The Interpreter Special Interest Group meeting scheduled for Saturday, April 5, has been canceled due to a conflict with the Spanish-English contrastive grammar workshop.

The Translation Company Division (TCD) of the American Translators Association will hold its 9th Annual Conference July 17-20, 2008, in a Rocky Mountain setting at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Englewood, Colorado. The theme will be "TCD in the Rockies: Translation with Altitude."

• Thursday evening reception and banquet
• Two days (Friday and Saturday) of informative educational sessions tailored to the needs and concerns of translation company owners and managers
• Topics include industry trends, workflow tools, project management, sales and marketing, and behavioral interviewing
• Plenty of time and opportunity for networking, networking, and more networking!
• Optional Friday or Saturday evening activity in Denver, The Mile High City
• Sunday morning buffet breakfast

Michael Blumenthal will speak at the American Translators Association Spanish Language Division Conference, which will be held March 28-30 in Philadelphia. The abstract of his bilingual presentation, titled “The Pancreas: Function and Dysfunction,” follows:

Homeostasis, the dynamic balance of neurological and chemical processes in the human body, is maintained by constant feedback and regulation involving the brain, nervous tissues, and a great number of glands and organs. One important and essential organ that helps maintain homeostasis that many translators and interpreters do not know much about is the pancreas. Pathological conditions of the pancreas can be chronic or acutely life threatening. The goals of this workshop include: identify the pancreatic anatomical structures with which medical translators and interpreters must be familiar; discuss function and dysfunction of the pancreas including pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, and diabetes; become familiar with the most common diagnostic and laboratory tests; and provide a useful Spanish<>English glossary of terms.

Beginning literary translators may now apply for travel funds to attend the 2008 conference of the American Literary Translators Association in Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota, on October 15–18. To apply, send a letter that includes the applicant’s curriculum vitae, ten double-spaced pages of translation into English, and the original foreign language text to:

ALTA Travel Fellowship Award c/o UTDallas 800 W. Campbell Road - JO51 Richardson, TX 75020-3021 Attention: Lindy Jolly

Application deadline is May 15.

Patricia Bown from McElroy Translations will explore the Spanish translation market at the Spanish Special Interest Group meeting at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, February 9, at the Austin History Center.

She will address the changing needs that the Spanish translation market faces and how to prepare for it as a Spanish translator (areas of specialty that are in high demand in Spanish translation, qualifications agencies seek when hiring translators, and types of translations requests they get).

Susana Roca-Smith, Spanish Special Interest Group Coordinator, reports that SpanSIG and the Interpretation SIG have set dates for their respective meetings in 2008. Unless otherwise announced, all meetings will be held at the Austin History Center, 10:15am-12:00pm., on the following dates:

SpanSIG
Feb. 9
May 10
Sept. 13
Dec. 6
ISIG
April 12
June 14
August 9
Oct. 11

Esther Diaz will speak on Demystifying Cardiovascular Terminology at a medical seminar in Houston on February 23–24, 2008, sponsored by the American Translators Association and its regional affiliate, the Houston Interpreters and Translators Association (HITA). This professional development event targets experienced translators and interpreters who are seeking advanced-level continuing education:

• Overcome the unique challenges when translating for the healthcare consumer
• Learn to use the appropriate register, protect patient rights, and follow government regulations
• Effectively translate examination notes, prescriptions, autopsy reports, and other medical records
• Understand cardiovascular procedures to achieve an accurate translation

An ATA certification exam sitting will be offered on Sunday, February 24. Separate registration is required for the exam. ATA-certified translators can earn 9 Continuing Education Points for attending both days of this seminar.

The American Translators Association has called for presentation proposals for its 49th Annual Conference, to be held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, November 5–8, 2008.

Proposals are invited on topics in all areas of translation and interpreting, including the following: Financial Translation and Interpreting; Independent Contractors; Interpreting; Language Services Providers; Language-specific Sessions; Language Technology; Legal Translation and Interpreting; Literary; Media; Medical Translation and Interpreting; Science and Technology; Terminology; and Training and Pedagogy.

Submission deadline is March 14, 2008.