ATA SLD

Slavic Languages Division (American Translators Association)

American Translators Association: The Voice of Interpreters and Translators

Emergency Preparedness and Contingency Planning for Freelancers

A new webinar is coming up in ATA’s popular Back to Business Basics series!

On March 2 at 12:00 pm Eastern time, Karen Tkaczyk will talk about Emergency Preparedness and Contingency Planning for Freelancers.

As with all webinars in this new series, it will be free to ATA members (but you must register to attend). The recording will be available to members at no charge (non-members can access it for a small fee).

What happens if you are hit by the proverbial bus? Or have power outages after a weather event? Or have to spend unplanned time in the hospital? Sensible contingency planning is not only your responsibility but also a gift to whomever will be handling the business in your absence.

In this seventh episode of ATA’s Back to Business Basics webinar series, presenter Karen Tkaczyk will walk attendees through implementing a basic emergency plan, including office infrastructure, crisis communications, and business continuity.

What will you learn?

  • Where to start in making a plan
  • Which tools can help keep this simple
  • Whether to have instructions and message templates in all your working languages
  • How to reduce stress for those handling your affairs
  • How a business can smoothly restart operations after an emergency

Registration is open: https://www.atanet.org/event/emergency-preparedness-and-contingency-planning-for-freelancers/

ATA Webinars on Audiovisual Translation

The industry stats say it all: the average person will increase their daily online video watching from 84 minutes in 2020 to 100 minutes in 2021, while the total time collectively spent viewing online videos has increased 32% a year on average since 2013.

The demand for audiovisual translation is growing rapidly. So, if you’re thinking of adding a new specialty to your services, this is a good one to vet.

These two webinars organized in collaboration with ATA’s Audiovisual Division that will give you the introduction you need.

Attend them live on February 24, 2021, or watch the recordings at your convenience.

Subtitling: How a Text Translator Can Become a Subtitler by Deborah Wexler

Subtitling is a translation job. You’re a translator. Shouldn’t that be enough? Actually, it’s not. When you’re translating a book or document, you have a single stream of text to deal with. When you’re translating a movie, you have two streams of information coming at you at the same time and are limited by reading speed and the number of characters allowed. And the differences don’t stop there.

Is this specialty a good fit for your business? Register now to find out!

ATA Member: $45 – Register Here Non-Member: $60 – Register Here

You will learn: 

  • The differences between text translation and subtitling
  • Subtitling formatting
  • Basic functions of subtitling software
  • The dos and don’ts of managing time and space constraints
  • How to train yourself in subtitling

Closed-Captioning and SDH: An Introduction by Mara Campbell

The techniques of closed-captioning and subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH) are great entry-level tasks in the audiovisual translation industry. Presenter Mara Campbell will cover roll-up captions and pop-on captions with and without placement, as well as the pros and cons of available freeware and professional software.ATA Member: $45 – Register Here Non-Member: $60 – Register HereYou will learn:

  • An understanding of how closed-captioning and SDH are produced
  • The similarities and differences between the two
  • The different types of closed-captioning and SDH
  • Available freeware and professional software
  • Qualifications and skill sets professionals need to have

Register for Both Webinars and Save!

ATA Member $75   Non-Member $105

And if you are interested in audiovisual translation, check out the previous ATA webinars on this topic: What Is Audiovisual Translation? and Audio Description: The Visual Made Verbal

December 14: New Back to Business Basics Webinar

ATA is closing out the year with another Back to Business Basics webinar: Entrepreneurial Habits for Freelance Translators and Interpreters by Corinne McKay on December 14 at 12 pm Eastern. As all webinars in this new series, it will be free to ATA members. Recording will be available to members at no charge (non-members can access it for a small fee).

Succeeding as a freelancer will always involve some factors you can’t control—like a global pandemic—but it also involves daily, positive habits and a business mindset.

In this fourth episode of ATA’s Back to Business Basics webinar series, presenter Corinne McKay will examine two kinds of business habits that can help you make the transition from “throwing it against the wall” to an actual business strategy!

What will you learn?
    • Why the entrepreneurial mindset is important
    • The non-entrepreneurial mindset that most freelancers have
    • Business processes that contribute to entrepreneurial habits
    • Mental processes that contribute to entrepreneurial habits
    • Simple changes you can make right away

Registration: https://www.atanet.org/webinars/ataWebinar252_entrepreneurial_habits.php

New Webinar: Challenges in Human Rights Translation

Promotional image for human rights translation webinar

Have you ever wondered about the field of human rights translation? There is no shortage of human-rights issues in the post-Soviet space, but breaking into this specialization may feel too daunting. Fortunately, with research, you can become confident in your translations. But where should you look?

Join fellow SLD member Lucy Gunderson to learn research techniques to track down terminology in a wide range of documents available to human rights translators. Lucy will also demonstrate how to use human rights documents originally written in English to energize translations and inspire word choices.⁣ Let this webinar be your window or even stepping stone into human rights translation!
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This webinar will be presented in English with Russian examples.⁣
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Cost: ATA members $45, non-members $60⁣
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Unable to attend live? Register now to receive a link to the on-demand recording after the live event!⁣

CEU Watch: ATA Webinar on Linguistic Challenges in Palliative Care

Photo by Martha Dominguez de Gouveia on Unsplash

Are there topics that you enjoy working with but can be emotionally draining? For me, palliative care is one example. I love working on translations that can help promote understanding of palliative care among Russian patients and the general public, as well as the development of palliative care in Russia, but it can be hard to look past the suffering and pain behind the text, especially if it is about pediatric palliative care.

I was glad to discover that ATA offers a webinar on this subject. “Linguistic Challenges in Palliative Care” by Jessica Goldhirsch can be found in ATA’s Webinars On Demand. Jessica Goldhirsch, LCSW, MSW, MPH is a licensed clinical social worker with the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Institute’s inpatient adult palliative care consult service. She teaches staff interpreters and clinical staff how to work together effectively, and her background and experience really show.

Ms. Goldhirsch talks about the role of palliative care in the healthcare system and different stages of palliative care (hospice care is just one of them). She breaks down commonly used terminology, lists the most common misconceptions, and describes typical challenges. She stresses that the interpreter/translator must be an integral part of the palliative care team, backs it up with examples, and gives advice on how to become a member of this team. Most importantly, Ms. Goldhirsch explains how crucial it is to understand the patient’s cultural norms, beliefs, and traditions, and encourages interpreters and translators to be cultural meditators and coaches for the palliative care team.

I found this webinar both highly informative and really empowering. It didn’t make palliative care less of a difficult subject, but it helped me understand its scope and purpose, and made it clear what my role is. Armed with tips and useful resources that Ms. Goldhirsch generously shared, I feel better prepared, both mentally and emotionally, to tackle future translations on this subject.

I am grateful that ATA offered this webinar and included it in its Webinars On Demand. Ms. Goldhirsch mentioned other topics that she believes deserve to be addressed in more detail, such as serious illness conversation guides and palliative care family meetings, and I hope that ATA will offer webinars on these topics in the future.

Author Bio

Veronika Demichelis is an ATA-certified English>Russian translator. She holds an MA in Linguistics and an MBA in Human Resources Management. She specializes in corporate communication, HR, and social responsibility, but also enjoys working with health and wellness, in particular patient outreach and education materials. More information can be found on her website, https://veronikademichelis.com/.

ATA English to Russian Editing Webinar

Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash

On July 31, ATA will host a 2-hour practice-driven webinar for English to Russian translators on editing their own translations. During this webinar, participants will go through a sample text and practice their editing skills, as well as learn a framework to edit their own translations more efficiently.

You can register at https://www.atanet.org/webinars/ataWebinar203_russian_editing.php.

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