Hello Law Division members!
ATA63 in Los Angeles is coming up (October 12-15, 2022), with early registration discounts ending on September 16! You can register here.
Below are the legal T&I sessions and AST courses on the schedule, starting with (i) the sessions by our division’s Distinguished Speaker, Bruna Marchi, followed by (ii) sessions whose main topic is Legal T&I, (iii) sessions whose secondary topic is Legal T&I (which includes any sessions presented in a language other than English), and finally (iv) AST (Advanced Skills & Training Day) sessions on Wednesday, which are offered at an additional fee. Link to the full schedule is here.
(i) Law Division’s Distinguished Speaker Sessions
(024) Contracts: Do Not Be Afraid
Thursday, October 13, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Legal translators can expect to deal with many contracts throughout their careers. Contracts in civil law jurisdictions are very different from those in common law jurisdictions. In this session, the speaker will point out the main differences between Brazilian and U.S. contracts and explore clauses that can be problematic. At the end, the speaker will discuss the translations of a few specific terms and expressions. The main goal will be to compare and contrast the structure of contracts and suggest ways for linguists to translate terms more effectively and naturally.
Topics: Legal T&I, Terminology, Portuguese
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Legal
Bruna Marchi
Law Division Distinguished Speaker
Bruna Marchi is a Brazilian lawyer, legal English as a foreign language specialist, and founding partner of Descomplicando o Inglês Jurídico (Uncomplicating Legal English). She has a graduate qualification in English to Portuguese conference interpreting from the Catholic University of São Paulo. She has a university extension course and postgraduate qualification in American law from Fordham University and a graduate degree in criminal law and criminal procedural law. She teaches legal English at the Catholic University of São Paulo, and the University of Minho (Portugal), among other universities.
(070) Company Reorganization: We Need to Talk about It
Friday, October 14, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Company reorganization is a trendy topic around the world. Brazil passed a law in 2020 that makes it easier for judges to cooperate with their counterparts from other countries to recover assets from companies that have filed for bankruptcy. It will affect negotiations between and within companies and law firms, so an increase in lawsuits/litigation originating from the new legal framework is expected. Translators must be prepared for this line of work. The speaker will discuss company reorganization procedures in the U.S. and Brazil and the vocabulary and terminology used in this field.
Topics: Legal T&I, Terminology, Portuguese
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Legal
Bruna Marchi
Law Division Distinguished Speaker
Bruna Marchi is a Brazilian lawyer, legal English as a foreign language specialist, and founding partner of Descomplicando o Inglês Jurídico (Uncomplicating Legal English). She has a graduate qualification in English to Portuguese conference interpreting from the Catholic University of São Paulo. She has a university extension course and postgraduate qualification in American law from Fordham University and a graduate degree in criminal law and criminal procedural law. She teaches legal English at the Catholic University of São Paulo, and the University of Minho (Portugal), among other universities.
(ii) Legal T&I Main Topic Sessions
(038) The Ball Is in Your Court!
Thursday, October 13, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
We hear in the news all the time about the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. But what cases get to the Supreme Court, and which ones go to the supreme courts of the various states? How are the courts organized in the U.S.? When does a case go to a federal or a state court? When can you appeal? We will discuss the rules of appeal, jurisdiction, case precedence, and precisely when a case can set a precedent. Let’s walk our way through the courts until we reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Topics: Legal T&I
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Legal
Andy Benzo, CT
Andy Benzo began her professional career as a Scientific, Technical and Literary Translator and then became a practicing attorney, in her native Argentina. She has worked as a Legal Translator for more than 30 years. She specializes in civil litigation matters and labor union agreements.
She is ATA-certified English> Spanish. She taught Legal and Business Translation, Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpretation at the T &I Certificate Program at UCSD Extension. She obtained a Paralegal Degree from California State University, San Marcos. She serves as the Assistant Administrator of the Spanish Language Division, and is the host of the SPD podcast.
(098) Extraditions: Concepts, Research Techniques, and Terminology
Friday, October 14, 4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Cases involving extraditions pose particular challenges for translators and interpreters. Proper renditions require researching bilateral international treaties and the domestic laws of the respective countries. Understanding the extradition process is also key to ensuring adequate communication, and proper terminology normalization regarding legal principles often requires research in the writings of legal scholars. This session will provide a step-by-step approach to finding and utilizing the necessary resources. It will also cover fundamental concepts and describe how extradition matters involve translators and interpreters. (Presented in English with some examples from Spanish.)
Topics: Legal T&I, Terminology
Presenting Language: English
Level: Advanced
Hashtag: #ATA63Legal
Madeline N. Rios, CT
Madeline Newman Ríos is a translator and interpreter certified by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Judicial Council of California, and the American Translators Association. She has worked as a translator and court and conference interpreter for more than thirty years. She is a former instructor of translation at California State University at Fullerton and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Spanish Translation and Interpreting from the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. Ms. Ríos has provided numerous continuing education seminars and presentations on legal translation, in addition to publishing articles on translation and research techniques.
(109) Patent Regulations with Linguistic Impact on Translation: A Few Significant Examples
Saturday, October 15, 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
To avoid a layer of costly translation errors, patent translators need to be well versed on some of the important rules and regulations that constrain the disclosure of inventions in patent applications. Such rules and regulations are found in both the national and international laws that govern such processes as filing, examining, granting, and litigating patents. Interestingly, patent rules and regulations not only pertain to the procedures invoked, but also explicitly impact the form, content, grammar, terminology, and even punctuation of patent documents. Attendees will walk away with selected examples of regulations with significant linguistic impact on the translation process.
Topics: Legal T&I, Terminology, Translation
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Legal
Francoise Herrmann
Francoise Herrmann Photo
Françoise Herrmann is a freelance translator and interpreter (French and English) in San Francisco, California, specializing in medical and patents translation. She is currently teaching technical, scientific, and medical translation at Kent State University. She writes the Patents on the Soles of Your Shoes blog to keep in touch with participants in her classes, present and past. She has published two collections of patent reviews based on her blog. She is also teaching and carrying out research at San José State University, where she blogs for her students–en français.
(132) Navigating Big Law: How to Work with Top Law Firms
Saturday, October 15, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Many legal translators aspire to work directly with large law firms. Many even make it through the door. Few manage to keep those clients long-term. And those that do often have a hard time getting more work from other departments within the firm. In this session, we’ll focus on what large law firms really need from their translators. We’ll cover everything from underserved areas of specialization to the important details that translators often overlook. Come get a peek at Big Law from an insider’s perspective so you can stand out in the legal world.
Topics: Legal T&I, Translation
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Legal
Paula Arturo
Paula Arturo is a lawyer-linguist and lecturer. After working as a translator for over 20 years and in-house linguistic consultant at Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal, she is starting a new chapter as a lecturer and research fellow at Georgetown University Law Center. Her bragging rights include translating the works of Nobel Prize laureates and shadow reports for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of several Latin American States, helping nonprofit and grassroots organizations have a voice before the Human Rights Council.
(166) If I Passed, You Can Pass: How to Prepare for State Court Certification in Languages Other than Spanish
Saturday, October 15, 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
There are countless resources available for Spanish interpreters seeking to obtain a state court certification, but very few for non-Spanish interpreters. As the speaker prepared to take the Arabic court certification, she had to be inventive when it came to finding resources and developing study techniques. Now, she would like to share the preparation strategies she found most useful as well as the main obstacles that prevented her from passing the test faster. Certified court interpreters are a necessity and not an option. How can you fulfill this need and break the curse of the state certification exam?
Topics: Legal T&I, Interpreting
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Legal
Eliane Sfeir-Markus
Eliane Sfeir-Markus is the first court certified English to Arabic interpreter in Pennsylvania and a certified Arabic health care interpreter. She is an adjunct professor at Widener University Delaware Law School, an interpreter expert with Language Services Associates, and an instructor at the De La Mora Institute of Interpretation. She is also a licensed community interpreter. She currently serves as the president of the Delaware Valley Translators Association, an ATA chapter. She is a certified coach and speaker with the John Maxwell Team. She has a BA in translation from Holy Spirit University Lebanon.
(iii) Legal T&I Secondary Topic Sessions
(009) Revision of Human and Machine Translation: High Tech and High Stakes in the Patent World
Thursday, October 13, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
With the advancing standards of machine translation, how should a reviser, translator, or other quality control professional check a technical translation for accuracy? What differentiates errors made by native speakers of the source and target languages? Which hidden shades must be revealed in order to polish a product that can stand up to the scrutiny of the attorneys, scientists, and inventors who know more about the content than the translator does? This session will explore the similarities and differences in error detection and classification when reviewing patent texts translated by humans, computers, or a combination of the two.
Topics: Chinese, Language Technology, Legal T&I, Science & Technology, Translation
Presenting Language: English with Chinese examples
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Chinese
Aaron Hebenstreit, CT
Aaron Hebenstreit, CT is a translator, reviser, and interpreter with a focus on patents and intellectual property. An ATA-certified Chinese to English translator, he has worked as a staff translator and reviser at the World Intellectual Property Organization, a United Nations agency, and interprets for private- and public-sector clients. He has served on the board of the New York Circle of Translators, an ATA chapter, and as a mentor and advisor to graduate students in translation at New York University. After completing undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering and foreign language, he studied translation and interpreting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
(011) Political Translation: Speech Writing, Storytelling, and Discourse Analysis
Thursday, October 13, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The role of translators and interpreters in political campaigns is crucial to connect, bridge, and influence bilingual and non-native-speaking constituents. This session will explore transcreation strategies based on speech writing, storytelling, and discourse analysis considering sociopolitical, intercultural, and ideological biases in the target language’s audience. By the end of the session, attendees will identify the relationship between text, culture, rhetoric, power, intention, and ideology when translating or interpreting political discourse.
Topics: Government T&I, Legal T&I
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Government
Nicolás Arízaga
Nicolás Arízaga is a political consultant and English to/from Spanish translator and interpreter specializing in political communication, rhetoric, policy and discourse analysis, and international affairs. He is the chief executive officer of Political and Legal Translation Ltd. (PoLeTranslation) in Denver, Colorado. He is a registered Spanish court interpreter for the Wyoming Supreme Court. He is a member of ATA’s Advocacy Committee and the Spanish Language Division Leadership Council. He has a bilingual bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Universidad del Azuay in Ecuador and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Wyoming.
(016) Red T: Protecting Translators and Interpreters in High-Risk Settings, Part I
Thursday, October 13, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Translators and interpreters are in the crosshairs of state and non-state actors alike. Whether targeted by governments across the globe or insurgents in theaters of war, they often pay a steep price for their chosen line of work. That’s why their protection is paramount. The founder of Red T will outline the current landscape for linguists in conflict situations and introduce the nonprofit organization’s primary activities. Attendees will learn about efforts to give linguists in high-risk settings a political voice and the push for international legal instruments that would lay the groundwork for a culture of safety.
Topics: Interpreting, Government T&I, Independent Contractors, Legal T&I, Translation, Varia
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA631nt
Maya Hess
Interpreters Division Distinguished Speaker
Maya Hess is the founder and chief executive officer of Red T, a nonprofit organization that advocates worldwide on behalf of translators and interpreters in high-risk settings. As a court-appointed forensic linguist, she has provided language support and expert witness services in many high-profile terrorism trials, experiencing firsthand just how vulnerable members of her profession can be. She holds a PhD in criminal justice, an MA in journalism, and a Graduate Certificate in terrorism studies.
(030) Red T: Protecting Translators and Interpreters in High-Risk Settings, Part II
Thursday, October 13, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Translators and interpreters are in the crosshairs of state and non-state actors alike. Whether targeted by governments across the globe or insurgents in theaters of war, they often pay a steep price for their chosen line of work. That’s why their protection is paramount. The founder of Red T will outline the current landscape for linguists in conflict situations and introduce the nonprofit organization’s primary activities. Attendees will learn about efforts to give linguists in high-risk settings a political voice and the push for international legal instruments that would lay the groundwork for a culture of safety.
Topics: Interpreting, Government T&I, Independent Contractors, Legal T&I, Translation, Varia
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA631nt
Maya Hess
Interpreters Division Distinguished Speaker
Maya Hess is the founder and chief executive officer of Red T, a nonprofit organization that advocates worldwide on behalf of translators and interpreters in high-risk settings. As a court-appointed forensic linguist, she has provided language support and expert witness services in many high-profile terrorism trials, experiencing firsthand just how vulnerable members of her profession can be. She holds a PhD in criminal justice, an MA in journalism, and a Graduate Certificate in terrorism studies.
(039) Excellence in Swedish Legal Translation
Thursday, October 13, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
In this session, we’ll consider fundamental concepts of Swedish law and the Swedish court system and how best to express them in both American English. Specifically, we’ll discuss the ways that lawsuits make their way through the court system and what sorts of arguments lawyers make in their pleadings. Attendees will come away with a better understanding of courts and procedural law and will be able to create a useful Swedish to English glossary of the related terminology. Translators will find this session particularly helpful because the ins and outs of procedural law are not common knowledge.
Topics: Nordic Languages, Legal T&I
Presenting Language: English
Level: Intermediate
Hashtag: #ATA63Nordic
Thomas West, CT
Thomas L. West III, CT is a law graduate and former lawyer who has 30 years of experience in translating complex legal documents from a number of languages into English. He served as ATA president from 2001 to 2003, and is ATA-certified for translation from French, Spanish, German, and Dutch into English. A dedicated polyglot and teacher, he is the author of three popular dictionaries: Spanish-English Dictionary of Law and Business, Swedish Law Dictionary (Swedish to English), and Swiss Law Dictionary (French and German to English).
(079) The Changing Landscape in Post-Pandemic Delivery of Interpreting Services, Part I
Friday, October 14, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The pandemic has caused major disruptions and permanently affected the delivery of interpreting services. Contractors and employees have seen pros and cons providing remote services while agencies see cost savings and improved access. Attendees will learn what is being seen in terms of changes in best practices. The session will conclude with the questions that still need to be answered going forward, such as: Who is responsible for training contractors in the use of different platforms? What about non-disclosure agreements? Are departments prepared for the complexity of virtual and hybrid events? How can you mitigate talent loss dealing with new technology?
Topics: Government T&I, Interpreting, Language Services Companies, Legal T&I, T&I Industry
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Government
Aimee Benavides
Government Division Distinguished Speaker
Aimee Benavides is a freelance interpreter who has been federally certified by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts since 2015, and court certified by the Judicial Council of the State of California since 2003. She operates her company Benavides Consulting in Fresno, California, and is co-founder of TEA Language Solutions. She has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators since 2017. She is the vice chair on the executive committee of ASTM International’s F-43 (Language Services and Products).
(086) Deliberate Practice for Simultaneous Interpreters: Practical Tools for Improving Performance
Friday, October 14, 4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Simultaneous interpreters provide a service that’s mentally taxing and requires constant upkeep. Aside from assignment-specific research and preparation, interpreters must regularly practice their simultaneous interpreting techniques to maintain and improve the quality of their renditions. Reflexive practice is a common technique used to enhance interpreting skills. However, a rubric to evaluate our own performance as a path toward improving deficiencies is essential to level-up one’s interpreting. This session will apply deliberate practice principles to enhance simultaneous interpreting skills and provide a rubric and skill enhancement exercise suggestions.
Topics: Interpreting, Government T&I, Legal T&I
Presenting Language: English
Level: Intermediate
Hashtag: #ATA631nt
Gabriela Siebach
Gabriela Siebach is the conference interpreting services manager at Cesco Linguistic Services. She has more than 15 years of experience. She has spearheaded the development of multiple training and assessment programs throughout her career. She has a graduate degree in Spanish translation and interpreting from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. A former board member of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC), she currently leads various NCIHC initiatives as co-chair of the Policy, Education, and Research Committee. She also co-chairs the American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education’s Job Task Analysis Committee. She is a member of ASTM International.
(095) Terms of Art, Legal Jargon, and Those Phrases that Drive Legal Translators Mad
Friday, October 14, 4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
This session will explore three recurring problems in legal translation from English to Spanish. First, we’ll explain four of the most dangerous terms of art in legal English that are often mistranslated. Second, we’ll discover some of the main interpretation problems associated with English legal jargon. We’ll finish by reviewing legal phraseology problems that give translators the biggest headaches.
Topics: Spanish, Legal T&I
Presenting Language: Spanish
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Spanish
Fernando Cuñado
Ruth Gamez
Fernando Cuñado has 25 years of experience in the corporate world. With a law degree and MBA, he has been working as a freelance translator since 2008 specializing in law and finance. He is a connoisseur of the British and American legal systems and publishes articles on comparative law in Spanish legal journals. He is cofounder of the Traducción Jurídica and Academia de los Grandes Traductores. He also teaches translation at the Universidad de Comillas (Madrid) and has published Introducción al Common Law (An Introduction to Common Law).
Ruth Gámez is an expert legal translator with more than 20 years of experience translating legal and business documents from English into Spanish. She has extensive knowledge of legal vocabulary and a proficient understanding of the law. Her areas of specialization are contracts, litigation, and family law. She has degrees in law, translation, and interpreting. She is also a certified (sworn) translator for the English language appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(112) ATA Advocacy: Stand Up and Speak Up for Translators and Interpreters!
Friday, October 14, 4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
This panel will present an overview of ATA’s Advocacy Committee, how it works, and how to get involved. Attendees will be asked to engage on advocacy in a town hall format. Comprising several members of ATA’s Advocacy Committee, the panel will address worker classification, language access for Indigenous languages and Afghan refugees, language access legislation in Congress, and state-level advocacy. Advocacy intersections with ATA activities, such as the Education and Pedagogy Committee’s work with the U.S. Department of Education on translation and interpreting programs, advocacy collaboration with partner organizations, and new committee member perspectives, will also be discussed.
Topics: ATA Activities, Government T&I, Independent Contractors, Interpreting, Legal T&I, Medical T&I, T&I Industry, Translation
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Advocacy
Bill Rivers
Nicolás Arízaga
Eve Bodeux, CT
Ben Karl, CT
Lorena Ortiz-Schneider, CT, CI
Caitilin Walsh, CT
Panel Session
Bill Rivers has over 25 years of experience in advocacy, research, and development in language for economic development. He was the founding chair of ASTM International Committee F43, Language Services and Products, and chairs the U.S. Advisory Group to the International Standards Organization TC/232, Training and Education. He was executive director of the Joint National Committee for Languages-National Council for Languages and International Studies (2012-2020). He was the chief scientist at Integrated Training Solutions, focusing on strategic planning for national language and culture programs. He served as the founding chief linguist of the National Language Service Corps and was the co-founder of the Center for Advanced Study of Language.
Nicolás Arízaga is a political consultant and English to/from Spanish translator and interpreter specializing in political communication, rhetoric, policy and discourse analysis, and international affairs. He is the chief executive officer of Political and Legal Translation Ltd. (PoLeTranslation) in Denver, Colorado. He is a registered Spanish court interpreter for the Wyoming Supreme Court. He is a member of ATA’s Advocacy Committee and the Spanish Language Division Leadership Council. He has a bilingual bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Universidad del Azuay in Ecuador and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Wyoming.
Eve Bodeux, CT is an ATA-certified French to English translator specializing in international development, corporate communications, and tech marketing. As an ATA director, she has served as chair of ATA’s Public Relations Committee and as a member of ATA’s Advocacy Committee. She has worked to spotlight ATA and its members, developed marketing pieces for buyers of translation and interpreting services provided by ATA members, and organized external events for ATA to promote its members. She has also participated in advocacy efforts aimed at informing Congress and state and local officials about issues that matter to ATA members that affect their livelihoods.
Ben Karl, CT is an ATA-certified French to English translator specializing in corporate, marketing, and financial translation from French and Mandarin into English. He serves as chair of ATA’s Advocacy Committee and is a member of the Membership Committee and The ATA Chronicle Editorial Board. He is also chair of the International Federation of Translators’ (FIT) Translatio Standing Committee and edits À Propos, the blog of ATA’s French Language Division. He has a BA in translation and East Asian studies (McGill University), a certificate of advanced Chinese proficiency (Beijing Language and Culture University), and an MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Lorena Ortiz Schneider, CT, CI is an ATA director, an ATA-certified Spanish to English translator, and ATA-credentialed interpreter. She is a past chair of ATA’s Advocacy Committee. She is a certified California State administrative hearing interpreter. She has worked for the U.S. Department of State and as a conference interpreter for private industry and community-based programs, worker’s compensation hearings, the Social Security Administration, mental health departments, and the courts. She is the founder of the Coalition of Professional Translators and Interpreters of California. She has an MA in translation and conference interpreting from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Caitilin Walsh, CT is an ATA-certified French to English translator who delights in producing translations for the computer industry and food lovers alike. A past president of ATA, she currently chairs ATA’s Education and Pedagogy Committee. She brings her strong opinions on professionalism as an instructor of ethics and business practices at the Translation and Interpreting Institute at Bellevue College. She chairs the Translation and Interpretation Advisory Committee for the Puget Sound Skills Center and is a member of the Association of Language Companies Bridge Committee, among other volunteer roles. She is a graduate of Willamette University and the Université de Strasbourg.
(116) LGBTQ+ Terminology and the Law
Saturday, October 15, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
The terminology of the LGBTQ+ community is ever evolving and identities are expanding, so we need to keep up with all the changes. This session will cover much more than the basics to include legal frameworks and terms such as assigned female/male at birth, non-binary, bear terminology, and rolling pronouns. A complete list of resources and a glossary will be provided.
Topics: Terminology, Interpreting, Legal T&I, Spanish
Presenting Language: English with Spanish examples
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Terminology
Vinka Valdivia
Vinka Valdivia is a state and federally certified Spanish interpreter who also works for the U.S. Department of State. She has over 28 years of experience in the translation and interpreting industry.
(169) Interpreting Guilty Pleas: Why Does It Get So Problematic?
Saturday, October 15, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
It’s estimated that 90% to 95% of civil cases and 95% of criminal cases don’t go to trial. Interpreters are more likely to interpret a guilty plea than a complete trial proceeding. Too often, those interpreted guilty pleas don’t go as planned, resulting in the matter being carried over and/or given a trial date by the judge. The session will examine this disruption in communication. Linguistic and paralinguistic aspects will be analyzed to identify moments where communication breaks down. The speaker will discuss several miscommunication scenarios and how they can be remedied.
Topics: Interpreting, Legal T&I
Presenting Language: English
Level: Intermediate
Hashtag: #ATA631nt
Yasmin Alkashef, CT
Yasmin Alkashef, CT is an ATA-certified Arabic to English translator, a registered court interpreter, and a conference interpreter. She has an MA in translation studies and a PhD in interpreting studies from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Since moving to the U.S. in 2016, she has worked with the Oregon Judicial Department and Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings. She is also an adjunct faculty member teaching interpreting at New York University and the University of Massachusetts. She is the assistant administrator of ATA’s Arabic Division. Her interests include translation, interpreting, localization, interpreter training, and cultural consultancy.
(155) Translating Environmental Impact Reports and Environmental Impact Statements for the California High-Speed Rail Project
Saturday, October 15, 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
The California Environmental Quality Act, modeled on the National Environmental Policy Act, requires public agencies to inform government decision-makers and the public about the potential environmental effects of proposed activities. For the California High-Speed Rail Burbank to Los Angeles Project Section, the draft and final of the Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact Statement were produced and summaries made available in several languages for potentially affected communities. The speaker, who was a member of the Japanese translation team, will provide an overview of the public’s involvement in the infrastructure project and discuss the challenges and collaboration needed to quickly build a massive glossary.
Topics: Translation, Legal T&I, Science & Technology, Terminology
Presenting Language: English
Level: Intermediate
Hashtag: #ATA63xl8
Noriko Nevins, CT
Noriko Nevins, CT is an ATA-certified English to Japanese translator based in Arizona. She has worked as a freelance translator for over 20 years in the fields of legal, intellectual property, business, e-learning localization, health care, hospitality, and special education. As a member of ATA’s Japanese Language Division’s tech team, she has been involved in planning, promotion, and operation of the division’s online events. She is a self-proclaimed terminology fetishist and loves building project and subject-specific glossaries.
(158) Machine Translation: Expectation and Reality
Saturday, October 15, 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
While the use of machine translation (MT) tools has become increasingly widespread among patent professionals in Japan, many are unaware of the hidden risk in overly depending upon this technology. The speaker will discuss some of the issues MT tools encounter, particularly in Japanese to English translation. He will provide suggestions on how humans can better utilize this rapidly developing technology to reduce risk and boost productivity. Although this session will focus primarily on patent translation, it will be applicable to translators in other areas.
Topics: Japanese, Language Technology, Legal T&I, Science & Technology
Presenting Language: English
Level: All Levels
Hashtag: #ATA63Japanese
Shigeki Itome
Shigeki Itome started his technical translation career in 2003, and worked at patent law firms as an in-house patent translator from 2004 to 2019. As a translation unit team leader, he focused on streamlining the translation workflow while improving translation quality. He first saw a demonstration of memoQ at ATA’s Annual Conference in 2014, and has been an enthusiastic memoQ user ever since. He also founded Cygnapia, a language services provider, in 2019.
(iv) AST Day
(AST-01) Contract Translation Masterclass
Wednesday, October 12, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
San Gabriel A
Contracts are said to be as complex as the transactions they embody. To translate contracts accurately, translators not only need to master different levels of legal-linguistic equivalence across their working jurisdictions, but they also need to know how to distinguish essential terms of art from unnecessary jargon. This means understanding the transaction itself, the law behind it, and the legal effects the parties intended, while reflecting all that in clear language that is faithful to the source. Translating contracts is like solving a puzzle, and in this session you’ll learn how to put all the pieces together.
Language-Neutral
Level: All
Earn 3.0 ATA CEPs
Wednesday, October 12, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Break, 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Course fee: $150; Register Today!
Cancellation Policy: Refunds will not be issued after September 30.
San Gabriel A
Paula Arturo
Hashtag: #ATA63ContractT9N
Paula Arturo is a lawyer-linguist and lecturer. After working as a translator for over 20 years and in-house linguistic consultant at Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal, she is starting a new chapter as a lecturer and research fellow at Georgetown University Law Center. Her bragging rights include translating the works of Nobel Prize laureates and shadow reports for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of several Latin American States, helping nonprofit and grassroots organizations have a voice before the Human Rights Council.
(AST-09) Upgrading Your Sight Translation Skills to Improve Your Consecutive and Simultaneous Interpreting
Wednesday, October 12, 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Santa Barbara A
Sight translation is often undervalued and undertrained. It’s an important interpreting mode to have in your toolkit by itself, but it can also be used to improve both your consecutive and simultaneous interpreting modes. For consecutive, repeated sight translation practice can help integrate terminology, phraseology, and syntactic structure into your consecutive delivery. For simultaneous, speed sight translation of documents used during assignments can make the difference between keeping up with the speaker or falling hopelessly behind. This workshop will help attendees upgrade their sight translation skills through practical exercises, practice resources, and strategies for at-home practice.
Language-Neutral
Level: Intermediate
Earn 3.0 ATA CEPs
Wednesday, October 12, 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Break, 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m
Course fee: $150; Register Today!
Cancellation Policy: Refunds will not be issued after September 30.
Santa Barbara A
Katharine Allen
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras
Hashtag: #ATA63SightTranslation
Katharine Allen is a community and conference-trained interpreter with over three decades of experience interpreting, training, and designing curricula. She is a licensed trainer and co-author for The Indigenous Interpreter and The Community Interpreter International training programs. As co-president of InterpretAmerica, she worked for 10 years to raise the profile of interpreting. She is a founding member of the American Association of Interpreting and Translation in Education, a national organization working to professionalize language services in education. She is a frequent speaker at conferences. She has an MA in translation and interpreting from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
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