In Memoriam:

Leland Duane Wright, Jr. — 1942 - 2012

eland (Lee) D. Wright, Jr. died on Tuesday April 10, 2012, after a valiant, seven-year battle with cancer. He was 69. An ATA-certified Spanish → English translator, he was a life member of the American Translators Association (1975-present), an ATA Director from 1978-1984, a certification exam grader, and former chair of the Spanish graders group. Lee founded the Northeast Ohio Translators Association (NOTA) and was a long-term fixture on the Executive Committee. A former editor of the ATA Chronicle, he frequently contributed to the Chronicle and to NOTA BENE, the NOTA newsletter (which he named).

Lee was born on July 7, 1942 in Chicago, IL, where his parents, Shirley and Leland Wright, Sr. were living during World War II. He graduated from high school in Creston, IA in 1960. At Simpson College in Indianola, IA, he majored in Spanish with a minor in Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1964. He completed his Masters of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature at the Univ. of Illinois and Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis, where Lee studied Hispanic Language and Linguistics.

Lee taught language, literature, and most importantly, Spanish-to-English translation at numerous institutions, including Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Cleveland State University, Kent State University and NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He also worked as an International Communications Consultant with the engineering firm Davy McKee (1974-1982) and ran his own translation services company, Wright and Associates (1982-Present). With Alan Melby and a small group of developers, he played an instrumental role in developing Mercury-Termex, the first PC-based translation-oriented terminology management program.

Aside from these professional pursuits, Lee frequently lent his wonderful baritone to musical organizations in the community, whether a stage production of Gilbert & Sullivan or performances of the Cleveland Orchestra Festival Chorus. He was also a regular attendee of diverse concerts in the Cleveland area, from Apollo’s Fire to the Cleveland Orchestra to Opera Cleveland to numerous bluegrass and traditional Celtic music festivals.

He leaves behind his wife, Sue Ellen Wright, whom he married on August 21, 1965; his daughter and son-in-law, Elena and Andrew Kramer of Winchester, MA; and two sisters, Barbara Widick and Susan Weight both of Creston IA.

The family has requested that any memorial donations be made in his name to the American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation, c/o ATA, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314.