FIT Council

Role of Council

The 17 member Council oversees the running of FIT in between congresses. 14 Council members are elected from nominated individuals at each statutory congress, and 3 are co-opted to ensure geographical representation and skill balance.
Each Council elects office-bearers from among its members, namely the president, treasurer, secretary general, and vice presidents. Council meets once every two or three months, and is responsible for the sound governance and financial management of the Federation. It sets the strategic direction to help the federation achieve its purpose.
Members can serve up to three consecutive mandates (usually three years long) and take part in standing committees and task forces, in line with their particular areas of interest.
Council members commit to abide by the following policies and procedures.
  • Procedural Rules for Meetings
  • Council Members Code of Conduct
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Dispute Resolution Policy
  • Social Media Presence Policy

Council Members 2025-2028

Executive Committee

Guillaume Deneufbourg

CBTI Belgium, President

Laurinda Cecilia Van Tonder

SATI South Africa, Secretary General

María Galán Barrera

ASETRAD Spain, Treasurer

Roula Salam

ATIA Canada, Vice-president

Alfred Mtawali

EAITA Kenya, Vice-president

Xu Rong

TAC China, Vice-president

Mary Ann Elsa Monteagudo Medina

CTP Peru, EC Member

Council Members

Hasuria Che Omar

MTA Malaysia

Heidi Cazes

NETA United States

Isabelle Poff-Pencole

NZSTI New Zealand

Jørgen Christian Wind Nielsen

DACTI Denmark

Lorena Susana Roqué

CTPCBA Argentina

Te Tumatakuru O’Connell

TKWh New Zealand

Tiina Tuominen

SKTL Finland

Victor Hugo Sajoza Juric

CTPPC Argentina

Victoria Lai Cheng Lei

FTIM Macao

Zsuzsanna Lakatos-Báldy

MFTE Hungary

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Guillaume Deneufbourg

Guillaume Deneufbourg has been working as a translator for more than twenty-five years, with particular expertise in diplomacy, journalism, and literature. He has served as a contractual translator, among others, for the United Nations, NATO and the Belgian Parliament. He has also translated over twenty novels and non-fiction works, several of which have received awards.Guillaume is also a part-time lecturer and researcher at the University of Mons (Belgium) and the author of more than one hundred scholarly and general contributions, both oral and written, presented around the world. Guillaume is a former President of the Belgian Chamber of Translators and Interpreters (2017–2022), a former FIT Council member (2022–2025), and currently serves as President of the International Federation of Translators.

Laurinda Cecilia Van Tonder

Laurinda van Tonder serves as Secretary General of the International Federation of Translators and is a member of two Standing Committees, namely the Audiovisual Translation and Accessibility SC and the Technology SC.

They also serve as the current Vice Chair of the South African Translator’s Institute (SATI) and is a member of the Executive Committee of the South African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society (SALALS).

As a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, Laurinda uses her translation, editing and interpreting experience to help language practitioners-in-training master the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in language-centric professions.

Laurinda is an experienced freelance interpreter, who has rendered interpreting services at close to 100 events, for the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and its portfolio committees as well as various civil society organisations, private companies and universities. Laurinda is currently working on completing a PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Johannesburg.

María Galán Barrera

Maria Galán Barrera is a sworn translator and interpreter based in Madrid (Spain). She works as a freelancer for companies and organizations worldwide and she teaches English – Spanish legal translation at University of Alcala. A staunch defender of the power of associations as a driver of change, she is a professional member of the Spanish Association of Translators, Proofreaders and Interpreters (ASETRAD), where she collaborated in different committees before being its president for three consecutive mandates (2015-2021), becoming the youngest and the most reelected president of ASETRAD. Her commitment led her to take part in several FIT standing committees such as the Legal SC, the Solidarity Fund SC, the Awards Management SC and the Translatio SC. Moreover, she was elected to the Board of FIT Europe and she was appointed treasurer in her first mandate (2021-2024) and vice-president in her second mandate (2024-2027). Currently, she is the treasurer of FIT.

Roula Salam

Roula Salam is a Lecturer and Curriculum Developer at the University of Alberta, where she has taught academic writing, intercultural communication, and research skills to undergraduate and graduate students since 2012. She holds a PhD from Queen’s University, specializing in post/colonialism and translation studies. Her scholarship includes the Routledge chapter “‘Smotherland’ Speaks: Syrian Refugee Identity in the Spaces between Media and Literature” (2022) and peer-reviewed articles in The International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations. A certified Arabic–English translator, she has translated cultural and artistic works, including the National Film Board of Canada documentary Arab Women Say What? and the stage play Fresh off the Boeing 777, performed at the Edmonton Fringe Festival. Her academic, professional, and service work is grounded in solidarity with Indigenous and marginalized language communities. Through collaborative initiatives in translation and education, this work supports ethical access, community-led assessment pathways, and non-extractive professional practices, while centering Indigenous linguistic rights, data sovereignty, and respectful relationships across translation, education, and public institutions.

Alfred Mtawali

Alfred is a seasoned translator with over 34 years of professional experience. He began his career as a Bible translator, culminating in the translation of the Bible into his native language, Giryama. In 2012, he transitioned into full-time freelance translation and founded his own language services company, Can Translators.

In 2016, together with fellow professionals, Alfred co-founded the East Africa Interpreters and Translators Association (EAITA) and later played a key role in the successful launch of the first Africa International Translation Conference (AITCO) in 2019. He has been actively involved in mentoring and empowering translators across Africa, including in Tanzania, Rwanda, Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the profession, Alfred was awarded the Marion Boers Prize for the translation of fiction or non-fiction at the FIT World Congress held in Varadero, Cuba, in 2022.

Alfred holds a Bachelor’s degree in Translation Studies from Pan Africa Christian University and a Master of Development Studies (MDS) from St Paul’s University. Beyond his professional work, he is a passionate musician who performs with his family band and is also the founder of a children’s charity in his hometown.

Xu Rong

With more than 30 years of experience in the language services industry, Xu Rong brings professional know-how and management skills to this position.

A translator and editor in China International Communications Group, she leads a multilingual team producing books for a global audience. Her work focuses on bridging cultures, fostering mutual understanding and strengthening people-to-people bonds across civilizations. Through close collaboration with translators and publishers in dozens of countries, she facilitates the co-publication of a wide range of China-themed titles. A long-standing Council and Executive Council member of the Translators Association of China, she has played an active role in strategic planning, international cooperation, and major initiatives. Her leadership combines industry expertise, organizational experience, and a global vision for the profession.

Mary Ann Elsa Monteagudo Medina

Mary Ann Monteagudo is a legal translation specialist and international speaker with a strong multidisciplinary academic and professional background. She holds a PhD in Translation Studies, a Master’s Degree in Institutional Translation, a Master’s in Business Innovation, a Bachelor’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting and a Law Degree. She is a Sworn Public Translator in English, French, and Portuguese. She has taught and lectured on legal translation and court interpreting for more than 25 years and has over 30 years of professional experience as a legal translator and interpreter. From 2021 to 2023, she chaired the Ibero-American Terminology Network (RITerm). Until July 2025, she served as Chair of FIT LatAm, promoting institutional and professional development for translators, interpreters, and terminologists in Latin America. She currently sits on the FIT Executive Committee and serves as Vice President of the Colegio de Traductores del Perú, which she has twice presided over (2010–2012 and 2022–2025).

Mary Ann Monteagudo es especialista en traducción jurídica y conferencista internacional con una sólida formación académica y profesional multidisciplinaria. Es doctora en traductología y cuenta con una maestría en traducción institucional, una maestría en innovación empresarial. Es licenciada en traducción e interpretación y abogada. Ejerce como traductora pública juramentada en inglés, francés y portugués. Ha enseñado y dictado conferencias sobre traducción e interpretación jurídica desde hace más de 25 años y cuenta con más de 30 años de experiencia profesional como traductora e intérprete jurídica. De 2021 a 2023, presidió la Red Iberoamericana de Terminología (RITerm). Hasta julio de 2025, se desempeñó como presidenta de FIT LatAm y promovió el desarrollo institucional y profesional de traductores, intérpretes y terminólogos en América Latina. Actualmente integra el Comité Ejecutivo de FIT y es vicepresidenta del Colegio de Traductores del Perú, institución que ha presidido en dos periodos (2010–2012 y 2022–2025).

Mary Ann Monteagudo
maryann.monteagudo@fit-ift.org

Hasuria Che Omar

Dr. Hasuria binti Che Omar is the current President of Malaysian Translators Association (MTA), and advisor to the Malaysian Association of Sign Language Interpreters (MyASLI). She is also the Non-Independent Director of MKH Oil Palm (East Kalimantan), a listed company since August 2022. She was co-opted as the FIT Council Member for 2023-2025 and re-elected for 2025-2028.

She began her career as an academician at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, a renown public university in Malaysia in 1995 and retired early in 2022 as an Associate Professor after 26 years of service. Dr. Hasuria specializes in Translation Studies including Audiovisual Translation, Sign Language, Translators Training and Industry, and the author/co-author of more than 90 publications. Latest, her co-edited book won the Malaysian National Book Award 2024-2025 under the Language and Translation Category (English/Foreign Language). During her tenure ship at the University, her academic responsibilities expanded to include research and publications and supervising postgraduate students for research and in mixed-mode study programmes. She led and coordinated courses and managed research and partnerships with other educational institutions. She was also responsible in assisting the designing and developing a range of study programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate. She resumes her responsibilities as the Malaysian Qualifying Agency (MQA) assessment panel for higher education academic programmes in Malaysia even after her retirement.

As an industry expert, she has provided trainings and translation/language related consultations to more than 30 institutions and companies since 2011, and an active translator and interpreter. She was the Conference Convenor of the biennial International Conference on Translation, a conference co-organized by the Malaysian Translators Association, Malaysian Language and Literatures Agency (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka), Malaysian National Institute of Translation and Books, and Universiti Sains Malaysia for 2009, 2013, 2015. She is currently the Chair for the MTA Accreditation Committee and is instrumental in ensuring the Malaysian Translators Accreditation programme is in place starting in 2026.

Heidi Cazes

Heidi Cazes is a Spanish-English translator, interpreter and terminologist. She has a Graduate Diploma in Translation from El Colegio de Mexico and a Master’s in Terminology from Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She has worked in terminology research, developing specialised dictionaries, and as a lecturer in terminology, translation, and interpreting. She is a Federal Court Certified Interpreter and a former Staff interpreter at the District Court of Puerto Rico. She currently works as a translator and interpreter for different clients, including different courts, government agencies, and with the US Department of State as a contract translator and conference-level interpreter. She is an active member of several professional associations and firmly believes in protecting and advocating for our profession. She was raised in Mexico and currently lives in the USA.

Lorena Susana Roqué

Lorena Roqué is a Certified Public Translator and Professor of English with over 25 years of professional experience. She holds a postgraduate degree in Computational Linguistics and has worked as a freelance translator since 1995, specializing in corporate translation and transcreation, software localization, marketing, and technology. She also has extensive experience as a court-certified interpreter and conference interpreter.

Deeply committed to education, Lorena has taught at leading Argentine institutions, including UMSA, CAECE, UCA, and CTPCBA, focusing on translation and technology. She has delivered training programs nationally and internationally on quality assurance, professional marketing, and CAT tools. Lorena has been an active speaker and organizer at major industry events and has received international recognition, including being honored by the Arab Translators Association as “Ambassador of Glory.”

Since 2012, she has held leadership roles at CTPCBA, currently serving as Vice President. She also represents CTPCBA at the national level and is a Council member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT), promoting excellence and innovation in the profession.

Tiina Tuominen

Tiina Tuominen is a Professor of English with a specialisation in translation at the University of Turku, Finland. She has previously taught translation at the universities of Glasgow (UK) and Tampere (Finland). She conducts research on a variety of topics related to translation, including the reception of subtitled content, user-centered translation, subtitlers’ working conditions and professional communities, and translation in the audiovisual setting. She is also interested in facilitating collaborations between practitioners and academia, and she is the co-founder of SubComm, a community fostering contacts between subtitling scholars and practitioners. She has previously worked as a translator and subtitler for several years. She has been a member of the FIT Council since 2022, and she was the Chair of FIT’s standing committee on audiovisual translation in 2022–2025.

Victoria Lai Cheng Lei

Victoria Lei is a seasoned translator and interpreter and is a Life Member of Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge. As an Associate Professor at the University of Macau, she is dedicated to training future translators and interpreters. Holding a PhD in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, she has a rich professional background that includes roles as a journalist, media translator, and news anchor. Her current research focuses on the cognitive processes in translation and interpreting and explores the relationship between language and music, effectively bridging practical experience with academic insight.