The AATIA will soon cease to publish its newsletter and move all communication to an electronic environment.

Ever since it was founded, in 1985, the AATIA has had a newsletter of some kind. In the beginning, it was a simple sheet of paper whose main purpose was to remind members of the date, time, and place of the next meeting. What a difference two decades can make!

By 2005, The Letter was a well-established, regular publication. Under the direction of Editor Mike Conner, it was the main means of communication between the AATIA and its members, who looked forward to receiving it every two months in the mail. Over the years, it had become far more than a meeting-reminder. It now contained regular features, national and international news from the world of translation and interpretation, specific and eclectic information on matters of interest to professionals in these fields, and a calendar of events. It was recognized as being among the best T&I newsletters in the country.

But, of course, much had changed since the AATIA was founded. The Internet had developed into a global network and was now a powerful medium that had revolutionized the T&I world. Not to be left behind, the association established an address on the much-vaunted information superhighway, launching its own website in 1997. The site became a repository for a large part of the AATIA’s records in the form of digital archives of The Letter. The traditional membership directory—which, historically, had been a major incentive for joining the group—made the transition from a paper version to an electronic one, and from that moment all members were visible and accessible to the rest of the world, at www.aatia.org.

We, the members of AATIA, had also changed. We become far more sophisticated as we learned to work on computers and send files here, there, and everywhere by just attaching them to emails. We discovered electronic resources on the Internet that amazed and delighted us, and found that our jobs were being made easier as we discovered how to access online dictionaries, and glossaries and, eventually, Google!

Every day we did more and more with our computers; soon we were talking about a “paperless society” and dreamed of having offices without a single filing cabinet! Some moved quickly into this brave new paperless world and began canceling their subscriptions to newspapers and magazines because they found that they preferred to read them online. Some, however, did not. As with every significant change in any field, not everyone was excited about the new way of doing things, nor were they ready to jettison lifelong habits at the click of a mouse. These same members have similar reservations about the news that the AATIA will soon cease to publish The Letter, and move all news and communications to an electronic environment. At this point, I’d like to briefly digress and share a bittersweet anecdote which I believe is both relevant and capable of giving us a certain useful perspective on the subject.

Many years ago, Australia decided to “go metric” and set about convincing the population that it was a good idea. The government sponsored a massive campaign to educate the people and prepare them for the transition to the new way of measuring their world. Of course, not everyone was convinced. One day a major newspaper published a letter to the Editor which said: “I am an old lady, and this new metric policy is alarming to me and no doubt to others of my advanced age. I understand that progress is inevitable and that things must change, but couldn’t the government wait to make the changes until all the old people have died?” Now that I have reached what feels like an advanced age, I fully sympathize with that lady.

On March 2, 2008, the Austin American-Statesman published the following note from the managing editor (here abbreviated):

Today’s paper is the first in at least 40 years without a Show World section. It’s a victim of a huge increase in television programming and changes in the way viewers get information about TV shows. These days, our readership measurement experts tell us, a majority of people use on-screen logs to get programming information. In fact, more than half the people surveyed said that if Show World went away, they wouldn’t miss it at all. It therefore no longer makes business sense for us to devote so many resources to a dwindling audience. We’re keenly aware that the people who have continued to use Show World will miss it sorely, which is why we are now offering a variety of alternatives. These alternatives won’t satisfy everyone. We’re aware that putting a stop to Show World will disappoint some readers bitterly. Nonetheless, we believe that the decision is best for the long-term health of the newspaper and our mission of delivering the most complete, incisive, up-to-date news and information available.

Those of us involved in promoting the long-term health of the AATIA have agonized over exactly the same sort of issues. We are aware that there are members (myself included) who regret the passing of The Letter in its traditional form. We would like to assure you all that the decision was not taken lightly, but was taken because we truly believe that it is in the best interests of the association. The cost of publishing The Letter absorbs about a quarter of the association’s revenues. When there was no other satisfactory way of communicating with our members, this was an acceptable expense. Today, when we can achieve the same goals (actually, far more) at virtually no cost, it would be irresponsible to continue doing things in the old way. So, we will publish two more issues of The Letter, and from then on you’ll be in regular communication with the AATIA right here, at your computer.

But we should also recognize that it’s not only about the cost. The new, online vehicle provides a far more dynamic form of communication between the association and the members, and the rest of the world. Our blog—at www.aatia.net—provides members with up-to-the-minute information on a wide array of subjects, in addition to serving as a link to our website, our member directory, and all the other electronic material we have accumulated over the years. The blog will keep members current on association news, meeting and workshop information, and work and educational opportunities, and serve as a launch pad to the vast resources of the Internet.

It will also provide members with the opportunity to talk back! Once you get comfortable with the new blog format, you can read items of interest and post your own comments or replies. This is a totally interactive format, which is one of the qualities which will eventually be seen as a vast improvement over the traditional paper newsletter that arrived in the mail but offered no easy, immediate way to respond.

In conclusion, I’d like to invite all members, no matter how you feel about boldly going where we’ve never been before, to use the Comments box below to tell us what you think.

Thank you!

Tony Beckwith
Director of Communications