The International Partnership of Austin (IPA) held a joint conference on investment in China with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) at the Stephen F. Austin Inter-Continental Hotel in Austin on Tuesday, April 22, 2008. A group of AATIA members were invited to attend. The AATIA group included Julie Nordskog, Takao Nonaka, Shwujen Wu, and myself. Julie operated the name tag table for attendees and acted as a gracious host during the half-day conference.

The featured speaker was Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson. Stephen Wong, regional director for HKTDC, led a panel discussion on the experience of doing business in Hong Kong and China. Bob Pearson, VP Dell, gave a presentation on the influence of China on the World Wide Web and the online experience. Other parts of the conference were a panel discussion on sourcing and manufacturing in Hong Kong and China, a presentation describing the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, a talk on capital issues in China by Peter Harris, partner in Javelin Investments, and a “Nuts and Bolts” workshop given by all the experts present at the conference.

Special thanks should go to Julie for her tireless hosting at the conference. She gave us a professional image.

The AATIA Board has called for volunteers and donations to help staff and furnish its headquarters office at the International Center of Austin.

AATIA would like volunteers to staff the office Monday thru Friday. If you enjoy meeting new people and talking about the profession, this may be a good opportunity for you. Hours are very flexible. Duties include the following:

• Be in the office and meet other ICA tenants
• Answer inquiries about using qualified translators and interpreters
• Identifying opportunities to promote AATIA to international businesses and visitors
• Initial office set-up (unpacking and sorting files, organizing library materials, office decorating)
• Help plan Open House event for April 12th

Greet foreign delegations

In exchange for the use of ICA facilities, AATIA volunteers will help welcome foreign delegations visiting Austin. This usually involves attending a reception at the ICA and sometimes other social events. Announcements will be issued through the AATIA listserv.

Office wish list

Equipment

• Laptop computer with DVD/CD RW and wireless capability
• Locking cable for laptop
• Desktop computer
• Headset with mic for computer
• Printer/copier/scanner
• Wireless router
• Ethernet cables
• Speakers (to attach to desktop/laptop)
• DVD Player
• External drive or other form of backup memory

Furnishings

• Locking storage cabinet (with combination lock)
• Bookshelf
• Filing cabinet
• Wall plaque/signage for AATIA
• Wall art
• Wall planner
• Wall calendar
• Whiteboard
• Organizing trays
• Office supplies: printer paper, ink cartridges, pens, pencils, notebooks/pads, paperclips, stapler, staples, Post-it notes, phone message pads, bulletin board, push pins, letter-size file folders and labels, business envelopes, three-ring binders, etc.
• Wall hanging letter file (for brochures outside office)
• Sundries: coffee, filters, tea, mugs. etc.
• Resource library: dictionaries, language-related books, language CDs
• Non-licensed software
• Guest book

Donate or volunteer by making a comment on this post (below) or by contacting Esther Diaz.

Over a dozen AATIA volunteer interpreters and career models helped serve the 3000 people attending the Austin Independent School District’s Feria para Aprender (educational fair) on February 17th. A photo of AATIA member Marco Hanson, wearing the official AATIA t-shirt, and Univision news reporter Regina Rodriguez accompanied the Austin American Statesman’s slideshow on the event. (See photo 4. Site may require free registration.)

Project Gutenberg makes available to the public many titles in many languages. They are available to be downloaded for free since their copyright is no longer valid. AATIA members Hank Phillips and Thelma Sabim are among the many volunteers for the project, he as a reviewer and she as a Portuguese-language proofreader.

At the time of this post, more than 12,400 books have been processed by volunteers and are now available, more than 1600 are undergoing final checks before being assembled into completed e-books, and another 1000 or so are currently being proofread through the site. However, there are many more titles waiting to be proofed. The volunteer can proof just one page, or one page per day, or the whole book. Other ways to participate in this non-profit project include procuring eligible paper books, burning CDs and DVDs for people who don’t have Internet access, and making monetary donations.

Visit the website to find a book to read or to contribute your time to the project.

At Saturday’s Board Meeting, the Web Team gained a new member, Patricia Gonzáles. For the record, she joins the following:

Tony Beckwith
Michael Blumenthal
Mike Conner
Frank Dietz
Laszlo Eosze
Gisela Greenlee

Welcome, Patricia!