Newsbriefs: June 30, 2022
ATA Members-Only Free Webinar for July!
Did you know that your ATA membership includes one free on-demand webinar every month? Carefully selected from ATA’s archives, you have 30 days to play back one of our classic, or even soon-to-be-classic, presentations. That’s 12 free webinars every year—a $540 member benefit!Check out this month’s free webinar The Remote Interpreter’s Companion.
The remote interpreting market jumped into warp speed at the start of the pandemic. There were courses and webinars about platforms, specialties, clients, and a dozen other “how-tos.” But the focus was rarely on the teamwork and people required to make it all work. This webinar does just that. And presenters Josh Goldsmith and Alexander Dreschel make this a truly fun presentation.
Not an interpreter? Take this opportunity for a free peek at the people side of remote interpreting!
What will you learn?
- Cloud-enabled collaboration
- Communication with colleagues during remote assignments
- Minimizing distractions during remote assignments
- Nailing remote handovers
- Tricks and tips for good remote interpreting
Continuing Education Credit
Each free members-only webinar is approved for one ATA continuing education point (Category B), unless otherwise stated. After watching the webinar, complete and print the Independent Study Verification form. It will serve as your certificate of continuing education if your CE record is selected for audit at the time of your ATA recertification.
Industry News
Quebec Tech Companies Warn New Language Law Could Hurt Recruitment, Damage Economy
CBC (Canada) (06/14/22) Northcott, Alison
In Canada, the leaders of dozens of technology companies based in Quebec have signed an open letter asking to delay the implementation of Bill 96, the province’s contentious new language law aimed at protecting the French language.
Bill 96, which the government passed in May, will limit the use of English in the courts and public services and impose tougher language requirements on businesses and municipalities. One part of the law stipulates that immigrants who have been in Quebec for six months or more will only be able to access most government services in French.
In their letter, business leaders warned Quebec Premier François Legault that Bill 96 will make it difficult to recruit talent and threatens to do “enormous damage to the province’s economy.” They called on Legault and the province to delay implementation of the bill until there is better French-language support, such as tutoring, available for workers.
“We have team members who come from South America, who come from Europe. We need to give them more time and more support,” said Lloyd Segal, president and chief executive officer of Repare Therapeutics, a Montreal-based biotechnology company that develops cancer drugs, who is one of the letter’s signatories. “These phenomenal researchers embrace coming to Quebec—and everything about coming to Quebec. They can go anywhere, and we don’t want to lose them,” Segal said.
Until now, some of the province’s French-language requirements for businesses only applied to companies with more than 50 employees. But under Bill 96, those rules will lower the threshold to 25 or more employees.
The problem now, Segal said, is that the new law could make his company less attractive to the talent it needs, noting that Repare is already competing with businesses around the world in the face of a labor shortage across the tech sector.
Benjamin Bergen is the president of the Council of Canadian Innovators, the organization behind the letter. He acknowledges the importance of protecting Quebec’s culture, but said Bill 96 was prepared hastily and will make it harder for domestic companies to grow. “You’re actually damaging your own culture and your own economy,” Bergen said.
Legault has said that strengthening the province’s language laws is a question of survival when it comes to the French language in Quebec. “We are proud to be a Francophone nation in North America and it’s our duty to protect our common language,” he said in May when Bill 96 was adopted.
Legault said the law doesn’t take effect for another year, as the province works to set up a new French-language ministry to develop language policies for the public service, municipalities, and government organizations. In a statement, a spokesperson for the minister responsible for the French language, Simon Jolin-Barrette, said the government will put tools in place to support new immigrants and help them learn French.
Segal said he is hopeful the Quebec government will help businesses comply and clear up uncertainty about how the law will be applied and enforced. He has no plans to move his company outside of Quebec but worries other companies will be dissuaded from setting up in the province.
“I have deep concerns as one of the builders of our biotech community here in Montreal that, without more certainty, we are almost certainly going to lose new businesses that are being formed.”
Swahili and Spanish Dictionaries Banned in Michigan Prisons
NPR (DC) (06/02/22) Jokisch Polo, Michelle
Officials in prison systems across the U.S. have banned certain books as a way to prevent the flow of material that they say might incite violence. In Michigan, the ban has extended to several non-English-language dictionaries.
Over the past year, the Michigan Department of Corrections has banned dictionaries in Spanish and Swahili under claims that the contents are a threat to the state’s penitentiaries.
“If certain prisoners all decided to learn a very obscure language, they would be able to then speak freely in front of staff and others about introducing contraband or assaulting staff or assaulting another prisoner,” said Chris Gautz, the spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Gautz said allowing prisoners to gain access to language books other than English could encourage them to organize without the knowledge of staff. “When it’s in a language that we don’t have the ability to read ourselves and understand exactly what it is that we’re looking for, we’re not able to allow it in,” he added.
Gautz explained that requests for books in other languages are denied if the staff is unable to find a translation. The book is then included in the list of banned books—even when these are in Spanish.
For Rodolfo Rodriguez, getting books in his native Spanish has been about learning how to communicate in English, which is something he’s been trying to do since his life sentence at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in southern Michigan began in 1993. “One feels offended. One feels like they are telling you that pure Spanish is worthless, that you don’t need to learn because you’ll just stay here.”
Because he doesn’t speak and write well in English, Rodriguez said he’s had a harder time navigating the legal process from prison. He would like the Michigan policy regarding books in other languages revised. He also asserts that incarcerated people deserve a right to educate themselves in their own native language.
Paul Wright, the director of the Human Rights Defense Center and a former inmate at a correctional facility in the state of Washington, has been dealing with censorships at prisons across the U.S. for the past two decades. While he was incarcerated, Wright founded Prison Legal News, a publication he has fought to keep from being censored. “Prison officials like to censor anything that’s critical of themselves, and also they like to censor anything to do with minority anything,” he said.
India Directs Ministries to Include Sign Language Interpreters at All Official Briefings
Gulf News (United Arab Emirates) (06/10/22)
India’s Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar has instructed all central ministries and departments to include a sign language interpreter at all press briefings and media interactions.
A letter from Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Divyangjan Anjali Bhawra stated that all ministries must soon comply.
“The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 mandates the government to create a barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities in physical infrastructure, transportation, information, communication technology, and other facilities and services,” the letter read. “It is, therefore, incumbent upon the government to ensure that all public information related to each sector is accessible to all categories of persons with disabilities, including persons with a hearing impairment.”
Bhawra said that the status of sign language as a preferred form of communication for hearing impaired people means that “it will be in the proper fitness of things to make provisions for sign language interpreting at every meeting/seminar/workshop, including briefings organized by the ministries, departments, and their organizations.”
He further specified that India’s government has established the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center to promote the use of sign language in the country. The Center will provide government ministries and departments with technical support to deliver sign language interpreting at meetings, seminars, workshops, and press briefings.
In South Korea, Study Finds Police Interpreters Underpaid, Unprotected, and Burning Out
The Korea Herald (South Korea) (06/20/22) Shim, Woo-hyun
A study has found that police interpreters in South Korea are often underpaid, mistreated, and unprotected, which has prompting many to avoid taking on the role.
The study, conducted by Officer Choi Seob-min of the Korean National Office of Investigation and Jeong Ji-su, a professor at Korean National Police University, said many police interpreters have experienced burnout.
According to the study, police interpreters, who engage with non-native speakers to interpret during police interviews and court proceedings, are usually hired on-demand due to difficulties in finding professional interpreters who have proper training. The study found these interpreters are often multilingual civilians, including residents in South Korea who are married to Koreans or those who work at support centers for foreign workers and multicultural families.
Seob-min and Ji-su said the problem is that those interpreters are often unfairly treated and eventually avoid the job. They identified several issues during a series of interviews conducted with police interpreters, including the lack of proper compensation based on experience.
“It’s not like you get paid more even if you have more experience in the area,” said one interviewee who has been working as a police interpreter for 10 years. “There is not much difference between experienced police interpreters and those who have just started their careers.”
Seob-min and Ji-su said many of those interviewed for the study expressed concern over the lack of protocols for the protection of interpreters on the job.
“Some suspects will admit charges against them, but later change their testimonies and blame the interpreter,” one police interpreter said. “Some police officers would check my phone number and address right in front of suspects, and I’m concerned that the suspects could visit my place and take revenge,” another interpreter said.
Seob-min and Ji-su stressed that proper support and management are required for police interpreters. “The reason that police interpreters offer services is largely to help,” they said. Seob-min and Ji-su added that the police should “introduce measures to project police interpreters and education programs for police officers so that interpreters don’t feel disregarded or left out.”
The Art of Performing Standup in Sign Language
The Guardian (United Kingdom) (06/13/22) Byrne, Tim
Australian comedy festivals in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane have showcased the work of a committed team of Auslan interpreters during the past year. While many in the crowds were probably largely unaware of their presence, their work provides deaf audiences with valuable access to comedy. But what is it like to interpret live standup through sign language?
Susan Emerson, co-founder of Auslan Stage Left, said you “don’t need to be funny” to interpret comedy. Far more important is being able to match the pace of the comedian and mimic their style of expression, or affect.
“If a performer was really vibrant and dancing around the stage, you wouldn’t expect the interpreter to dance around as well—but you would expect them to exert that same kind of vibrancy,” Emerson said.
The languages featured can also make some shows more challenging to interpret than others. “Auslan and English are two completely different languages, and sometimes there is just no direct equivalence between them,” Emerson said. “You would find the same thing if you were interpreting between English and Mandarin, or English and Spanish.”
Deaf audience member Maria Burgess, who teaches at the Furlong Park School for Deaf Children in Victoria, agreed that Auslan is highly visual. “Usually, a good interpreter can paint a picture just like a comic book. When they’re under-skilled or struggle with timing, it becomes a jumble and something that no longer makes sense.”
Puns and other comical wordplay can be especially hard to interpret. “What we aim for is dynamic equivalence,” Emerson said. “We want deaf people to experience the same thing as hearing people, whether they’re laughing or crying, at the same time.” To that end, interpreters sometimes must adjust swiftly to ensure the signed joke carries the same rhythm and meter as the spoken one. “We do a lot of processing as we’re working—we’re listening, we’re translating, and then delivering the Auslan message,” Emerson said. “At the same time, we’re predicting what’s coming next.”
As for feedback, Emerson gets plenty. “Deaf people might post how funny a show was on Facebook or email us. But the best feedback is that dynamic equivalence—are deaf people responding in the same way as the hearing audience? Are they laughing at the same time? Comedy, after all, is a great unifier.”
ATA News
Strategic Interpreting: Negotiation and Collaboration in the Health Care Encounter
Presenter: Andrea HenryDate: July 7, 2022
Time: 12:00 noon U.S. ET
Duration: 90 minutes
Language: English
Level: All
CE Point(s): 1 ATA-approved
Interpreters who adopt an interpreter practitioner model versus the “black box interpreter” can add value and make a bigger impact in the health care encounter. Current ethical guidelines, in addition to other foundational principles, support innovative and advanced practice strategies, which interpreters should consider applying in their practice, and which educators and managers should encourage and support.
Join this webinar to learn strategies that include educational scripts, visual aids, and techniques to better negotiate high register to enhance communication and trust, and to be better prepared to make more effective decisions equipped with emotional intelligence and soft skills.
Register now! ATA Member $70 | Non-Member $90
If you have already registered for this webinar, check your inbox for no-reply@zoom.us to find your invitation to join. Email zoom@atanet.org if you cannot find it.
Book Your Room in Los Angeles
ATA’s 63rd Annual Conference will take place at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites (October 12-15). ATA has arranged for attendee room discounts at the hotel through September 16, or as space allows.Be sure to make your reservation early! It is not unusual for the room block to sell out before the end of the discounted rates. Learn more and book now.
Why stay at the conference hotel?
One of the best things about attending the conference is “being there”—running into other attendees in the elevator, meeting people in the lobby, and feeling the enthusiasm and energy long after sessions have ended for the day. There is nothing like it.
Looking for a roommate?
Use ATA’s Conference Blog to find a hotel roommate, set up a rideshare, or arrange other logistics for the upcoming conference.
Stay and win
Make your room reservation by September 16 for a chance to win a free night in the hotel! Five winners will be selected.
Beware of room booking scams
If you are contacted by any company claiming to represent ATA or the host hotel, please know their claims are false. The only way to make reservations at the guaranteed ATA rate is to contact the host hotel directly, either by visiting the website or calling the phone number provided.
If you are contacted, please obtain as much detail as you can (name of company, individual’s name, phone number, email address, etc.) and email Adrian Aleckna at adrian@atanet.org.
Back to Business Basics: Terminology Management 101
Presenters: Marina Ilari, Guillermo UmpiérrezDate: July 13, 2022
Time: 12:00 noon U.S. ET
Duration: 45 minutes
Language: English
Level: All
CE Point(s): None
Are you underestimating the need for terminology management in your translation business? Don’t miss this webinar to find out!
We’ll explore why it’s important to have a system for managing terms, what tools to consider using, and how to best integrate glossaries and term bases into your projects. You’ll learn the principles of organizing terms with a clear set of rules to increase accuracy and ensure that the term fits the context. And you’ll also discover how terminology management can guarantee consistency in the client’s preferred terminology, giving your service added value.
Register now!
Free to ATA members, but you must sign up by 10:00 a.m. ET on July 13. Click to learn more and register.
If you have already registered for this webinar, check your inbox for no-reply@zoom.us to find your invitation to join. Email zoom@atanet.org if you cannot find it.
What Do You Know about ATA Member Benefits?
Are you missing out on member benefits simply because you don’t know they exist?ATA has been busy rolling out initiatives one after the other over the last two years—from member discounts on CAT tools and the Inside Specialization podcast series to an industry-wide compensation survey, a new blog for established translators and interpreters, and quarterly virtual brainstorm networking sessions. Even long-time members may not be aware of everything ATA has to offer.
Learn how to access ATA benefits and services or just catch up on what’s new by attending this free one-hour member orientation session on July 14 at 11:00 a.m. ET. And be sure to bring your questions for a terrific Q&A session!
Free, but registration is required.
Note: This live event is an interactive experience with networking and sharing via Zoom’s chat feature. It will not be recorded.
ATA and AFTI Honors and Awards
ATA and the American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation (AFTI) present annual and biennial awards to encourage, reward, and promote the outstanding work being done by both seasoned professionals and students.Applications and nominations are currently being accepted for the following awards. Submission deadline is July 31. See www.afti.org for additional details and eligibility requirements.
- The Student Translation Award is presented to a student for a literary or sci-tech translation or translation-related project. Translations must be from a foreign language into English. Open to any graduate or undergraduate student, or group of students, attending an accredited college or university in the U.S.
- The Alicia Gordon Award for Word Artistry in Translation is given for a translation (from French or Spanish into English or from English into French or Spanish, in any subject) that demonstrates the highest level of creativity in solving a particularly knotty translation problem. Open to ATA members in good standing.
- The S. Edmund Berger Prize is offered to recognize excellence in scientific and technical translation. Open to ATA members in good standing.
Next ATA Virtual Brainstorm Networking Session
Find solutions! Make connections! Join your colleagues for this fun, fast-paced hour of solving common business challenges in small teams. Attend this virtual event on July 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET to meet new people, learn new skills, and expand your support network while sharing your own experiences. Don’t miss it!Registration is open to both ATA members and non-members alike. Due to the interactive nature of this event, it will not be recorded.
Free! Register today!
ATA Member | Non-Member
This event is hosted by ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee.
Deadline for AFTI First-Time ATA Conference Scholarships
The American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation (AFTI), ATA’s non-profit foundation, is pleased to announce a limited number of $500 scholarships to help students and recent graduates with the cost of attending ATA’s 63rd Annual Conference in Los Angeles (October 12-15, 2022).The application deadline is July 31, 2022.
We welcome applications from students or recent graduates of translation or interpreting studies programs. Students may be part-time or full-time. The program must lead to a degree or certificate and be offered by a college or university.
How to Apply
You’ll find all the details and the application form on the AFTI website. Scholarship recipients will be announced by September 15, 2022.
It’s Not Too Late to Enter the ATA School Outreach Contest
Did you share your translation or interpreting career with students this year? Did you capture the moment with a photo or screenshot? Then you’re all set to enter ATA’s School Outreach Contest for a chance to win a free registration to ATA’s 63rd Annual Conference.The contest deadline is July 31, 2022.
For even more information about the contest, sharing your career, and how ATA’s school outreach program can work virtually, listen to Episode 53 of The ATA Podcast with Meghan Konkol, the program’s coordinator, and Molly Yurick, deputy chair of ATA’s Public Relations Committee. You’ll learn about the program’s mission and goals through their personal experiences, including Podcast Host Matt Baird’s own take on how he simplified his presentation approach with great success.
Is Smartling the Right Tool for You?
Presenter: Christopher WyantDate: July 19, 2022
Time: 12:00 noon U.S. ET
Duration: 45 minutes
Language: English
Level: All
CE Point(s): None
Smartling is a cloud-based translation management system with streamlined project management features. But is it the right tool for you? Find out in the third ATA TEKTalks webinar with the company’s Localization Program Manager Christopher Wyant. You’ll learn how the program connects businesses, translation companies, and translators to deliver multilingual content across a client’s devices and platforms. You’ll also get an overview of the company’s approach to simplifying the localization process and streamlining translation projects to optimize time, energy, and cost.
Register now! ATA Member Free | Non-Member $25
What is ATA TEKTalks?
It’s a quarterly webinar series from ATA’s Language Technology Division offering translators the chance to learn about language technology software one platform at a time. Each webinar features an interview with a company representative who explains what their program can do and how it fits into a translation workflow. You’ll walk away understanding the pros and cons of the software and whether it’s a good investment for you.
Missed the first two ATA TEKTalks in the series?
Free to ATA members! Check out Is Wordfast the Right Tool for You? and Is Smartcat the Right Tool for You?
In the May/June Issue of The ATA Chronicle
Words Matter, Identity Matters: Translating the Vocabulary of DiversityWords matter. Identity matters. For translators who are not members of marginalized communities, the first step is to recognize our own privilege, to acknowledge our own limitations, and to broaden our perspective regarding communities of color, women, and LGBTQ+ persons. (Ray Valido)
Hard of Hearing Children and Dual Language Learning: Guidelines for Interpreters
Interpreters play a key role for hard of hearing future multilinguals as they receive services from audiologists and speech-language pathologists. As interpreters, we bring our creativity into the session to find solutions, working as a team with the provider to ensure the best possible intervention for the patient. How can interpreters complement and aid other professionals in their tasks? How do we help families along this journey without making it our own? Here’s some advice that stems from my experience and that of other professionals in the field. (María Baker)
Lots of Resources for LOTS Interpreters
Interpreters of languages other than Spanish (LOTS) don’t have the luxury of ready-made interpreting practice recordings/materials, complete with glossary keys for complicated terminology. They must be creative. Read on to discover lots of LOTS resources and come away better prepared to meet your professional goals. (Athena Matilsky)
Forming a Peer Study Group to Prepare for ATA’s Certification Exam
Peer-based study groups are an effective way to prepare for ATA’s certification exam. Learn how one recent group was organized and administered, including recommended best practices for future groups. (Jason Knapp)
T&I Stakeholders Talk Interconnections
Interconnections are key to shaping legislation and policy, facilitating technology and its integration, and crafting education and training in ways that benefit the translation and interpreting industry as well as the greater language enterprise. (Rusty Shughart)
Access to The ATA Chronicle’s searchable archives is available online! And don’t forget to check out the latest issue of the Chronicle Online.
| News summaries © copyright 2022 Smithbucklin |
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June 30, 2022
Have you noticed an increase in requests for post editing machine translation?
Previous Poll Results
Do you take work with you on vacation?
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10% = Never
In This Issue
Members Free WebinarStrategic Interpreting
Book Your Room in LA
B2BB: Terminology
Member Orientation
ATA/AFTI Awards
Brainstorm Networking
AFTI Scholarship
School Outreach
ATA TEKTalks
The ATA Chronicle
ATA Members Only
Free ATA Webinar!
The Remote Interpreter’s Companion
Click to watch!
Back to Business Basics
Terminology Management 101 for Translators and Project ManagersJuly 13 @ 12 noon ET
Free to members!
Registration open
ATA Webinars
Strategic Interpreting: Negotiation and Collaboration in the Health Care EncounterJul 7 @ 12:00 noon ET
Registration open
ATA Member Orientation
Jul 14 @ 11:00 a.m. ET
Free to ATA Members!
Registration open
ATA TEKTalks: Smartling
July 19 @ 12:00 noon ET
Registration open
Calendar of Events
School Outreach Contest DeadlineJul 31, 2022
Learn more!
ATA-AFTI Awards Deadline
Jul 31, 2022
Learn more!
ATA Board of Directors Meeting
Aug 6-7, 2022
Chicago, Illinois
Learn more!
International Translation Day
A World Without Barriers
Sep 30, 2022
ATA63 Annual Conference
Oct 12-15, 2022
Los Angeles, California
Learn more!
