About the Interpreters Division

What is interpreting?

The process of first fully understanding, analyzing, and processing a spoken or signed message and then faithfully rendering it into another spoken or signed language. (ASTM F2019-15)

 

What do ATA Interpreters Division (ID) members discuss?

• Should we interpret word for word or meaning for meaning?
• Why hospitals and others train staff interpreters.
• Vicarious trauma resources.
• Is it OK to hire a court interpreter for conference interpreting?
• Legislation in different states.

 

We interpret everywhere: for healthcare, legal, conference, business, K-12, social services, diplomatic meetings, law enforcement, and refugees.

We speak Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, Hebrew, and other languages!

We like learning from each other! The ATA ID is the only place where people with so many perspectives can connect.

Our Leadership Council reflects the composition of our membership.

 

How do we do it? In three interpreting modes.

• Simultaneous interpreting: rendering a speaker’s or signer’s message into another language while the speaker or signer continues to speak or sign.
• Consecutive interpreting: rendering a speaker’s or signer’s message into another language when the speaker or signer pauses to allow interpreting.
• Sight translation: rendering a written document directly into a spoken or signed language, not for purposes of producing a written document.

(ASTM F2019-15, Standard Practice for Language Interpreting)

Our members are up to the challenge!

63% have advanced degrees.

68% have an interpreting credential in their language combination.

29% have over 20 years of experience.

 

Who are our members?

99% are interpreters. 

82% are freelancers.

85% are translators.

Description of members based on surveys of ATA ID members.

 

 

 

Related

• Leadership Council
• About ATA
• ATA Divisions
• ATA Divisions Governance
• ATA members: Join the Interpreters Division
• Not an ATA member? Join ATA