Summary of December 2020 Nordic Division member survey results
Participation
10% of Division members completed the survey.
1. What language pairs do you work in? Choose all that apply.
The most cited combinations were Swedish </> English, Danish </> English, and Norwegian > English. A smaller proportion of respondents listed English </> Finnish, one Icelandic > English and one Faroese > English. A few respondents translate between two or more Nordic languages. Estonian was not mentioned (as the Division Administrator inexplicably neglected to take the survey). Some respondents reported working from Dutch, French, German or Russian, and several translate into German.
2. Would you prefer that future ATA conferences be…
24% of respondents thought the conference should be completely in-person, 34% thought it should be hybrid (in-person and online), 20% had no preference, and 12% wished to see the conference go completely online.
3. For you, what are the main benefits of membership in the Nordic Division?
The top benefits cited were information and knowledge sharing (71%), networking (66%), conference events (41%), and professional development (29%).
4. What could the Division do to make Division membership more worthwhile for you?
While a number of respondents expressed satisfaction with the status quo, suggestions for adding value included further developing the website, boosting the Division’s social media presence generally (and reminding members periodically of how to access the various channels), holding webinars and/or other virtual events (between ATA conferences) and fostering ties with translator communities in the Nordic countries.
5. How often should the Division meet formally (whether in person or online, depending on the circumstances)?
41% of respondents suggested meeting 2–4 times a year, 24% once a year, 24% expressed no preference and 4% voted for meeting more than 4 times a year.
6. If the Division held periodic informal online meet-ups (for networking and community-building purposes), how likely would you be to attend?
95% of respondents said they would be very or somewhat likely to attend periodic informal meet-ups.
7. If the Division held one or more webinars or other professional development events per year, which of the following would interest you?
Subject-specific and language-specific topics received the most support (73% and 68%), with cultural topics coming third (35%).
8. Which of the following Division communication channels do you use?
44% of respondents reported using the Division website, 37% the listserv, 29% the Facebook page and 17% the LinkedIn group, while 22% said they did not use any of those channels.
9. Please suggest speakers and/or topics for the ATA 62 conference (scheduled to be held in Minneapolis in October 2021). If suggesting a speaker, include their name, affiliation (if any) and contact information (if available).
A number of suggestions were made.
10. The Division would like to gauge the level of interest among ND members in reviving or adding a language
combination for translation certification exam purposes. Information about how language combinations are added is here. https://www.atanet.org/certification/aboutcert_new_language_pdf.pdf
This question elicited many replies. Some wished to see certain language combinations added, while others were opposed to the addition of any combinations. Some respondents offered to help with particular language combinations. No clear trends (for example, many respondents requesting a particular combination/direction) emerged from the survey.
11. Please write here any other thoughts you would like to share with the ND Leadership Council.
This question elicited expressions of appreciation for the work of the Leadership Council (in its recent and current configurations). The survey was hailed, as was the inclusion of Estonian among the languages considered by the Division.
12. If you are willing to be contacted by the ND administration (to follow up on your suggestions, ask for further information, etc.), please provide your name and contact information.
The Division administration thanks all who provided their contact information. The information will not be published or shared beyond the Leadership Council