Some Fundamentals of Project Management
At its most basic, managing expectations is about proactive, clear, and explicit communication. Managing expectations is also about showing respect for one’s partners in the collaborative translation process.
How to Lose Customers
Customer retention depends on many factors, some of which are the result of pure luck and some of which can be managed by design. Since we cannot control the former, it’s even more important to work on deliberate strategies to maintain good customer relationships. There’s no magical,
one-size-fits-all approach that will work in all situations, but we can take steps to help us keep our best customers. Remember, it’s easier to keep existing customers happy than to find new ones.
Resources for You: ATA’s New Model Contract for Translators
The revised ATA Model Job Contract is available online! This template-style form was developed from best practices in the industry and includes standard conditions and terms that should be defined for every job. Translators who don’t have their own contract or want to amend their current agreements can now use ATA’s version and adapt it to their own situations.
How to Help Everyone Cross the Linguistic Bridge: Tips for Accessible Digital Translation and Interpreting
Your work as a T&I professional touches many, including individuals with disabilities. By adding accessibility checks to your process, you’ll be helping everyone cross the linguistic bridge.
Brave New World: AI and Interpreting
AI has been present for some time in the T&I professions, and there is little to no risk of it disappearing. But the fact remains that both the ethical standards and the laws pertaining to AI use in general, and specifically in the field of language access, remain absent but sorely needed.
How Does ATA’s Nominating Process Work?
Why is ATA interested in leadership development for its Board and potential future candidates?
School Outreach Contest Winner: Fátima Cornwall
When a Rigby High School teacher was contemplating taking her 10th grade Spanish students on a field trip to Boise State University and had asked for an activity for her students, Fátima Cornwall, this year’s ATA School Outreach Contest winner, immediately had an idea. She prepared a special presentation that revolved around using Spanish for specific purposes, and more specifically medical interpreting.
Extraditions: Concepts, Research Techniques, and Terminology
Cases involving extraditions pose particular challenges for translators and interpreters. Proper language transfers require researching bilateral international treaties and the domestic laws of the respective countries. Understanding the extradition process is also key to ensuring adequate communication, and proper terminology normalization regarding legal principles often requires researching the writings of legal scholars. Careful research contributes to a useful product that helps lead to a just outcome for all parties involved.
The Beat Goes On: Stay Fired Up for the Long Haul!
Reinventing a career over the years requires strategy, flexibility, and creativity. There are many ways to keep the joy flowing. A linguist shares insights from her 23-year experience as a freelance translator, including ups and downs and what she considers to be the three stages of a T&I career.
2023 ATA Honors and Awards Recipients
ATA and the American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation present annual and biennial awards to encourage, reward, and publicize outstanding work done by both seasoned professionals and students of our craft.
ATA Elections 2024: Call for Nominations
Do you know someone who would make a good potential candidate for ATA’s Board of Directors? If so, ATA’s Nominating and Leadership Development Committee would like to hear from you. Any ATA member may make a nomination. Here’s your chance to help shape the future of the Association!
The Realities of Child Interpreting and Ways Forward: A Recap of ATA’s Virtual Roundtable Discussing the Film Translators
On December 14th, ATA hosted a free virtual roundtable to discuss the depiction of children as interpreters in the film Translators, directed by Rudy Valdez and presented by U.S. Bank. A diverse panel of language services industry experts provided insights into the issue, explaining how the film highlights many of the challenges child interpreters can experience and how people who need professional interpreters can avail themselves of their federally protected rights to access them.