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On Demand, Webinar Series

Successful Advocacy for Translators and Interpreters: The Sequel

March 1, 2023

Sharpen your skills and learn how to make yourself heard to advocate for the policies that affect you and your profession.

Improve your advocacy! As we look towards advocacy in the coming year, it’s time to sharpen our advocacy skills. In the U.S., new regulations have been proposed that affect the translation and interpreting industry and those we serve, including language access in health care, worker classification changes, and more. Inflation and other economic factors are causing a strain on language professionals’ earnings. We need to be ready to advocate, and this webinar takes you beyond the basics.

You will learn:

  1. How to successfully make your case to decision-makers
  2. The top two elements of a successful advocacy pitch
  3. How to use ATA Advocacy resources
  4. Build your own elevator (pitch)
  5. What an advocacy success story sounds like
  6. Hot topics in translation and interpreting advocacy

About the Presenters

Ben Karl, MBA, CT, is an ATA-certified translator specializing in corporate, marketing, and financial translation from French and Mandarin into English. He serves as chair of the ATA Advocacy Committee and is a member of the ATA Membership Committee and The Chronicle Editorial Board. He is also chair of the International Federation of Translators’ (FIT) Translatio Standing Committee and edits À Propos, the ATA French Language Division’s blog. He holds a bachelor’s degree in translation and East Asian Studies from McGill University, a certificate of advanced Chinese proficiency from Beijing Language and Culture University, and a master’s of business administration from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Nicolás Arízaga is a political consultant, researcher, and English<>Spanish translator and interpreter. He specializes in narratives, political communication, rhetoric, international affairs, policy, and discourse analysis. He is the chief executive officer of Political and Legal Translation Ltd. in Denver, Colorado, and a registered Spanish court interpreter for the Wyoming Supreme Court. Nicolás is also an assistant director for the master of public policy at the University of Colorado Denver. He is a member of ATA’s Advocacy Committee and the Spanish Language Division’s Podcast Committee. He serves as a director on the board for Colorado Partners of the Americas.

Cristina Helmerichs D. is a conference interpreter and judiciary interpreter based in Austin, Texas. During her thirty-year career as a Spanish-English conference interpreter, much of her work has been in bilateral negotiations regarding transportation and legal matters, but she also has extensive experience in the oil industry, non-profit service organizational training, and the software security industry. Cristina is a consultant for the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Exam and for the Administrative Office of the US Courts. She currently serves on ATA’s Board of Directors and is chair of the association’s Interpreting Policy Advisory Committee.

Dr. Bill Rivers is principal at WP Rivers and Associates. A former Russian-to-English translator and interpreter, he has more than 30 years’ experience in language advocacy at the national level, with significant experience in culture and language for economic development and national security in the intelligence community. Bill has also worked extensively in language policy development and advocacy. He serves on the ATA Advocacy, Standards, and Education and Pedagogy Committees.

Jennifer Santiagos holds a BA in Spanish from Wheaton College (Illinois) and is a freelance Certified Healthcare Interpreter™ with 13 years of experience. She also does educational, immigration, community, and conference interpreting. Jennifer has served on the ATA Advocacy Committee in the past and as a steering committee member of CoPTIC America. She resides in Los Angeles.

Details

Date:
March 1, 2023
Event Categories:
, ,
Presenter(s): Ben Karl, Nicolás Arízaga, Cristina Helmerichs, Bill Rivers, Jennifer Santiagos
Duration: 60 minutes
Presenting Language(s): English
Level: All

Code of Conduct

ATA is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants. By registering for this event, you agree to abide by the Code of Conduct for Virtual Programs.

 


Organizer

American Translators Association
Phone:
+1-703-683-6100
Email:
ata@atanet.org
Website

Handouts

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