From the President-Elect
Geoff Koby
president-elect@atanet.org
At ATA64 in Miami, as I wrote in the last issue, we enjoyed being back in the same hotel with much the same vibe—meeting with familiar colleagues, attending high-quality sessions, and enjoying evening activities. It was just like old times! We also met new colleagues, networked with new people, and had some new events (or old events in new places) from which to choose.
Now we’re looking forward to ATA65 in Portland, Oregon, with something completely new! As I write these words, ATA’s conference planning team is getting ready for the site visit to look at a new kind of venue—ATA65’s sessions and events will be held in the Oregon Convention Center, across the Willamette River from downtown Portland, and at our conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center, just across Holladay Street. Having toured the convention center as a Board member five years ago during the site selection process, I know there will be a different feel, simply because the building is designed to house many events of various sizes. We’ll be thinking hard about planning the conference sessions and events to make it easy to find and enjoy sessions and maximize networking time. We’re going to look carefully at the hotel to see which events will occur there as well.
After the site visit, I’ll be sharing more details as we finalize them and figure out what will enhance your conference experience. One of those things, of course, is the sessions. ATA’s Annual Conference offers nonstop learning and networking. Our speakers come from around the world—working translators and interpreters, many of whom are also educators, attorneys, physicians, chief executive officers, and managers. They all have much to share, and you’ll benefit from their expertise and experience. A call for speakers went out in January, and I’m looking forward to reviewing the many session proposals we’ve received. I’m confident the conference program will provide everything you need to thrive as a professional translator or interpreter.
New for ATA65!
New Attendance Choices: For the Portland conference, attendees will have the opportunity to choose from multiple attendance options—depending on your work schedule and needs, you’ll be able to choose a one-day registration for any day (Thursday, Friday, or Saturday), a two-day registration (Thursday-Friday or Friday-Saturday), or the traditional full three-day registration.
New Conference Track: A new track has been added to the list that was developed for ATA64: the New Professionals track. These sessions will focus on topics of interest for individuals starting their careers in translation and/or interpreting. We’re tentatively looking at scheduling the New Professionals sessions into a one-day theme, probably on Saturday, so that our new colleagues can build connections by participating in a coherent track.
Themed Days: Depending on the sessions we receive and accept, we’ll be considering whether other topics will also fit into specific themed days, whether it’s a set of scientific-technical sessions or topics in interpreting (just for instance). This isn’t final yet, and very much depends on the quality and variety of the session proposals we’ll be reviewing.
Looking Ahead to Portland
As you plan your trip to Portland (the one in Oregon, not Maine!), I’m going to put on my green environmental hat, as well as my locomotive engineer’s cap, and encourage you to think environmentally as you plan your transportation out to Portland and your travel within the city. Amtrak has multiple trains arriving in Portland every day. Portland also has a great airport and a great way to get from there into the city—the MAX Light Rail’s Red Line will take you straight from Portland International Airport to the conference hotel and the convention center. As an added benefit, attendees staying at the conference hotel will receive two transit passes per room, which will make the hop over the bridge on the MAX Light Rail into downtown Portland’s exciting nightlife much easier!
At our site visit, we’ll also be meeting with our friends from the Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters (OSTI), who will be your guides to the interesting and vibrant life, culture, sights, and dining in Portland. We’re looking forward to working with them to enable you to enjoy the best of the city!
I’m very excited to be working with ATA’s dedicated team and volunteers as we plan a memorable conference. I look forward to seeing you in Portland, Oregon, October 30–November 2, 2024!
Book Your Room Today
A limited number of rooms at the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center (Headquarters hotel) and the DoubleTree by Hilton Portland have been reserved at a discount for attendees. ATA rates are available until October 4, 2024, or as space allows. Learn more and book your hotel room now!