• Arcos Institute 2024

What we do

At Arcos Institute, we provide high-quality professional development opportunities both online and in person, helping professionals across various fields build the skills that best fit intercultural environments.

Our curricula are thoughtfully designed and blend informative content with engaging delivery to ensure learning is both effective and enjoyable.

Our programs address effective COMMUNICATION for DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION and BELONGING (DEIB). By fostering cultural competence and promoting intercultural communication, we create learning experiences that are relevant and impactful for individuals and organizations alike.

Collaboration is key to our approach. We partner with industry experts and thought leaders to develop innovative, up-to-date curricula that reflect the latest trends, ensuring our programs remain forward-looking and practical.

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What we offer

We contribute to this field of growing international relevance by building pillars in various complementary ways:

FOR ORGANIZATIONS AND STAFF TEAMS

We offer consulting on language access planning and policy development.
We design and facilitate trainings on language access compliance for equity, diversity and inclusion.

FOR INTERPRETERS AND CULTURAL LIAISONS

We offer continuing education trainings.
We develop lifelong learning resources.

 

Who we are

Arcos Institute was founded by two women who are passionate professionals in the field of intercultural communication, interpretation and translation and who are always interested in finding synergies with other professionals.

Collaboration is at the core of Arcos Institute’s modus operandi.

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Sofía García-Beyaert

Before it became the collective it is nowadays, Sofía founded Arcos Institute in 2016, when she was living in Seattle. Today, she is a professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), where she does research and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at the school of Translation, Interpreting and East Asian Studies. Reflecting on what it takes to communicate effectively across languages and cultures is second nature to her because of her multicultural upbringing. Identifying and developing societal mechanisms for effective cross-linguistic communication has become the chosen cornerstone of her career. Her publications, some of which have had an important impact in the field, can be found here. When she is not working, Sofía enjoys spending time in nature, water coloring mesmerizing cloud shades, and hands-on creative projects.

Alice Bendinelli

Alice co-founded Arcos Institute Collective in 2022. A native of Italy who is currently based in San Diego, her love for languages took a new spin when she started comparing clever translation solutions in the multilingual subtitling of her favorite shows and series. Today, she is passionate about making sure clever solutions are available to individuals who face language barriers in life-determining exchanges. To that end, she applies the knowledge she acquired at the University of Genoa (BA in Translation and Interpreting) and Bellevue College (Certificate Program in Translation and Interpretation) when running Arcos Institute. She also served as the Assistant Administrator of the ATA Italian Language Division. For several years, she managed languages services for the non-profit Casa Cornelia Law Center which serves the immigrant community of San Diego. When she is not working, she can be found salsa dancing, playing guitar or cooking delicious Italian food. 

 
Sofía García-Beyaert, PhD

Sofía García-Beyaert, PhD

As a multi-cultural polyglot, Sofia’s first-hand experiences of the complications of equity at the intersection of language and culture has motivated her notable career. In 2016, from Seattle, she founded Arcos Institute, now a collective, to address ever-growing access issues and their entanglement with translation and interpreting services. Today, she continues identifying barriers and opportunities to fortify language access, as a professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at the school of Translation, Interpreting and East Asian Studies. Sofia and her work are motivated by the deep respect for human dignity that lies beneath each effective intercultural exchange. For her, language access and communicative autonomy are essential to DEIB. Please read more here, in her academic papers. When she is not working, Sofía enjoys spending time in nature, watercoloring mesmerizing cloud shades, and a wide variety of hands-on creative projects.

Alice Bendinelli, co-funder Arcos Institute
Alice Bendinelli

Alice Bendinelli

Alice co-founded Arcos Institute Collective in 2022. A native of Italy who is currently based in San Diego, her love for languages took a new spin when she started comparing clever translation solutions in the multilingual subtitling of her favorite shows and series. Today, she is passionate about making sure clever solutions are available to individuals who face language barriers in life-determining exchanges. To that end, when running Arcos Institute, she applies the knowledge she acquired at the University of Genoa (BA in Translation and Interpreting) and Bellevue College (Certificate Program in Translation and Interpretation). She also served as the Assistant Administrator of the ATA Italian Language Division. For several years she managed languages services for the non-profit Casa Cornelia Law Center which serves the immigrant community of San Diego. When she is not working, she can be found salsa dancing, singing in her cover band or cooking delicious Italian food. 

Our collaborators

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Collaboration is central to our approach, as we partner with experienced trainers and subject matter experts to create and deliver cutting-edge curriculum. By working closely with industry professionals, we ensure that our programs are aligned with the latest trends and technologies, providing learners with relevant, practical skills. This collaboration guarantees that our educational offerings are both comprehensive and directly informed by those who actively shape the field.
TESTIMONIALS

What clients say

"Impressed with master class support of the team and really look forward for the future.Really, really well made! Love that each component is handmade and customised. Great Work!"

Cassandra Noel

Africa

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We provide

Online and in-person classes

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We are based in

San Diego, CA, United States and operate online and internationally

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Languages we speak

English, Spanish, Italian, French

New classes

Every year