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…)

Amazon has announced AmazonCrossing, “which will introduce readers to emerging and established authors from around the world with translations of foreign language books, making award-winning and bestselling books accessible to many readers for the first time.”

The premiere title, The King of Kahel, is an award-winning novel by Tierno Monénembo. Originally published in France in 2008, The King of Kahel was the winner of the prix Renaudot, the French literary prize awarded to the author of an outstanding original novel. Loosely based on the life of French adventurer Olivier de Sanderval, the novel traces his experiences as an explorer in West Africa.

The translator is Nicholas Elliott, shown in photo.

Read all about it here.

The American Translators Association (ATA) will host its 51st Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, on October 27-30. This three-day event will showcase diverse panel discussions, expert presentations, training workshops, and scholarly papers. Both general and language-specific sessions will be offered. The conference will also offer language professionals one of the best opportunities to network with colleagues. Additional activities will include a Job Marketplace, vendor exhibit hall, and ATA certification testing. 

(In photo: Nadine Pokrosky, who translated from Russian into French for the UN, in a March 1948 photo.)

By Nikola Krastev

UNITED NATIONS  — When Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi delivered his notorious 96-minute speech before the UN General Assembly last autumn, no one may have been more aware of each passing minute than his personal translator, Fouad Zlitni, whom he had brought along for the occasion.
Nearly three-quarters of the way into Qaddafi’s address, Zlitni collapsed, undone by the effort of translating the Libyan leader’s rambling, at times angry speech from Arabic into English for nearly 75 minutes straight. Read the full article here.

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. 
 

In recognition of St. Jerome, the principle translator of the Vulgate Bible and patron saint of translators, the AATIA will host a historic International Translation Day celebration.

There will be entertainment from the Executive Director of the Austin Classical Guitar Society, Dr. Matthew Hinsley, the lively and funny Gabacha-chas led by Maurine Mclean and Lisa Rogers, and an exciting samba exhibition with audience participation led by Rebekah Fowler.

A rich variety of delicacies and beverages will be offered for your pleasure.
Free parking is available at the Convention Center Parking Lot. Enter by turning north on Brazos from East 1st Street, going 2/3 of a block, entering the CC Parking lot on the right, and telling the attendant that you are with the AATIA. See the map in the right column.

Please join us at the ICA office on October 3rd from 7-10 p.m. for fun, friendship, and food. Friends and family are welcome.

Michael Blumenthal, President