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Meet Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s on-site interpreter staff 

Meet our two accomplished interpreters, Sasha Immarino and Simone Damaceno, who are on-site for a combined 30 hours a week. 

Sasha Iammarino has been an in-person interpreter at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital since January 2023. She grew up between the United States and Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese and English. She attended high school on the island and later received a degree in International Studies from Marlboro College in Vermont. Since moving back to the island in 2020, Sasha has held various bilingual positions in the local public school system in addition to working as an interpreter for MVYPS and the island organization Community Ambassador Partnership (CAP).’ 

Simone Damaceno grew up in a small town in southeastern Brazil and emigrated to Boston in 1995. She moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 2003 to work in the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office, where she rose to the rank of lieutenant. Among other responsibilities, Simone served as liaison between the local police departments and Portuguese-speaking individuals who didn’t share a common language. She also worked closely with the Department of Social Services and provided interpreting services to the Dukes County district court and the Vineyard Health Care Access Program. 

Simone has completed an interpreter course at UMass in Portuguese/English and she’s trained to facilitate communication with individuals who are hearing-impaired or suffer mental illness. She is currently taking an advanced course including a specialized segment on medical interpretation.