Helen Duffy, as a bilingual court interpreter based in her hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, uses the fluency in Spanish which she developed in Managua, Nicaragua while teaching English to university students in the war-torn country. Born to activist parents, she learned early how to navigate controversy and dissent. Armed with only a B.S. degree in English, Helen plunged herself into learning Spanish on the job in Nicaragua. The nation was engaged in a major literacy campaign, and there was also a thirst among college students for learning English. She spent 20 years teaching English as a second language.
