CV

First and last name - Steven Kaplan

Currently in Bogotá, Colombia.

Since language, culture, and society are inextricably intertwined, if a language is not inclusive, then how could the society that uses it be? Not using othering and oppressive language promotes not thinking in such terms, which in turn translates into not acting this way. As more and more people express themselves in an unbiased and inclusive manner, others are inspired to do so as well. We all benefit through living in a safer, more inviting, hopefully even nurturing environment, where respect, tolerance, and consideration are the foundation of all interactions.

Here is a brief summary of some of my skills and accomplishments. For more details, please scroll further down to see the rest of my CV. Thanks for your interest!

☼ I have successfully completed a PhD in Lexicography, granted by Stellenbosch University, titled: A Theoretical Model for the Preparation of an Inclusive and Bias-Free Expression Dictionary, where I explore bias and exclusion in the English language, and the role these play in the continued vilification and oppression of females, nonwhites, and other groups. This is an indispensable part of taking equity, the embracing of diversity, and true inclusiveness to the next level. It is likely the first of its kind in any academic field.

☼ I am the author of fourteen scholarly dictionaries in multiple areas of expertise, including psychology and psychiatry, law, electrical and computer engineering, chemistry, and business. My publishers have included Wiley, Wolters Kluwer, Routledge, Elsevier, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and these dictionaries provide over 1,000,000 combined entries. Across the world, most quality universities have several of my published dictionaries available for consultation in their libraries.

☼ I have a Masters of Science Degree in Education, from Fordham Univerisity, and graduated with a 3.7 out of 4.0 Grade Point Average. Specifically, the degree is in Special Education, Learning Disabilities Track.

☼ I have a Bachelor of Arts degree, from Sarah Lawrence College, and graduated with a 3.8 out of 4.0 Grade Point Average. My prime academic foci were writing, chemistry, and the natural sciences.

☼ I am a native speaker of both English and Spanish, have advanced oral, written, and research skills in each, and have lived in several English- and Spanish-speaking lands. I am also proficient in German.

☼ In addition to having lived in several countries where Spanish is the primary language, I obtained a doctorate degree from a top university in Africa.

☼ A paper was successfully presented at AFRILEX, in late June 2021, titled: The role lexicographers can play in helping to vanquish insensitivity, brutality, othering, and willful ignorance. At the 2018 AFRILEX conference I had also given a well-received presentation on bias in the English language, as exemplified by the expression boys will be boys. This latter paper was also published as:

Kaplan, S.M., 2020. Boys will be boys: an example of biased and exclusive usage. Lexicographica, 36(1), pp.205-223. (Please request a PDF of the either article, if desired.)

☼ I have been licensed as a teacher and have extensive teaching experience in both English and Spanish at academic levels ranging from prekindergarten through university, on three continents plus the Caribbean. I have several goals when teaching, and these include providing an inclusive academic environment where the students can significantly improve their linguistic and cultural skills, and still be themselves. A setting where they can interact with each other offering encouragement and new ideas, while always expressing themselves in a respectful and considerate manner. A milieu where they can be creative, curious, open, and analytical, confident that they will receive support and recognition. Where they can savor their progress and make the best of their strengths, while eager to recognize areas where they can improve, knowing that they are active participants in a life characterized by a love of learning.

☼ I have a solid STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) background.

☼ I have decades of dedication to equity, inclusiveness, and the embracing of diversity.

☼ I can teach undergraduate and graduate courses in bias-free and inclusive communication, equity, inclusiveness, and the embracing of diversity, and advanced courses in sociology, sociolinguistics, feminist studies, political science, Hispanic/Latinx studies, gender studies, Spanish, bilingual studies, and more. I can also advise and mentor dissertations in these fields as well.

☼ I have taught many specialized business courses which not only emphasize language learning, but also help to create a cultural awareness that is so important to forming lasting and mutually-beneficial professional relationships. Several of these courses were researched and prepared by me, in addition to my having been the instructor.

☼ I founded and ran a translation company whose clients included some of the world's largest and most prestigious professional organizations. I also have wide-ranging business experience in both English and Spanish.

Academic Record:

July 2018 to November 2019, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

PhD in Lexicography (degree awarded April, 2020)

This is one of the thirty or so PhDs in lexicography ever granted, and is titled: A Theoretical Model for the Preparation of an Inclusive and Bias-Free Expression Dictionary.

September 1985 to June 1986, Fordham University, New York, USA

Masters of Education (Master of Science)

Grade Point Average: 3.7 of 4.0

Specifically, the degree is in Special Education, Learning Disabilities Track.

In addition to the usual courses that afforded a well-rounded Masters Degree in Education, my course of study emphasized research and writing.

September 1979 to May 1983, Sarah Lawrence College, New York, USA

Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy and Letters)

Prime Academic Focus: Chemistry.

Grade Point Average: 3.8 of 4.0

Sarah Lawrence College has a unique system in which nearly all courses are divided into two parts. One is a singular classroom experience, and the other is a one-to-one research project whose product is an extended term paper. Research and writing skills are constantly honed throughout the four years there. In addition, I did graduate-level research in organic chemistry.

May 1979, Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, Puerto Rico

Graduation from Secondary School.

Summary of my work as a lexicographer:

Author of fourteen published dictionaries. Thirteen are bilingual (English-Spanish/Spanish-English), and one is monolingual. The areas of expertise covered include law, business, electrical and electronics engineering, chemistry, and psychology and psychiatry. Combined, these dictionaries provide over 1,000,000 entries. In the history of bilingual lexicography, no other single author has amassed nearly as many entries, nor has had dictionaries published in such varied fields. My publishers have included Wiley, Wolters Kluwer, Routledge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Aspen Publishers, and Elsevier.

Each of these dictionaries faithfully complies with the five key characteristics which describe quality lexicographical work:

1) They are fully accurate, so that users can trust the content.

2) They are inclusive and bias-free.

3) They are comprehensive, so that the desired words and phrases can be found.

4) They are current at the time of publication, so that users will not only find recent terms in the given field, but also the up-to-date connotations.

5) They are easy to use, so that information can be found without time-consuming distractions such as a confused layout.

In addition, my dictionaries are characterized by consistency, continuity, balance, and elegance. The main objective of my lexicographical writing is to help in the continual reduction of communications barriers, especially those between English and Spanish speaking people, wherever they may be.

Throughout the world, most quality universities have several of my published dictionaries available for consultation.

Summary of my work as a translator:

In 1989 I founded a translation company which I ran until 1991, when I started my lexicographical work. Some of the world's largest and most prestigious professional organizations were prominent among my regular clients, including the American Dental Association (over 150,000 members), and the National Association of Realtors (well over 1 million members.) Indirectly, I have been a part of hundreds of thousands or even millions of translations throughout the world, as my collection of bilingual dictionaries have been a constant and reliable companion to countless translators in dozens of countries.

In 1991 I started my full-time work in lexicography, but still do some translation work on the side. My translations are exacting, precise, and fully conceptual. The results go way beyond being mere translations. Their accuracy entails not just the linguistic aspects, but also the psychological and sociocultural components as well.

Summary of my work as a teacher:

I have been certified as a teacher in the United States and in Puerto Rico, and have extensive experience educating students of all ages in English and Spanish, ranging from preschool through university. I taught chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico during 1984 and 1985, always using English texts while conducting classes in Spanish. I have also taught many specialized business courses which not only emphasize language learning, but also help to create a cultural awareness that is so important to forming lasting and mutually-beneficial professional relationships. Several of these courses were researched and prepared by me, in addition to my having been the instructor. My emphasis was on inclusiveness, respect, understanding, and putting the needs of others first.

I also instructed chemistry at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, and in addition have provided my services as a teacher free of charge in North America, South America, and Europe.

I have also been an instructor at a Gymnasium in Austria (2005-2007), teaching conversational and cultural skills in both English and Spanish. This teaching also included experimental plurilingual classes where I taught subjects such as chemistry in English, as opposed to the native language of the students (usually German,) in order to enhance their interlingual abilities and foster multiculturalism. A Gymnasium is a secondary school that prepares students for higher education.

I have recommendation letters from latest teaching work, which you can read by clicking on these links:

Recommendation letter from a Gymnasium School Director.

Recommendation letter from a Colleague in the English Department.

Summary of other work, a long time ago:

I have ample experience with youngsters having special mental and/or physical needs, with most of this work taking place between 1977 and 1984. This volunteer work was very satisfying, and ranged from (depending on the specific youngsters) helping with basic language skills, through physical education and arts and crafts. The last year of said work, 1984, I led an experimental group that had an excursion every day. That is, we met at the camp location early in the morning, left together (using public transport, not private) to go to the beach, the movies, shopping, to museums, parks, and back to the beach (understandable, as this was in Puerto Rico), and so on, and at the end of the day returned to the camp location so everyone could be picked up to return to their homes.

Otherwise, I also prepared and taught business courses, worked as a financial advisor, and was a chemist in charge of quality control at a pharmaceutical company.

There is plenty more information on all of the above experiences. Please ask if you are interested.

Some useful links:

My doctoral dissertation at SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University's archive for research output): https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/107754

HAL (a scholarly archive): https://hal.science/search/index/q/*/authIdHal_s/steven-m-kaplan

ORCiD ID (a researcher identifier service): https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4516-3105

ResearchGate profile (a research sharing site): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steven_Kaplan3

Academia.edu profile (a research sharing site): https://sun.academia.edu/StevenKaplan

LinkedIn profile (a business networking site): https://www.linkedin.com/in/4inclusiveness/

Google Scholar (a search engine for scholarly research): https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yrcf-6wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra

Relevant scholarly articles and conference presentations:

2024 Kaplan, S.M., 2024. Valerie Jean Solanas – Supermujer promotora del poder femenino.

2024 Kaplan, S.M., 2024. social constructions – the core of our biased and inequitable reality, Part Two: Rape, Patriarchy, and Genocide.

2024 Kaplan, S.M., 2024. social constructions – the core of our biased and inequitable reality: Part One.

2023 Kaplan, S.M., 2023. senior moment - a typical example of how older people are othered.

2023 Kaplan, S.M., 2023. Spinster – In-depth and unbiased.

2021 Kaplan, S.M., 2021. The role lexicographers can play in helping to vanquish insensitivity, brutality, othering, and willful ignorance, AFRILEX, 2021.

2020 Kaplan, S.M., 2020. Boys will be boys: an example of biased and exclusive usage. Lexicographica, 36(1), pp.205-223.

2018 Kaplan, S.M., 2018. Boys will be boys: an example of biased and exclusive usage , AFRILEX, 2021.

Published Dictionaries:

2014 Wiley's English-Spanish Spanish-English Chemistry Dictionary, SECOND EDITION.

Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, USA.

This dictionary offers over 75,000 entries used in all areas of chemistry, plus related fields of expertise. It is the latest of a complete series of dictionaries that serve to help reduce communications barriers between English and Spanish speaking people throughout the world.

2013 English/Spanish and Spanish/English Legal Dictionary, FOURTH EDITION.

Published by Kluwer Law & Business, Alphen aan der Rijn, Netherlands.

This dictionary provides over 135,000 words and phrases used in all areasof the legal profession, plus related fields of expertise. It is fully current, accurate, comprehensive, and easy to use.

2013 Essential English/Spanish and Spanish/English Legal Dictionary, SECOND EDITION.

Published by Kluwer Law International, Alphen aan der Rijn, Netherlands.

This dictionary provides close to 75,000 words and phrases used in all areas of the legal profession, plus related fields of expertise.

2011 The Routledge Spanish Bilingual Dictionary of Psychology and Psychiatry.

Published by Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon UK/New York, NY USA.

This dictionary provides over 100,000 words and phrases used in all areas of psychology and psychiatry, and allied fields. It is fully comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date, and easy to use.

2008 Essential English/Spanish and Spanish/English Legal Dictionary.

Publishedby Kluwer Law International, Alphen aan der Rijn, Netherlands.

This dictionary features close to 50,000 words and phrases used in all areas of the legal profession, plus related fields of expertise. Itis fully current, accurate, comprehensive, and easy to use. In 2013 there will be a new edition with nearly 75,000 entries, prepared by the same author.

2008 English/Spanish and Spanish/English Legal Dictionary, THIRD EDITION.

Published by Kluwer Law International, Alphen aan der Rijn, Netherlands.

This dictionary provided over 100,000 entries, and has been replaced bythe FOURTH EDITION, prepared by the same author,and published by Kluwer Law & Business.

2006 Webster's New World English-Spanish/Spanish-English Business Dictionary.

Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, USA. Later published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, MA USA.

This dictionary offers more than 80,000 entries that are fully accurate,current, and cover the entire field of business and related areas,with everything presented in an easy to use format.

2004 Wiley Electrical and Electronics Engineering Dictionary.

Publishedjointly by Wiley and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers), Hoboken, NJ, USA/New York, NY USA.

This monolingual dictionary offers more than 35,000 defined terms. It isaccurate, current, comprehensive, and easy to use, and covers the entire field of electrical engineering, plus related areas.

1998 Wiley's English-Spanish Spanish-English Chemistry Dictionary.

Published by Wiley, New York, NY, USA. (Wiley moved to Hoboken, NJ in 2002.)

This dictionary offered more than 40,000 entries, and has been replaced with a new edition with over 75,000 entries, prepared by the same author.

1997 English-SpanishSpanish-English Legal Dictionary, SECOND EDITION.

Published by Aspen Publications, Frederick, MD, USA.

This dictionary offered more than 60,000 entries, and has been replaced bythe THIRD EDITION, prepared by the same author, and published by Kluwer Law International.

1996 Wiley's English-Spanish Spanish-English Business Dictionary.

Published by Wiley, New York, NY, USA.

This dictionary offered more than 40,000 entries, and has been replaced bya subsequent edition prepared by the same author.

1996 English Spanish Electrical and Computer Engineering Dictionary.

Published by Wiley, New York, NY, USA.

This dictionary offers more than 97,000 entries. It is accurate, comprehensive, and easy to use, and covers the entire field of electrical engineering, plus related aras.

1995 Wiley's English-Spanish Dictionary of Psychology and Psychiatry.

Published by Wiley, New York, NY, USA.

This dictionary offered more than 62,000 entries, and has been replaced by a subsequent edition prepared by the same author.

1993 Wiley's English-Spanish Spanish-English Legal Dictionary.

Published by Wiley, New York, NY, USA.

This dictionary offered more than 40,000 entries, and has been replaced by subsequent editions prepared by the same author.

Please send me an email for an abbreviated version of my CV, in PDF format, if desired.