How to Draft a Winning Proposal for ATA66

by Douglas B. McNeal

Photo by Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash

If you’re considering submitting a proposal for ATA66, the month of February is the time to gather your ideas and set them down on paper. Remember that your task now is only to sketch out your proposed ATA presentation, not yet to write it. All you need to turn in to the ATA by March 3 is three pieces: your bio, a précis of your planned presentation, and three relevant learning points that attendees will gain from the session.

Crafting a Strong Proposal

Here are some helpful pointers as you prepare.

1. Choose a subject in which you have both useful experience and interest. Follow the ATA’s instructions on choosing your track, language, and topic.
2. Use all the tricks of the trade to compress a maximum of information into your Bio and Summary: use more precise terms, in a higher register; condense the structure, by using parallel verbs and objects; and profit from hyphenated expressions: Chinese-to-English translation, less-than-ideal, more-than-expected, “Strategies for Effective English-into-Spanish Instruction in the U.S.”, etc.
3. If you’re presenting on English>Chinese translation, be sure to mention “English to Chinese” (or the reverse). Never use “bi-lingual” until after you’ve mentioned “Chinese.” Remember that, to the largest group of Conference attendees, by far, “bi-lingual” means “in English and Spanish”!
4. Use great care in drafting the title of your presentation: make it both informative and snappy! Consider examples like:
   Beyond Subtitles: The Role of a Translator before the Camera Starts Rolling
   The Comma, The Great Unknown
   Field Interpreting: The Human Touch that Robots Just Can’t Replace
5. Share your Proposal summary with a colleague or friend who is a native speaker of English. She can help you say what you need to within 100 words. If other arrangements fail, reach out to me: formcneal@hotmail.com.

The ATA calls for presentations of one hour each: 45 minutes of talk, followed by Q’s and A’s for the final 15 minutes. In recent years, shorter, 15-minute and half-hour formats were offered, but none is mentioned for ATA66 this October.

Here are two outstanding examples from successful proposals I selected from ATA65. Many thanks to Izaskun and Carmen for granting CLD the permission to replicate them here.

* Izaskun Orkwis, CT

Take a look at the commas in this paragraph. Are they optional? Are they a matter of personal preference, or does the meaning change with or without them? Should you remove the one in this sentence, and why? If you are unsure, this session is for you. If you’re unsure this session is for you, then most definitely yes, it is for you. Using commas correctly can make or break your translation(,) and even your translation exam. Brush up on what you learned about commas and become a confident punctuator by the time you walk out of this session.

* Carmen Reis

Brazil is one of the world’s top exporters, attracting visits from importers, specialists, regulators, and foreign government representatives. This creates a high demand for interpreters to work on-site—whether in crop fields, farms, manufacturing plants, industrial facilities, mills, businesses, slaughterhouses, or even consumers’ homes. Despite the many courses available for conference interpreters, there is a noticeable gap when it comes to training for interpreting outside the booth. In this talk, Carmen will dive into the unique challenges which field interpreting presents, sharing practical preparation tips and discussing the irreplaceable “human factor” that stands out in these dynamic environments—something that remains beyond the capabilities of machines.

From Acceptance to Presentation

The acceptances from ATA HQ are scheduled for June 2 and all proposals—in PowerPoint or Word format—must be submitted electronically by September 1. Thus, you will have three months to prepare your talk, illustrate it with examples and slides, practice presenting, and revise it. Make sure to finish the writing by mid-August, to leave at least two weeks for the latter two stages.

Here are some tips for preparing your presentation and slides:

1. Start your presentation by mentioning your topic and stating your name clearly. You might also include one sentence summarizing your background and work experience (how many years of schooling and work experience, in which countries and languages?) If shyness makes self-introduction difficult for you, practice and practice again!
2. At the head and tail of your slides, include one with the basics: your name, the title of your talk, and your phone number and e-mail address. Websites and Blog-spots are optional. Turn on the first slide as soon as possible, so that your audience members will know they’ve reached the right room. Leave the last one on throughout the final Q&A session.
3. Don’t overcrowd your slides: limit each to a maximum of three points. No point should exceed two lines; use condensed, outline form, which you will expand upon (not read!) during your presentation.
4. The ATA Conference offers speakers an online portal, through which to share information with potential audience members, for about a month in advance of the Conference and afterwards. You should offer your Summary, and perhaps more detailed information, such as a collection of your bi-lingual or good-and-bad examples.
5. You may wish to mail a spare thumb-drive in advance, directly to your hotel. Take along at least two others, kept in separate bags or pockets. You may also wish to take along a laser pointer.

At the ATA Conference venue:

Before the day of your presentation, here are some best practices to follow:

1. Be sure to visit your appointed lecture room the day before, so you know how to get there, and have a visual impression of how it is laid out and where you will stand.
2. Get to know the technician who covers the rooms in that area. Ask him or her to show you where and how to insert your thumb-drive or access your materials and how to operate the slide control, including how to back up.
3. Time your movements to arrive at your lecture room 15 minutes early. You will have to leave early from the preceding presentation you choose to attend.
4. If your slides are bilingual, find a buddy to read aloud the examples in your non-native language. If advance arrangements are not possible, ask for a volunteer from among those who have arrived early in your lecture room.

Tips for your ATA Conference badge:

At the Registration Desk, be sure to pick up the colored dot for the CLD (as well as those for any others of your languages and for the various ATA Divisions to which you belong!).

Take along a Magic Marker, Sharpie pen, or the like, with which to add your Chinese name to your badge. Or, you might print out your name in advance and take it with you to the Conference (along with tape and a pair of scissors!).

As a presenter, , you will be issued a colored “Speaker” ribbon to hang beneath your badge. There is no finer feeling than noticing the interested looks from others as you move through the halls and meet in other Conference venues.

I hope these tips might prove useful as you craft your proposal for submission and prepare your presentation. Submit early, and best of luck!

Inquiries on any of these points or requests for further examples or explanation of fine points of English grammar would be gladly entertained. Please reach Doug at 703/ 448-2817 or formcneal@hotmail.com.

Author Bio:

Doug McNeal translates from either Chinese or Korean into English, his native language. He began his study of Korean with the Peace Corps, and of Chinese while in the U.S. Foreign Service. Since starting his third career in 2004, Doug has registered with more than 100 LSPs (Language Service Providers).

Doug has been a member of the American Translators’ Association (ATA) since 2008, wherein he served as a founding grader for the Chinese-to-English Certification Exam. He also is active in NCATA, the local ATA chapter for greater Washington, D.C., and in exchanges with colleagues in various other language pairs.

Edited by Sijin Xian.