Marcelo Nino De Guzman has been helping Reno's Hispanic community with his language skills for decades.
As an experienced interpreter, Nino De Guzman has worked for various organizations over the years, but prides himself on helping incarcerated individuals understand the complexities of the judicial system. Often explaining legal terms, prison regulations, and offering a human connection in their darkest moments.
At the Washoe County Detention Center, Nino De Guzman’s week began early in the morning.
“At the jail I'd start at eight o'clock till about 10 o'clock. My job was to read them in Spanish, their constitutional rights, explain every point of them so they can be aware of what was going on and what they could do,” Nino De Guzman said.
He would then interpret the communication between the defense attorney and the inmate.
“After that, [I’d] wait for the defense attorney to call them upfront and [I’d] talk with them and interpret what was going to say and what the defense attorney would try to tell them,” he said.
That was Nino De Guzman’s life for 25 years.
He was born in Oruro, Bolivia, a mining town. He attended an Anglo-American school, where English was a primary language, setting the foundation for his future.
When a high school teacher wrote him a letter of recommendation, it opened the door for Nino De Guzman to immigrate to the U.S. in the early 1960s.
His first stop was Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked before enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1962. For four years, Nino De Guzman served across the globe, including stints in Japan and Puerto Rico.
After his military service, Marcelo returned briefly to Bolivia, where he got engaged. Settling in Richmond, Virginia, he pursued a degree in business administration at the University of Richmond. He later returned to Bolivia to work for a company representing American brands before settling in Reno, Nevada, in the early 1980s.
“[When] we started here in Reno, I worked for the Latin American Center, which was an office that helped with the small Latino population, trying to find them jobs, translations, interpretations and different areas,” Nino De Guzman said.
In 1988, Nino De Guzman was offered his first job as an interpreter for the Reno and Sparks courts.
“I was walking [in] downtown Reno, and I ran into a gentleman who was an attorney at that time, and he asked me if I could help him work as an interpreter. And that's why my career as an interpreter started,” he said.
But it wasn't until a few years later that he started going to the jail.
“Through all that time, I met a lot of people with different needs, good people, I could say that they were in jail due to a mistake in life, like everybody commits traffic citations and things like that, or worse, things that happen in life. But they're human beings. And [you] try to help them the best you can,” Nino De Guzman said.
Interpreting for so many years allowed him to really get to know his community. He served people from different Latino backgrounds.
“I could say I really enjoyed that thing, because they made me feel that I was doing something for people that they really needed. And as a result of that, I could tell you that wherever I go right now, somebody talks to me and says, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ I ask them, hey, where do I know you from?,” Nino De Guzman said.
The hardest part of the job was some of the personalities of the inmates, he said, and the little education that some of them had. But overall, it was a very rewarding job.
“They find out where I live and knock on my door, and they offer service as landscapers, painters or things like that, for the reason that I did help them when they were in custody,” Nino de Guzman said.
He still receives gratitude from those he helped, his wife Cecilia Nino De Guzman said.
“It wasn't just interpreting. He joked around and made good friends, and that's why they missed him so much up to today. He made so many friends. They still come and knock at our doors and say, ‘thank you, can I help you with this?’ But some other thing that is very important is they say, "God bless you for what you did,” she said as tears filled her eyes.
Nino De Guzman is now enjoying the flexibility of his retirement, allowing him to spend more time with his family and travel to Bolivia.
He also advises the Hispanic community to continue working hard, getting educated, and sending their children to school to ensure a better future.
“Just keep working hard. Get your kids educated, send them to school, do the best we can, and that's why, the reason we came to this country, and I think we're doing that. There's no doubt about that. The Spanish community is going up,” Nino De Guzman said.
