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…)

Attention all Interpreters and anyone interested in the field of Court interpreting!

Are you puzzled, confused or just wondering what to study for the Court Interpreter Exams? Join the Interpreter Special Interest Group (ISIG) this Saturday August 14, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon when Licensed Court Interpreter, Joseph Bretell, will provide guidelines and practical sample exercises. Meetings take place at the AATIA headquarters in the International Center of Austin on 2nd street between Brazos and San Jacinto. Parking is available at the Convention Center parking garage on the west side of the building. Enter from Brazos Street. See you there!

Women in Translation, the special summer issue of Source (the Literary Division’s online publication), is now available.

Features include cartoons and a column on “My Mother Tongue” by our own Tony Beckwith; an article by Betty De Shong Meador describing her encounter nel mezzo del cammin della sua vita with the “willful, outrageous, sexy Sumerian goddess Inanna”; Ann Cefola’s translation of a poem by Hélène Sanguinetti, who evokes Provence’s troubadour tradition in experimental, “scraped” language; Nancy Arbuthnot’s reflections on her experience working with Vietnamese poet Lê Pham Lê and on the balancing act of translating poetry from another culture; and a piece by Clare Sullivan examining the way in which Natalia Toledo’s Zapotec roots affect her poetry.
“Google Settlement Revisited” follows up on the Point/Counterpoint featured in the Spring issue.

Our theme for the fall will be "Translation and the Arts." Submissions for that issue may be sent to michele@mckayaynesworth.com. Deadline is August 10.

Are you overwhelmed with multiple projects? Do you want more control in your day? Come to Adriana Bardin-Prestwood's presentation on techniques of Project Management and get organized!

Adriana's presentation will take place at the AATIA Membership Meeting this Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 at the International Center of Austin (see address and directions in column at right).

The Spanish Special Interest Group will also meet this Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00 at the same location. Marta Blumenthal and Joan Tuttle-Vargas, from the Language Services unit at the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, will talk about proofreading your Spanish translations.

Both meetings are open to the public. Free parking is available at the Convention Center parking garage, which is on the east 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.

The Interpreter’s Special Interest Group will meet on Saturday April 10 from 10 AM to 12 noon at the AATIA headquarters in the International Center of Austin on 2nd street between Brazos and San Jacinto. Joseph Brettell, a Licensed Court Interpreter, will continue his presentation on training materials available to aspiring court interpreters, and the realities and practice of court interpretation. This session will focus on practicing with real texts which are commonly seen in the courts. All interpreters or other interested parties are welcome. See you then!

Join SpanSIG for its first meeting of the year. The topic will be film translation from Spanish to English and we will have the opportunity to offer our professional critique.

As always, we invite you to spend a couple of hours with your SpanSIG colleagues and enjoy a light breakfast.

At the conclusion of the meeting, we will raffle a couple of books that you might find interesting.

We’ll see you from 10:00 to 12:00 at the International Center of Austin. See sidebar at right for directions and parking instructions.

The expertise of Conference Interpreters is very much needed in today's global economy. Come and listen to two of our distinguished members — Maurine McLean and Tony Beckwith — share their experiences as well as tips on how to polish up your interpreting skills.

Join us at our ICA location on 2nd Street between Brazos and San Jacinto on Saturday, March 13th from 1 to 4 p.m. Find directions and parking information in the sidebar on this page.

Mark your calendars!

AATIA’s Literary Special Interest Group—the LitSIG—has (mostly) finalized its schedule for the rest of the year:

• November 21, 2009
• January 23, 2010
• February 20, 2010
• March 27, 2010
• April 24, 2010 (Poetry Month!)
• May 22 (or 29), 2010

All meetings take place on a Saturday from 2 to 4 pm, unless otherwise noted.

For more information about specific meetings, including location, or to learn more about LitSIG in general, contact the LitSIG coordinator, Liliana Valenzuela, at litsig@aatia.org.