About Willamette Translation Services, Inc.

Karl Pister, the president and co-founder of the company, worked as a nursery supervisor in Salinas, California, in the mid 1980s, supervising a crew of over 20 employees, all of whom were native Spanish speakers. He acquired a ground-level view of how clear communication is crucial to a productive and profitable agricultural business.

That experience, along with a degree in Spanish that emphasized linguistics and translation, led Karl to team with co-founder Rafael Paleaz, a native of Mexico and a long-term resident of the United States, to start Willamette Translation Services, Inc., in 1996 with a single client, a small landscaping firm in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Since then, WTS has worked with over 60 clients in the Northwest and nationally, focusing almost exclusively on the agribusiness sector.  In 2000, the business was formally incorporated with Karl as president, Rafael as vice president, Alicia Pelaez as controller, and Audrey Pister supervising the IT area. We have translated from 100- page employee manuals to one-paragraph memos. We have translated and interpreted for golf courses, nurseries, landscaping companies, food processing companies, and the timber and wood products industry. All of our translation is done by a small core of native Spanish-speaking independent contractors who know our business well and have been contracting with us for years.

We believe our background with agriculture and the Hispanic culture allows us to know what challenges you might be facing with accurately communicating vital information to your Spanish-speaking employees.  We know the industry, which allows us to be able to consult with you on the nature of the translation and what you want it to accomplish. We work with you to make it work for your employees.

As one of our satisfied customers said:

I have been extremely happy with your company. You have been so helpful in getting even the smallest of jobs done for me quickly and efficiently. I would (and have) recommend Willamette Translation Services highly. We will continue to do business with you.

Dollie Budlong,
K&W Timber, Salem, Oregon