The academic overseers of the language of Cervantes have unveiled their first Spanish grammar guidelines in nearly 80 years, Nueva gramática de la lengua española: el español de todo el mundo. The 3-volume, 4000-page tome was produced by the Real Academia Española in collaboration with 21 sister organizations in Latin America and other places where Spanish is spoken, including the United States. According to the website of the Real Academia, the new grammar aims to provide a "map" of the Spanish spoken around the world today. Read more.

The UN Secretariat will hold the following competitive examinations for translators, interpreters, and editors in 2010:

March: exam for Russian-language translators

April: examinations for French-language translators and interpreters

May: exams for Chinese-language translators and editors

June: exam for English-language interpreters

Check the UN website for information on exam dates and application requirements and procedures.

Fillers are sounds or words spoken to fill gaps in utterances. Different languages have different characteristic filler sounds; English speakers commonly use “uh,” “er,” and “um.” “Like,” “y’know,” and “basically” are examples of filler words.

Language learners display a lack of fluency by using fillers from their native tongue, e.g., “Quiero una umm … quesadilla.” Wikipedia gives us some fillers in other languages

Knowing the placeholder words (sometimes called kadigans) of a language (e.g., the equivalent of “thingy”) can also improve fluency, such as the French truc: “Je cherche le truc qu’on utilise pour ouvrir une boîte” (“I’m looking for the thingy that you use to open up a can”). Wikipedia cites placeholders in English and other languages.

Thanks to Languagehat for this pointer.

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

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.

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.