Bel Reh is the Interpreting Coordinator for AAU and helps coordinate over 80 interpreters who speak 35 languages. Just last year alone, AAU provided over 50,000 interpreting hours helping 15,000 clients. The team’s language service is relied on heavily by schools, hospitals, and internal AAU social services.
Bel is from Myanmar, specifically the Kayah State and home to the Karenni people and speaks Karenni, Burmese, and English. Bel spent all his childhood years in a refugee camp in northern Thailand before arriving to Utah as a refugee at the age of 22. Following his arrival, he got his Associate’s degree in General Studies from Salt Lake Community College and enjoys exploring the great outdoors with his wife and three children. One of his family’s favorite places to visit is Kamas, Utah in the Wasatch National Forest.
When Bel first came to Utah, ninety percent of his community spoke little to no English, which gave him the opportunity to start interpreting. He started at AAU as a volunteer and later became a case worker before going back to the interpretation team, this time as the coordinator and working with the other departments that help the community out in many ways. His goals for himself and his team have always been geared towards being the go-to interpretation service when there is a need.
“I really enjoy serving other people, and helping my community,” Bel said. “The language barrier was a real problem when I first came here, and so I’m happy to know that my team and I are able to help.”
