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.

The translation industry is growing during these tough economic times, and will continue to do so due to the nature of the globalized economy, predicts Margarita Griggs, a member of the American Translators Association (ATA). Griggs, who recently received an international award for her work with high school and college students, says organizations in the United States will need to rely more on the global economy because the domestic economy is struggling. And organizations will need accurate translation when conducting business around the world, she says. The translation and interpreting services industry has grown at a rate of 10 to 15 percent annually over the past decade and is now an $11 billion industry. Parade Magazine recently ranked translation as the second hottest job, noting that the need for translators will grow by 26 percent over the next ten years.

From "Interpreters in High Demand"
KOLOTV.com (NV) (10/09/09) Wightman, Karoline
Quoted in ATA Newsbriefs

For those who won’t be attending the ATA’s 50th Anniversary conference in New York, the AATIA’s November 14 meeting is the next-best thing! Four Austin members will provide a debriefing on their experiences at this milestone event in the Big Apple.

Pat Bobeck, who translates French and Spanish into English and specializes in (among other things) geology, petroleum engineering, and environmental sciences will talk about her visit to New York.

Esther Diaz, Administrator of ATA’s Medical Division, will also share her perspective on the conference.

And literary translators Liliana Valenzuela and Tony Beckwith will discuss their conference presentation, “Two Heads are Better than One: A Literary Translation Story,” and explain how they jointly translated a book of 73 stories riddled with jokes, puns, plays on words, cultural references, and onomatopoeia.

Join us and get a first-hand report of what’s going on at the heart of our industry. As always, there’ll be refreshments and lots of good networking on Saturday, November 14, from 1 to 4 pm at our downtown space at the ICA premises (check www.aatia.net for the address, directions, and parking instructions.)

Watch this blog for more details!

Free parking is available at the Convention Center parking garage, which is on the west side of the building that houses our offices. Enter from Brazos Street, inform the attendant that you are attending an AATIA event, and sign a garage parking record sheet. There is no charge. 
 

Results for AATIA 2010 Board of Directors Election

Total ballots returned = 55
Total number of eligible voters = 153
Percent of ballot return = 35.95%

President
Esther Diaz receives 50 votes, 90.91% of the total.
J. Henry Phillips receives 5 votes, 9.09% of the total.
 
Secretary
Marcela Ramos receives 51 votes, 92.73% of the total.
No selection made. receives 3 votes, 5.45% of the total.
Steven Mines receives 1 votes, 1.82% of the total.

Director of Communication
Juan Tornoe receives 50 votes, 90.91% of the total.
No selection made. receives 3 votes, 5.45% of the total.
Fritz Hensey receives 1 votes, 1.82% of the total.
Tony Beckwith receives 1 votes, 1.82% of the total.

Director of Finance
Rose Tempfer receives 52 votes, 94.55% of the total.
No selection made. receives 2 votes, 3.64% of the total.
Ben Maya receives 1 votes, 1.82% of the total.

Director of Membership
Joseph Brettell receives 51 votes, 92.73% of the total.
No selection made. receives 3 votes, 5.45% of the total.
Tony Beckwith receives 1 votes, 1.82% of the total.

Director of Professional Development
Carolina Modesto receives 51 votes, 92.73% of the total.
No selection made. receives 2 votes, 3.64% of the total.
Maurine McLean receives 1 votes, 1.82% of the total.
R.M. Conner receives 1 votes, 1.82% of the total.

Liliana Valenzuela and Cristina Garcia will perform bilingual readings at 7 p.m. this Thursday, October 1, as part of Austin Community College’s The Big Read program. The readings will be held at the Main Theater of ACC’s Rio Grande Campus.