TEAM

Dolgormaa Hersom, President & CEO

Dolgormaa manages House of Languages’ overall operations. Originally from Mongolia, she is a Mongolian and Russian interpreter and translator. She is qualified by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and Defense Language Institute as an Oral Proficiency Interview Tester in Mongolian.

Dolgormaa has been working in the language services field in Maine for more than twenty years. She helped to establish the Maine Interpreter Qualification Standards and developed basic interpreter training and medical interpreter training at United Way of Greater Portland and Southern Maine Community College. As a consultant to the Maine Judicial Branch, Dolgormaa helped to administer court interpreter certification exams and qualify Maine court interpreters. She is a member of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care.

“Every client is important and deserves to be treated with utmost respect, regardless of the size of the job.”

Majlinda Mulla-Everett, Interpreter Services Coordinator

Majlinda works with customers who need interpreter services, coordinating our team of over 100 interpreters and maintaining the schedule to meet our clients’ needs most efficiently. She is also an interpreter herself, speaking Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, and Serbo-Croatian. In 2021, Majlinda won the American Translators Association’s School Outreach Program Award. She is a member of the American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education.

Born in Prishtina, the capital city of the Republic of Kosovo, Majlinda was raised in a bilingual family and became passionate about languages early. Her first role as an interpreter was as a child, interpreting Spanish telenovelas with Albanian subtitles to her Montenegrin mother. 

Majlinda has held several positions in NGOs, healthcare, and government and spent her youth helping communities come together. She holds a BS degree in Political Science from the University of Prishtina.

In addition to languages, she has a passion for politics and reading, and she loves spending time outdoors with her family.

“I am a naturally compassionate multitasker, and I want every situation to have a positive outcome. Customer service is a crucial part of this puzzle.”

Laila Sousa Ferreira, Translation Project Manager

Laila was born into a large family in the outskirts of São Paulo, a city of 18 million people in Brazil. Raised in a family with deep Italian, Portuguese Native Brazilian roots, she has always been very proud of her heritage. Her passion for different cultures and languages started early, from the days her Nonna taught her Italian, the only language she spoke, as they made fresh pasta and Easter bread.

Laila holds a BA in International Relations and a master’s in Political Science. She has worked in several private organizations and NGOs in Brazil, Belgium, Portugal, and the US. She currently lives in Maine and has a deep admiration for the state. Whenever she has free time you can find her at her pottery studio, Acadia National Park, or by the ocean.

“Being someone’s voice is a privilege. We as people have the need for connection and it is hard to connect when you are unable to communicate. When we help our clients to communicate, we create relationships that are essential to their lives.”

Karolina Swasey, Translation Project Manager

A fresh transplant to Portland by way of Poland, Germany and New York, Karolina has always felt at home in the in-between of languages and cultures. Her love for languages is rooted in her bilingual upbringing, which fostered her desire to learn more of them and ultimately led to a career in the localization industry, in which she worked for nearly 10 years as both a Manager and Linguist.

Karolina holds a B.A. and M.A. in Cultural History and Theory from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany. Outside of the office, Karolina is working on her passion project of raising her daughter (bilingually, of course). She enjoys exploring Portland by bike and writing and illustrating children’s poems.

Rick Hersom, Business Manager

Rick works behind the scenes to keep House of Languages running smoothly. He manages the company’s finances, including maintaining contracts, timely invoicing, and swift resolution of any issues. Rick graduated from University of Maine in Farmington, with concentrations in English and philosophy. It was at UMF that Rick met his wife, Dolgormaa, with whom he operates House of Languages.

Aside from a couple of years in Alaska, Rick is a lifelong Mainer. He finds it rewarding to be part of a company that provides such a valuable service for the community, such has helping people to access healthcare, education, and other vital services.

In his spare time, Rick enjoys car shows and motorsports, listening to obscure music, playing nerdy games with friends, and taking long quiet walks in the woods.

“At House of Languages, we understand the significance of our services for our customers, so we strive to provide a seamless experience.”