Thank you for your interest in writing for the Interpreters Division blog. By sharing your experience and expertise you help other translators and interpreters. Please read the guidelines for guest contributors below before sending us your article.
We use the ATA Savvy Newcomer style guide, and these Savvy guidelines: Writing for the Web.
If you have any questions or would like to propose an article before submitting it, email shawtrans@gmail.com.
What to email us
- Your full name
- Your email address
- The article (in .doc or .docx format), approximately 900 words
- A headshot and bio for the author’s profile at the end of the post. Your bio should be no longer than 100 words and may include a link to your website.
- When submitting images for your post please provide the source and proof of permission to use the image.
Send your email with the attachments to shawtrans@gmail.com. We look forward to reading it!
Who you’re writing for
We serve professional interpreters. ATA Interpreters Division members are medical, court, education, conference, community, and liaison interpreters, among others. Alarge percentage of the ATA Interpreting Division members also translate. We seek posts that serve all our members in all of their professional capacities.
Length and layout
Blog posts should be short, as close to 900 words as possible. The use of bulleted or numbered lists, if applicable, is encouraged. However, since one of the functions of the Division is to bring new information to the field, we appreciate some longer articles if the information is well-researched and well-written. We will evaluate those articles on a case by case basis and find ways to bring top quality material to our members.
About you
Please verify that your bio is updated and is no more than 100 words. You may include a link to your website or your LinkedIn profile in your bio. A bio that focuses on the experience relevant to the post makes both the bio and the post stronger.
What to write about
The content of the article is up to you, but keep in mind that the 2015 survey of our members showed that 92% did both interpreting and translation. Articles that cover topics of interest to both, or that show how one type of work enriches the other, are very welcome.
The content must be original (it should not have been published anywhere before). Feel free to include links to any websites, online resources, etc., that you mention in your post. If the article has a list of sources for further reading, the list must follow the most recent standards of the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. (Using an online citation tool can be helpful.) Resources should be listed in alphabetical order. Links will be embedded in the article at the appropriate places.
Opinions must be supported by experience, reliable studies, and/or research; we do not publish opinion pieces per se.
Citing sources
We encourage authors to follow the University of Chicago Fair Use guidelines as they prepare their articles. These guidelines are media neutral and have been adopted by a broad spectrum of publishers.
Our part
The ID Blog team follows a three-step process for all texts submitted (article and bio).
Step 1. The Content Editor verifies that the article meets our Author Guidelines and determines whether to accept it for further editing or not.
Step 2. The Peer Reviewer, selected for their expertise in the relevant field, checks for content and provides feedback.
Step 3. The Copy Editor checks for mechanics and consistency with the style guide referenced above. They then send the article back to the author, who may decide to accept or reject the changes.
If we don’t publish
Guest authors will receive a marked-up version of their article from the editing team. You will then have the option of accepting or rejecting changes and discussing anything that is unclear with the editing team. The ATA Interpreters Division will not publish a version the author has not agreed to.
The ATA Interpreters Division reserves the right to withhold any articles from publication at its discretion. On rare occasions, articles may be withheld at the last minute for ATA policy reasons, or reasons related to the Division Handbook. We will notify you of any change in the publication status of your article.
It’s still yours
Authors maintain copyright to the blog post, but we may share your article on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, the Interpreters Division listserv, etc.).
And finally
Articles must meet the expectations in this guide and:
- must be consistent with the ATA Code of Ethics and current interpreters’ codes of ethics,
- may not be self-promotional, and
- must follow the ATA Antitrust Compliance Policy.
Adapted from The Savvy Newcomer author guidelines with permission.
Guidelines published on the ATA Interpreters Division website on November 3, 2018. Last updated: February 15, 2023.