About Emily

I’m Emily Hunsberger, Tertulia’s founder and chief wordsmith.

I’m a translator, writer, editor, audio storyteller, and communications generalist with experience in the fields of education, international civil society, community-based work in the US, immigrant rights, adult literacy, art, film, literature, and podcasting, among others. English, Spanish, and Portuguese are my first, second, and third languages, respectively.

Over the course of my career, I’ve cultivated a unique set of skills to be able to bridge linguistic and cultural gaps. While I’m formally educated in the norms and traditions of these three languages, I’m also an observer, a listener, and a question-asker. I participate in these living, breathing languages through relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. My strengths include an openness to different varieties of linguistic expression and a desire to understand the impact of linguistic ideologies and prejudices, all with the goal of reaching more people.

Prior to founding Tertulia, I worked for Avina, LEDC, and as an adjunct college-level Spanish instructor. I hold a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Cornell University and an M.A. in Spanish and Multicultural Education from George Mason University. I live with my family in Philadelphia.

What does tertulia mean?

Una tertulia is a gathering of people for conversation and community. (Check out this Wikipedia article about tertulias). Tertulia is one of my favorite words in Spanish and the name of the creative, multilingual communications company that I founded in 2014. It’s also the name of the independent, Spanish-language podcast I produced from 2017-2022 about how Spanish is used by real people in the US to build community, transmit culture, reclaim identity, and exercise rights.

Tertulia in the Media

Articles and interviews featuring Tertulia’s founder and chief wordsmith, Emily Hunsberger.

Hablemos, escritoras

Listen to my interview (in Spanish) with Adriana Pacheco of the podcast Hablemos, escritoras: “Emily Hunsberger y su Tertulia” (2022).

Speaking Tongues

Listen to my interview with Elle Charisse of the podcast Speaking Tongues: “Speaking US Spanish with Tertulia Podcast” (2021).

Entre Dos

Listen to my interview with Paulo Niño Kehr and Mónika Leal of the podcast Entre Dos: “What Kind of Spanish Do You Speak? The U.S. as a Spanish-Speaking Country” (2019).

Professional memberships

Testimonials From Clients and Collaborators

“Emily is our go-to translator at Fundación Avina. She handles the translation of some of the most important documents we produce throughout the year (annual reports, complex funding proposals, etc.) and never fails to deliver the highest quality work. In addition, she worked with us to produce an excellent trilingual glossary (English-Spanish-Portuguese) and translator reference guide, which has helped us to ensure editorial consistency among all of our translations. Emily is also an excellent writer and editor in both English and Spanish, which allows her to create translations from complex texts that are clear, engaging, and true to the author’s intentions. She is professional, reliable, and always a pleasure to work with.”

“Emily is an extremely reliable translator who produces consistently accurate work. She pays attention to detail and doesn’t hesitate to ask if she has a question about the text. In short, she is exactly what you want in a translator and collaborator! We worked together in a small team on a major project over several months and she was quick to communicate, helpful, and thorough. Besides being careful to be technically accurate, Emily also understands the nuances of language and is a great writer. I hope to collaborate with her again!”

“I first began working with Emily in 2021 and will continue to work with her for years to come. The quality of her work, the customer service she provides, and her promptness in responding to requests and turning around projects is impeccable. Emily is personable, professional, and always happy to assist with a project. I look forward to working with her again soon!”

“I trust Emily because she always makes an effort to understand me as a writer and to connect with my work and its particular motifs and literary elements. I believe this is why her translations are so wonderfully in sync with the original texts. It’s also gratifying to be able to discuss my suggestions with Emily, resulting in an immensely fruitful dialogue between translator and author.”

“[Emily has] translated a few of my stories, which have been published in the United States, and she’s currently translating my latest novel, Antes que desaparezca (Before It Disappears). Throughout the time we’ve been working together, we’ve been in constant communication, and I never cease to be amazed by her perfect command of Spanish, her precise judgment when it comes to translating unique and local expressions in my language, and her love and dedication to the work of translating, which is a type of work rooted in generosity. Added to this is the utmost care with which she treats her relationship with the author she is translating. In sum: an excellent, highly professional translator.”

“Emily Hunsberger is a translator with a very fine literary taste, which was proved already at our first encounter, motivated by her interest in the work of our Argentine author Sylvia Iparraguirre. She is also very skillful in her selection of interesting literary magazines and publishing houses for her projects and in her contacts with them. So far, Emily has helped secure the publication of her English translations of two of Sylvia's wonderful short stories and an excerpt from her latest novel, Antes que desaparezca (Before It Disappears). Collaborating with Emily is an enriching and rewarding experience.”

"Emily demonstrates immense dedication in her creative processes, from preproduction to recording. Her goal is always to maximize the potential of the creative vision we have for the work, and she is assertive in her pursuit of it."