Skip to content
FacebookTwitterLinkedinYoutubeInstagram
  • Join ATA
  • Renew
  • Contact Us
  • Log In
American Translators Association (ATA)
Find a Language Professional
  • Certification
    • Certification
      • Guide to ATA Certification
      • What is a Certified Translation?
      • How the Exam is Graded
      • Review and Appeal Process
      • Looking for More Information?
    • Taking the Exam
      • About the Exam
      • How to Prepare
      • Practice Test
      • Exam Schedule
    • Already Certified?
      • Put Your Credentials To Work
      • CT Designation and Seal
      • Continuing Education Requirement
    • Register Buttons
      • Exam Schedule
         
      • Order Practice Test
  • Career and Education
    • For Newcomers
      • Student Resources
      • Starting Your Career
      • The Savvy Newcomer Blog
    • For Professionals
      • Growing Your Career
      • Business Strategies
      • Next Level Blog
      • Client Outreach Kit
      • Mentoring
    • Resources
      • For Educators and Trainers
      • Tools and Technology
      • Publications
      • School Outreach
    • Event Buttons
      • Upcoming Webinars
  • Client Assistance
    • Client Resources
      • Why Should I Hire a Professional?
      • Translator vs. Interpreter
      • Getting It Right
    • More Client Resources
      • Need a Certified Translation?
      • What is Machine Translation?
      • The ATA Compass Blog
    • Find a Translator Button
      • Find a Language Professional
  • Events
    • Events
      • Annual Conference
      • Seminars and Workshops
      • Certification Exam Schedule
    • More Events
      • Virtual Events
      • Webinar Series
      • Calendar of Events
    • Event Buttons
      • Visit ATA64
      • Upcoming Webinars
         
  • News
    • Industry News
    • Advocacy and Outreach
    • Press Room
    • The ATA Chronicle
    • The ATA Podcast
    • ATA Newsbriefs
  • Member Center
    • Member Resources
      • Join ATA
      • Renew Your Membership
      • Benefits of Membership
      • Divisions
      • Chapters, Affiliates, and Other Groups
      • Get Involved
      • Shop the ATA Store
    • Already a Member?
      • Log Into Your Member Center
      • Connect with Members
      • Create Your Directory Listing
      • Become a Voting Member
      • Member Discounts
    • Member Buttons
      • Join ATA
         
      • Member Login
  • About Us
    • About ATA
      • Who We Are
      • Press Room
      • Honors and Awards Program
      • Advertise with Us
      • American Foundation for
        Translation and Interpretation
      • Contact Us
    • How ATA Works
      • Board of Directors
      • Committees
      • Policies & Procedures
      • Code of Ethics
      • ATA Team
    • Contact Button
      • Contact ATA
  • Join ATA
  • Renew Your Membership
  • Contact Us
  • Log In
  • Find a Language Professional
savvy-newcomer-header

From ATA’s Divisions: The German Language Division

June 24, 2014 | The Savvy Newcomer | No Comments | Resources

By Arnold Winter

GLDAs a German-to-English translator, it was a “no brainer” for me to join the ATA’s German Language Division at the start of my career in translation almost ten years ago. While joining the ATA and putting up my profile online resulted in being contacted out of the blue by my first paying client, the GLD is where I started making friends in the business and also found my footing as a translator.

By the time of my first annual ATA conference in 2006 in New Orleans, I had already been working in translation full-time for about two years. My first impression at the conference was that everyone else already seemed to know each other very well. All around, people were greeting each other like old friends, standing around in clusters and getting caught up on each other’s lives. It was certainly a bit intimidating, and I felt like I shouldn’t be intruding on all the lively conversations that were going on.

That all changed very quickly when I attended the GLD’s social event at the conference. Striking up conversations was easy, even for an introvert like me, and I realized that everyone there was interested in the same things as I was and also shared the same experiences in the translation business.

Whether it is the challenge of converting bulky German compound nouns and passive constructions into a natural English style, or the finer points of dealing with specialized subjects and terminology, it was indeed thrilling to find that the linguistic and business challenges that I was running into as a newcomer to translation and had more or less been thinking about instinctively were things that other GLD members were not only encountering as well but could also get just as excited about.

The fact that I had also already been subscribing to the GLD’s Yahoo! Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/gldlist/info) made things much easier. Some of the names on people’s nametags were already familiar to me, and it was great to meet people in person for the first time whom so far I’d only known by name through their online postings. Both at that first ATA conference as well as at every other conference I’ve attended since then, this has served as a great conversation starter. Even most recently at the 2013 conference in San Antonio, I made new friends by people coming up to me and saying: “Hey, I know you from the list.”

In fact, aside from the camaraderie, collegiality and support I’ve found both online and in person, the most important immediate benefit I get from my GLD membership on a daily basis is its Yahoo! Group. To quote the GLD’s own description about the group: “If you haven’t subscribed yet, you’re missing an opportunity to tap into the wealth of knowledge GLD members are eager to impart.”

I myself have found the GLD’s Yahoo! Group to be the best place for quick answers on terminology issues that might otherwise take hours of research, most likely while facing an imminent deadline. Roughly two-thirds of the postings involve linguistic issues. Other topics include technology questions, doing business with clients based in Germany, and announcements and information of general interest.

As reported at the GLD’s meeting at the ATA’s 2013 conference, the GLD currently has about 1,500 members, but only 425 subscribers to the Yahoo! Group. So where’s everyone else?

Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned language professional, if you are not yet subscribing to the group, you should at least give it a try. It’s certainly okay just to “lurk” for a while and get a feel for the kinds of discussions that go on, and you can always unsubscribe if it’s not for you.

Subscribing to the GLD’s Yahoo! Group is easy. Here’s what you do:

1. Send an email to: gldlist-owner@yahoogroups.com

2. In the subject line, enter: subscribe gldlist

3. In the body of your email, write your:

– email address

– full name

– ATA membership number

That’s it!

Another benefit provided by the GLD is interaktiv, the division’s biannual newsletter. Both the most recent as well as past issues can be downloaded in PDF from the GLD’s web page (www.ata-divisions.org/GLD/).

Included in interaktiv are profiles on fellow GLD members, dictionary reviews, and information about GLD matters. Another recently added regular feature is Karen Leube’s “(Translation) Notes from the Homeland,” which reports on activities by the Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer e.V. (www.bdue.de), the professional organization in Germany for translators and interpreters.

In fact, according to GLD Administrator Eva Stabenow, roughly 9% of the GLD’s members live in Germany and surrounding countries. And with Karen Leube, who is based in Aachen, Germany, as the GLD’s “European Coordinator,” the GLD is now reaching out across the Atlantic. Some of those members outside the United States also come to the ATA’s annual conferences, which certainly makes the GLD a great place to network with colleagues and (potential) clients located in Europe.

Overall, based on my own experience, the GLD is both a great educational and informational resource as well as a place for developing relationships within the German translation community that can lead to referrals and other good things in one’s professional life. For a quick first impression about the GLD, just click on this link to its web site: www.ata-divisions.org/GLD/.

—————
About the author: Building on fifteen years of professional experience as an attorney in the United States, Arnold Winter provides German-into-English translation services in the fields of law, business, and finance (www.awtranslations.com).  ATA certified from German into English, he has been working with translation agencies and direct clients since 2003. In addition to the ATA and both its German Language Division and the ATA’s local chapter for the Greater Philadelphia area, the Delaware Valley Translators Association (www.dvta.org), he is also a member of the Delaware Translators and Interpreters Network (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/delawaretranslators/info).

 

Share this

Posts navigation

← What direct clients want: From a Marketing Director’s perspective
Ten Things You Must Never Do to Your Colleagues →

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply





I accept the Privacy Policy

  • Home
  • Editorial Team
  • Resources
  • Write for Us
  • Style Guide

Recent Posts

Continuing Professional Development Reflection: From Translation Student to Freelance Translator

Trade Show Tips for Translators

The Most Lucrative Ways to Specialize

How to Use Video to Attract New Clients to Your Website

Savvy Diversification Series – The Role of the Genealogical Translator

What to Do With All Those Languages You Speak

8 T&I Events in Europe that Deserve to Be on Your 2023 Calendar

Using LinkedIn to Research People and Companies

Buddies Welcome Newbies: Starting #ATA63 Off on the Right Foot

Nine Questions from Language Majors on Their Next Steps to Becoming a Translator or Interpreter

Subscribe to The Savvy Newcomer

Connect with Us

Tweets by The Savvy Newcomer
Language Services Directory
ata_logo_footer

American Translators Association
225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590
Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone +1-703-683-6100
Fax +1-703-683-6122

  • Certification
  • Career and Education
  • Client Assistance
  • Events
  • News
  • Member Center
  • About Us
  • Member Login
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Submit Feedback

© 2023 - American Translators Association

Website by Yoko Co

Find a Language Professional
Scroll To Top