Join us on Saturday, March 10, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for our next AATIA general meeting.

Judy A. Jenner

At the September Membership Meeting, we heard from panelists representing international organizations in Austin: Global Austin, Panamerican Round Table, and the City of Austin's International Program.

The International Program publishes FYI International, an electronic newsletter about international business opportunities and meetings. You can see the current newsletter online. You can sign up to receive it directly each month.

We also learned about Austin's US Export Assistance Center through an interesting video presentation. The Center also publishes a monthly
newsletter of international export events. You can sign up to receive it by e-mail.

February Board meeting

Wondering what the AATIA Board is discussing? Here's a recap of the February meeting: (more…)

Join us on May 14 and learn about the recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Qualifications for Healthcare Translators and Interpreters and House Bill 1719 currently pending before the Texas Legislature. As always, you will hear the latest news from the field, including job and training opportunities.
The meeting will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at AATIA Headquarters, 201 East 2nd Street, Austin 78701.

Start the new year off right by networking with your AATIA colleagues at the first meeting of the year on January 8th. AATIA member Marco Hanson will share photos and experiences from Saudi Arabia, where he spent the year teaching English at a Saudi College and studying Arabic, accompanied by his wife and children. Life in such a different culture was full of surprises!

Esther Diaz will fill you in on the many opportunities available for professional development in person and online. There will also be a used book sale, including Spanish dictionaries and several Russian titles. Then, volunteers from the past year will be recognized and new volunteer opportunities will be identified.

To top it all off, our special literary translation event — Uncorking Cuba: 100 Bottles — will take place that evening. For more information, see other posts in this blog.

Membership Meeting
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Place: AATIA Headquarters
201 East 2nd Street (map and parking instructions at right)

Uncorking Cuba: 100 Bottles
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Mexican American Cultural Center

Both events are free and open to the public. However, we ask you to RSVP for the evening event.
See you there!

What is Writing?

At our next general membership meeting, Tony Beckwith will talk about the origin of writing, the reasons for writing, and how writing is part of a translator's job.

Tony has been a member of AATIA for about 15 years. He is a writer and translator whose articles and stories were a regular feature of The Letter, the newsletter we used to have before we went digital. He writes a column for Source, the online journal of the ATA's Literary Division.

Marian Schwartz, will also give us details about an exciting activity programmed by the AATIA Literary Special Interest Group.

Join us Saturday, Sept. 11th from 1-4 pm at our downtown ICA location, on the Skillpoint side, for this interesting lecture and networking session with the pros in our field and you will also enjoy deliciously cool refreshments.

AATIA Headquarters is located at 201 East 2nd Street. 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.

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Carolina Modesto
Director of Professional Development

At the May membership meeting, Adriana Bardin-Prestwood’s presentation focused on project management. According to Adriana, for every project, the following 5 steps must be taken:

1. Initiation – which consists of the SCOPE — what type of assignment it is; TIME — when it is due and to whom; COST — compensation per word; and the overall QUALITY which is based on these elements.
  

2. Planning — developing a schedule and estimating the length of the project and the time you will commit to it per day and per week. She cautioned to be conservative because ‘everything takes longer than you think.’
  

3. Executing — the step where you actually start to work = translate. Set up a file structure that includes adding the date every time you edit it and creating several folders in the client’s folder including a 1st, 2nd and final pass folder. Stick to your time commitment!
  

4. Monitoring and Controlling — your review time to confirm the translation is done properly, measure progress, and identify variances from plan/schedule and take corrective action if needed.
  

5. Closing — formalizing acceptance of project. Work on lessons learned, what you could have done differently, what worked and what didn’t, etc., and sending your invoice with a 10-day net.

Adriana is an experienced project manager and consultant and offers free consulting classes at the North Workforce Solutions location.

The Interpreter’s Special Interest Group will be meeting on Saturday February 13th from 10 AM to 12 noon at the AATIA headquarters in the International Center of Austin on 2nd street and Trinity. In the meeting Joseph Brettell, a Licensed Court Interpreter will present on certification exams for court interpreters, training materials available to aspiring court interpreters, and the realities and practice of court interpretation. We will have a practice session of real texts which are commonly seen in the courts. All interpreters or other interested parties are welcome. See you then!