Unlock Your Potential: Join the ATA Mentoring Program

I admit to feeling a bit queasy the first time Hannah and I met. Not because of Hannah – she’s friendly, approachable, and altogether a delightful person. Rather, I worried I wouldn’t meet her expectations. What had I gotten myself into when I volunteered to serve as her mentor? Would I actually be of any help to her?

It was my first year as a mentor in the ATA Mentoring Program. I had not volunteered before because I assumed any advice I could give might be less than helpful to anyone wanting guidance. But last year the program was one mentor short, so I offered to step in.

What is the Mentoring Program? Every year, ATA offers translators and interpreters the opportunity to be paired with another language professional who provides guidance in developing or growing a language business. Both mentors and mentees are ATA members, since participation in the program is a members-only benefit.

How Do I Join?

Both mentors and mentees must apply to be part of the program. The mentor application process is fairly uncomplicated: mentors fill out a form explaining what type of business advice they feel they can offer. Their information is then added to the list of potential mentors, and they are contacted when their expertise matches a mentee’s needs. The mentor application process is open year-round, so mentors can register at any time.

The mentee application process is more detailed. Every year, potential mentees can apply from January 1 through March 31. On their application, they must explain in detail what type of business help they need and what goals they hope to reach. The Mentoring Program team then matches the mentee with a suitable mentor. The pair is introduced via email, and they work together from the beginning of May through the end of October.

What Does a Mentor/Mentee Pair Do?

The goal of a mentor/mentee pair is to give the mentee personalized support in building or improving their business practices. The exact practices they work on depend on the mentee’s goals. How they work on them is also highly individualized and dependent on the pair’s preferred method of interaction.

Hannah and I met regularly on Google Meet. I often asked what she wanted to discuss and what progress she had made or what activities she had tried since our last meeting. I answered her questions as completely and honestly as I could, and I suggested books and other resources she might find helpful. In hindsight, I may have suggested more books than one can reasonably read in six months, but fortunately, book reports are not required in the program.

We also had a shared Google Doc that held the list of resources I had prepared for Hannah, her notes on her progress, and a list of action items for each of us. Between meetings, we added notes and comments to this document, so it became both a written record of our discussions and an informal means of communication between meetings.

By the end of our time working together, Hannah had made several changes to her website, defined her language pairs and specializations more clearly, identified specific types of jobs to go after, and purchased a second computer to protect herself against tech-related emergencies. She still has our notes, which include a crash course in marketing, her plans for the future, and all the resources I suggested so she can try them out whenever she chooses.

Other pairs will work differently. You may decide to schedule weekly phone calls or communicate entirely by email. You may spend time evaluating your website, working on SEO, discussing how to find and approach potential direct clients, or getting concrete advice on how to start your own agency. What you work on and how you work together is up to you; the only caveat is that you should know how to use any technology the two of you decide to incorporate. If you plan to meet on Microsoft Teams, for example, make sure you understand how to log on and turn on your camera and microphone. Unfortunately, tech glitches can easily derail a potentially beneficial conversation.

What Does the Program Not Do?

The program is intended for mentoring in business development, not translation or interpreting skills. Mentees should understand that their mentor may not work in the same language pairs or specialization. Even if the mentor and mentee work in the same fields or languages, they should not use their mentoring time to practice interpreting, review and correct translations, or work on language-related skills.

It should be very clear to mentee applicants that the mentor will not provide coaching for the ATA certification exam. The Mentoring Program is for business development, and while ATA certification is a worthwhile business goal, exam preparation is outside the scope of the program.

Mentees also need to know that they, not the mentors, set the pace. The program is mentee-driven, which means a mentor does not hand the mentee a schedule or a list of assignments like a classroom teacher. The mentee needs to explain what they need, ask questions if they don’t understand, and be ready to put the mentor’s suggestions into practice.

What Can I Get From the Program as a Mentee?

Every year, the Mentoring Program coordinators ask mentees what they liked about the program. Here are some of their answers from 2025:

• Getting clarity about short-term, medium-term and long-term goals
• Positioning myself in the right niche
• Learning about the importance of networking
• Adapting my resume

These are far from the only benefits. When reflecting on his time as an ATA mentee, current ATA President-Elect Ben Karl pointed out that mentees receive not only advice and encouragement but also networking opportunities if their mentor introduces them to colleagues. Besides, having a trusted colleague to bounce ideas off of before taking action can reduce anxiety for professionals who hope to make a big change in their businesses.

What Can I Get From the Program as a Mentor?

Year after year, mentors report that they benefit from the program as well. Deborah Wexler, a former leader of ATA’s Mentoring Program, has written about what mentors gain from their service: improved leadership, better communication skills, renewed pride in the profession, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with helping a colleague succeed. Last year’s mentors seem to agree. Here’s what they said they gained in 2025:

• A renewed sense of community, collegiality, and reciprocity
• Faith in the next generation
• Self-confidence
• Empathy
• Understanding of the professional behavior and attitude of younger generations

On the practical side, mentors who hold ATA certification and complete one mentoring cycle receive two Continuing Education points to help maintain their certification. You can earn points for each year you serve as a mentor.

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised by my experience as a mentor. First of all, my main concern – not being helpful – proved to be unfounded. I think I was able to help Hannah move forward with some of her business goals. I also had the chance to review many of the resources I’d once used and set aside, which gave me a fresh perspective on my own business. Finally, I got the opportunity to get to know another colleague, and I looked forward to our monthly discussions.

Whether you want to give or receive advice, I encourage you to join the Mentoring Program. I enjoyed the experience so much that I’m hoping to work with another mentee this year. Will you join me? Visit the Mentoring Program webpage to learn more and submit an application.

About the Author

Danielle Maxson has been translating since 2009 and specializes in medical translation with a focus on patient records. She is an ATA-certified Portuguese to English and Spanish to English translator and the former chair of ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee. Before focusing on translation, she worked as a Spanish teacher and a medical interpreter. For more information, visit https://dmaxsontranslates.com.