About Me
Who is Blue Urpi
and Who is Behind It?
Blue Urpi is the name of the company created and managed by Gloria Rivera. It specializes in English/Spanish translation, interpreting, instruction, and consulting about Hispanic culture.
Who is this Gloria?
Let me introduce myself.
My name is Gloria Rivera and I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where I completed my medical studies. After graduating as a physician-surgeon I worked in general practice, gaining extensive hands-on experience with patients and valuable insights into a non-patient centered healthcare system.
Once I relocated to the States, driven by a lifelong passion for language and cross-cultural communication, I pursued formal training and achieved a Professional Certificate of Translation and Interpreting at UCSD Extension and, a couple of years later, I became a Certified Medical interpreter (CMI and CHI) and California Certified Court Interpreter.
My teaching journey started at UCSD Extension where I taught briefly after after the completion of my Certificate. I have also taught a couple of workshops at the Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón (UNIFE, Peru), and the feather in my cap was when Dr. Fernando Navarro invited me to be an instructor at his Summer Course at the Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo. Since 2013, I have been a Faculty Member of the University of Arizona National Center for Interpretation for their medical-legal area.
Even though I am an introvert, you can find me connecting with students and peers through webinars, conferences, and workshops, whether online or in person. (See below)
Since 2010 I am the person behind Blue Urpi, a company I created to share my passion for medicine, translation, interpreting, cultural competency, and much more.
Welcome to my site (yes, I am also IT). I hope you enjoy the webinars and resources you will find here.
Gloria
Where can you find her? Teaching!
Whether online or in person, for Blue Urpi or translation and interpreting associations, teaching is what makes Gloria happy!
Here are some of the conferences, in the US and abroad, where Gloria has shared her passion for translation, interpreting, medicine, language, and culture.
"That is what I do. I have opinions and I like sharing them..."
This is my homage to Tyrion Lannister* and my go-to line when someone asks if they can pick my brain. So, when friends contact me about wanting to talk about my favorite topics, how can I say no?
Here are some friends I have shared some thoughts with:
*This is inspired by “I drink and I know things”, a phrase from George R. R. Martin’s book, A Song of Ice and Fire. It was said by the character Tyrion Lannister. As most people, I watched the show, loved this character, but disliked the ending.
Last, but not least.
What Does Blue Urpi Mean?
/bluːˈuɾ.pi/
Our name comes from two words that are meaningful to Gloria: Blue and Urpi.
Urpi (pronounced oor-peeh) comes from Quechua, an indigenous language of Peru. It means pigeon, a bird that has carried important messages with care for centuries.
I picked the color blue because it reminded me of the amazing blue sky of Cusco that always gives me a sense of peace and calm.
These two words embody our mission: to deliver our clients’ messages with clarity and timeliness, in a calm and relaxed manner.
