Roberto

Fonts-Diaz

Robert Fonts trudged miles from his Havana home to Cuba’s “black market”—the bolsa negra—to trade soap and oil for food for his mother and five siblings.

Every five kilometers, police used to frisk travelers.

“I was scared,” Roberto recalls.

In 1980, at age 23, he joined 120,000 Cubans in the Mariel boat lift.

Arriving in Minnesota speaking no English, he struggled through low-paying jobs, often shunned or told to “learn his place.” In 1982, he converted to Buddhism, seeking a religion that prioritized humanity and connection..

Roberto’s introduction to the profession came when a Spanish-speaking friend asked him to help communicate with the phone company and translate a birth certificate.

This request revealed a profound truth: communication either unlocks or denies opportunity.

Working as an interpreter across healthcare, legal, and financial sectors, he recognized that linguistic accuracy alone was insufficient.

Effective communication required cultural mediation, systems thinking, and professional accountability.

He refused to put the future of his family in the hands of another man..

Roberto formalized his vision by establishing MCS Language Connection.

Using a ‘prehistoric typewriter’ in his bedroom, he built the business from nothing.

Within its first year, it became the largest provider in Minnesota.

While the industry relied on manual processes, Roberto’s team developed custom scheduling, accounting, and billing software, built internal computer networks, and implemented VOIP-enabled call infrastructure—years ahead of industry norms.

His ‘dogged’ persistence led to contracts with Hennepin County, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and 190 other customers..

The Star Tribune features Roberto’s work, highlighting the growing impact of MCS Language Connection (the predecessor to Dialog One) as a leading immigrant success story.

Roberto launched a national apprenticeship program providing a pathway to full-time careers.

The program required 2,000+ hours of hands-on medical interpretation experience.

He partnered with the MN Department of Labor to develop industry-based training curricula.

Through an ‘open-door’ model in Minneapolis, he educated hundreds of professionals on how to manage multilingual events.

This work helped shape public understanding of the translator’s civic and ethical role, ensuring that Limited English Proficiency families received high-standard care..

From 2014 onward, Dialog One continued to professionalize the field through structured training, including a 40-hour Medical Interpreter Training Program focused on core competencies, context-based practice, and cultural mediation.

This program challenged providers to examine bias and perception breakdowns that directly affect health outcomes.

In 2016, the organization launched DOVI (Dialog One Virtual Identity)—a hybrid platform that centralized 24/7 access to over-the-phone and video interpretation, as well as official document translation, in 200+ languages.

During the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, Dialog One was positioned to respond immediately.

The organization provided virtual access to remote interpreters and cultural mediators around the clock.

This ensured the continuity of care, education, and public services amid unprecedented global disruption.

Roberto’s focus on technological resilience allowed providers to navigate the crisis without losing the human connection necessary for critical services.

The evolution of Dialog One technology culminated in the 2023 launch of the DOVI App – Hybrid Suite.

This platform unified on-demand OPI/VRI, scheduled human translation, and rapid document services into a single, user-centric interface.

It represented the fulfillment of Roberto’s vision to integrate document translation and interpreter access with client systems seamlessly, providing a global solution for modern communication needs

Today, Roberto leads an organization with over 20 direct-report staff and a global cooperative of more than 7,000 qualified bilingual professionals.

Dialog One continues to expand its capabilities through AI-assisted transcription, voice-over, and captioning, while maintaining rigorous human oversight.

Additional service innovations include Multilingual Direct Connect, Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI) for conferences, proofreading and editing services, and advanced transcreation and cultural mediation solutions that redefine traditional translation.