Once a year, most court interpreters take a continuing ed. class to keep up to date with our profession and to earn the points we need to renew our license. Last year I took mine at Eta Trabing’s workshop in Austin and I did it again this year on August 21. I’m glad I did.

We spent the morning waist-deep in a review of the “Code of Professional Conduct in Court Interpreting.” This might sound like a weighty subject, but Eta is skilled in the art of entertaining and educating at the same time.

Alex Trabing led us through the afternoon’s presentation on “Illegal Drugs: Terminology and Other Useful Information,” and I must say that his style and his material were engaging and interesting enough to keep me awake after a most agreeable round-table lunch at PF Chang’s. (more…)

The preliminary program for the American Translators Association's 51st Annual Conference has designated twelve ATA members as Division Distinguished Speakers, including two AATIA members: Michael Blumenthal (Spanish Division) and Marian Schwartz (Literary Division). The conference will be held in Denver, Colorado, on October 27-30.

Board members met on April 24 for their second meeting of the year. Below are key highlights from the meeting.

AATIA 25th Anniversary Party: Preliminary planning has begun to commemorate the association’s 25th anniversary later this year. Details are still being discussed to celebrate this significant milestone.

Professional development: Initial communication has been made with Xosé Castro to bring him to Austin this year. The board is currently working out the logistics for this special guest. Stay tuned for more details.

The Pro-bono project was established as a way to utilize AATIA’s members’ translation skills for the community. AATIA members will donate 100 pages of Spanish translation. Only nonprofit organizations that employ less than 50 employees and provide health, education, social services, or legal services to the Spanish speaking community are eligible. The Board will determine the winning nonprofit. Volunteers are needed to assist with translation for this project, a project coordinator to lead these efforts and editors. If interested, contact any board member.

Office status: Esther Diaz met with City of Austin representatives to discuss the status of our office space. We have been offered a lease for another year at the same rate; however, the association needs to report and show how we are helping the community, show that the space is being utilized by meetings and share our wireless account with other tenants. Our office space might be moved to another spot within the building.
  

Membership: Our overall membership numbers as of April are 230. We had 23 new members as of January 1st.

If you would like to view a complete record of this board meeting, contact Marcela Ramos, Secretary, at secretary@aatia.org.

Kudos to AATIA member Anna Boyet who recently got word that she'd passed the American Translators Association (ATA)  certification exam. Boyet, who translates from English to Polish, took the exam last summer during the exam sitting hosted by AATIA. Before that, she attended an AATIA information session on ATA certification. Here's what she had to say about the session: 

...it helped me a lot. I had already attended one [session] before, during one of the ATA conferences, but the one in Austin was much more detailed and it helped me prepare. Most of all it helped me understand the difference in expectations between the reviewers of the certification exam and my regular every-day clients.

Of course we can't guarantee that everybody who attends an information session will pass the exam, but we can say that these sessions provide valuable information and helpful tips for anyone thinking of attempting it. Our next information session will be on March 20th. The registration deadline is this coming Monday, March 15th.

So, if you've been thinking of signing up, don't delay. Register online now!

AATIA members Esther Diaz, Cristina Helmerichs, and Leonard Sepeda were interviewed for an article in the "Jobs Plus" section of last Sunday's Austin American-Statesman. Read the article online.

Leonard Sepeda interprets for nurse Becca Mielke at Dell Children's Medical Center, photo by Walter Brewer, Austin American-Statesman

Borderlands Community of Poets will feature "Bilingual Poets of Austin” at 4 pm, Sunday, February 28, at the Sunset Valley Barnes & Noble.

Poets include Tony Beckwith, Celeste Guzman-Mendoza, Ire'ne Lara Silva, Anjela Villarreal-Ratliff, Lydia Armendariz, Gloria Amescua, Steve Vera, Enrique Cabrera, with poet/writer/translator Liliana Valenzuela as presenter. 

Email for more information.

Congratulations to our own Cristina Helmerichs and Odile Legeay, who have been elected to the Board of the ATA:

Election of American Translators Association officers and directors took place Thursday morning during the Annual Meeting of All Voting Members.

Dorothee Racette was elected President-elect, Virginia Perez-Santalla Secretary, and Gabe Bokor Treasurer.

Three new Board members were also elected to fill 3-year terms: Cristina Helmerichs, Odile Legeay, and Frieda Ruppaner-Lind.

David Rumsey was elected to fill a 1-year term on the Board.

Conference photos and news will be posted on the ATA website.