The Mission Companion™ offers you the following advantages:

• Work with someone you know, instead of a random interpreter selected by someone else such as an agency, plus you get to coordinate the work directly with me.
• No intermediaries means no middle-man fees! You pay for the exact service you hire – nothing more, nothing less.
• Block-booking to accommodate the typically changing schedule of most missions.

No, quality and excellence are central to The MULTILATERAL Way and I cannot guarantee either unless I speak the language myself.

Therefore, I only work with English, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.

This is one of the biggest differences between MULTILATERAL and most interpreting/translation agencies out there: my ultra-specialised, hands-on quality guarantee; plus the many benefits of working directly with me and not having to deal with (or pay for) any intermediaries.

However, if you do need support in other languages, do not hesitate to contact me. I will gladly put you in touch with a trusted colleague.

Hiring my services is very simple:

1. Check my availability. Please bare in mind that I can only be in one place (that is, work with one client) at a time, that the busiest times of the year are usually February-March, May-June, and October-November, and that bookings are allocated on a first-confirmed basis.
2. Book the blocks you need. After your availability enquiry, I’ll send you a proposal tailored to your mission requirements for you to revise and approve.
3. Have a successful mission. And build stronger bonds!