Allison Sutherland
~Teacher/Writer/Linguist/Voiceover Artist ~
By Rodney Wayne Branche
Copa Style Magazine Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Photography by Mark Kanawati
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Copa: Where are you from?
Allison: I was born in New York City, grew up in Delaware, and came to Fairfax, Virginia in 1976. Copa: What schools have you attended?
Allison: W. T. Woodson HS in Fairfax and the University of Virginia. I also studied in Paris and Avignon, France for a semester. One summer, I went on an archaeological excavation in Morgantina, Sicily. I have a B.A. in French from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Applied Linguistics with a concentration in Italian from Georgetown University and was inducted into Phi Sigma Lota, the Foreign Language National Honor Society. |
New York, New York
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Copa: Why linguistics?
Allison: I have loved languages ever since I was a little girl. My mom speaks five languages, so I inherited the inclination and facility for language from her. Linguistics then applies language in different ways. Copa: What was your first job after you graduated from graduate school?
Allison: I worked for the airline Pan American in the World Pass Service Center and on the multilingual reservations desk. I worked on the ground but got to fly almost 200,000 miles in two years. In total, I’ve been able to travel to over 50 countries. It was a great opportunity at just the right time. |
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Copa: What are some of the interesting places you've visited?
Allison: I went sailing off the coast of Rio in Brazil, visited a Buddhist monastery in Japan, traveled to Ireland and Scotland, got caught up in a political riot in Caracas, Venezuela, attended a gathering of indigenous dancers on a mountaintop at sunrise on the island of Molokai, went hiking in New Zealand, and went on a cruise in Australia to the Great Barrier Reef.
Allison: I went sailing off the coast of Rio in Brazil, visited a Buddhist monastery in Japan, traveled to Ireland and Scotland, got caught up in a political riot in Caracas, Venezuela, attended a gathering of indigenous dancers on a mountaintop at sunrise on the island of Molokai, went hiking in New Zealand, and went on a cruise in Australia to the Great Barrier Reef.
Copa: What was your next career move?
Allison: After Pan Am, I worked as a computational linguist and multilingual lexicographer for the international software company Globalink in Fairfax, Virginia. For a decade, I wrote linguistic algorithms for our translation software and built microdictionaries. I also traveled to 12 countries and 45 cities with my job, giving software demonstrations or training to over 7,500 people in six languages.
Allison: After Pan Am, I worked as a computational linguist and multilingual lexicographer for the international software company Globalink in Fairfax, Virginia. For a decade, I wrote linguistic algorithms for our translation software and built microdictionaries. I also traveled to 12 countries and 45 cities with my job, giving software demonstrations or training to over 7,500 people in six languages.
Copa: What did you do after Globalink?
Allison: The following decade I taught French and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for Fairfax County Public Schools. Twenty years later, many of my students and I are still friends. I also teach students from Colombia who were adopted as teenagers. One of them asked me to be her godmother. That was a great honor.
Allison: The following decade I taught French and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for Fairfax County Public Schools. Twenty years later, many of my students and I are still friends. I also teach students from Colombia who were adopted as teenagers. One of them asked me to be her godmother. That was a great honor.
Copa: Have you pursued any other writing opportunities?
Allison: Since 2010, I’ve written travel, culinary, beauty, and lifestyle articles for Viva Tysons magazine and Le Nouveau Moi. I do all the photography for my articles. I’m also a children’s author. For my book “The Snoring Princess” – about a little Afro-Caribbean princess – I recorded the soundtrack, including all of the voices and sound effects. I decided to create a universal, multicultural princess that everyone could identify with. I then wrote “The Adventures of Kaluwara the Koala in the Galapagos Islands” to teach the children how to protect the earth and endangered species, which now is more important than ever. Copa: When did you first become interested in voiceovers?
Allison: Growing up, I sometimes used to imitate my teachers to entertain my friends. On the train ride home from New York when I tried out for the Jeopardy Clue Crew, I met Miss Iowa Shawn Diddy – not to be confused with the popular American rapper Sean Combs, also known as "Diddy" – who was also trying out for the show. She recommended that I take a voiceover class. The next day I discovered a class nearby at Fairfax Public Access Channel 10 and have been doing voiceovers ever since. I later had the opportunity to be live on camera on Channel 10’s “Communicating Today,” as well as on Arlington Public Television and MHz Networks. For my first voiceover, I was a German, Jewish Holocaust survivor for the documentary film “Paper Clips,” which was nominated for an Emmy and had a run on HBO. I also do voiceovers in multiple languages, as well as character voices. For instance, I was the Spanish voice for the toothbrushing toy BrushyBall and the ‘Voice of God' announcer at Arena Stage for an international health conference. I used to do voiceovers and bring musicians on XM 29 UPOP satellite radio for the Ted Kelly World Party morning show. I then covered the red carpet for the Hispanic Heritage Awards for XM 29 UPOP and interviewed numerous award winners and presenters, including Rita Moreno, Pitbull, Rosario Dawson, and Benjamin Bratt. |
Copa: When did you become interested in teaching?
Allison: There are a lot of teachers in my family. My grandfather was the youngest school superintendent in Virginia history at the age of 26. I discovered I shared their passion for helping others. Copa: At what time did you establish your tutoring business?
Allison: After 10 years of teaching for Fairfax County Public Schools, I decided to become an independent tutor. The name of my business is Friendly Neighborhood Tutoring. I tutor five languages – French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, English, and ESOL – reading, writing, grammar, science, history, and social studies. I also teach immersion cooking in foreign languages. My students and I have a great time cooking together. One time they made me chocolate mousse for breakfast. I also wrote a cookbook entitled “Allicucina - A Culinary Journey.” Copa: So you’re an award-winning songwriter, photographer, and poet. Please tell our readers a little about that.
Allison: In 2006, in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest of the Songwriters’ Association of Washington, I won the Gold Award in the World category for my song “Siempre” and Honorable Mention in the Celtic category for “Margaret Mackin.” In 2009, I won Silver in the Instrumental category for my song “Messages.” I won several photography awards in the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens ”Capturing Nature” Contest. One of my poems placed second in the Arkansas Writers’ Conference contest and other poems were published in poetry journals in English and French. 
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Copa: What is your outlook on life?
Allison: Well, as I say in my cookbook introduction, “Let us continue to share the secrets of our kitchens and welcome our friends and loved ones to our tables.” And as I always toast, “To life, love, and laughter.” http://allivoice.com/
Allison: Well, as I say in my cookbook introduction, “Let us continue to share the secrets of our kitchens and welcome our friends and loved ones to our tables.” And as I always toast, “To life, love, and laughter.” http://allivoice.com/
All slideshow photos by Photographer Mark Kanawati
