Dr. Jessica Zeitler is an instructional designer who works in 8+ languages and is passionate about creating inclusive multilingual educational spaces. In this episode, she speaks with Sarah and Katherine about how she uses her multilingual capabilities to create a sense of home for herself and others, even in officially monolingual contexts. Jess shares how her search for belonging led her to new communities and cultures and enriched her life.   This episode is sponsored by The Pearl Remote Democratic High School. Enrollment is open now for Fall 2025! Learn more at https://thepearlhighschool.org/  Listen to Jess’s podcast: The Higher ID Podcast Connect with Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-zeitler/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri    Access the transcript for this episode.  

Vijay Ramjattan, PhD, joins Sarah and Katherine in this episode to explore the intersections of language, race, and work. He shares insights from his research on accents and race in the workplace, discusses the labor of communicating in another language, and unpacks why there is no single narrative around accents.    This episode is sponsored by The Pearl Remote Democratic High School. Enrollment is open now for Fall 2025! Learn more at https://thepearlhighschool.org/    Connect with Vijay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-ramjattan-phd-2215b798    Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri    Here is the transcript for this episode.

Pragati Kamath is a bilingual instructional designer whose experience living and working across multiple countries and languages has given her unique insights into how context and culture influence multilingual L&D work. In this episode, she shares her experiences training professionals on cross-cultural communication and talks about how her multilingualism has given her the opportunity to connect global teams. Pragati also discusses how her personal experience with learning languages has adapted to changing technology and the availability of mobile language apps.   Connect with Pragati on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pragatikamath Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri Access the transcript here

In this episode, Rafael Leonardo da Silva joins Sarah and Katherine to talk about his journey from learning English as an avid videogamer, to teaching Portuguese in the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar, to designing learning experiences as an instructional designer and professor in Boise State’s Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning program. He shares his experience at the intersection of language, technology and learning.    Mentioned in this episode: Closing the gap: A call for more inclusive language technologies   Connect with Rafael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-leonardo-da-silva-79b5919a/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri Access the transcript here

Loretta Mulberry is a passionate advocate for language accessibility on a mission to improve safety measures and expand information equity for everyone in the trades. In this podcast episode, she joins Katherine and Sarah to discuss the importance of having learning content translated to ensure all learners have equitable opportunities at every level within an organization. She also shares insights into the safety implications of learning materials that are linguistically accessible.   Mentioned in the podcast:  Diversity improves performance and outcomes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30765101/  2015 McKinsey report: Why Diversity Matters The impact of organizational learning culture, workforce diversity and knowledge management on innovation and organization performance: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3233/HSM-200984    Connect with Loretta on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/loretta-mulberry-6089681a5 Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri   Access the transcript here.

Sarah and Katherine reflect on the previous episodes in Season 1 and discuss standout moments and common threads from all of the conversations they had with experts at the intersection of language diversity and learning design.    Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri

Gabriela Gutierrez is an experienced professional in project management and change management who speaks Spanish, English, and French. She joins Katherine and Sarah to talk about the opportunities and connections that being multilingual have opened up to her throughout her career, focusing on how she has taken a goal-oriented approach to language learning as part of career development. Gabriela also discusses what it is like to work in a trilingual organization where designing from a multilingual perspective is the norm rather than the exception, and how equitable, accessible language practices empower everyone in her organization. As Gabriela says, “Learning and development is about the people and it’s for the people, and we leverage languages to make sure that we always keep people in mind.”   Episode sponsored by Molly Shapiro, accountability coach. mollyshapirocoaching@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-shapiro/    Connect with Gabriela on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielagutierrez/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri   Here is the transcript for this episode.

rlett Lopez is from Caracas, Venezuela. She moved to the US in 2014 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing, and later a master’s degree in Instructional Design & Technology. She has a customer success background in the tech industry, and is currently a bilingual Instructional Designer, creating learning experiences for different clients. She volunteers as a career coach at Upwardly Global, mentoring refugee and immigrant job seekers in the US.    Scarlett shares with Sarah and Katherine the importance of being surrounded in childhood by people who spoke multiple languages in shaping her language identity. They also discuss how language evolves through generations, and the challenge of producing content in a “neutral” language that isn’t really neutral at all. Scarlett shares her insights about how instructional designers advocate for learners and how learning a language helps cultivate empathy for learners.   Episode sponsored by Molly Shapiro, accountability coach. mollyshapirocoaching@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-shapiro/    Connect with Scarlett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-scarlett-lopez/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri

In this episode, Sarah and Katherine speak with Andrew Tobey. Andrew is a linguist with a knack for technology who works as a multilingual instructional designer in the corporate space.    Andrew begins the conversation with a personal story about how multilingualism shaped his childhood, and talks more generally about the importance of immersing yourself in a language and speaking it from day one. He explains how learning a language builds persistence and confidence and can be a vehicle for growing many other skills, and how multilingual team members can facilitate so much more than just content creation in multiple languages. We also discuss strategies for leveraging AI as a first-draft tool and using our human skills for quality assurance, and how the ease of AI may lead to increased access through more content in more languages, but also may present security concerns.   Episode sponsored by Molly Shapiro, accountability coach. mollyshapirocoaching@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-shapiro/    Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewthstobey/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri

In this episode, Katherine and Sarah speak with Carly Overfelt. Carly has been teaching in higher education for over 15 years, especially courses in Writing, Literature, ESL and Linguistics. She has experience with faculty-facing programming and has been part of linguistic diversity curriculum and programming initiatives at three different higher ed institutions so far. What she learned in this work, especially from working with students, inspired her book project, tentatively titled Language Diversity in Higher Education: Where to Start and How to Push, a faculty and staff-facing resource on how to start working towards linguistic diversity and linguistic justice in higher education in the classroom and on the campus at large.   Carly, Sarah and Katherine chat about the many different Englishes spoken within the United States and how ideas of “right” and “wrong” Englishes can impact notions of status and create barriers for learners and educators alike. They also affirm that “y’all” is the inclusive second-person plural we all need and deserve. Finally, Carly explains how language diversity on campus is sometimes feared, misunderstood and dismissed by people in power, and highlights the constant navigation of prestige in the language we speak, hear, read and write every day.   Mentioned in the podcast: A Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing by Hannah A. Franz The work of April Baker-Bell A Pedagogy of Kindness by Catherine J. Denial   Are you faculty, staff or administration at a higher education institution? Have you been trying to make your classroom or campus more linguistically inclusive? Or are you a current or former college student who is multilingual or uses historically marginalized Englishes or other languages? If so, Carly wants to hear from you for a research study! This is especially applicable if you were on a campus or in a course designed to support linguistic diversity. The purpose of this study is to collect illustrations and real-world examples in this space in order to inform current and future efforts to support linguistic diversity on college campuses. Please email Carly Overfelt, at carlykoverfelt@gmail.com for more information and to set up a 1-hr Zoom call. Please feel free to share!   Connect with Carly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-overfelt-ph-d-99a6a9140/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri   Here is the transcript for this episode.  

In our fourth episode, Sarah and Katherine speak with Wedad Maatouk about her work as a district student services liaison. Wedad collaborates with a team of multilingual liaisons to ensure that students and parents in her school district have full language access by coordinating and providing translation and interpretation as needed. Wedad is fluent in Arabic and knowledgeable in French and Spanish. She was born in Dearborn, Michigan and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. Wedad has a master's in TESOL from Madonna University, and is adjunct ELI faculty at Henry Ford College in addition to her work as a district student services liaison for Dearborn Public Schools. She worked in the UAE as an assistant principal for two years and as an English faculty at Qatar University's English Foundation Program for two years.   Connect with Wedad on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wedad-maatouk-a1849626 Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri   Here is the transcript for this episode.

In our third episode, Katherine and Sarah speak with Alinnette Casiano, a bilingual learning and development leader with over 15 years of experience in education and leadership. She builds learning experiences through user experience research for cloud services sales enablement at Amazon Web Services. She recently started a doctoral program in public and nonprofit leadership. She is a Puerto Rican living in Texas and has a passion for emotional intelligence and community involvement through volunteering. Ali is fluent in English and Spanish.   Ali, Sarah and Katherine chat about Ali’s bilingualism as a superpower that allows her to understand and connect with people from a wide variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Also, Ali describes how she engages in user experience research in two languages, and her hopes for a multilingual future.   Mentioned in the podcast: Is Learning a Third Language Easier?   Connect with Ali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinnettecasiano/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri   Here is the transcript for this episode.

In this first episode, Sarah and Katherine tell their language stories and geek out about language issues in their respective workplaces. They begin a conversation about language, learning design, accessibility, equity and the people who make all of that happen. To be continued in future episodes!   Mentioned in the podcast:    NPR’s Rough Translation podcast - How to Speak Bad English Ethnologue: The world’s most spoken language   Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri   Episode transcript in English 

In our second episode, Katherine talks with Mariana Horrisberger, a trilingual translator with over ten years of experience in the learning and development localization field. Maru and Katherine chat about the importance of access to learning assets in multiple languages; the nuances of translating not just the words in training materials, but also the culture behind the words; and the joys of learning a language before the Internet was a thing.  Maru is co-organizer of the Global Learning and Development Community, a volunteer-led space for people in L&D to network and help each other, and does Business Development for Language Network. She is an Argentine expat living in Southern Oregon and has a passion for travel and languages. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.   Mentioned in the podcast: Google Translate Causes Vaccine Mishap   Connect with Maru on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/horrisbergermariana/  Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinermatheson/  Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarah-kosel-agnihotri   Episode Transcript in English Episode Transcript in Spanish