ATA’s Virtual Conference Is Back
Did you miss out on ATA’s 59th Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana? Or maybe you attended but weren’t able to make it to as many sessions as you would have liked. Don’t fear! The ATA Virtual Conference is here and back for its second round.
What is the Virtual Conference?
The 2018 Virtual Conference is a collection of 50 sessions given at ATA59 in New Orleans, Louisiana. There are sessions for both translators and interpreters, covering a wide range of topics in law, medicine, science, technology, and more. All 50 sessions are available on-demand, and the recordings are accompanied by the speakers’ original PowerPoint presentations in video format. You can view the full list of sessions offered here.
This year’s Virtual Conference comes with extra perks for ATA-certified translators, as its sessions are approved for Continuing Education Points. You will earn one point for each hour viewed, up to a maximum of 10 points.
How Much Does It Cost?
3-day attendees of ATA59 have free access to the Virtual Conference. To access the sessions, go to the Virtual Conference webpage. ATA members can also access the Virtual Conference by logging into the “Members Only” area of the ATA website. All 3-day attendees were sent their usernames and passwords in an email with the subject line “ATA59 Virtual Conference is Now Available!” Search your email to find your username and password there. If you cannot find your login credentials, please contact ATA at webmaster@atanet.org.
If you did not attend the conference and would like to purchase access, go to the Virtual Conference webpage and click on “Purchase It Now.” The Virtual Conference costs $79 for ATA members and $129 for non-members. You can watch four free sample sessions on the Virtual Conference website.
The 2017 Virtual Conference is also available for purchase for the same price. Go to the 2017 Virtual Conference website for more information.
How Did ATA Decide Which Sessions to Include?
Presenters did not apply to participate in the Virtual Conference. Just as last year, ATA was limited to recording in just 4-5 rooms at a time. Their strategy was to pick the 4-5 rooms that contained session topics with the widest appeal for translators and interpreters. Therefore, the session topic and the room where the session was given were the only two items used to determine what was included in the Virtual Conference. Presenters whose sessions were chosen to be included in the Virtual Conference received no form of compensation.
What Can We Expect for ATA60?
ATA’s 60th Annual Conference will be held in Palm Springs, California from October 23-26, 2019. ATA expects to receive approximately 1,600 attendees from more than 60 countries and at this time has not determined whether or not the Virtual Conference will be offered again.
Would you like to speak at ATA60? Presentation proposals are now being accepted. Each proposal must be submitted as a Conference Session, but you may also request to be considered to offer an AST (Advanced Skills Training) Course. Proposals must be received by March 1, 2019. For more information and to submit your proposal, go to the Call for Speakers.
About The Author
Molly Yurick is a Spanish to English translator specialized in the tourism, hospitality and airline industries. In the past she has worked as a medical interpreter in Minnesota and as a cultural ambassador for the Ministry of Education in Spain. She has a B.A. in Spanish and Global Studies and a Certificate in Medical Interpreting from the University of Minnesota. She is currently living in northern Spain. You can visit her website at: http://yuricktranslations.com/