About Cecilia

Verbum Language Connection is founded and directed by Cecilia Portal who received in 2015 the national certification for healthcare interpreter by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). In 2017, she became a Cross-Cultural communications licensed trainer and has been training interpreters in person and online for the past 10 years. Cecilia is a working Spanish interpreter providing telephonic and video remote interpreting as well as taking onsite interpretation assignments in New Mexico.

Cecilia was born in Havana, Cuba, and then migrated to Mexico City, where she obtained a four-year nursing degree from Mexico’s National Autonomous University. She began to informally interpret as a nursing students working at the American British Cowdrey Hospital in Mexico City. Her experience first as a refugee and later as an immigrant formed her commitment to serving the Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities. Cecilia has lived in New Mexico for over 40 years where in 2015 she founded Valley Community Interpreters (VCI) a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving and increasing language access while building an interpreter workforce in our state. She stepped down as VCI’s director on January 1, 2025, and started Verbum Language Connection to continue to serve the immigrant communities. Verbum Language Connection, LLC provides Spanish interpretation services and interpreter training for bilingual persons interested in building and interpreter career and for practicing interpreters to continue to expand their skills and knowledge.