VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Online sessions for on-demand learning are now available!

Experience online professional development in the comfort of your own home or office, at your own pace! By ordering the ATA58 Virtual Conference, you will enjoy unlimited online access to 49 sessions. These sessions were captured using sync-to-slide technology, creating a virtual multimedia experience.

Attention ATA-Certified Translators! The Virtual Conference is approved for Continuing Education Points. Earn one point for each hour viewed, up to a maximum of 10 points!

Virtual Conference Pricing

  • ATA Members: $79
  • Non-members: $129

Were you a 3-Day Attendee of ATA58?

Free access to the Virtual Conference is included with your 3-Day registration. To view sessions, click here. You must log in with the same username and password provided to access the ATA58 App and the Certificate of Attendance. If you cannot remember your username and password, please contact ATA.

If you are also an ATA Individual Member, you may also access the Virtual Conference by logging into the Members Only area.

Note: All 3-Day attendees were sent their usernames and passwords in an email with the subject line “ATA58 Virtual Conference is Now Available for Attendees.” If you are able to search your email, you can find your username and password there.

The following sessions are included in the ATA58 Virtual Conference:

Education & Training

ET-6

The Nuts and Bolts of Remote Interpreting and Training: The Tech You Need and Why You Need It
Katharine Allen | Barry Olsen
(Saturday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

The way humans communicate has changed. Rapid technological advancements brought on by wireless connectivity and new smart devices have moved multilingual communication into the cloud. Interpreting teaching and practice is running to keep up. As interpreting and interpreter training move increasingly online, how do you adapt? What technologies must you understand and have access to if you want to interpret, teach, or learn online? Join us for this hands-on session that will demystify the technologies used to interpret and train interpreters online. You will leave this session with the knowledge to participate in this growing area of professional practice and training.

ET-7

Benefits of Engaging Translation Students with Refugee Communities
Laurence Jay-Rayon Ibrahim Aibo
(Saturday, 3:30-4:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

How do you design a course with the goal of engaging translation students with the needs of the refugee communities around them? What are the pedagogical benefits of such a course? How does it make students better translators? What are the benefits for the refugee population? This session will draw on the speaker’s experience designing and teaching a community-engaged French translation course with the International Rescue Committee as a partner. During the course, students translated 60 pages of cultural orientation materials into French for Congolese refugees. The speaker will discuss the long-term benefits of such partnerships for translator education.

Financial Translation

FIN-2

Understanding Financial Jargon
Silvana Debonis
(Friday, 10:00-11:00am; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

Many analysts who write economic and financial market reports make use of expressions and terms that are difficult to understand for those who are outside the financial field. The speaker will analyze extracts from actual reports and other publications to explain what they mean and how they should be understood by the translator. This session will be presented in English for translators of any language combination and will not involve any bilingual translation. This is the second part to the session given in San Francisco at ATA’s 57th Annual Conference.

FIN-3

Financial Technology (Fintech)
Mary Lou Bradley | Judith Lyons, CT
(Friday, 11:15am-12:15pm; Advanced; Presented in: English)

Financial technology (fintech) is a rapidly growing disruptive force in the financial sector. New technology, like blockchain (the protocol underlying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies), is expected to create long-term systemic changes to the global financial system. Keeping abreast of developments in fintech and its potential impact on financial products and services, payment delivery and settlement processes, financial regulation, reporting and compliance, etc., will be important for financial translators who will need to understand how fintech is affecting the financial sector. The speakers will present a broad overview of some existing and potential use cases for fintech, including an introduction to fintech terminology. Recipient of the Marian S. Greenfield Financial Translation Presentation Award.

Government T&I

GOV-1

Preparing Interpreters for Asylum Interviews: A Full Cycle Approach
Jonathan Levy
(Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Providing interpreting services for government agencies presents a number of challenges. How do you recruit? How do you train? How do you test and monitor? The speaker will describe how his company met these challenges in the provision of services to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. An overall approach to service delivery will be outlined through the detailed descriptions of the activities and lessons learned. Attendees will come away with both an overall approach and concrete examples of the challenges interpreters face in these encounters

GOV-2

Interpreting and Translating for Senior Policymakers and Ministers
Bob Feron
(Thursday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Accuracy and precision are always important in simultaneous interpreting and translation. In the world of diplomacy, however, sometimes preserving ambiguity, nuance, and a lack of specificity are equally important. How should interpreters and translators manage the delicate balance between being precise and “playing it safe?” How do we recognize and manage situations in which clarity and precision can sometimes create additional complications? Are there situations in which protecting our clients’ reputation and achieving their objective is more important than translating perfectly? This session will discuss these and other aspects of the art and science of interpreting and translating for policymakers.

Interpreting

I-1

Interpreting in Education: Out of the Shadows and into the Spotlight
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras
(Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Court certification has been in place for years, and we now have two certification options available for health care interpreters. It seems that the U.S. interpreting profession is finally gaining respect. However, there is at least one critical sector that is still neglected: education. An estimated 22% of school-aged children in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home. This complicates communication between families and educators, causing students to fall behind. Currently, the demand for interpreters in education exceeds the available trained pool. This sector deserves the same attention and passion we have dedicated to our legal and health care efforts. The speakers will propose strategies for making that happen.

I-2

Self-Study: Deliberate Practice for Improving Interpreting
Laura Burian | Jacolyn Harmer
(Thursday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Superior performance in any endeavor is rarely a haphazard or hurried accomplishment. Interpreting is no different. All learners must first recognize the knowledge, skills, and abilities they bring to the task before being able to chart and track their own unique path to expertise. There are no shortcuts, but motivation, reflection, and discipline sustain this self-study or “deliberate” practice. In this session, two professors from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey will introduce the kind of deliberate practice necessary to improve competence. This session is open to interpreters of all languages and skill levels.

I-6

Cultural Competence – When Your Language Skills Are Not Enough: Part I
Cheri Wilson
(Friday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

What happens when culture gets in the way of communication? Breaking down communication barriers can become a challenge if we’re not aware of our biases. Through the use of video clips, case studies, discussion, and role-play, this session will provide an overview of the intercultural aspects of communication and the regulatory framework of culturally competent language access services. In a world where machine translation is becoming more advanced, cultural competence adds value to your language skills. Come learn about your implicit biases and the tools to overcome and re-think your role as a cultural broker.

I-7

Cultural Competence – When Your Language Skills Are Not Enough: Part II
Cheri Wilson
(Friday, 3:30-4:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

See abstract for I-6: Cultural Competence – When Your Language Skills Are Not Enough: Part I

Independent Contractors

IC-2

Contingency Planning and Crisis Management 101
Jill Sommer
(Thursday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

What would you do in the event of a crisis? Do you have a backup plan in the event of an email server outage, hard drive failure, power outage, or natural disaster? What about hospitalization? A crisis is a significant unexpected disruptive event that affects an organization’s personnel, facilities, information systems, or critical records. The event could be large or small, such as a natural disaster or human in origin. Smart and diligent contingency planning is an important aspect of crisis management because it ensures that individuals and organizations make the necessary preparations to be ready when trouble strikes.

IC-3

Get Your Tool Belt Ready for Jobs: How to Get Hired
Gabriela Bess | Anna McGinnis
(Thursday, 3:30-4:30pm; Beginner; Presented in: English)

Do you have your “tool belt” ready? Before applying for jobs, learn to find competitive ways to show off your qualifications and skills. A recruiter for a major company, the speaker will teach you how to market yourself to the best advantage by highlighting certifications, background checks, and even immunization histories. You would be surprised by the qualifications that might interest your clients! This session will include a breakout discussion to analyze résumés and help you effectively demonstrate your tool belt on not only your résumé, but on social media outlets as well. Come learn how to rise to the top of the résumé pile!

IC-4

Selling Your Translation and Interpreting Services
John Di Rico
(Friday, 10:00-11:00am; Beginner; Presented in: English)

What should you do next after you receive an email requesting a quote? What should you be doing to effectively take this prospect from lead to loyal client? During this session, we’ll examine the customer-centric sales methodology and how to apply it to your translation or interpreting business. After leaving the session, attendees will be able to formulate questions to identify client goals and lead a sales conversation. They will also be able to draft sales follow-up email that reiterate goals, offer solutions, and detail the next steps to seal the deal.

IC-5

Going Once, Going Twice, Sold! Is Your Translation Business Sellable?
Avi Staiman
(Friday, 10:00-11:00am; Advanced; Presented in: English)

When we start our professional careers, the last thing on our minds is whether our business has value (i.e., Is it “sellable”?). However, when it comes time for retirement, it’s important to consider the potential value of our business to other translators, agencies, or interested parties. Unfortunately, we don’t usually know how to define and convey this value to others properly. We will look at what makes a business appealing to a potential buyer and discuss what can be done to add tangible value to our business and how we can benefit from our business well after retirement.

IC-6

Translators and Agencies: Two Captains, One Boat
Michael Elliff | Gerhard Preisser
(Friday, 11:15am-12:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Whether new translators find success in their chosen careers depends on their relationship with the agencies for which they work. Agencies look for quality, dependability, flexibility, and good communication skills. Freelancers want their agency clients to be open to questions, willing to share information upfront regarding their expectations, and reliable when it comes to compensation. In this session, a veteran translator and an equally seasoned agency owner will introduce, discuss, and reenact different real-life scenarios to underscore what good communication between both sides is all about.

IC-7

You’re in Business: How to Price Your Work
Jonathan Hine, CT
(Friday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Translators and interpreters are in business. Pricing and monitoring financial performance are crucial to business success. This session will cover the elements of budgeting and business planning. The methodology will help attendees develop personal criteria for accepting or rejecting freelance assignments, balancing employment offers, and choosing alternatives for business expansion. The session will also cover calculating the break-even price and tracking sales volume and revenue. This isn’t a session about number crunching, so come prepared to enjoy learning how to set your business on a solid financial footing and keep it there.

IC-13

Work Smarter, Not Harder
Silvia D’Amico
(Saturday, 3:30-4:30pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

You worked hard to establish a successful business and then life happened. Now you need to make changes to your work schedule and wonder if your income and relationships with clients will be affected negatively. Whether you need to take care of small children or elderly parents or want to reconsider your work/life balance, the speaker will discuss strategies to work fewer hours while maintaining the same income level. The speaker will identify how to maximize your working hours, increase the dollar per hour ratio, eliminate time-wasting activities, and, ultimately, become more efficient.

Literary Translation

L-3

Forms of Faithfulness in Literary Translation
Katrina Dodson
(Saturday, 8:30-9:30am; All Levels; Presented in: English)

What does it mean for a translation to be “faithful” to the original? The concept of fidelity is both central to literary translation and a potential red herring that can lead to overly literal renderings. This session will explore various, often competing, forms of faithfulness in translation, from following syntax and exact punctuation to finding equivalencies of register, tone, and perceived “strangeness” versus “naturalness” in the original text. The speaker will draw on her own experience translating Clarice Lispector’s stories with the explicit goal of achieving a greater level of fidelity to the iconic Brazilian writer’s famously idiosyncratic voice.

L-4

What Makes Literary Translation Successful?
Jonathan McQuay
(Saturday, 10:00-11:00am; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

Besides getting on the good side of the Big Five in publishing, what options are there to promote a quality literary translation and get paid for it? The American market is opening up to translated literature in new ways. This means there are exciting opportunities available to the intrepid translator. Come take a look at a study of what the American market is hungry for and discover ways to reach it. This session will also explore the pros and cons of different publication paths and business relationships with publishers.

L-5

Researching Literary Translations
Katrina Dodson
(Saturday, 11:15am-12:15pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

The role of research in literary translation is a rarely discussed area that varies greatly between projects. This session will consider the potential forms of research that literary translations can entail, from site-specific travel and archival research to background reading, surfing online, and locating reference tools. How can research strengthen your translation and when does it become an unnecessary distraction? How familiar should you be with an author’s literary historical context across languages? The speaker will discuss projects in which she never left her home library, versus traveling to São Paulo archives and the Amazon rain forest for her current translation.

Legal T&I

LAW-2

Common Law and Civil Law: Approaches and Terminologies
Geoffrey Koby, CT | Ulrich Lohmann
(Friday, 11:15am-12:15pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

This session will focus on the two major systems of law with which many legal translators must deal: 1) common law: the legal system developed in England that is now used in the U.S. and most English-speaking countries; and 2) civil law as practiced in the non-Anglo-Saxon world, which is a descendent of Roman law. We’ll discuss the basic conceptual differences between the two systems, specifically how they approach legislation and precedent, and legal scholarship versus case law. We’ll also discuss terminological and conceptual differences and similarities and examine how the systems influence each other.

LAW-3

Special Aspects of Translating Discovery Documents
Timothy Friese, CT
(Friday, 2:00-3:00pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

What are discovery documents? In the U.S. legal system, these are the extensive disclosures made from one party to the other at the beginning of a lawsuit, often in email or other correspondence. Translating discovery documents has special challenges due to the large number that are usually involved, tight deadlines, the conversational tone of email, or the lack of adequate context. By learning more about discovery documents you’ll be better prepared to field requests and decide what role you want them to play in your business.

LAW-4

Deciphering Spanish-language Bylaws: A Structural Approach
Robert Sette, CT
(Friday, 3:30-4:30pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

Company bylaws and related documents are part and parcel of the work of commercial translators, ranging from repetitive and mundane to challenging. This session will analyze the structure of company bylaws and other organizational and corporate documents using primarily Spanish (but also French and Portuguese) source documents as a starting point. A terminology list will be provided for reference and discussion. The focus will be on conveying the source content accurately and faithfully for an English-speaking reader or customer.

Language Services Companies

LSC-4

The Agency-Freelancer Dating Game Redux: From Courtship to Commitment
Steve Lank | Robert Sette, CT
(Friday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Building on their session at ATA57 in San Francisco, the speakers have conducted another survey of agencies and freelance translators to delve more deeply into the secret to establishing successful, mutually beneficial business relationships. Is one late payment a deal-breaker for freelancers? What about a delivery deadline that slips a bit? What’s the sweet spot where true partnership is achieved? Some of the results will align with expectations, but others may be surprising. The focus will be on business practices and professionalism as a way of building strong relationships that stand the test of time.

LSC-5

How to Work with Translators: Best Practices for Producing the Best Technical Translations
Linda Gaus
(Friday, 3:30-4:30pm; Beginner; Presented in: English)

Translation is a process, not just the final product. Smooth cooperation is the key to producing a translation that will please everyone. The speaker will discuss the key elements of optimal cooperation and propose some best practices for producing high-quality technical translations. By viewing this process from the translator’s perspective, the speaker hopes that project managers and others involved in the production of technical documentation will better understand exactly what translators need to do their job as well as they possibly can.

LSC-7

International Organizations: How They Get Translation Work Done and How to Get Involved
James Phillips
(Saturday, 10:00-11:00am; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Vast amounts of translation work are put to tender by the United Nations and by affiliated organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization every year. This is because these organizations are bound by strict procurement rules that stipulate how they can and cannot get translation work done. The speaker will outline how these procurement rules work and what they mean for people who would like to work with such organizations. The speaker will also discuss how to apply to such tenders and describe the most common mistakes made by applicants. This session will be of particular interest to translation agencies, but will also deal with how freelancers can get their foot on the ladder.

LSC-9

The Project Life Cycle for Project Managers
Alaina Brantner
(Saturday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

The work of project managers is easy to take for granted, that is, until a project is not managed well. The setup of each project stage impacts the success of all subsequent stages, and projects that are not well planned from the start quickly snowball into a painful experience for all project stakeholders. This session will address project management strategies for each stage of the project life cycle, including quoting, launch, translation, quality control, formatting, delivery, and post-production. Ways to adapt strategies and the allocation of resources to specific project objectives will also be explored.

LSC-10

Data Security for Project Managers
Alaina Brantner | Joseph Wojowski
(Saturday, 3:30-4:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Project managers are the traffic hub for all files submitted to and issued by language services providers. In an increasingly cloud-based work environment, that valuable file information is vulnerable to being leaked and used against the company to which it was sent, as well as against its providers and clients. Project managers must arm themselves with the knowledge necessary to perform their day-to-day tasks while protecting client data. The speaker will provide project managers with the knowledge to protect client intellectual property. Topics will include file transfer systems, procedures for qualifying providers, non-disclosure agreements, quality assurance processes, and data breaches.

LSC-11

A Case Study on Launching and Managing a Custom Machine Translation Program for Translators in Three Countries, Four Languages, and Multiple Domains
Rihards Kalnins | Didzis Klavins
(Saturday, 8:30-9:30am; All Levels; Presented in: English)

To help boost translator productivity and win new business from buyers and multi-language vendors, a language services provider (LSP) in Europe launched a large-scale custom machine translation (MT) program for four languages and multiple domains. The program was aimed at supporting the LSP’s translators working at offices in three countries. In this session, presented by managers from the LSP’s MT and localization departments, you’ll learn the basic steps for launching a custom MT program, how to manage and maintain a large set of domain-specific MT engines, and the many practical benefits (in both time and money) of introducing MT engines into your translation and localization workflow.

Language Technology

LT-1

Becoming a Super-Fast Freelance Translator and Coping with Technology in a Constantly Evolving World!
Sameh Ragab
(Friday, 10:00-11:00am; Advanced; Presented in: English)

The translation industry is becoming increasingly tech-driven, which means that freelance translators should develop their own mechanisms and protocols to keep up. This session will focus on how to boost productivity, automate tedious translation tasks, achieve more in less time, and become the preferred super-fast translator you always wanted to be.

LT-2

Tools to Boost: A Zero-Budget Plan
Flora Zhang
(Friday, 11:15am-12:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Not all companies provide Trados for their in-house translators. The speaker will introduce attendees to a few free computer-assisted translation and machine translation tools, as well as optical character recognition software that fit well in the zero-budget plan. The speaker will explain the translation process with a tool demonstration and share tips for selling the idea to the boss and colleagues. Attendees may find more solutions to boost their translation efficiency, workflow, and project management skills.

LT-3

What File Types? Another Treasure Trove of Settings in Trados Studio
Tuomas Kostiainen, CT
(Saturday, 10:00-11:00am; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Many Trados Studio users are unaware of the various file type options that Studio offers. In most simple translation situations, this may not be needed because Studio functions fine with the default settings. However, knowing what these settings do and what you can do with them can be very useful. This session will provide a general overview of Studio file type options. Attendees will learn about some specific examples where knowing these settings can be a real productivity booster, such as when translating partially translated Excel files or Excel files with HTML tags, or when you want to translate Wordfast files in Trados Studio.

LT-4

Search (and Replace) on Steroids: How Regular Expressions Can Help Make Your CAT Tool Even More Useful
Riccardo Schiaffino, CT
(Saturday, 11:15am-12:15pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

Regular expressions have a reputation for being difficult, but once you learn to use them, they can really help you do things with your computer-aided translation tools and quality-assurance tools that would be impossible otherwise. This session will provide examples of useful regular expression techniques you can use with such software programs as SDL Trados Studio, memoQ, and Xbench. The speaker will suggest tools that make creating useful regular expressions easier.

LT-5

The Final Touch: Desktop Publishing and InDesign Basics
Ray Valido
(Saturday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

In recent years, Adobe InDesign has become arguably the industry standard software for text layout and desktop publishing. Working with different languages in InDesign, however, can pose many challenges. This session will cover some basic techniques for working with your translation in Adobe InDesign while also addressing basic desktop publishing with different character sets and text directions. Whether you’re a project manager or a translator, this session will give you helpful tips for working in both Adobe and Microsoft. You’ll also have the chance to share tips you’ve learned with others. Both Mac and PC enthusiasts are welcome.

Medical T&I

MED-3

Medical Terminology: Problem Solving Through Parallel Texts
Helen Eby, CT
(Friday, 2:00-3:00pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English with Spanish examples)

How can we identify the right expression, but also the right way to talk about the subject? And how can we understand enough about new material to propose reasonable solutions? The solutions found in medical dictionaries are often insufficient. In this session, attendees will explore the use of parallel texts and work in small groups to solve some translation problems. The materials provided come from medical sources, but the same principles can be applied to any area of translation. These practices have proven useful to both interpreters and translators.

MED-4

Translating Diagnostic Imaging: Is It Hyperechoic or Hyperintense?
Erin Lyons, CT | Lori Newman
(Friday, 3:30-4:30pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

Ever wonder how an MRI works, or how to translate an MRI report for a radiologist? In this session, we’ll cover the basic functions and uses of major imaging modalities, such as radiographs, MRI, CT, and ultrasound. We’ll then delve into the highly specialized terminology of diagnostic imaging reports and explain the terms used in each modality. We’ll share examples from French and English to demonstrate the pitfalls of medical jargon, acronyms, and cognates. Come join us for this hyperintense session!

Slavic Languages

SL-1

Susana Greiss Lecture: The Long and Winding Road to Becoming a Presidential Interpreter
Nikolai Sorokin
(Thursday, 3:30-4:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

This session will trace the path that led the speaker to become the U.S. Department of State’s lead Russian-language interpreter for five years during the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. It will touch on the speaker’s educational experiences, work as a journalist for the Russian Language Service of the Voice of America, and joining the Department of State’s Office of Language Services. The speaker will offer anecdotes and lessons learned that could benefit aspiring interpreters working in any language combination.

Science & Technology

ST-3

Translating Terminology Related to Explosives and Bombing
Christina Schoeb, CT
(Thursday, 3:30-4:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Due to the highly technical nature of terminology related to bombs and explosives, this area poses challenges even when translating into one’s native language. This session will provide an overview of the terminology involved. Designed for anyone working with English as a source or target language, this session may be appropriate for other language pairs. The terminology will prepare translators and interpreters to deal with various situations, including bombing incidents and court cases related to bombing. This session will also cover scientific language related to explosives chemistry, types of explosives, types of bombs, and bombing components.

ST-8

How to Specialize and Expand Your Business into New Technical Markets
Karen Tkaczyk, CT | Nicholas Hartmann | Lebzy González
(Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Technical translators need long-term strategies for expanding or transitioning their business to new fields as translation markets emerge and wane. Many of us also have been, or will eventually be, affected by factors such as the increased use of new machine translation approaches, changing patent translation requirements, or downturns in the economy of our source and/or target countries. The panel will discuss the career trajectories of three experienced technical translators, including how they developed new areas of specialization throughout the years and what strategies they still see as relevant in today’s business environment.

ST-9

When a Christmas Tree is Not Really a Christmas Tree
Patricia McGrory
(Thursday, 2:00-3:00pm; Intermediate; Presented in: English)

Every industry takes it upon itself to create their own lingo to describe their equipment, operations, and sometimes employees. The petroleum industry is no exception. Its vernacular consists of terms that are born in the field and find their way into the corporate office. The presenter will explore the colourful jargon used in the petroleum industry and explain its meaning and how to translate them. This seminar targets those who already have translation experience and are considering translating for the petroleum sector. Resources will be provided. Time for Q&A will be allocated.

Translation

T-1

Confidentiality in Translation: Legal and Ethical Requirements and Pitfalls
Emanuel Weisgras
(Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Translators in specialty fields such as law, medicine, and finance are often exposed to their clients’ most important secrets and confidential information. This session will review translators’ legal and ethical obligations to maintain the confidentiality of source and translated material based on requirements and guidelines in the U.S., the EU, and the Middle East. It will also cover common confidentiality pitfalls, including machine translation, free email accounts, and peer support platforms. Audience participation is encouraged.

T-2

Translating between the Lines: Enhancing Translation Quality
Sabine Seiler
(Thursday, 2:00-3:00pm; Advanced; Presented in: English)

Do you check your translations, comparing them to the source text to verify that you rendered the meaning accurately and completely? Of course you do, but is that quality check sufficient to make sure that you’ve translated the meaning between the lines (i.e., what’s said below the source text’s surface)? The reverberations and interrelation between words and grammatical structures often remain just outside our awareness, subliminal yet powerful. Using specific examples, attendees will learn techniques for becoming aware of and including this level of meaning in their translations. Doing so is a valuable step to ensure quality control.

T-8

Alphabet Soup: Quality Assurance for Editing PDFs from DTP
Giovana Boselli, CT
(Saturday, 10:00-11:00am; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Once upon a time, there was a file to be translated with desktop publishing (DTP) content. The final deliverable was a PDF. Did the final deliverable display all the accents and diacriticals? Were the font and formatting like the original? How about spacing? Attend this session to find out what happened to this file and, most importantly, what needs to happen to ensure total quality assurance in what’s known in our industry as a post-DTP check. This hands-on session will reveal all the nuts and bolts in a post-DTP check so that translations become clear, legible, and suitable. Although practice exercises will be available in Portuguese and Spanish, speakers of other languages will also benefit from the discussion.

T-9

Lessons from the Plain Language Movement
Romina Marazzato Sparano, CT
(Saturday, 11:15am-12:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Plain language initiatives respond to a variety of issues involving reading comprehension and text difficulty. They include government guidelines to enhance citizen access to public information and private sector efforts to improve minorities access to written materials. Overall, plain language campaigns call for clarity, conciseness, and logical organization of the text. They address difficulty stemming from the complexity of the subject matter, intentional obscurity, poor grammar, weak argumentation, and reading disabilities. This session will provide participants with an overview of different plain language initiatives and their rationale, as well as language strategies they can implement in their everyday work.

T-10

Outside the Box: Everyday Continuing Professional Development for Translators
Jeanette Brickner
(Saturday, 2:00-3:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Perfecting and refining our skills as translators does not have to be a chore. In fact, the very nature of our work means that we’re surrounded by opportunities to do so every day! This session will explore some eye-opening approaches toward sharpening our translation skills through activities that many, if not most, of us already do in our daily lives. We will also discuss ideas and brainstorm as a group. Attendees will leave this session with new perspectives and strategies on how they can grow their translation skills directly through everyday activities that they already do and enjoy.

T-11

To “thē” or Not to “thē”: An Article on Articles
Paul Gallagher, CT
(Saturday, 3:30-4:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

The English system of articles (the, a, etc.) bedevils nonnative speakers, who often see it as designed purely out of sadism with no useful purpose. However, native speakers know that this system conveys useful information and helps them understand English texts. This session will explore the rules for English articles, focusing on the information they convey about content, focus, and topic. The speaker will compare the English system of articles with those of several other languages that either lack articles or use them differently. Audience participation is strongly encouraged.

T&I Industry

TI-1

The Language Industry in the Trump Administration
Bill Rivers
(Thursday, 11:15am-12:15pm; Advanced; Presented in: English)

The U.S. language industry faces significant challenges when it comes to federal contracting and labor regulations. The increased use of reverse auctions, lowest price-technically acceptable bids, and the use of the Service Contracting Act to depress rates were all a feature of the previous administration’s acquisition and regulation of the language industry. A representative of the Joint National Committee for Languages will discuss the climate in the Trump administration and the committee’s work with national partners to improve the conditions for the industry.

TI-4

Endangered Languages: Challenges and Sustainability of Rare Language Interpreting
David Melo
(Saturday, 8:30-9:30am; All Levels; Presented in: English)

The challenge of finding rare language interpreters has tested language services providers for decades. But as many of these languages face extinction, what does this mean for the future of the industry? How does this affect rare language-speaking communities? Linguists estimate by 2100, 90% of languages will disappear entirely, many rare or indigenous. Open dialogue will allow attendees to discuss the sustainability of these languages in the industry, in addition to innovative sourcing and training strategies used in recent years.

Varia

V-3

Maintaining Your Professional Language Skills
Eve Lindemuth Bodeux
(Saturday, 8:30-9:30am; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Our language expertise is what makes us successful as translators and interpreters. Project work and promoting our businesses are important, but we must not neglect the linguistic expertise that we sell. As language professionals, our skills must be top notch. Attend this session for tips, ideas, and strategies on maintaining your working languages. Learn about innovative 21st-century approaches to language maintenance and find out how to use traditional approaches and game play to your benefit. Come away with new ideas, links, and references for linguistic success. All languages addressed.

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