Didn’t make the Business Basics workshop with Ted Wozniak? Read this review by AATIA member Cecilia Berrios and find out what you missed. Berrios is currently employed as a policy analyst for a state agency and has recently launched a second career as a freelance Spanish-English translator.

Wozniak covers the basics: a review by Cecilia Berrios

A great overview of how to operate a translation business was recently addressed at a workshop titled, “Business Basics for Freelancers.” Sponsored by AATIA, the workshop was held on June 14 at the International Center of Austin. As a newcomer to the translation profession, I found the training most helpful. Running a successful translation business takes more than just having expertise in your language pair(s)!

The training was presented by Ted Wozniak, who maintains that operating an effective translation business involves learning how to establish a “business presence,” advertising, finding work, getting paid, keeping tax records, bookkeeping, among other useful topics.

Other comments from workshop participants:

"Very useful!"

"Everything was important to know or to review."

"I am a beginner and found it to be very useful."

"Very reasonable price for the content, quality and presentation style."

AATIA will offer two more great workshops in the coming months: Wordfast training with Paul Makinen on July 26th and Translation Tools with Jost Zetzsche on September 6th. Watch this space for details!

The City of Austin will host a Small & Minority Business Resources “Certification 101 Workshop” on Wednesday, July 9th, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., at 625 E. 10th Street, Room 105.

• Find out more about the requirements and benefits of obtaining your Minority-Owned Business Enterprise and/or Women-Owned Business Enterprise Certification (MBE/WBE) through the City of Austin Procurement Program.
• Learn about Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Certification
• Work with the City’s Vendor Registration Department to add or update your information on the Vendor Registration System.

“In addition to becoming certified for City minority and women-owned business procurement opportunities, Small & Minority Business Resources can help businesses with certification as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, used in federal transportation and aviation projects, as well as the Historically Underutilized Business Program, which encompasses the state of Texas procurement opportunities,” said SMBR Director Stephen Elkins.

RSVP to Blender Hill at 512.974.7677.

Living legend Margaret Sayers Peden — she’s published over fifty books by such leading Latin American writers as Isabel Allende, Laura Esquivel, Carlos Fuentes, Pablo Neruda, and Octavio Paz — will be teaching two classes in literary translation on Saturday, July 12, in San Antonio. through Gemini Ink, an astonishing opportunity for Austinites. Run don’t walk to sign up.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to improve the business side of your T&I business. Sign up for Business Basics for Freelancers. Both old hands and newcomers to the profession will benefit from this workshop, which will cover basic bookkeeping and record-keeping requirements, ensuring payment, tax and financial planning, and more.

Download a registration form and register today!

Students enrolled in the ACC Translation and Interpreting Program attend for half price! Contact Laura Vlasman for more information.

The flyer and registration form for Ted Wozniak’s workshop "Business Basics for Freelancers," scheduled for June 14, are now available for downloading.

The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care  (NCIHC) will hold its 2nd Annual Membership Meeting at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 5-6, 2008. It will be followed by the Southeast Regional Interpreters Conference, held by the Medical Interpreter Network of Georgia (MING), at the same location on June 6-7, 2008.

The NCIHC offers a brochure on this year’s meeting and a report on last year’s event. Register and get hotel information. Information about submitting presentation proposals, exhibiting, or sponsoring may be viewed on the website or obtained by contacting a representative of NCIHC.

Don’t miss the chance to attend two great events over a long weekend!

The National Center for Interpretation’s Agnese Haury Institute will take place July 14 to August 1. Applications are currently being accepted and there are still a few partial-scholarship opportunities left for the court interpeter training course.

Scholarships range from $250.00 to $1000.00 for all participants. For NAJIT and ATA members, contact the National Center for Interpretation to learn more about special scholarship offers. To apply for scholarships, download the application form and answer the essay questions to the best of your abilities. (Note: if you have already applied for a scholarship, your application has already been submitted to the scholarship committee for review.) Deadline for new applications is May 23, 2008.

To learn more about the Agnese Haury Institute, download the brochure and contact the National Center for Interpretation if you have any questions regarding the application process. Remember, enrollment is strictly limited to ensure a good student to instructor ratio, so make sure you sign up early!