ATA's Preconference Seminars are in-depth educational opportunities provided by experts in their respective fields. All seminars take place on Wednesday, November 5.

Attendees must preregister. See Conference Registration Form to attend.

Seminar A (9:00am-12:00pm) $15
Strategies for Getting the Mentoring You Need:
Skill-Building Workshop for New Mentees
Courtney Searls-Ridge and Linda Phillips-Jones

Participation in this workshop is required for ATA members who want to be mentees in ATA’s Mentoring Program. We will look at the best practices of successful mentees, introduce tips for structuring a successful mentoring relationship, and offer strategies that newcomers can implement immediately. Seminar fee covers the cost of materials. Participants must register and complete a questionnaire.

Seminar B (9:00am-12:00pm) $50
Who’s Afraid of Literary Translation? Section I—Prose; Section II—Poetry
Alexis Levitin and Clifford E. Landers

Seminar C (9:00am-12:00pm) Free
Jurassic Parliament
Ann G. Macfarlane

Learn the little-understood principles that excellent presiders use to ensure successful meetings. Participants in this interactive, hands-on workshop will practice making motions, amending them, voting, and dealing with points of order, information, and privilege. Find out how to handle the velociraptors in the committee room and make the Tyrannosaurus rex behave at your annual conference. One participant commented: “The only time Robert’s Rules of Order has been fun!” The workshop is free but registration is required.

Seminar D (9:00am-12:00pm) $50
Lexical Pitfalls and Collocational Variation in Spanish Legal Texts
Ricardo M. Chiesa
Presenting Language: Spanish

Topics to be discussed include: explanations of common terminology in legal documents; false cognates; Latin terms and phrases which work in English but not in Spanish, and vice versa; principles of legal translation; avoiding serious errors in English<>Spanish legal translation; basic legal concepts; and the connotative and collocational meaning of problematic legal terms. Participants will be encouraged to pinpoint the difference between selected terms, ascertain the meaning of specific lexical items in self-sufficient contexts, and provide accurate translations of the texts given. Language exercises include multiple choice, error analysis, and rephrasing.

Seminar E (9:00am-12:00pm)$50
Interlingual Mediation as More, Less, and Other than Translating
Sergio G. Viaggio
Presenting Languages: English and Spanish

Translators and interpreters are often called upon to do things that are not quite translating and that go beyond or fall short of conveying the same “message” with different linguistic means in different situations. Can we always account for whatever translators are called upon to do, give it a name, and find its “constitutive rule”? Can we define and explain “translation” as performed in so many different and contradictory ways and do so in a way that may actually help us translate better and more efficiently? As daunting as the task may seem, this presentation will provide exercises to find a plausible answer.

Seminar F (9:00am-12:00pm) $50
Selected Aspects of Computer-Aided Translation Tools
Karl-Heinz Freigang
Presenting Language: German

This presentation will concentrate on advanced aspects of using computer-aided translation tools, especially translation memory and terminology maintenance systems in the context of English<>German translation. In addition to an overview of CAT tools available on the market, the seminar will specifically deal with the following aspects: 1) translating different file formats using CAT tools; 2) the possible exchange of translation memory and terminology databases between various tools; and 3) configuring CAT tools for individual working environments in English<>German translation.

Seminar G (9:00am-5:00pm) $100
How to be a Successful and Reliable Interpreter
Harry Obst

In the field of language specialists, successful and reliable interpreters are among the top earners. This workshop will first illustrate the path to reliability, accomplished mostly through effective training and self-training methods. However, not all trained and reliable interpreters are successful in the marketplace. The second part of the workshop discusses effective marketing techniques and productive interpreter-client and interpreter-colleague relationships.

Seminar H (2:00pm -5:00pm) Free
Mentoring that Makes a Difference:
Skill-Building Workshop for New Mentors
Courtney Searls-Ridge and Linda Phillips-Jones

ATA’s Mentoring Program requires mentees to seek out suitable mentors from among trained ATA members who are willing to serve. ATA mentors volunteer two hours a month and get many benefits in return, including recognition from ATA and the chance to play an active role in professionalizing translation and interpreting. This skill-building workshop focuses on how to be effective mentors in mentee-driven relationships. Participation in this workshop is required for ATA members who want to volunteer as mentors. The workshop is free but participants must register and complete a questionnaire. Space is limited.

Seminar I (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50
Making the Case for Legal Translation into French
Frédéric Houbert
Presenting Language: French

“What makes legal translation so special?” Malcom Harvey asks in a recent issue of Meta. This presentation attempts to provide an answer by focusing on some of the most common difficulties encountered by legal translators, regardless of the type of document involved. Selected excerpts from legal documents will be used to show the equal importance of vocabulary, syntax, and style in legal translation. Latinisms, “whichever” clauses, and other classic brainteasers will be covered. Participants will also be given an opportunity to test their knowledge of French legal language in a hands-on session focusing on legal terms and phrases in everyday speech.

Seminar J (2:00pm-5:00pm)$50
Teaching Translation: A Pedagogy Workshop for Translators
Sonia Colina

Most professional translators will, at some point in their careers, have the opportunity to teach translation. Faced with this situation, translators may often wonder how to teach skills which are, for them, to a great extent automatic. This workshop provides some basic training that will allow professional translators to start working on pedagogical frameworks for their teaching. More specifically, this seminar will work on developing lessons around authentic translation jobs. Other topics covered include course design and syllabi, classroom interaction, evaluation, and testing.

Seminar K (2:00pm-5:00pm)$50
Las resoluciones judiciales en el Derecho Argentino: desafíos léxicos y discursivos
Ricardo M. Chiesa
Presenting Language: Spanish

This seminar will provide an overview of various orders, decisions, and remedies issued by Argentine courts. Participants will be given written exercises along with a summary of the important legal notions. Handouts include: a summary of relevant concepts; translation exercises; a glossary of common Latin phrases in judicial discourse; and a Spanish>English glossary of common terms, clichés, and circumlocutions used in Argentine court decisions.

Seminar L (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50
Las intimidades del se
Silvia Peña-Alfaro
Presenting Language: Spanish

A través de un vertiginoso recorrido abordaremos uno de los temas más controvertidos de la gramática del español: la plurifuncionalidad del clítico se. Mediante ejercicios prácticos los asistentes vivirán la experiencia de medir sus propias fuerzas en la batalla diaria con esta partícula. Entre retos y reflexiones iremos desentrañando lo que representa analizar el fenómeno desde aspectos sintácticos, semánticos y pragmáticos. Este enfoque holístico nos permitirá aplicar un criterio más amplio para comprender ciertas construcciones con se, consideradas tradicionalmente como “anómalas” o “irregulares”. Oportunidad para reconocer que la estructura de toda emisión responde a las necesidades comunicativas del hablante.

Seminar M (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50
IAS/IFRS: a Substitute for HGB and US-GAAP in Germany
Hans G. Liepert

In June 2002, the EU determined that International Accounting Standards (IAS) would serve as the official European set of standards for all listed enterprises. These rules, officially called International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), also apply to companies borrowing on the official money markets. While the introduction is scheduled for 2005, the mechanics of the system required an early start in 2003 in order to fully comply with existing auditing standards. The industry is reluctant, since IAS/IFRS means a different approach in valuation and politicians have not yet adapted national law. How will this translate into business for us?