ATA65 Annual Conference – Legal T&I Sessions

Hello Law Division members,

ATA65, our annual conference, is coming up soon in Portland from October 30 to November 2, 2024. Early registration discounts are available until September 23. Register at a lower rate and secure your spot now. Visit the ATA65 website here to sign up and get more information.

For those interested in Legal Translation and Interpretation (T&I), we’ve compiled a list of Advanced Skills and Training (AST) courses and presentations that focus on legal topics. These specialized sessions are designed to enhance your skills and provide valuable insights in the field of Legal T&I. 

At the time of the conference, we’ll also be posting updates on all legal sessions on our social media, so be sure to follow along for real-time insights!

Below is an overview of the legal-focused courses available:

1.AST – Advanced Skills & Training Day

Wednesday, October 30.

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• Consecutive Interpreting for Arabic Interpreters by Yasmin Alkashef (Arabic)

Consecutive interpreting is the mode most often used in community interpreting settings. Arabic interpreters find consecutive interpreting especially challenging due to the linguistic differences between Arabic and English and the difficulties associated with note-taking. This interactive course will focus on ways to boost memory and leverage note-taking skills so attendees can take their consecutive interpreting to the next level. With examples from health care, educational, and judicial contexts in a variety of Arabic dialects, attendees will get an opportunity to practice note-taking, consecutive interpreting, and smooth delivery and receive feedback in a safe and supportive environment.

• Translating “Derecho Penal:” Concepts and Terminology From a Comparative Law Perspective by Rebecca Jowers (English with Spanish Examples)

Drawing on examples from the “códigos penales” of Spain and Mexico as well as the Model Penal Code, this session provides a comprehensive overview of the concepts and terminology of “Derecho penal” from a common law viewpoint. This includes examining how criminal law is organized in Spanish-speaking jurisdictions, focusing on the major pitfalls of translating not only the basic precepts of criminal law theory, but also the terminology of specific offenses that translators are likely to encounter when rendering criminal law texts. Attendees will receive a study guide, a bilingual glossary of the terms and concepts discussed, and additional translator resources.

1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Forensic Transcription/Translation Workshop by Javier Castillo (English)

Foreign language audio and video files must be transcribed and translated to be presented as evidence for use in and out of court. In this hands-on course, attendees will have the opportunity to practice transcribing and translating audio and video from a variety of files similar to what would be required for court. Attendees will learn how to set up their equipment, prepare audio files, and their working documents. They will also learn best practices and common pitfalls to avoid.

• Objection Sustained: What Legal Interpreters and Translators Need to Know about Court Proceedings by Tony Rosado (Spanish)

Interpreters and translators must understand what attorneys are trying to accomplish during a trial or evidentiary hearing. This language-neutral course will focus on the most common types of evidence presented during legal proceedings and the most common objections raised during criminal and civil matters. The speaker will explain, analyze, and provide examples of these elements of proof and objections interpreters are likely to encounter in a procedure and that translators will find in court decisions they’re asked to translate. Attendees will analyze elements of evidence and decide if they’re admissible in a court of law. Come learn the legal concepts that will make lawyers want to hire you!

 

2.LEGAL T&I (Main Topic)

Thursday, October 31, 2024

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• Expressing Civil Law Concepts in Common Law Terms: Identifying Functional Equivalents in Spanish into English Legal Translation by Rebbecca Jowers (English with Spanish Examples)

Expressing civil law concepts in common law terms requires identifying functional equivalents capable of producing natural-sounding translations. But how close do the respective terms have to be to constitute valid options? Can the terminology of English-language civil codes or the vocabulary used by comparativists prove useful? This session will examine a series of civil law concepts that have reasonable common law counterparts and revisit other generally accepted ones that, in retrospect, may not be the best choice. We’ll examine several all-too-literal translations that may actually have appropriate functional equivalents and discuss how to render expressions considered “intraducibles.”

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Marketing to Lawyers and Law Firms for Legal Translators by Katja Gugelmeier (English)

In this presentation, you will learn how to effectively market your legal translation services to lawyers and law firms. Discover the key components of building a successful marketing plan tailored to the needs of legal professionals. You will gain insights into how to communicate your value, establish strong client relationships, and position yourself as the go-to legal translator. This session will equip you with the tools and strategies needed to grow your business and ensure long-term success in the competitive legal translation market.

Friday, November 1

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• Check Interpreter Essentials: Building Professional Excellence in Legal Interpreting by Lenny Yang (English)

This session offers a comprehensive exploration of the collaborative and individual roles of check interpreters and primary interpreters in the legal field. It emphasizes the importance of best practices for effective collaboration, addressing common challenges, and maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and integrity in legal interpreting. Attendees will learn strategies for enhancing teamwork, resolving conflicts, and ensuring consistent, high-quality interpreting. This session is tailored for interpreters aiming to deepen their expertise and achieve professional development within high-stakes legal settings.

• Court Interpreters in the U.S. vs. Italy: A Short Comparative Study by Christina Green (English and Italian)

The role of the court interpreter in the U.S. is widely known and respected. Interpreters must undergo training and take a written and oral proficiency test. But how is this profession different in Italian courts? How do our counterparts prepare for this task? In this session, the speaker will point out the main differences in both countries for the same job, including the rights of foreign language speakers to use interpreters in both nations.

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

•  Human Trafficking: An Interpreter’s Primer by Javier Castillo (English)

Attendees will learn the key concepts related to human trafficking and the special considerations to keep in mind when interpreting for victims and witnesses to provide accurate and impartial interpreting. Attendees will learn the legal definitions of human trafficking. They’ll gain a better understanding of the different aspects of human trafficking, from transnational to local levels. Attendees will also learn about the organizations involved in combating human trafficking. There will be a focus on specific terminology and slang. Attendees will learn about applying interpreting ethics to avoid revictimization and other issues that are crucial for victims and witnesses.

4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

• Witness Management: Tips and Best Practices for Consecutive Interpreting by Ellen Wing (English)

Interpreting witness testimony in court is complex and calls upon interpreters to step front and center. This session is not intended to teach consecutive interpreting. Rather, it’s designed to delve deep into all the other factors involved in interpreting for a witness. Attendees will examine how their physical presence has an impact on the witness and the court. They will learn how to train parties to pause for interpreting using verbal and nonverbal cues. They will discuss best practices for how and when to interrupt a witness, when not to, and when a “strategic interruption” can be best applied.

 

3.LEGAL T&I (Additional Topic)

Thursday, October 31, 2024

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

• Dissecting Jury Instructions for Arabic Interpreters by Amine El Fajri (English and Arabic)

Jury instructions are directions for jury deliberation that are usually written by the judge and given to the jury. They should ideally be brief, concise, nonrepetitive, and relevant to the case’s details. This session will offer an overview of the fundamentals of interpreting jury instructions. Topics will include the definition of jury instructions, structure, and interpreting skills needed by Arabic interpreters. Time will be allowed for Q&As and group discussions. Feedback from attendees will be encouraged.

• Protecting the Information: Intellectual Property and Confidentiality by Tony Rasado (Spanish)

Access to internet, social media, and interpreters and translators’ remote work, expose sensitive, valuable, and confidential information to hacking and intellectual property piracy. Avoiding and reducing this risk is out of their hands, but they can adopt measures to protect their work product and avoid the distribution and exploitation of their renditions and translations without their prior consent and compensation. This session will discuss the market practices that undermine our profession, the ethical standards we must follow, and the international law that protects our work and keeps its control and benefits with interpreters and translators, including credit and royalties.

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Translating Large Numbers and Their Abbreviations in the Spanish-English Financial Realm: Navigating Challenges, Reducing Confusion, and Ensuring Accurate Translations by Analía Bogdan (English)

Attend this session to explore essential techniques for translating numbers in the economic-financial domain between English and Spanish. Delve into challenges like large numbers reduction and abbreviations, where common practices may conflict with Spanish-language norms. Learn to navigate intricacies, such as replacing numbers with words and abbreviations, while decoding shortcuts borrowed from English. Gain insights into uncovering potential errors or ambiguities in source texts. Elevate your translation expertise in finance and economics by discerning linguistic nuances and maintaining fidelity to the financial industry standards. Master the art of precision in conveying numerical information for natural and cross-cultural communication.

Friday, November 1

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

• How Should Interpreters Defend Their Interests When Doing RSI by Tony Rosado (English)

Remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) opened the door to a new global market with uncertainty, few rules, and new participants. For the past five years, RSI has challenged old rules and practices that some have decided to overlook and others never knew. Ignoring these rules benefits some service providers, but doing so could harm individual interpreters and the profession. This session will address negotiating conditions and preparing a contract that protects our interests, and the end user of our services, when we interpret remotely anywhere in the world.

• Translation Techniques: From Practice to Theory by Bernardita Mariotto (Spanish)

While the consensus is that learning goes from theory to practice, this process goes from practice to theory. When faced with an unfamiliar language, translation instantly comes to mind. However, professional translators must account for their decisions. To this end, they should be familiar with translation strategies and procedures so they can choose the right one in each case. Attendees will learn or refresh their knowledge through examples of the theoretical concepts of borrowing, calque, literal translation, transposition, modulation, equivalence, adaptation, compensation, reduction, and expansion.

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

• Wedding Interpreting: Not Just a Fancy Assignment by Francesca Manicardi (English)

When people think about weddings, they usually imagine astonishing floral setups, breathtaking dresses, delicious food, and nice photos for their Instagram. But when you’re the one entrusted to interpret the ceremony, this may become one of the toughest assignments ever. This session will provide an in-depth overview on the challenges involved when interpreting for weddings, including the linguistic and cultural skills needed. Real-life examples will be used. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of how to deal with wedding interpreting assignments plus Italian culture advice. Learn what you need to watch out for to avoid tricky situations!

Saturday, November 2

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

• Translators and Interpreters in Multilingual Political Campaigning by Nicolás Arízaga (English)

The role of translators and interpreters in democratic processes and political campaigns is crucial to inform, connect, bridge, and influence multilingual and non-native-speaking constituents. This session will explore political, intercultural, and transcreation strategies to mirror political campaign discourses and narratives in other languages. The session will be based on the narrative policy framework, speech writing, storytelling, and discourse analysis, considering sociopolitical 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 campaigns and public policy.

• Interpreting for Russian-Speaking LGBTQ+ Individuals by Olga Bogatova (English w/Russian Examples)

In this session, we’ll discuss sexuality and gender identity terms in Russian and how to make our language more inclusive when interpreting for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Russian speakers. We’ll also discuss the most common topics raised in the asylum claims filed by LGBTQ+ applicants and list language-specific tools and resources on the subject.

• Interpreting Gadgets: A Note-Taking Solution by Judy Jenner (English)

Traditional tablets have long been used for note-taking in interpreting, but they are heavier than many interpreters would like them to be. For quite some time, no good alternatives to old-school, non-environmentally friendly paper notebooks were available, but the lightweight Remarkable tablet has changed all that. It’s a sleek, Norwegian-designed tablet that’s designed exclusively for note-taking and has revolutionized the way many interpreters take notes. Join the speaker, who is an early adapter of Remarkable, for an overview of the features of this device, which also allows you to upload your notes, convert them to text, annotate documents, and more.

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

• Gaining Credibility with Standards by Andy Benzo, Giovanna Carriero-Contreras, Jennifer DeCamp, Gabriela Escarrá, Barbara Inge Karsch, Steve Lank, Romina Marazzato Sparano, Alan Melby, Bill Rivers, Dolores Rojo Guiñazú, and Sue Ellen Wright (English)

In an ever-evolving and challenging professional landscape, adherence to standards plays a pivotal role in gaining credibility with clients. This session aims to elucidate the significance of standards within our profession and explain to ATA members how International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and ASTM International (ASTM) standards are relevant in their daily work. Members of ATA’s Standards Committee will also provide a brief overview of the committee’s activities and resources.

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

•  Broaden Your Perspective by Yasha Saebi and Jason Kopp (English)

Changing your perspective can have a profound impact on your career and business. This session will review linguistic opportunities within the U.S. government and intelligence communities. Attendees will brainstorm and share their experiences and knowledge on the topic. Attendees will leave the session with information about U.S. government jobs and contracts and the clearance process. We’ll discuss best practices for working with the government as a translator/interpreter.

3:10 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.

• Archive that Web Page! By Ben Murphy (English)

It’s important for translators to save a copy of their source document in case of questions or disputes about a translation’s accuracy. But if the source document is online there are many reasons it might not stay up forever, including website redesign, corporate merger or bankruptcy, or censorship. This session will introduce a few free and paid services translators can use to create reliable, enduring copies of web pages and discuss the pros and cons of each.