SLD – ATA SLD

ATA66: SLD Roundup

October 10, 2025

If you’re heading to Boston for the 66th ATA Annual Conference this year (October 22-25) and wondering what will be there for the Slavic languages enthusiast, we have you covered! In this roundup, we’ve compiled a rundown of SLD-related happenings at the conference, from the Wednesday night division meetup to our Distinguished Speaker sessions to the annual dinner. Hope to see you there!

And if you haven’t registered for the conference yet, there’s still time!

Division Mingle

Keep Connecting and Celebrating with Divisions & Special Interest Groups

Wednesday, October 22, 7:00–8:00 PM (after the Welcome Celebration)

Commonwealth Ballroom AB

Come find the SLD area, meet our administrators and fellow members, and get the conference off to a good start!

SLD-Related Sessions and Sessions by SLD Members

(067) Changing Attitudes to Translating from Russian

Robert Chandler (Distinguished Speaker)

Friday, October 24, 2:40–3:40 PM

Session description: Constance Garnett was a courageous and independent woman. She translated at least five great Russian writers well enough that readers could sense their greatness for the first time (there are few translators of whom one can say that). Her translations influenced such varied writers as Arnold Bennett, D.H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, and Virginia Woolf. Bizarrely, both Nabokov and Brodsky and, more recently, Pevear and Volokhonsky, have criticized her work. These attacks exemplify how rigid ideologies of translation can interfere with our real work–that of communicating meaning, whether thought, fact, or feeling.

(099) Learning from My Mistakes

Robert Chandler (Distinguished Speaker)

Saturday, October 25, 10:30–11:30 AM

Session description: In some fields of translation (e.g., legal), mistakes are likely to be noticed. In other fields, there may be no one checking your work. That’s why it’s essential to find a way of getting another person to do this. One of the dangers in our profession is that the better one’s command of English, the better one can be at disguising a misunderstanding. A serious source of misunderstandings is verbal aspects. The speaker will provide memorable examples of his own misunderstandings to help attendees grasp the power of these aspects.

This session is also available on livestream (https://www.atanet.org/ata66/education/livestream/), which is included with every level of conference registration and can be purchased separately before October 16.

An interview with Robert Chandler is available on the blog.

(103) New Directions on the Contact Line: How the Russia-Ukraine War Changed Terminology

Steven McGrath

Saturday, October 25, 10:30–11:30 AM

Session description: After more than three years of intense fighting, the war in Ukraine has resulted in numerous consequences for diplomatic and military affairs, as well as for the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians in harm’s way. Nonetheless, English-language media has struggled with terminology for discussing even the technical aspects of battlefield weapons and tactics, let alone the deep, distinct Russian and Ukrainian cultural contexts involved in home-front mobilization and information warfare. In this session, attendees will discuss various approaches for conveying wartime concepts to a general audience in English as they explore terminology with potential applications in various translation fields.

(119) Three Paths to Publishing Professional Literary Translations

Shelley Fairweather-Vega

Saturday, October 25, 1:30–2:30 PM

Session description: No literary translator can succeed without publishing their work, but most translator certification programs teach nothing about publishing. That means too many highly skilled translators never pursue a career in book translation. This session will dispel some of the mystery around the publishing process through case studies of three recent translations published by different routes: a teen romance self-published by the author, short fiction published by a tiny university press, and literary fiction commissioned by a prestigious imprint of another university publisher. We’ll explore specific differences in process, cost, editing, marketing, and more in each publishing scenario.

(138) Court Interpreting – The Translation Side of It

Ana Biškup

Saturday, October 25, 2:40–3:40 PM

Any court interpreting job, whether consecutive or translation, will always include analyzing relevant documents and making sure to use accurate terminology. This session will highlight the importance of research for a court interpreter that goes beyond what any available Artificial Intelligence tool could offer. This includes knowledge of consular affairs, relevant historical sources, and comparative analysis of the source and target language. It also implies using consistent terminology that conveys the correct meaning in the target language.

SLD Annual Dinner

Thursday, October 23, 7:00-9:00PM

Join us for a delightful dinner featuring dishes from Mediterranean, Italian, and Mexican cuisines. We will head out to Servia, located near the famous Faneuil Hall Marketplace, on Thursday evening between the job fair and After Hours Cafe. Servia offers a buffet of dishes to serve various tastes (salad, ratatouille, grilled chicken, pork tacos).

Location: Servia (https://serviaboston.com/)

126 State St, Boston, MA 02109

Guests will pay for their own food, but registration ensures we can reserve the right number of tables. To register, please contact Assistant Administrator Natalia Postrigan at divisionSLD@atanet.org.

Attending the conference? Consider writing for SlavFile Online, the division blog! Doing a writeup of an SLD-related session (or any session if it really made an impression!) is a great way to collect your thoughts and impressions, extend the reach of knowledge shared at the conference, and raise your own profile. If it’s your first time attending, you can also share general impressions of the conference for a Newcomer’s Column. If interested, contact editor Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya at eugenia@sokolskayatranslations.com.

Join SLD at the Annual Dinner in Boston!

August 13, 2025

Thursday, October 23 | 7:00PM-9:00PM

Join us for a delightful dinner featuring dishes from Mediterranean, Italian, and Mexican cuisines. We will head out to Servia, located near the famous Faneuil Hall Marketplace, on Thursday evening between the job fair and After Hours Cafe. There, we will be offered a buffet of dishes to serve various tastes (salad, ratatouille, grilled chicken, pork tacos), non-alcoholic drinks, and table wine.

Location: Servia (https://serviaboston.com/)
126 State St, Boston, MA 02109

Cost: $55 per person (includes tax, gratuity, non-alcoholic drinks, and table wine while supplies last)
Guests will have the option to order alcoholic beverages out of pocket.

Space is limited! Reserve your seat by October 16th or as space allows.

To register, please contact Natalia Postrigan at divisionSLD@atanet.org.

Division Roundup: June 2025

June 25, 2025

Natalia Postrigan, SLD Assistant Administrator

Registration for the ATA 66th Annual Conference in Boston, MA, is open now! Head to the conference website for updates on registration and the agenda for what promises to be an exceptional gathering of translation and interpretation professionals.

The conference kicks off on Wednesday, October 22nd with:

AST (Advanced Skills & Training) sessions
In-person certification exam
Welcome reception at 5:30 PM
Divisions & Special Interest Group (SIG) meet & greet, 7-8 PM

Over the following three days, attendees can enjoy multiple sessions alongside exciting networking opportunities including division events, a job fair, after-hours open mic café, book & resource fair, game night, and the annual ATA members meeting. The conference concludes on Saturday evening with a closing session (5:15-5:45 PM) followed by the legendary annual dance party.

SLD Annual Dinner: Our team is currently working on picking a restaurant. Stay tuned for updates! If you can recommend a great venue, please contact Natalia at divisionSLD@atanet.org.

Get Inspired: ATA65 Session Reviews

Need motivation to start planning for Boston? Read Conferences and Marketing on Stephen Rifkind’s blog for ideas on how to maximize the economic benefit of participating in a professional conference.

You can find reviews of sessions presented by SLD members in previous conferences on the SLD blog. For example, “On Interpreting for Russian-Speaking LGBTQ+ Individuals“ (presented by Olga Bogatova and reviewed by Julia LaVilla-Nossova).

Distinguished Speaker Announcement

We are thrilled to announce that our Distinguished Speaker will be Robert Chandler, a literary translator and poet with over 50 years of experience, including highly acclaimed translations of Vasily Grossman and Teffi.

Mr. Chandler began learning Russian at age 15 and spent a transformative year at 20 as a British Council Exchange scholar in Voronezh – the birthplace of Andrey Platonov and the city where Osip Mandelstam was exiled. It was there that he first discovered these writers and began his lifelong journey translating Russian poetry and prose. Currently based in London, he runs translation workshops and mentors emerging translators. We’re honored to welcome him from England and hope you’ll join us in Boston to celebrate his remarkable achievements.

Community Building Initiatives

Polish Certification Study Group

SLD member Katarzyna Kawalec is launching a peer practice group for the Polish<>English ATA certification exam. Inspired by Maria Guzenko and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya’s primarily Russian-language study group of past years, Katarzyna is building a community for feedback exchange on practice texts and mutual support throughout the certification journey. If you’re planning to take the PL>EN or EN>PL exam, contact Katarzyna at kontakt@kawalec-tlumacz-przysiegly.pl.

Turkic Languages SIG

SLD members Shelley Fairweather-Vega and Jamila DelMistro are working on starting a Special Interest Group for Turkic languages within ATA. To learn more or volunteer as a moderator, contact Jamila (jamdmistro@gmail.com) or Shelley (translation@fairvega.com).

Continuing the conversation about AI in translation

The impact of AI on translation remains a hot topic. At ATA65 in Portland, Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya and John Riedl presented “I Can’t Place the Accent: Identifying the Characteristic Traits of Computer Translation,” which compared output from newer AI/LLM models to that of older machine translation and human translators. Read Christine Pawlowski’s review on the SLD blog, and access the presentation slides in our Slavic Languages Presentation Archive.

Coming Soon: Slovo podcast editor Halla Goins is preparing an interview with Eugenia and John. Catch up on previous Slovo episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Share Your Voice

Want to contribute to our community discussions? Contact Halla about podcast opportunities or Eugenia about blog contributions and address any general questions and comments to SLD Administrator Steven McGrath and Assistant Administrator Natalia Postrigan by reaching out to divisionSLD@atanet.org.

Notes from the Administrative Underground

December 13, 2024

Steven McGrath, SLD Administrator

At long last, I am reaching out to you in the first administrator’s column on the SLD Blog. I acknowledge that it would have been ideal to update you on events in the division sooner, especially since this has been an eventful year for the ATA and SLD, but, as is fitting at the year’s end, I can now report to you a summary of challenges overcome and successes for our membership.

The first success I’d like to mention is the SLD website and blog where you are reading this column, which is now our division’s primary organ. After some technical difficulties earlier in the year, website administrator and blog editor Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya has started to right the ship. Starting in May, she oversaw the first member-submitted articles on the blog, a series on translation quality by Mikhail Yashchuk and a guide to generative AI by Viktoryia Baum. The blog is now publishing the post-conference staples of session reviews and newcomer first impressions, as well as administrative updates, announcements, and job opportunities. Kudos to Eugenia and to all SLD Blog contributors!

In speaking of the conference, it was a pleasure seeing many of you at ATA65 in Portland. Special thanks to Eugenia, John Riedl, Olga Bogatova and Shelley Fairweather-Vega for presenting under the Slavic Languages topic category. Thank you as well to SLD members who presented under other topics – I tried to attend them all when the schedule would allow.

Preparations for ATA66 in Boston are already well underway, so I encourage you all to consider presenting sessions. The call for proposals typically goes out in January, so start brainstorming now! SLD’s leadership council has already decided on a nominee to be the Susan Greiss Lecturer in Boston: British literary translator Robert Chandler, who has made an incredible mark on the profession over the course of his distinguished career – including his highly praised translations of the works of Vasily Grossman, to name only one of many authors. He has been on the SLD’s short list of speakers for several years now, and both Paul Gallagher and Nora Favorov, respectively our incoming and emerita Greiss Lecture sherpas, endorsed him in a competitive process.

The past year was quite productive for SLD volunteers. Halla Bearden has been steadily recording interviews for the Slovo podcast, notably with Viktoryia Baum concerning, among other things, her experience with NASA, and also with the Language Technology Division administrative team Daniel Sebesta and Bridget Hylak. An interview with Polish>English literary translator Phillip Boehm has been ready for some time and the link should go out to SLD members shortly. SLD’s social media moderators – Mikhail Yashchuk for the LinkedIn group, Anna Livermore for the Facebook group, and Julia Thornton for the Google listserv – helped spread the word on various opportunities and requests made known to the division.

Moving the administrator’s column to the SLD Blog seems a bit like the start of a new era, and in some ways this reflects changes in the ATA and in the profession as a whole. The sustaining force for any organization in times of change is the energy of its members. Next year, the columns will become regular again, we will have our own Greiss Lecturer at the conference, and there will be new initiatives in new formats. In 2024, a year of transition marked by staff turnover and technological changes at ATA headquarters, we were fortunate to have an enthusiastic body of volunteers who helped us connect with each other and stay abreast of the industry. Thank you all! I look forward to working with you again in 2025!

SLD Annual Dinner at ATA65

November 13, 2024

group of 17 people in a restaurant

This year’s SLD Dinner was held on October 31, 2024, at Kachka, an Eastern European restaurant not far from the Oregon Convention Center. Over 30 people attended and enjoyed delicious food, unique decor, and excellent conversation. The photo above shows those remaining at the end of the evening – we were too busy enjoying ourselves to remember to document the event earlier!

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing reviews of sessions and the conference as a whole. If you attended and would like to share your impressions or a session review (even if unrelated to Slavic languages), shoot me an email at eugenia@sokolskayatranslations.com. Stay tuned!

2024 SLD Annual Meeting Minutes

October 30, 2024

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Slavic Languages Division

of the American Translators Association

September 29, 2024, 2:00 EDT

Held online via Zoom

Steven McGrath, Administrator; Natalia Postrigan, Assistant Administrator

Short introductions were exchanged (attendees’ locations and specializations) before the meeting was called to order.
The meeting was called to order at 2:03 PM EDT.
The minutes from the annual meeting of 2023 were shared in the chat for the attendees to review, and it was mentioned that the minutes were also previously published in the Slav File.
The agenda for the current meeting was also shared in the chat. Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya seconded to approve. The 2024 agenda was accepted with no changes.
Division members presented an overview of Division events in the past year:
Blog update: Eugenia shared an update on the SLD Blog. There have been challenges this year related to the changes in the content regulations for ATA division blogs. Also, currently there is no way to subscribe to the blog, leaving no way to let members know about new posts: the only way at present is to request a broadcast to all through ATA communications. Steven said that he would bring up this issue in the quarterly report to the ATA board.
- Eugenia will be at the conference in Portland inviting people to submit reviews of the conference sessions for publication in the blog.
- Aleksandr Lukoff asked what input would be wanted from the conference. Eugenia explained that members would be invited to share reviews of the conference sessions.
- Steven expressed appreciation for Eugenia’s work, and for Viktoryia Baum for contributing an article to the blog.
- Viktoryia commented about her willingness to share reviews on the sessions, if possible.
- Steven added that in addition to Slavic track sessions, because in the blog format we don’t have a page limit anymore, anyone is welcome to submit reviews of sessions in other tracks, as well as other content.
Website update: Eugenia shared an update about the website. Eugenia would like to build the resource page on the website, and she invited everyone to supply links and resources.
SLD podcast: Halla Goins was not present to report progress. Steven reported that the podcast is going well. Steven mentioned that there had been two episodes this year and that a new episode is coming soon. Steven expressed appreciation for Viktoryia for participating in the podcast.
Facebook, LinkedIn, and the online forum: The volunteers in this area were not present to report. Steven expressed appreciation for the volunteer effort to grow our social media: Anna Livermore for Facebook, Julia Thornton for the Google forum, and Mikhail Yashchuk for LinkedIn.
Steven asked if anyone would be interested in managing the division’s X (formerly Twitter) account. There was no interest expressed.
New business for 2024:
- Next year, an election is coming up for the administrator and assistant administrator. Steven called for volunteers for the nominating committee (at least two members). Eugenia and Shelley Fairweather-Vega volunteered.
- ATA’s 66th Annual Conference will be held in Boston, MA, October 22-25, 2025.
- Steven invited suggestions for speakers, in particular, for a Distinguished Speaker. Eugenia encouraged members to send proposals to present on their specialization, because the Slavic track usually is slow to fill up. Language-specific sessions are of particular interest. Eugenia said that we are all experts in something and great in what we do, and it would be interesting for all to hear these presentations. Steve joined this call for proposals, sharing that presenting is a good experience and helps you think about your specialization in a new way. Aleksandr commented that interpreting for worker compensation cases appears to be an area of high demand at the moment.
- Eugenia reminded attendees that Nora Favorov had suggested literary translator Robert Chandler on several occasions, and Boston would be a logistically easier destination for him traveling from England. Shelley commented that if someone like Robert Chandler is recruited, the Literary Division might join SLD to have a joint Distinguished Speaker. The Literary Division also needs to find a distinguished speaker for the next year.
- Eugenia mentioned immigration lawyer Jan Albrecht as another potential distinguished speaker. Aleksandr mentioned that a colleague of late Ukrainian émigré linguist Sviatoslav Karavanskyi could be a good speaker, but he would need to research a suitable candidate.
- Steven mentioned that distinguished speaker suggestions would be reviewed by Paul Gallagher.
Call for feedback and suggestions from the members
- Eugenia spoke about the survey for her and John Riedl’s upcoming presentation at the conference. The survey was sent by the ATA in the past month. The subject was “SLD survey request,” and the email went out on September 25th. The survey is primarily on the topic of Russian>English translation.
- Viktoryia expressed appreciation for the work of SLD administrator and assistant administrator and mentioned being nominated for ATA president-elect.
Call for newcomers to introduce themselves
- Anna Kostorna made her introduction. She is looking to expand her business in translation and interpreting work in Ukrainian and Russian.
- Steven encouraged attendees to share their contact information in the chat.
Annual dinner: Natalia reported on signups for the annual dinner in Portland and encouraged people to sign up soon, as we are getting close to capacity. Viktoryia suggested that next year SLD and LTD consider a joint dinner.
ATA election: Steven mentioned that the ballots for the ATA election should be going out tomorrow.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:46 PM EDT.

ATA65 – One Month Away!

October 1, 2024

One Month until ATA65 in Portland, OR

Just one month until the 65th ATA Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon (October 30 – November 2, 2024)! Early bird registration rates have been extended until October 7, so if you haven’t already, register now to lock in that good deal. Standard registration will be available October 7-14, and late registration rates apply after October 14.

Already registered? Wondering what to do on Thursday evening? Join SLD at our annual dinner at 8 PM at the Eastern European restaurant Kachka. Seats are limited and they’re filling up! Check your inbox for information from ATA HQ, or contact Natalia Postrigan to reserve your spot.

Reminder: Don’t Miss SLD’s Spring 2024 Networking Meetup!

May 13, 2024

ATA SLD Networking Meetup Don’t miss our next quarterly gathering on Zoom this Sunday, May 19, 2024. Come chat with Slavic Languages Division colleagues about what’s going on in life and in business. The past meetups have offered members a valuable chance to catch up with each other. We hope that this one will give attendees a sense of connection and motivation going forward.

Grab something from the fridge and meet us on Zoom from 2–4 PM EDT on Sunday, May 19. Come when you can, leave when you must!

To ensure you get a link for the event, register here. For questions, please email SLD Assistant Administrator Natalia Postrigan (postrigann09@gmail.com) before the meetup. We hope to see you there!

Don’t Miss SLD’s Spring 2024 Networking Meetup!

April 30, 2024

ATA SLD Networking Meetup We would like to invite you to the next quarterly gathering on Zoom on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Come chat with Slavic Languages Division colleagues about what’s going on in life and in business. The past meetups have offered members a valuable chance to catch up with each other. We hope that this one will give attendees a sense of connection and motivation going forward.

Grab something from the fridge and meet us on Zoom from 2–4 PM EDT on Sunday, May 19. Come when you can, leave when you must!

To ensure you get a link for the event, register here. For questions, please email SLD Assistant Administrator Natalia Postrigan (postrigann09@gmail.com) before the meetup. We hope to see you there!

Don’t Miss SLD’s Spring Networking Meetup!

April 28, 2023

ATA SLD Networking Meetup We would like to invite you to the next quarterly gathering on Zoom this Sunday, April 30. Come chat with Slavic Languages Division colleagues about what’s going on in life and in business. The past meetups have offered members a valuable chance to catch up with each other. We hope that this one will give attendees a sense of connection and motivation going forward.

Grab something from the fridge and meet us on Zoom from 12–2 PM EST on Sunday, April 30. Come when you can, leave when you must!

To RSVP, please email SLD Assistant Administrator Steven McGrath (steven@mcgrathtranslations.com) before the meetup. We hope to see you there!