The ATA Board of Directors met October 27–28, 2018 in conjunction with the Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Here are some highlights from the meeting.
Welcome: President Corinne McKay welcomed the newly elected directors—Eve Lindemuth Bodeux and Meghan (McCallum) Konkol—and congratulated Directors Melinda Gonzalez-Hibner and Tony Guerra on their re-election. They join President-Elect Ted Wozniak, Secretary Karen Tkaczyk, Treasurer John Milan, and Directors Evelyn Yang Garland, Cristina Helmerichs, Geoff Koby, Elena Langdon, and Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo.
Government Linguists Outreach: The Board approved a membership campaign to attract government linguists. The effort—led by ATA Government Division (GovD) Administrator Joe Mazza, GovD Member Rusty Shughart, and President-Elect Ted Wozniak—will look at educating and attracting military linguists who are leaving the service about ways ATA can help with private sector options. The campaign will also encourage current government linguists to join ATA by promoting the Association’s professional development opportunities.
New Affiliate: The Board approved the Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters (www.ostiweb.org) as an ATA affiliate. ATA’s affiliate program provides support to local and regional translator and interpreter groups. Any independent group can petition to be an ATA chapter or affiliate. Currently, ATA has 14 chapters and 11 affiliates.
Public Relations: PR Committee Chair Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo updated the Board on the committee’s activities, including the promotion of International Translation Day through a social media blitz coordinated by ATA Members Jamie Hartz and Molly Yurick. On September 28, a series of creative infographics and client-oriented messages were posted on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram. The infographics are now available on ATA’s website (http://bit.ly/ATA-ITD2018). Please download and share with family, friends, and clients on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. (You don’t need to be an ATA member to download and share.)
In addition to the International Translation Day blitz, the PR Committee’s Writers’ Group continues to craft articles that have now been published in over 100 trade and business publications.
Position Paper Approve: The Board approved the Machine Translation Position Paper. The final version included feedback from the general membership. Please check out the paper at http://bit.ly/ATA-position-MT. This is the first position paper ATA has issued. The GovD Committee is currently working on the next position paper on video remote interpreting.
Appointments: The Board approved the following appointments:
- Business Practices Education Committee: May Fung Danis (chair)
- Membership Committee: Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo (chair)
- Public Relations Committee: Eve Lindemuth Bodeux (chair)
The Board meeting summary is posted online. The minutes will be posted once they are approved at the next Board meeting. Past meeting summaries and minutes are also posted online at www.atanet.org/membership/minutes.php. The next Board meeting is set for February 2–3, 2019 in Austin, Texas. As always, the meeting is open to all members, and members are encouraged to attend.
Be Sure To Renew
Membership renewals have been mailed. It’s easy to renew online, if you prefer. Just go to http://www.atanet.org/membership/renew.php. Thank you for your support and membership in 2018. We look forward to serving you in 2019!