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!

AATIA will be hosting acclaimed writer and translator Achy Obejas for an evening's conversation on stage about her new translation of One Hundred Bottles, by Cuban author Ena Lucía Portela on Saturday, January 8, 2011.  Volunteers are needed to help with set up, refreshments, and clean up.  If you'd like to get involved, e-mail event organizer Marian Schwartz.

Tha Austin Immigrants Rights Coalition (AIRC) needs several volunteers for the upcoming statewide convention for immigration reform on Saturday, Feb. 20, 1-5 p.m., at the Travis County Expo Center.  Please email if you are interested in volunteering for the following positions:

• experienced simultaneous interpreters
• welcome table staffers (to help with sign-in, hand out programs, and sign out translation headsets)
• peacekeepers (to ensure the safety of conference participants)

Citing an increased work load in his freelance translation business, Al Favela has announced that he is stepping down from his position as AATIA Director of Finance, effective immediately. The Board is grateful to Al for his years of service to the Association in this capacity.

Members interested in volunteering for the role of Director of Finance are asked to contact Secretary Julie Nordskog.

& Noah Nordskog" href="http://aatia.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/julienoahnordskog.jpg" class="broken_link">AATIA Secretary Julie Nordskog and her son Noah were featured in the CBS 42 news cover story, “Volunteering as a Family Project,” broadcast on February 18. The video clip and text of the story are now available on the KEYE TV website.

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.