Growth in U.S. immigration and a recent boom in international business transactions have expanded the need for interpreters and translators. Over-the-phone language services are thriving, according to a recent L.A. Times article.

Join us on Saturday, May 12, from 1- 4 p.m. for our May AATIA General  Membership Meeting.  Hear stories from more Member Spotlights and Special Guest Presenter, Marian Schwartz, Literary Russian Translator, who will speak on "The Hardest Book I Have Ever Translated".  Mikhail Shishkin's novel, Maidenhair (Venerin volos), was written in Zurich and Rome (2002-2004), published serially in the journal Znamia (2005) and then as a book (2005, 2010).  It has been awarded Russia's two perhaps biggest literary prizes: the National Bestseller, and the Big Book; the French, Italian, and German translations have also won major prizes.

So come see your fellow AATIA members, do some networking, and learn tricks of translating.  As always, delicious refreshments will be served! The City of Austin is working on improvements on 2nd street.  Access to the Convention Center Parking garage available from Brazos Street.   Free parking details provided at the meeting.

AATIA is organizing a full-day TDLR-approved workshop for court interpreters. Once again, our presenter will be Eta Trabing. Attending this workshop will enable interpreters who are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) to fulfill their entire continuing education requirement for the year.

We are considering several possible dates and would like your input on which of those dates would be best for you. Please let us know by taking our two-question survey. It won't take more than a minute or two of your time!            Go to survey

United Nations 2012 competitive examinations for English-language translators and editors
July 11-12, 2012
United nations, New York, NY, USA

The Secretariat of the United Nations is pleased to announce that competitive examinations for the recruitment of English-language translators/précis-writers and editors will be held respectively on 11 and 12 July 2012. Details regarding eligibility requirements, deadlines, and application procedures can be found at:
https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=LE
(please note that this address is case sensitive).

For more information, please contact

Examinations and Tests Section
Office of Human Resources Management
United Nations
New York, NY
ohrmlce@un.org
 www.careers.un.org

Is conference interpreting the right career for you? To explore the possibilities and learn about the job, tune into the webinar to be offered by the American Translators Association (ATA ) on April 17th. Registration fee is $35 for ATA members and $50 for non-members. ATA-certified translators will earn one continuing education point for participating. Sign up on the ATA website.

Preparing for the Consortium Oral Exam? Questions and concerns about it? Come join AATIA Interpreter Special Interest Group Saturday, April 14 from 10:00 - 12:00 p.m. at the International Center of Austin (ICA) at the corner of 2nd and Brazos Streets. and meet with Alejandro, a recent test-taker, to get first-hand insight on the format, grading, and scope of the exam. Ensure that you are preparing as smartly and efficiently as possible. We will also have some practice interpreting different sections of the exam. As the City of Austin will be working on improvements on 2nd Street, remember to park in the Convention Center Parking Garage, above ICA. Entrance on Brazos Street.

AATIA will sponsor a sitting for the American Translators Association (ATA) translator certification exam at the International Center of Austin on the afternoon of July 21, 2012. Exam candidates must join ATA at least four weeks prior to the exam date and must meet certain eligibility requirements. Consult the ATA website to obtain information about eligibility and to register for the exam.

Potential candidates are encouraged to purchase a practice test before signing up in order to gauge their readiness to take the exam. They may also find it useful to view the recording of an ATA webinar on preparing for the exam, presented by veteran ATA exam grader Celia Bohannon.

The new issue of SOURCE focusing on Lyrical Translating has now been posted.

Featured are Patrick Saari’s intriguing essay on self-translation, culminating with versions of his poem “Dawn” in three languages; signature cartoons by Tony Beckwith, along with his reminiscence of evenings on a roof in San Miguel; Rafa Lombardino’s review of ATA Literary Division conference presentations by Carsten Peters, Attila Piróth, and Jayme Costa Pinto, concluding with an appreciation of “Que de lindo,” the Brazilian version of Cole Porter’s song “It’s De-Lovely”; and Allison Ahlgrim’s review of Mark Herman and Ronnie Apter’s presentation “Translating Art Songs for Performance: Rachmaninoff’s Six Choral Songs.”

We also have a new News and Views section, which will be edited by Traci Andrighetti in future publications.

Our next issue will continue the focus on lyrical translating (songs and poems). We encourage submissions from Asia, Africa, and all other cultures less frequently represented. General submissions for future issues may be sent to Michele McKay Aynesworth.
News and Views submissions go to Traci Andrighetti. The Spring deadline is May 1.