As 2018 draws to a close, it’s time to take stock of what we’ve achieved—both within ATA and within our own jobs and businesses—and look ahead to the new year. ATA has so much to celebrate this year, including:
- Adding two new language combinations (Chinese>English and English>Arabic) to our Certification Program. We’re also excited that the majority of certification exams are now taken on the computer instead of being handwritten.
- Signing the contract for the development of ATA’s new website.
- Approving ATA’s position paper policy and seeing our first position paper (on machine translation) go through the development process.
- Proceeding with the plan to open our certification exams to non-members in 2020.
- Selecting Miami, Florida, as the host city for our 2023 Annual Conference.
- Adding two new divisions—Audiovisual and Law—to our roster of divisions.
We also have plenty to look forward to in 2019, including:
- Our 2019 conference in Palm Springs, California, an all-new venue and conference model for us. We’ll be “taking over the city” and using a convention center model. We’re excited for the different flavor that this will bring to the conference.
- Continued efforts to fully include interpreters in the life and governance of ATA through initiatives such as the Credentialed Interpreter designation in our Directory of Translators and Interpreters.
- Ongoing efforts to advocate to our federal, state, and local governments about the importance of using professional translators and interpreters.
- An increased range of professional development opportunities open to ATA members, including specialized seminars for new and experienced translators.
2019 will also mark the end of my term as ATA president and the handover of ATA’s leadership to our current President-Elect, Ted Wozniak. I look forward to using my remaining time in office to see some of these efforts through to completion, while others will extend beyond my term on the Board.
The end of the year is also an excellent time to set goals in your own translation and interpreting work, looking at what’s working well for you and what needs improvement. Hopefully, your plans for 2019 will include activities such as professional development, networking, and perhaps earning ATA certification. All of us on ATA’s Board hope that our association will be your first choice for career development in 2019 and beyond, and we appreciate all 10,000+ of you!