ATA Activities

ATA-1 (T, 8:00-9:15am) - ALL
Opening Session
Ann G. Macfarlane, ATA president and owner, Russian Resources International, Seattle, Washington; and Thomas L. West III, president-elect, conference organizer, and owner, Intermark Language Services, Atlanta, Georgia

ATA-2 (T, 9:45-11:30am) - ALL
Presentation of Candidates and Election
Ann G. Macfarlane, ATA president and owner, Russian Resources International, Seattle, Washington

ATA-3 (T, 3:30-5:00pm) - ALL
Strategies for Getting the Mentoring You Need
Courtney Searls-Ridge, head of ATA Mentoring Pilot Project Task Force and ATA secretary, Seattle, Washington

This presentation is designed for newcomers. If you are not participating in this year's pilot mentoring program, but would like to learn how to get the mentoring you need, please join us. We will look at the best practices of successful mentees and offer strategies that newcomers to translation and interpretation can implement immediately. The presentation will include both lecture and exercises in a collaborative atmosphere. The presenter will also offer tips for getting the most out of your first ATA conference.

ATA-4 (F, 8:00-9:30am) - ALL
Annual Meeting of the Association
Ann G. Macfarlane, ATA president and owner, Russian Resources International, Seattle, Washington

ATA-5 (F, 10:00-11:30am) - ALL
Preparing to Take the ATA Accreditation Exam: Questions and Answers
Celia Bohannon, deputy chair, ATA Accreditation Committee, freelance translator, and editor, Saxtons River, Vermont; Terry Hanlen, accreditation program manager, Alexandria, Virginia; and Lilian Novas Van Vranken, chair, ATA Accreditation Program Committee, and full-time freelance English-Spanish translator, Englewood, Colorado

This forum is offered for ATA members who seek a better understanding of the ATA accreditation program. The panel will respond to questions from the audience about accreditation policies and procedures.

ATA-6 (F, 10:00-11:30am) - ALL
Chapters and Regional Groups Meeting
Kirk Anderson, ATA Board member, chair, ATA Chapters Committee, and independent translator, Miami Beach, Florida

ATA-7 (F, 1:30-3:00pm) - ALL
Accreditation: Implementing the Hamm Recommendations
Celia Bohannon, deputy chair, ATA Accreditation Committee, freelance translator, and editor, Saxtons River, Vermont; Ann G. Macfarlane, ATA president and owner, Russian Resources International, Seattle, Washington; and Lilian Novas Van Vranken, chair, ATA Accreditation Program Committee, and full-time freelance English-Spanish translator, Englewood, Colorado

ATA President Ann G. Macfarlane and Accreditation Committee's Lilian Novas Van Vranken and Celia Bohannon will report on the ATA Board's decisions to implement certain recommendations made by certification expert Michael Hamm in his recent report on the ATA accreditation program. All members and interested colleagues are warmly invited to attend and provide their feedback on these exciting changes to the program.

ATA-8 (S, 8:00-8:45am) - ALL
Meeting with ATA Members Outside the US
Ann G. Macfarlane, ATA president and owner, Russian Resources International, Seattle, Washington

(S, 8:45-9:30am) - ALL
The ABCs of ATA Active and Corresponding Membership
Harvie Jordan, ABC, chair, ATA Active Membership Review Committee, Austin, Texas

The traditional route to active member status in the ATA has been through accreditation in a growing list of language pairs. In recent years, the ATA Board of Directors has given increased emphasis to the peer-review process as an alternate route to both active and corresponding member status. What's the difference between active and corresponding member status? What's involved in peer review? If I choose this route, will I be accredited? These and other questions will be answered in this session.

ATA-9 (S, 8:00-9:30am) - ALL
ATA Newsletter Editors Meeting
R. Michael Conner, editor, AATIA Letter, and independent translator, Austin, Texas; and Ruth Boggs, editor, Capital Translator, and English<>German translator, Fairfax, Virginia

The annual meeting of ATA newsletter editors will focus on the challenge of producing ATA newsletters on the chapter and division level, information exchange, a question and answer session, and handouts related to newsletter editing.