Minutes of the Law Division Annual Meeting (Virtual)
American Translators Association
October 11, 2023
Present:
Administrators
- Elizabeth Herron-Sweet
- Monique Longton
Leadership Council
- Dmitry Beschetny
- Katja Gugelmeier
- Caroline Kim
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. ET by Elizabeth Herron-Sweet. She welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for their attendance.
2. Approve minutes of last year’s meeting
Those present were informed that the division’s 2022 annual meeting minutes have been posted on the division’s website and they will be considered formally approved if no comments are submitted by October 31.
3. 2023 Elections Results & LC
Participants were informed Elizabeth Herron-Sweet and Monique Longton were re-elected as administrator and assistant administrator. LC members in attendance introduced themselves.
4. Announcements for 2023 Annual Conference
Elizabeth introduced the division’s Distinguished Speaker this year, Professor Yi Song, and encouraged members to attend her sessions. She also reminded those present that the division will be moderating a Professional Forum and hosting a networking lunch during the conference. She noted that there is a blog post on our website listing all the legal T&I sessions and asked members to volunteer to write a review of a legal T&I session for the division’s blog.
5. Law Division Overview for 2023
Elizabeth reported on how the Law Division has served its members in 2023.
With respect to networking, we hosted virtual networking events quarterly, with good participation and feedback.
With respect to webinars, we co-hosted an ATA webinar in March 2023 presented by a division member that was well attended and had very positive feedback.
With respect to educational sessions at the annual conference, the division nominated a Distinguished Speaker and provided feedback on conference session proposals.
With respect to our blog and website, Katja Gugelmeier, the new blog coordinator, reported that she is actively seeking blog writers and has several articles in the pipeline despite technical issues with our website beyond our control for several months in 2023.
With respect to our online forum and social media, we have an active listserv, Facebook group, LinkedIn group, and X/Twitter account. Dmitry Beschetny, Social Media Manager, encouraged people to post and interact on our social media channels.
6. New Business for 2024
Elizabeth noted that she and assistant administrator Monique Longton may be inviting new Leadership Council members and asked for volunteers.
Regarding ATA65, division members were encouraged to submit the proposal form online or ask the division to invite potentially excellent speakers.
Members were invited to volunteer in the following ways: help organize our offsite networking event at next year’s conference (if a Portland local); send links or content for our blog; post and interact in our Facebook group, listserv, Twitter account, and LinkedIn group; suggest speakers for legal webinars; participate in our upcoming virtual networking events and ask for suggestions of specific topics to discuss.
Two division exploratory committees were proposed: 1) a long-term podcast project, and 2) a committee to debate an official position of the Division on lobbying state and/or federal courts to require ATA certification for translations submitted in court. No division member volunteered for the first; member Robert Sette volunteered for the second.
7. Questions from Members and Closing Remarks
Members discussed plans for ATA64. The matter of language access in the courts as a good topic of discussion for the division was brought up.
Elizabeth thanked all for attending the meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m.
Submitted by
Elizabeth Herron-Sweet, division administrator
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