From the Executive Director: Board Meeting Highlights

From the Executive Director
Walter Bacak, CAE
walter@atanet.org

The American Translators Association’s Board of Directors held its Winter Board meeting February 5–6 in Los Angeles, California, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, site of ATA’s 63rd Annual Conference (October 12–15, 2022). Here are some highlights from the meeting.

Ethics: The Board discussed proposed changes to the Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. Director and Ethics Committee Chair Robin Bonthrone shared insights with the Board regarding the committee’s rationale for various changes. The Board will vote to approve the revised Code of Ethics and Professional Practice at the Spring Board meeting.

Certification: The Board reviewed the Certification Committee’s report that addressed progress toward offering certification exams on demand. In addition, the Board approved:

• The appointment of David Stephenson as chair of the Certification Committee. David, the past chair, agreed to step up for the remainder of this year to chair the committee after the death of Michèle Hansen.
• The addition of Korean>English certification. Testing in the new language combination will begin later this year, but practice tests are available now.
• A research study on the correlation between performance on the certification exam and proficiency in machine translation post-editing. The study will start later this year. The results will be shared with the membership.

Translation and Interpreting Resources Committee: The Board approved the dissolution of the Translation and Interpreting Resources Committee. ATA President Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo and Translation and Interpreting Resources Committee Chair Jost Zetzsche mutually agreed that the committee should be dissolved. The committee’s charge is now regularly covered in the workings of the Association and the professions. Jost will continue to write his GeekSpeak and Resource Review columns for The ATA Chronicle and review tech-related conference session proposals.

Nominating and Leadership Development Committee: The Board approved the following appointments to the committee: Danielle Maxson, Frieda Ruppaner-Lind, Yolanda Secos, and Izumi Suzuki. Past President Ted Wozniak is the committee chair.

Committees: The Board approved the appointments of members to several committees: Advocacy Committee, Business Practices Education Committee, Certification Committee, Divisions Committee, Education and Pedagogy Committee, Ethics Committee, Governance and Communications Committee, Honors and Awards Committee, Membership Committee, Professional Development Committee, Public Relations Committee, Standards Committee, and Strategy Committee. All ATA committees are listed on ATA’s website (www.atanet.org/about-us/committees). There you will see each committee’s charge, the committee chair, the committee members, and the contact information.

International Federation of Translators: The Board appointed Past President Ted Wozniak as the new ATA representative to the International Federation of Translators (www.fit-ift.org). The three-year term starts following the upcoming FIT Congress scheduled for June 1-3, 2022. Thanks to Alan Melby for his two terms representing ATA.

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 will be April 9–10, 2022, in Alexandria, Virginia. As always, the meeting is open to all members, and members are encouraged to attend.

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