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Slavic Languages Division (American Translators Association)

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December 14: New Back to Business Basics Webinar

December 10, 2020

ATA is closing out the year with another Back to Business Basics webinar: Entrepreneurial Habits for Freelance Translators and Interpreters by Corinne McKay on December 14 at 12 pm Eastern. As all webinars in this new series, it will be free to ATA members. Recording will be available to members at no charge (non-members can access it for a small fee).

Succeeding as a freelancer will always involve some factors you can’t control—like a global pandemic—but it also involves daily, positive habits and a business mindset.

In this fourth episode of ATA’s Back to Business Basics webinar series, presenter Corinne McKay will examine two kinds of business habits that can help you make the transition from “throwing it against the wall” to an actual business strategy!

What will you learn?
    • Why the entrepreneurial mindset is important
    • The non-entrepreneurial mindset that most freelancers have
    • Business processes that contribute to entrepreneurial habits
    • Mental processes that contribute to entrepreneurial habits
    • Simple changes you can make right away

Registration: https://www.atanet.org/webinars/ataWebinar252_entrepreneurial_habits.php

Filed Under: ATA, Business Practices Tagged With: professional development, webinar

SLD @ ATA61: Events This Sunday!

October 15, 2020

While the official dates of ATA61 are October 21-24, division events kick off early! Join SLD for its annual meeting on Sunday, October 18, 4:00-5:00 PM EDT. The meeting is open to all division members, even those not registered for the conference. Zoom meeting links for all the annual meetings are available on the conference website’s division page here. You can find the meeting agenda in the ATA61 Preview document under this website’s Resources tab, along with helpful links and other valuable information about the conference.

The fun doesn’t stop there! Also Sunday, at 7:00-8:00 PM EDT, conference attendees can join SLD’s networking event, the virtual counterpart to the annual SLD dinner. The link will be available through the conference platform. You can look forward to lively conversation with other SLD members in small groups (breakout rooms). Join us for a fun evening!

And if you’re not registered for the conference yet, what are you waiting for? Registration at regular rates closes this Friday, October 16.

Filed Under: Annual Conferences, ATA61, SLD Tagged With: ATA61, conference, networking

Present at ATA61 in Boston!

January 20, 2020

The ATA has issued its call for speakers for this year’s conference, ATA61 in Boston! Proposals can now be submitted online and will be accepted through March 2, 2020. This is your chance to share your expertise with T&I professionals, even if you are not a member of the ATA or SLD.

The Slavic Languages track will have 4 slots available, but we also encourage you to submit proposals in other subject areas and cross-listed in several tracks. You can also submit your proposal as a limited-capacity AST (advanced skills training) workshop.

Complete information on the proposal process, requirements, and topics of interest to ATA members, along with a link to the proposal submission form, can be found here.

Filed Under: Annual Conferences, ATA, ATA61 Tagged With: ATA61, conference

Register for SLD Newcomers Lunch at ATA60!

October 7, 2019

People eating
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Join your SLD colleagues to welcome newcomers to the ATA conference! Sign up for the SLD Newcomers Lunch and meet the new faces of our industry and division – or, if you’re a newcomer, introduce yourself to the old hats.
SLD NEWCOMERS LUNCH

Who to lunch with the first full day of the conference? Why, your SLD colleagues, of course! This event gives first-time conference attendees a chance to meet their experienced colleagues, so all are welcome! We will dine at the Grand Central Palm Springs – see info below. Meet us in the lobby of the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel (connected to the convention center) at 12:20 to walk over together (about a 12-minute walk), or just meet us at the restaurant around 12:30. Reservations required. Space is limited; to reserve your spot, please email Jen Guernsey at jenguernsey@gmail.com by Tuesday, October 22.

Thursday, October 24
12:30 PM
Grand Central Palm Springs
160 La Plaza, Palm Springs, CA

grandcentralpalmsprings.com

Also wondering where to get dinner that same Thursday? Join the SLD for its annual division dinner! This year it will be held 7-9 PM on Thursday at the Greek Islands restaurant. The cost is $58.00 per person (incl. sales tax & gratuities), and seats can be reserved via PayPal to eugenia@sokolskayatranslations.com (preferred) or mailed check received not later than Friday, 10/18/2019. Checks should be made payable to “Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya” and mailed to: 565 Juniata Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081. Please mention any dietary restrictions when you purchase your ticket. There will be no last-minute ticket purchases. If you intend to pay cash at the Welcome Celebration, you must let Eugenia know in advance and bring exact change. We hope to see you there!

Filed Under: Annual Conferences, ATA, ATA60, SLD Tagged With: ATA60, events

CEU Watch: DVTA 2019 East Coast Summit

September 26, 2019

Photo credit: DVTA

On September 14 I gave up my Saturday to network and learn at a one-day conference organized by my local ATA chapter, the Delaware Valley Translators Association (DVTA). The event, formally the 4th Annual East Coast Interpreters and Translators Summit, was hosted at Widener University Delaware Law School, which is a convenient 25-minute drive for me. This was a lovely, local, bite-size chunk of professional development that left me energized, inspired, and excited to keep working on my skills and my business.

For the two two-hour slots where there were several talks to choose from, I chose the translation-related sessions. Reflecting the DVTA’s membership, most of the sessions focused on interpreting, so there was one translation session for each slot. The first session, led by DVTA President Dorothy Evans, was titled “What Does It Mean to Be a Successful Translator?” and was the most inspiring session for me. While the context and the examples all referred back to our shared experience as freelance translators, the themes of determining your own definition of success, setting reasonable goals, and making incremental changes apply broadly to self-employment and life in general. Plus, it was encouraging to hear a more established translator talk with candor and humor about the same struggles I’ve been running into.

The second session was one on diplomatic translation by Joe Mazza, the head of the translation division at the U.S. State Department’s Office of Language Services. His presence speaks to the fact that attendees at the summit hailed from up and down the Northeast Corridor, offering more networking opportunities than other DVTA events. While I’ve seen Joe speak at other events and chatted with him multiple times at ATA conferences, this time around he had a longer session (two hours instead of his usual one) and there were contractors that work with his office in the audience, in a relatively informal setting where they were able to share their experiences to complement his presentation. This time something clicked—maybe the fact that I finally have the five years’ experience Joe had stipulated the very first time I talked to him—and, with the encouragement of one of the contractors, I got the ball rolling on applying to work for the State Department.

Two other sessions were held for all attendees at once: the keynote and a closing session by a local accountant. The keynote speaker, Holly Mikkelson, gave a somewhat lyrical meditation on considering the human side of interpreting, keeping in mind the ways in which real lives are affected, and remaining compassionate rather than clinical. (Of course, much the same can be said of translation, even if we don’t see the humans affected face to face.) The closing session was a demo of QuickBooks that unfortunately ran into some technical difficulties (when each keypress registers twice, $120 very quickly becomes $112,200), but still sparked useful conversations and convinced me to take the plunge after doing my accounting by hand and Excel for over three years.

All in all, this summit had the energizing effect of an ATA conference on a smaller scale. I came away with workable steps to take moving forward, not to mention 5 CEUs. I would encourage everyone to check if they have an ATA chapter nearby and see if they organize a local conference or summit. It’s well worth a Saturday!

Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya is a Russian>English (ATA-certified) and French>English legal and financial translator based in the Philadelphia area. She holds a Master’s in Translation from Kent State University.

Filed Under: Annual Conferences, CEU Watch Tagged With: ceu watch, conference, networking, professional development

ATA English to Russian Editing Webinar

July 16, 2019

Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash

On July 31, ATA will host a 2-hour practice-driven webinar for English to Russian translators on editing their own translations. During this webinar, participants will go through a sample text and practice their editing skills, as well as learn a framework to edit their own translations more efficiently.

You can register at https://www.atanet.org/webinars/ataWebinar203_russian_editing.php.

Filed Under: ATA Tagged With: ATA, editing, professional development, webinar

Join Us in Palm Springs for ATA60!

March 26, 2019

The ATA 60th Annual Conference takes place October 23-26, 2019, in Palm Springs, California. Whatever your role in the T&I Industry, ATA60 is the place where dedicated professionals come together to expand their knowledge and their network.

The conference website is live! Learn more at: http://www.atanet.org/conf/2019/

Filed Under: Annual Conferences, ATA, ATA60 Tagged With: ATA60, conference

ATA 60th Annual Conference: Proposals Due March 1st!

February 27, 2019

The American Translators Association is accepting presentation proposals for the ATA 60th Annual Conference in Palm Springs, California, October 23-26, 2019. Proposals must be received by March 1, 2019.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/ata60speak

If you are looking for proposal ideas, here is a call from Jen Guernsey specific to the SLD:

Hello everyone! The deadline for submitting a proposal for a conference presentation is March 1. Presenting at a conference – whether as a solo act, with a colleague, or as part of a panel or a translation slam – is a fun way to get your name and face out there, connect with your colleagues, and support our conference, which relies on us members to provide nearly all of the sessions on offer. Jen Guernsey would be happy to provide you with information, suggestions, and help in getting your proposal submitted.
We have had requests for presentations on tricky interpreting situations, differences in training (particularly interpreter training) in the US vs Slavic countries, and additional translation slams. Please email Jen Guernsey (jenguernsey@gmail.com) if you would be willing to serve as a participant, panelist, or moderator on any of the following:

  • Panel comparing interpreter training programs in the US versus Slavic countries
  • Panel on challenging situations in interpreting
  • Translation slam: from English into any Slavic language
  • Translation slam: from any Slavic language into English

Thanks, and see you in Palm Springs!

Filed Under: Annual Conferences, ATA, ATA60, SLD Tagged With: ATA60, conference

Apply to Speak at ATA60!

January 14, 2019

The ATA has put out its call for speakers for the 60th Annual Conference in Palm Springs, CA. Details on proposal requirements and perks can be found here.

The SLD encourages anyone with an idea for a session to apply. Our members have expressed specific interest in sessions focusing on the day-to-day practice of interpreting, including cultural expectations, as well as deeper dives into specialized fields and the linguistic aspects of translating, but other topics are always welcome! Keep in mind that the SLD is limited to 6 slots (of which 2 are reserved for the Distinguished Speaker), so we encourage potential speakers to consider submitting sessions overlapping with other topics and divisions (such as interpreting, literary, T&I education or technology, etc.).

We look forward to seeing you at the conference in October!

Filed Under: Annual Conferences, ATA60, SLD Tagged With: ATA, ATA60

ATA Law Seminar in Jersey City

January 3, 2019

Happy New Year! If one of your professional New Year’s resolutions was to do more continuing education in the coming year and you are a legal translator or interpreter, the ATA has just the opportunity for you. It will be hosting a full-day law seminar in Jersey City on February 16, with morning and afternoon sessions divided between translation and interpreting. ATA-certified attendees can earn 7 CEPs!

The schedule, session descriptions, and hotel and registration information can be found here: https://www.atanet.org/events/law_jerseycity.php.

Filed Under: ATA, Interpreting, Legal, Translation Tagged With: ATA, interpreting, legal, professional development, translation

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