ATA 2023 Elections: Slate of Candidates Announced

ATA will hold its regularly scheduled elections during the ATA 64th Annual Conference in Miami, October 25–28, 2023, to elect a president-elect, secretary, and treasurer (each a two-year term), as well as three directors (each a three-year term).

Additional nominations, supported by a written petition signed by no fewer than 60 voting members and the nominee’s written acceptance statement, must be received by the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee by July 8. Acceptance statements and petitions should be submitted to Nominating and Leadership Development Committee Chair (NLDC) Ted Wozniak (nominations@atanet.org ).

Candidate statements and photos of the candidates will appear in the September/October issue of The ATA Chronicle and on ATA’s website. Article VII, Section 2 d. 2) of the ATA Bylaws states that the NLDC “shall propose multiple candidates for each elective position of the Association….”

The revised slate of candidates proposed by the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee are:

President-elect
Geoff Koby
Meghan McCallum

Treasurer
Robin Bonthrone
Marian S. Greenfield

Secretary
Eve Bodeux
Helen Eby

Director
Yasmin Alkashef
Analía Bogdan
Jason Knapp
Jessie Liu
Daniel Sebesta
Chaowei Zhu

Become an ATA Voting Member
Did you know that you do not need to be ATA-certified to vote? Any ATA Associate Member who can demonstrate that they are professionally engaged in translation, interpreting, or closely related fields may apply for Voting Membership. How? Just complete and submit the ATA Active Membership Review application. No additional paperwork required. It’s fast, free, and easy!

Industry News

Interpreters Working in Nebraska Courts Stage Walkout to Protest Stagnant Wages

York News-Times (NE) (06/13/23) Bamer, Erin

Nebraska state courts could experience delays in services following the decision by some interpreters to stage a walkout after negotiations for a pay increase failed.

The walkout comes several weeks after Governor Jim Pillen vetoed a pay increase for court interpreters that was proposed in the state’s two-year budget. State Senator George Dungan attempted to override that veto but failed to get enough support from other lawmakers.

After rumors of a walkout surfaced, the state court administration came forward with an offer to increase rates for interpreters. However, the offer wasn’t accepted because it was only about half of what was initially requested and gave higher increases to some interpreters over others. A lack of available interpreters due to the walkout could mean delays in court services, an increased reliance on video interpreters, and extra money spent extending some cases.

“There’s no official count for how many interpreters are participating in the walkout statewide, and no end date for the protest has been set,” said Kelly Varguez, a court certified Spanish interpreter.

According to a press release from Interpreter Advocacy Nebraska, the hourly rates for the state’s court interpreters have not changed since 2004, despite numerous attempts to raise them. The current rate is $50 per hour for certified interpreters and $35 per hour for registered and non-certified interpreters, with a two-hour minimum.

“It’s pretty egregious that we haven’t had a wage increase since 2004, so I think drawing attention is our last resort,” said Frankie Macgregor, a Spanish interpreter.

“This will continue until we get what we think is right,” said Pamela Duncan, an American Sign Language interpreter.

This year, Senator Dungan proposed a bill to appropriate about $1.2 million in the budget to cover rate increases for court interpreters. After debate in the state’s Appropriations Committee, the funding was lowered to about $400,000, and was then eliminated entirely through Governor Pillen’s veto. “Our interpreters do some of the most difficult and necessary work in our courts and deserve to be paid accordingly,” Dungan said.

Indianapolis Public Schools District Expands “Language Justice” Policy

Washington Examiner (DC) (06/14/23) Troutman, Elizabeth

Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), the largest school district in the city and the second largest district in Indiana, has proposed changing its language justice policy to address an increase in English learner students over the past five years.

IPS will establish a language justice task force this month after the Board of School Commissioners approves the proposal. The task force will build a team of translators and interpreters, organize translation/interpreting services, educate staff on language justice, work with human resources to hire bilingual staff, and provide students with classroom support.

IPS has seen a 20% increase in English as a new language (ENL) students since 2018, enrolling more than 6,000 ENL students this year. According to district language data, more than 33% of students in Indianapolis are non-English speakers.

According to the proposal IPS put forward to the Board of School Commissioners, language justice will now be defined as “the practice of ensuring that people can communicate effectively, understand information, and be understood using the language in which they feel most comfortable.”

IPS aims to respect the cultural experiences of students and ensure that students who are not native English speakers can fully participate in the school system. The district’s proposal also states that language justice “actively challenges the idea that there is a dominant language, because multiple languages can coexist within our society.”

The majority of ENL students in Indianapolis are native Spanish speakers. More than 90% of ENL students speak Spanish, while 2.3% are fluent in Creole, 1.2% speak Swahili, and 0.7% speak Arabic. Other languages include French, Burmese, Portuguese, and Yoruba.

The task force–composed of classified staff, school leaders, teachers, families, students, and community partners–will establish administrative guidelines regarding language justice. IPS stated the guidelines will “provide detailed descriptions of procedures” and “direct specific actions to achieve stated objectives.”

The policy requires the district’s superintendent to regularly update the Board of School Commissioners on progress toward expanding its language justice policy.

The board’s general policy statement reads: “The Board of School Commissioners is committed to creating an IPS community where student outcomes cannot be predicted by race, ethnicity, or language diversity.”

U.S. Lawmakers Aim to Extend and Expand Visa Program for Afghan Interpreters

Stars and Stripes (DC) (06/02/23) Lawrence, J.P.

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate will seek to increase the number of visas available for Afghan interpreters and others who worked with American forces.

The bill would extend the Special Immigrant Visa program to 2029 and authorize an additional 20,000 visas. The bill is sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Roger Wicker.

The legislation, known as the Afghan Allies Protection Act, also aims to streamline the application process for the program, which has seen yearslong delays and a backlog of more than 100,000 cases.

“Every day our allies remain in Afghanistan under Taliban rule is another day that their lives and the lives of their families hang in the balance,” Shaheen said.

The program’s extension in 2022 faced objections from some lawmakers, and it was removed from the annual defense bill that year. Lawmakers negotiated a last-minute deal afterward and agreed to extend the program through another spending bill.

The Afghan Allies Protection Act would remove the need for Congress to reauthorize the program each year and instead place an end date of 2029 on the program.

Shaheen and Wicker said the fixed time frame would provide stability for applicants. “The U.S. has a moral obligation to follow through and help these supporters who have given invaluable assistance to our forces for over 20 years,” Wicker said.

Connecticut Senate to Vote on Bill to Provide School Interpreters for English Language Learners

Connecticut Public Radio (CT) (06/05/23) Cosme Torres, Lesley

The Connecticut State Senate is set to vote on the Multilingual Bill of Rights. The bill would provide interpreters in schools for families that do not speak English as their native language.

The Multilingual Bill of Rights, once known as the English Language Learners’ Bill of Rights, would require school boards to provide interpreting services when requested. Supporters say interpreters would be beneficial during critical interactions such as parent-teacher conferences and meetings with school administrators.

An interpreter would be available in-person at the school or via phone or zoom call. According to Hamish MacPhail, a policy and research director at ConnCAN, a state-level education advocacy group, the bill represents an important move for school districts with bilingual programs across the state.

“This allows districts to understand what the implication of the bill is and how to either hire an interpreter in house, if you have one predominant language that a lot of your students speak, or contract with a service that offers interpreting for many languages,” McPhail said.

If passed in the Senate and signed by the governor, the bill will take effect at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

Tucson Puts CART Captions Forward in City Council Meetings

Tucson Sentinel (AZ) (06/06/2023) Morales, Bianca

In Tucson, Arizona, hearing-impaired residents will now have better access to the Tucson City Council with a new on-screen captioning system that will provide more accurate real-time transcriptions of what elected leaders and others say during meetings.

A meeting on May 23 marked the first time the Communication Access Real-Time (CART) platform was used in this capacity. Kat Stratford, a hearing-impaired staffer in Councilman Paul Cunningham’s Ward 2 office, said the captions made a tremendous difference.

“With services like Microsoft Teams, the captions are imperfect,” she said. “I am profoundly hard of hearing and the captions were terrible.” In one instance, Stratford said the auto-captioning failed to differentiate between “I” and “aye,” which are frequently used during government meetings. CART offer better accuracy because captions are typed by professionals in real time while a person is speaking.

Natalie Rose, manager of communications and outreach at the Arizona Center for Diversity Law, said CART captions became increasingly popular during the pandemic when meetings went virtual. “We use CART during our trainings,” she said. “It’s like turning on closed captioning on the TV at home. Everyone has the right to attend public meetings, and it’s up to businesses and organizations to make them accessible for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

Stratford said that while CART makes meetings accessible, the service isn’t cheap, running as much as $200 an hour or even higher. She said the cost is most likely the factor that stops many businesses from using the service.

“It is an expense, so I’m glad the city is making room in their budget for the service,” Rose said. “Hopefully, this triggers other cities to include these captions for everyone to have equal access.”

ATA News

Recording Now Available for Purchase!
ATA’s Translating and Interpreting the Future Virtual Conference

A huge thank you to our sponsors and all those who attended ATA’s Translating and Interpreting the Future Virtual Conference on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

Did you miss it?
Don’t worry. The recording is now available for purchase on ATA’s website.

ATA Board Meeting Summary: May 6-7, 2023

The ÇéÂÂ×ÔÅÄ’s Board of Directors met May 6-7 in Alexandria, Virginia. A summary of the meeting’s actions, discussions, and ongoing committee work is online in the Members Only area of ATA’s website. Board Meeting Summaries help members keep up with ATA news and activities—from the latest financial reports to plans for the Annual Conference to committee projects and activities.

Upcoming Webinars

Health Care Equity and Language Access in Indigenous Populations
June 21: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT
Presented by: William Giller

Join this webinar to explore the particularities of working with the most widely spoken Indigenous Central American languages in the Bay Area. We’ll also discuss the current realities speakers of these languages face regarding equity in language access to health care.

You will learn how to:

• Identify the main Mexican Indigenous languages spoken in California.
• Understand the major challenges faced by Indigenous groups in the U.S.
• Educate health care providers and other stakeholders about the importance of using Indigenous-language professionals whenever possible.

Click here for more information and to register

Integrate ChatGPT in Your Workflow to Boost Productivity
June 28: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Presented by: Daniel Sebesta

Discover how ChatGPT can revolutionize your language business. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stay ahead of the game and learn about efficient prompt engineering and other crucial considerations.

You will learn how to:

• Understand this emerging technology as it relates to your language business.
• Identify promising use case scenarios in translation, research, and admin tasks.
• Be aware of the risks and pitfalls related to privacy and accuracy while taking advantage of the opportunities presented by this technology.

Click here for more information and to register

Professional Partnerships for Interpreters
July 29: 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. EDT
Presenter by: Maha El-Metwally

Discover how forging professional partnerships can advance your business. In this webinar, we’ll look at the benefits of expanding our professional network and forging partnerships with professionals from other domains.

You will learn how to:

• See when partnering needs to happen.
• Choose the types of partnerships that make sense for interpreters.
• Build your network.

Click here for more information and to register

Make This the Year You Enter ATA’s School Outreach Contest!

There’s no time like the present to start planning a School Outreach presentation and contest entry!

How to Enter the Contest
Share your career story with any educational level or age group of students, then submit a summary of your experience along with a photo of your presentation—a screenshot works just fine if you presented virtually. Check out these tips for taking the winning shot!

And be sure to listen to Episode 53 of The ATA Podcast to learn more about the program and all the resources ATA has at the ready for putting together a presentation. The deadline for the 2023 contest is July 31.

ATA Board of Directors Nominations Due by June 1

The extended period for acceptance of Board of Directors nominations end tomorrow, June 1. If you have not already done so, please submit your candidate for consideration to the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee for consideration. Visit the Call for Nominations page on the ATA website for additional details on the nominations process.

ATA Awards Nominations Closing Soon!

It is not too late to recognize the professional distinction of your colleagues in the translation and interpreting fields. For almost 60 years the ATA has celebrated those who, through their daily work, volunteer activities, and careers, exemplify the qualities that define excellence in our industry. Nominations for the Dynamo, Mentoring, and Rising Star Awards close tonight! Take a moment to visit the ATA Honors and Awards page and complete your recommendation.

Contact honors_awards@atanet.org with any questions.

Industry News

Maryland’s Governor Signs Bill that Would Help Prevent Fraudulent Sign Language Interpreters

WTOP (05/03/23) Ryan, Kate

This month, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed Senate Bill 346 into law, which will require Maryland to establish a licensing and regulatory system for American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters in the state.

“Sign language interpreters make sure that every single Marylander is able to engage in the work of the government and that every Marylander has the ability to know what’s happening in the halls of power,” Moore said.

When he testified in favor of the bill, Kelby Brick, director of the Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, told lawmakers that people who are deaf and hard of hearing often deal with interpreters who are poorly trained or appear to have passed themselves off as proficient when they clearly are not. He cited an incident that made global headlines. At the funeral for former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2013, a sign language interpreter hired for the event was accused of being a fake, signing nonsense throughout the ceremony seen by millions around the world.

Brick, who is deaf and testified through an interpreter, told lawmakers in Annapolis, “I want to let you know that this happens on a day-to-day basis in the state of Maryland to our deaf and hard of hearing constituents.”

Leslie Puzio, the program manager for the ASL interpreter program at Frederick Community College—one of only two colleges in Maryland that offer programs for the training and certification of ASL interpreters, said the latest census figures show there are 1.2 million deaf and hard of hearing residents in Maryland. “I’m sure that number has grown, but that’s the latest census statistic we have.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, mandated access to communications for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and advocates such as Puzio say access to well-qualified sign language interpreters is critically important.

“This is really to ensure that deaf consumers have access to any and everything in the state of Maryland,” Puzio said.

Georgi Gospodinov and Angela Rodel Win International Booker Prize for Time Shelter

NPR (05/23/23) Blair, Elizabeth

Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov and translator Angela Rodel are the winners of the International Booker Prize for Time Shelter, a darkly comic novel about the dangerous appeal of nostalgia. This is the first time a Bulgarian novel has won.

The novel beat five other finalists for the prize, which recognizes fiction from around the world that has been translated into English. The $62,000 prize will be divided equally between Gospodinov and Rodel.

Time Shelter imagines a clinic that recreates the past, with each floor reproducing a different decade. Intended as a way to help people with dementia unlock their memories, the clinic soon becomes a magnet for people eager to escape the modern world.

In its review of Time Shelter, The Guardian wrote: “From communism to the Brexit referendum and conflict in Europe, this funny yet frightening Bulgarian novel explores the weaponization of nostalgia.”

The International Booker Prize jury stated that the novel was “intricately crafted and eloquently translated” by Angela Rodel. “Time Shelter cements Georgi Gospodinov’s reputation as one of the indispensable writers of our times, and a major voice in international literature.”

Time Shelter is Gospodinov’s third novel to be published in English. A poet and playwright, he is one of Bulgaria’s most translated authors. Angela Rodel is a literary translator who lives in Bulgaria. In addition to Time Shelter, she translated Gospodinov’s novel The Physics of Sorrow and a short story collection by Bulgarian writer Georgi Tenev.

“It is commonly assumed that ‘big themes’ are reserved for ‘big literatures,’ or literatures written in big languages, while small languages, somehow by default, are left with the local and the exotic,” Gospodinov said. “Awards like the International Booker Prize are changing that status quo, and this is very important.”

Rodel said she was grateful to the prize for rejecting the belief that “if you’re a good translator, maybe you shouldn’t even be noticed.”

“This is a creative process,” she said. “This is a definite collaborative work of art that we’re creating with our authors. I’m just endlessly grateful to the Booker for putting that out in front in this award.”

These Nunavik Students Helped Write and Illustrate Their Own Award-Winning Book

CBC News (Canada) (05/21/23) Watts, Rachel

Fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade students at the Nuvviti School in Ivujivik—the northernmost village in Quebec’s Inuit territory of Nunavik—helped write and illustrate L’inugagullirq, a book based on a local Inuit legend. The students, teachers, and other collaborators on the book have been selected to receive a reading recognition award from Quebec’s government.

The book was published online as part of Université du Québec à Montréal’s (UQAM) Un livre à la fois, a project partnering elementary and UQAM students, who work together to create an illustrated book. It’s the first time a school in Nunavik has been involved with the project, which typically partners with Montreal schools.

Nelly Duvicq, who teaches French as a second language at the Nuvviti School, said she first heard about the Un livre à la fois project last October. When Duvicq told her class they would be participating in the project, they told her they wanted to write about their village. Duvicq then invited two community elders into her class to provide students with inspiration for their original story.

The basis of L’inugagullirq is the legend of a family on a fishing trip where one member encounters the inugagullirq, a “mini-version of humans, but a lot smarter,” said 12-year-old Ulluria Mangiok, Duvicq’s daughter, who worked on the book.

Geneviève Lafrance, a French literature professor at UQAM, helped students refine the story’s text and draw the illustrations. “We created the story in November,” she said.

Lafrance visited the school alongside her colleagues, Alexandrine Hugonnier, a UQAM student, and Daniel Chartier, UQAM professor and director of the Laboratoire international de recherche sur l’imaginaire du Nord, de l’hiver et de l’Arctique. “After that, the children translated the story themselves in Inuktitut with the help of their Inuktitut teacher,” Lafrance said. Another of the students, Deseray Qaunaaluk, narrated the Inuktitut version of the L’inugagullirq audiobook.

Ivujivik Mayor Adamie Kalingo said legends such as the inugagullirq were passed down strictly through oral tradition. He said the book is the kind of effort “that will help preserve our language amongst our youth.” Kalingo was very impressed by the students’ achievement. “I just want that type of thing to continue well into the future.”

Duvicq said both elders and students are eager to preserve Inuit culture in the face of modern-world pressures. “What’s important here is that those writings can be preserved,” she said. “And the fact that it’s targeting the kids means that we’re passing on that piece of culture.”

Government of the Northern Territory of Australia to Increase the Number of Aboriginal Interpreters

The National Tribune (Australia) (05/22/23)

Australia’s Northern Territory Government has launched a recruitment campaign to increase the ranks of interpreters working for the Aboriginal Interpreter Service (AIS).

AIS helps minimize language barriers for Aboriginal Territorians who don’t speak English as a first language by providing face-to-face, over-the-phone, and audiovisual interpreting services. AIS also offers recorded and produced messaging in most of the widely used Aboriginal languages in the Northern Territory (NT).

AIS recruits and trains Aboriginal-language interpreters in various urban, regional, and remote sites across the NT and Cross Borders. They are employed for various situations, including medical, police interviews, court, and negotiations with housing services. They also work at community events.

“AIS provides a vital service helping Aboriginal Territorians who do not speak English as their first language so they can interact effectively with government and non-government services,” said Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Selena Uibo. “Interpreters create bridges in our diverse community, and it is exciting to support AIS to boost numbers by offering excellent employment opportunities for Aboriginal Territorians.”

This Spanish Interpreter Student Plans to Use Language to Save Lives

Central New Mexico Community College (NM) (05/23/23)

Evelyn Moreland will soon graduate from Central New Mexico Community College’s (CNM) Spanish Interpreter Program, which trains bilingual learners to become certified interpreters in legal, health care, or community fields.

“I originally wanted to get my Spanish interpreter certificate just as a way to grow professionally,” Moreland said. “But through this program I have found where I truly belong.”

Before coming to the U.S., Moreland had a successful career as a professional dancer in Mexico. But after finishing a U.S. dance tour, she decided to stay in New Mexico and has taught Spanish ever since at the National Hispanic Cultural Center and Annunciation Catholic School.

When Moreland’s daughter started preschool a few years ago, she decided to use her spare time to continue her education as well. She enrolled in CNM’s interpreting program.

“When I registered, I thought, ‘I already speak Spanish and English, so I’ll be just fine,'” Moreland said. “Then when I started classes, I realized it was much harder. There are so many rules. When you’re interpreting in a medical setting, saying one word incorrectly can harm a patient. It’s a big responsibility but helping others makes it worth it.”

In addition to her CNM coursework, Moreland completed shadow sessions with a trained interpreter at the University of New Mexico Hospital, which only solidified her desire to become an interpreter. “My status as an immigrant, my ability to speak and interpret Spanish, and even my accent were needed and valued,” she said. “As an interpreter, I am going to help save people’s lives because I can break down barriers with my language and my voice, and that feeling is truly indescribable.”

Once she completes her certification, Moreland hopes to practice medical interpreting as soon as possible. She also wants to encourage other native Spanish speakers to become interpreters as a way to give back to the community and find a sense of belonging.

“This country needs interpreters,” she said. “And by becoming an interpreter you realize the value you bring to the table and the connections you are able to make between people. As an immigrant, that is a very healing experience.”

ATA News

June Webinars Coming Your Way!

A new month brings new learning opportunities with ATA! Be sure to watch your inbox for the June Webinar Roundup. Topics related to taking control of your business, machine translation, and chatGPT await you next month.

Do not want to wait on the Roundup?
You can check out the coming classes on the ATA Webinar Series page.

ATA Virtual Conference: Congratulations and Thank You!

Many thanks and congratulations to the Virtual Conference and Professional Development Committees on all their hard work in planning and executing our first one-day Virtual Conference! The event was well-attended and the feedback has been well-received.
If you would like to review one of the informative sessions, or missed the conference, not to worry. The recordings of the sessions will be available soon on the ATA website, stay tuned for more information.

Another big thank you goes to our sponsors, we appreciate your support of the conference and look forward to future partnerships! Please be sure to visit their websites and support them when you can.

Make This the Year You Enter ATA’s School Outreach Contest!

There’s no time like the present to start planning a School Outreach presentation and contest entry!

How to Enter the Contest
Share your career story with any educational-level or age group of students, then submit a summary of your experience along with a photo of your presentation—a screenshot works just fine if you presented virtually. Check out these tips for taking the winning shot!

And be sure to listen to Episode 53 of The ATA Podcast to learn more about the program and all the resources ATA has at the ready for putting together a presentation. The deadline for the 2023 contest is July 31.

Questions About ATA Certification? Check Out the Latest Episode of the ATA Podcast!

In case you missed it. Our latest ATA Podcast is full of all things ATA Certiifcation.

ATA Podcast Host Matt Baird speaks with David Stephenson, Chair of ATA’s Certification Committee. David shares insights into the practice test, explains what you should do with the results, and provides a long list of ways to prepare for the exam.

Show Highlights (Click the link to access the article or page listed.)

• ATA Certification
• Free Webinar on ATA Certification
• ATA Podcast E74: The ATA Certification Exam On Demand
• Exam Schedule
• Practice Test
• ATA Certification Exam Technical Requirements
• Questions about the ATA Certification Exam? Email certification@atanet.org
• Virtual Conference: Translating and Interpreting the Future
• Join ATA
• ATA’s 64th Annual Conference in Miami
• The ATA Podcast Archive

Please send comments, questions, or requests about the ATA podcast to podcast@atanet.org.

Update from ATA Headquarters: Nomination Period for ATA Board of Directors Elections Extended to June 1, 2023

The ATA Board of Directors has unanimously approved an extension of the nominations period for this year’s Board of Directors Elections. Nominations may be submitted through June 1, 2023, to the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee for consideration.

ATA will hold its regularly scheduled elections at the upcoming ATA 64th Annual Conference in Miami, October 25–28, 2023, to elect a president-elect, secretary, and treasurer (each a two-year term), as well as three directors (each a three-year term).

We encourage you to get involved in the ATA elections process and nominate someone you know or yourself.

Who Is Eligible to Be Nominated?
Under ATA’s Bylaws, all Active members of ATA are eligible to run for elected office. Active members are those who have passed an ATA certification exam or who are established as having achieved professional status through Active Membership Review or through ATA’s Credentialed Interpreter recognition process.

Active members must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. Other membership categories are not eligible to serve as officers or directors. However, any member may submit a nomination.

Members of the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee are not eligible to run for elected office.

Click here for the procedure to nominate candidates for consideration by the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee.

ATA Mentoring, Rising Star, and Student Translation Awards Still Open!

ATA has acknowledged outstanding service and professional distinction in the translation and interpreting fields since 1964, when it awarded its first Alexander Gode Medal. By recognizing colleagues who, through their daily work, volunteer activities, and careers, exemplify the qualities that define excellence in our industry, the Association salutes their achievements and honors their substantial impact on our community.

ATA is now accepting nominations for the following awards:

Dynamo Award
The ATA Dynamo Award recognizes a person or entity that has worked in a particularly energetic way to benefit ATA and/or the language professions.
Deadline: May 31, 2023

Mentoring Award
The ATA Mentoring Award recognizes a person or entity that has provided outstanding mentoring to the next generation of translators and interpreters, either through the ATA Mentoring Program or through another channel.
Deadline: May 31, 2023

Rising Star Award
The ATA Rising Star Award recognizes an early-career translator, interpreter, or entity that is seen as having already “made a mark” on ATA and seen as having great potential to positively impact ATA and the language professions in the future.
Deadline: May 31, 2023

Student Translation Award
ATA awards a grant-in-aid to a student for a literary or sci-tech translation or translation-related project. The project, which may be derived from any facet of translation studies, should result in a project with post-grant applicability, such as a publication, a conference presentation, or teaching materials. Computerized materials are ineligible, as are dissertations and theses. Translations must be from a foreign language INTO ENGLISH. Previously untranslated works are preferred.
Deadline: July 31, 2023

Visit the ATA Honors and Awards page to review the details and application criteria for each award. Contact honors_awards@atanet.org with any questions.

Upcoming Webinars: Questions to Ask and Whispering Skills

ATA is featuring two skill-enhancing webinars to finish the month.

On May 27, ensure a smooth communication with your client before the event and let them help you sound your best in the languages of your audience! for the Questions before accepting an interpreting project webinar on May 27 from 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm EDT.

You will learn how to:

• Understand the impact of remote and hybrid meetings on the interpreter’s work conditions
• Create a reference list of questions to use for interpreting projects
• Discover useful resources to support the interpreter’s discussion with the client

This webinar is presented by Maha El-Metwally and free for members.

Just a few days later, plan to attend the Whisper Interpreting: Skills, Strategies and Pitfalls webinar on May 31 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EDT.

Mastering whisper and tour-guide (‘bidule’) interpreting, in the absence of a booth and in situations where time is of the essence, are key skills for a professional interpreter. Attendees will learn how to conquer the skillset required for chuchotage, what traps and errors to avoid and how to manage their space and enable their users to derive maximum benefit from a conference or meeting. Asymmetric interpreting options (both technical and physical) will be explored and explained, helping attendees better advise clients in many typical situations. Tips will be provided on how to reconcile whisper interpreting with the transmission of maximum meaning and content.

The latest webinars are updated on the . Be sure to visit and register today!

Industry News

Metro Transit Workers Ordered to Speak Native Language Only in Private

The Seattle Times (04/24/23) Kroman, David

Two employees of the King County Metro in Washington State have filed a lawsuit against the company after they were reprimanded for using their native language in the workplace. They are requesting that Metro adopt policies against language discrimination. The case was recently reassigned to federal court in the Western District of Washington.

In spring 2021, Daniel Fisseha, a supervisor at King County Metro, asked fellow supervisor Berhanemeskal Gebreselassie to print something for him from his computer. He made the request in Amharic (both men are originally from Ethiopia).

On May 5 that year, their boss, Riceda Stewart, called the two longtime employees into her office. She told them that she and her superior, Dennis Lock, had received a complaint from another transit operator who reported feeling uncomfortable with their use of their native language. Shortly after, Fisseha and Gebreselassie filed a complaint with Metro’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO).

According to an investigation conducted by the EEO, Stewart told Fisseha and Gebreselassie they were not “presenting and acting like a professional.” Going forward, Stewart told the two men that if they wanted to speak Amharic, they should do so only in a private room.

The EEO investigation concluded that Stewart’s response was hostile and discriminatory, creating “an atmosphere of inferiority, isolation, and intimidation.” By implementing such a rule specifically targeting two Amharic speakers, the EEO stated that Metro was sending an “overt message that their national origin identities made people uncomfortable and were not appropriate in the workplace, statements that are subjectively and objectively offensive and discriminatory.” The EEO report concluded that Fisseha and Gebreselassie had grounds to sue.

“Our native language is in our DNA,” Gebreselassie said. “That’s our blood. That’s our culture.”

In a statement, Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer said the agency works to build a healthy environment free from harassment or discrimination. “It’s not, nor has it ever been, Metro’s policy, practice, or culture to require people to speak only English,” Switzer said. “We see this as a single, regrettable incident, rather than a rule, and we took swift steps to correct the behavior with the supervisors, including requiring appropriate King County training.”

Federal Government Reaches Settlement with Providence Skilled Nursing Center for Alleged Violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act

U.S. Department of Justice (04/27/23)

U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Zachary Cunha announced that the Elmhurst Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center (ERHC) in Providence, Rhode Island, has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, resolving allegations that ERHC failed to furnish sign language interpreting services during interactions with a resident who is deaf.

Under the settlement agreement, ERHC will adopt new Americans with Disabilities Act policies and practices, train its staff on those policies, report any future complaints, and agree to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure ongoing compliance with the terms of the agreement. ERHC will also pay a settlement of $30,000 to the complainant and a $5,000 civil penalty.

“When deaf Rhode Islanders seek medical care, they shouldn’t have to worry whether a lack of legally required interpreter services will keep them from communicating effectively with their health care providers,” said Cunha. “Today’s settlement ensures that those services will be provided, as the law requires, for all patients.”

Colorado Expands Translation Access for Parents of Special Ed Students

NBC (05/04/23) Flores, Edwin

The Colorado Legislature passed a bill this month that will help expand access to translated education documents for parents who don’t speak English fluently and have children with disabilities. HB 1623 will also help expand access to translator and interpreter services.

Parents and advocates have been promoting the need for translated documents related to the individualized education plan (IEP) process. (An IEP is a lesson plan specifically designed for an individual K-12 student with special needs, such as a child with autism.)

To develop an IEP, parents meet with school administrators and teachers on an annual basis. As required by federal law, parents must receive a final draft translated into their preferred language. But education advocates say the final draft often comes too late in the process to allow parents to make changes or ask questions about the draft, which can include technical language.

Bri Buentello, a former special needs teacher and director of government affairs for Stand for Children Colorado, an education advocacy group, said the legislation is a long-awaited win for parents and community leaders in the state who have advocated for the expansion of services and resources.

“I’ve seen the disproportionate impact that a language barrier brings, specifically in Latino kids,” she said. “HB 1623 is going to drastically increase parental involvement in the IEP process. This is going to lead to us better serving students.”

“The parent is a crucial part of the team. Their feedback and knowledge as an expert on their child is just as important as the teacher’s expertise as an educator,” said Michelle Brenner, director of special education for the Boulder Valley School District.

Brenner noted how the district has taken the initiative in recent years to provide parents with additional translated conversations ahead of the IEP final draft, including providing families with English rough drafts and asking if they would like to speak with someone in their preferred language to walk them through the materials.

Over the past year, the district has implemented a phased rollout of translating draft IEPs at two bilingual schools in Boulder and one in Lafayette because of their larger Spanish-speaking population. That has since been expanded to all the district’s schools in the Lafayette region. The goal is to have a complete rollout for all the schools in the next two years.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” said Don McGinnis, manager of translation and interpreting services for the district. “We’ve got another expansion to do in this last phase to roll out districtwide. And then, I think, in addition to having the information to families, we also need to provide learning for our families around how they can be involved.”

Dallas Beefs Up Effort to Provide Services in More Languages

Dallas Morning News (TX) (04/25/23) Pacheco, Maria Ramos

Dallas, Texas, hopes to eliminate language barriers and improve communication between departments and the community by hiring more bilingual employees, providing training and incentivizing language learning for current staff, translating more city content, and establishing a community ambassador program.

During a presentation in April to the Dallas Committee on Workforce, Education, and Equity, Lindsey Wilson, director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, highlighted the tools the city will use to boost bilingual staff and communicate better with residents. “The city is engaging both internally and externally as we all work together to ensure that the city is the most equitable in the country,” she said. “Language access is at the root of that.”

Wilson said one of the city’s first actions to increase language inclusivity was publishing the Racial and Equity Plan in the city’s five most widely spoken languages besides English (Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified), Korean, and Amharic). Juanita Arévalo, president of local community organization Pleasant Grove Unidos, said although she has witnessed greater efforts by the city to provide information in languages other than English, hiring more bilingual staffers is key.

At least 36% of Dallas’ population is Spanish-speaking. The Office of Equity and Inclusion estimated that more than 90 languages are spoken throughout the city. The Committee on Workforce, Education, and Equity will use a “Language Map” to be more language-inclusive. The tool was designed to identify the languages and needs of residents by zip code, said Adriana Portillo, Dallas’ language access coordinator.

“If an area, for example, has a high population of Korean-language speakers, we are going to go to that area and provide information in Korean, or we are going to have a Korean interpreter with us to speak to those communities directly,” she said.

Another tool for hiring bilingual speakers is the Language Skills Assignment Pay program, which provides a monthly stipend for certified bilingual city workers, who must renew their certifications every two or five years, depending on how proficient they are. “The program is meant to reward employees who bring that skill to facilitate communication with our residents,” said Nina Arias, director of the Office of Human Resources for the City of Dallas.

City officials have also acknowledged the need to engage more time with the community, and to that end designed the Rapid Resilience Community Ambassador Program, where neighbors can serve as intermediaries, said Christina da Silva, division officer at the Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs Office. “The program is designed to formalize our engagement with language and diverse communities.”

The Office of Equity and Inclusion also plans to have all city departments adopt language access protocols by December 2023 so residents can effectively communicate with city staff and receive information in their preferred language. “We are committed to language access and committed to being a welcoming space for all,” said Wilson.

ATA News

Let’s Talk About ATA Certification! New Episode of the ATA Podcast Available Now!

Thinking about taking the ATA Certification Exam? Failed the practice text and wondering what to do now? Then this podcast is for you!

In this episode, ATA Podcast Host Matt Baird speaks with David Stephenson, Chair of ATA’s Certification Committee. David shares insights into the practice test, explains what you should do with the results, and provides a long list of ways to prepare for the exam.

Show Highlights (Click the link to access the article or page listed.)

• ATA Certification
• Free Webinar on ATA Certification
• ATA Podcast E74: The ATA Certification Exam On Demand
• Exam Schedule
• Practice Test
• ATA Certification Exam Technical Requirements
• Questions about the ATA Certification Exam? Email certification@atanet.org
• Virtual Conference: Translating and Interpreting the Future
• Join ATA
• ATA’s 64th Annual Conference in Miami
• The ATA Podcast Archive

Please send comments, questions, or requests about the ATA podcast to podcast@atanet.org. Thank you for listening!

ATA64: Reserve Your Room Now! Registration coming soon!

Plans are underway for the ATA Annual Conference taking place October 25-28, 2023 in Miami, Florida. That time will be here before you know it and so will the deadline to get your hotel room at a discount. Don’t procrastinate, get the ATA room rate!

Book your room at the Hyatt Regency Miami now by clicking .

Wondering about registration? Exhibits? Sponsorships? Stay tuned as all registrations, exhibitor sales, and sponsorship packages will open in mid-June.

Speaking of sponsorship, new packages will be available for ATA64. These offerings will allow you to promote your business or organization to the ATA membership and ATA64 attendees. To be added to the list to receive the information as soon as it becomes available, contact adrian@atanet.org.

Make This the Year You Enter ATA’s School Outreach Contest!

There’s no time like the present to start planning a School Outreach presentation and contest entry!

Profile of ATA’s 2022 School Outreach Contest Winner
ATA-certified English>Spanish translator Aída Carrazco won the 2022 ATA School Outreach Contest. She received a free registration to ATA’s 63rd Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California, for submitting a story and photo she took with students during her interactive presentation to her son’s classroom at Instituto Thomas Jefferson in Zapopan, Mexico. Read Aída’s profile on our website!

How to Enter the Contest
Share your career story with any educational-level or age group of students, then submit a summary of your experience along with a photo of your presentation—a screenshot works just fine if you presented virtually. Check out these tips for taking the winning shot!

And be sure to listen to Episode 53 of The ATA Podcast to learn more about the program and all the resources ATA has at the ready for putting together a presentation. The deadline for the 2023 contest is July 31.

Industry News

Amid a Disastrous Flood, Interpreters Are a Lifeline for Indigenous Farmworkers in California

Los Angeles Times (CA) (03/29/23) Vives, Ruben; Gomez, Melissa
Thousands of people remain under evacuation orders in the wake of the latest severe weather to pass through California, which left behind flooding and mudslides. Despite experiencing previous natural disasters, however, state and local officials have yet to fully include the growing population of Indigenous farmworkers into their emergency language access planning, often relying on nonprofits to communicate basic information. With different languages in the mix, and climate change likely to spur more extreme weather, community organizers say officials need to step up efforts to ensure that all non-English-speaking residents receive accurate and timely information.

“The language barrier, coupled with the economic situation that they’re in, means you’ve got a lot of people trying to process and make sense of what has happened and is happening to them,” said Erica Padilla-Chavez, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz. Second Harvest was among the nonprofits to provide language assistance to displaced migrant families sheltering at the fairgrounds in Pajaro, a farming town located on the border of Northern Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties that experienced severe flooding.

When evacuations began in Pajaro after a levee failed on March 10, a coalition of grassroots organizations came together to help Indigenous farmworkers, said MariaElena De La Garza, executive director of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County. Community organizers worked with Monterey County officials to provide dozens of interpreters and volunteers to assist families at local shelters and evacuation centers.

De La Garza said her organization and others created a rotation of staff, contractors, and volunteers who speak Mixteco, Triqui, and Zapoteco, as well as Spanish, on four- to five-hour shifts at the fairgrounds shelter, which housed more than 300 evacuees. Because of variations within each Indigenous language, De La Garza also recruited residents and workers from the community to help interpret.

Arcenio López, executive director of the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, said there are more than a dozen variants of the Mixteco language in Pajaro.

“To have Indigenous-language interpreting at the fairgrounds be a priority is new for us,” De La Garza said. “It’s important that the systems set up to be responsive are able to reach the communities that are most impacted.”

Luis Alejo, chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, said the county plans to make Indigenous interpreters an integral part of all the services it provides to residents, eventually including courtrooms and the police and fire departments. “This has to be part of how we deliver emergency services,” he said. “We also need to expand that to other services the county provides.”

While community organizers remain frustrated that local governments have not done more to address the language needs of the Indigenous community, they acknowledge that some progress has been made. They cite the interpreters at the fairgrounds, as well as televised news conferences in which Monterey County officials provided emergency response information in English, Spanish, and Mixteco.

Leonor Mendoza served as the Mixteco interpreter at one of the news conferences. She said it was important for the Mixteco community to receive vital information—and hearing their native language in an official setting made them feel visible. Still, she worried that other languages were not included. “We should have done the press conference in multiple Indigenous languages so as to not leave others out,” Mendoza said. “So, I felt a little bit frustrated, but I also told myself this was a step in the right direction. We’ve got a foot in the door, and this was a good thing.”

Supreme Court Rules Deaf Student Can Sue Michigan School District for Not Providing Skilled Interpreters

USA Today (DC) (03/21/23) Fritze, John
The Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of a deaf student, saying he is allowed to move forward with a lawsuit against the Sturgis School District in Michigan under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Experts say the case could give parents of students with disabilities more leverage as they negotiate for the education of their children.

Central to the case was the story of Miguel Perez, who enrolled in the Sturgis Public School District in Michigan at age 9 and brought home As and Bs on report cards for more than a decade. Months before graduation, Perez’s parents learned that he would not receive a diploma and that the aide the school assigned to him did not know sign language.

Though the legal question raised by the case is technical, its outcome “holds consequences not just for Mr. Perez but for a great many children with disabilities and their parents,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote.

Perez’s journey through the 3,000-student school district in Sturgis highlights the challenges faced by many students with disabilities. His family says school officials misrepresented the qualifications of his aide. They say the aide was assigned to other duties in later years, leaving Perez unable to communicate with anyone for hours every day. Perez’s attorneys said he was promoted through each grade level despite not having a grasp of the curriculum.

Perez filed a complaint with Michigan officials in 2017, accusing his school of violating state and federal laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Before that complaint was resolved, the district offered to settle, agreeing to pay for Perez to attend the Michigan School for the Deaf. Perez’s family accepted the settlement.

His family then sued the district under the Americans with Disabilities Act for discrimination, seeking unspecified monetary damages. A federal district court dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that Perez had not exhausted the required IDEA process because his family had accepted the settlement. A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit agreed. Perez appealed to the Supreme Court in late 2021.

Roman Martinez, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer who argued the current case on behalf of Perez, said the ruling “vindicates the rights of students with disabilities to obtain full relief when they suffer discrimination.” Martinez said Perez and his family “look forward to pursuing their legal claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

French-Language Association Launches Legal Case over English-Only Translations at Notre-Dame Cathedral

The Guardian (United Kingdom) (03/22/23) Willsher, Kim
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is being sued by a French-language association for only translating its signage into English.

The Association for the Defense of the French Language filed a complaint against Notre-Dame with a Paris court in March. The association, which won a similar case brought against the Eiffel Tower, believes failing to include other languages when translating signage leads to the increasing global domination of English.

While members of the association are more generally opposed to the use of English words and terms in French documents, communications, and advertisements, they say the signs at Notre-Dame and other public buildings contravene a 1994 regulation requiring all public buildings to translate their signs and information into at least two other languages.

The 1994 Toubon law requires the use of French in official government publications, all advertising, in the workplace, commercial contracts, and all state schools. It also requires a “double translation” of public signs and translated official documents into two languages, usually English and one other, to promote multilingualism.

“The law doesn’t specify which two languages, but the lawmakers who came up with the legislation didn’t want the English language to overtake French,” said Marceau Déchamps, vice president of the Association for the Defense of the French Language.

The association has also filed complaints with 20 other public bodies over their use of English, including the national post office over the name of its banking service, “Ma French Bank.”

Judge Says “Non” to Nightclub Requesting Its Trial Proceedings Be Held in French

CBC News (Canada) (03/15/23) Britten, Liam
A judge in Canada has denied a request by a nightclub in Prince George, British Columbia, to hold a trial in French so it can challenge two $2,300 tickets issued in the winter of 2022 for non-compliance with COVID-19 health measures.

Learn to Earn Bartending School and Consulting, which operated the Lambda Cabaret in downtown Prince George, applied for a bilingual or French-language trial. In Canada, an accused person has the right to be tried in one of the two official languages, English or French, if they can guide counsel and follow proceedings in that language.

However, the club’s owner, Linda Allen, who was named as a defendant, is a monolingual English speaker. Provincial Court Judge Martin Nadon, who denied the motion, said he saw no evidence that the corporation being fined did any business in French. “It is the court’s view and consistent with the law that the person making an application to have a trial in French must have some competency in that language,” he said.

Saron Gebresellassi, the lawyer representing Learn to Earn Bartending School and Consulting, said a bilingual trial should be held, noting the case has attracted significant attention across Canada. She said the case is partly about “freedom of expression,” calling it “a public interest case for both English Canadians and French Canadians.” Gebresellassi said she plans to invite government leaders throughout Canada and Francophone diplomats to view the proceedings.

Judge Nadon stated that an interpreter could be provided to render expert testimony from a French-speaking witness. Although Gebresellassi said this is a good start, she added that a bilingual trial would be preferable in the interests of time and linguistic minority rights. She said she envisioned the case as “an opportunity to protect Canadians’ rights to access government services and the courts in both official languages and to protect the equality of both official languages.”

CBS to Review Closed Captioning for Live Events after Grammys Bad Bunny Controversy

Variety (CA) (02/10/23) Schneider, Michael
CBS is reviewing its closed captioning process for all live entertainment events following criticism over the network’s Grammys telecast and its initial lack of Spanish captioning. That’s according to CBS President and Chief Executive Director George Cheeks, who responded to a letter from U.S. Representative Robert Garcia addressing the controversy.

During the initial live broadcast of the Grammys, captions only read
“[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]” and “[SINGING IN NON-ENGLISH]” during Bad Bunny’s performance of “El Apagón” and “Después de la Playa.” Later, when Bad Bunny accepted the Grammy for best música urbana album, his acceptance speech was partially in Spanish—and once again, the captions only read
“[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH].”

In his letter to Garcia, Cheeks said he took “full responsibility” for the lack of Spanish closed captions. “Regrettably, errors were made with respect to the closed captioning of his performance and subsequent acceptance speech,” Cheeks wrote. “We worked with a closed captioning vendor that did not execute at a standard to which we should rightfully be held. Regardless, we should have monitored the situation more closely. A bilingual (English and Spanish-language) real-time live captioner should have been utilized, and the words used on the screen were insensitive to many.”

Moving forward, Cheeks added, “our teams are now re-examining the closed captioning process for all live entertainment events on the network to ensure we properly caption Spanish-language content.”

“CBS’s failure to properly close caption both Bad Bunny’s performance and his acceptance speech called attention to an incredibly disappointing failure on the part of a network that caters to the millions of Spanish speakers we have here in the U.S.,” Garcia said. “If Bad Bunny, the first-ever Spanish-language album of the year nominee, can’t have his words made accessible to the American people, we have an issue.”

ATA News

Episode 84: New Virtual Conference – Interpreting and Translating the Future

Do machine translation and artificial intelligence have you feeling like your “system” needs an upgrade? Up your game by attending ATA’s one-day virtual conference, “Translating and Interpreting the Future: Empowering Professionals to Innovate and Thrive,” on Saturday, May 20. In this episode, ATA Podcast Co-Host Andie Ho speaks with conference organizers Robert Sette and Andy Benzo to find out more about this educational and energizing look into how machine translation (MT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are shaping the translation and interpreting professions. Learn why ATA is organizing this virtual conference, who will be speaking, whether there will be networking opportunities, and much more.

Show Notes/Links:
ATA Virtual Conference: Translating and Interpreting the Future
Blog: The ATA Compass
Blog: The Savvy Newcomer
Blog: Next Level
Join ATA
Get Ready – ATA’s 64th Annual Conference in Miami
The ATA Podcast Archive

Please send comments, questions, or requests about this podcast to podcast@atanet.org. Thank you for listening!

Update from ATA Headquarters

We have great news! All membership renewals and access to online member accounts have been updated as of March 17, 2023. You should now be able to login and see your current expiration date. We will continue to provide updates on the current status of the database and our new association management system as developments arise.

We appreciate your support and understanding during this challenging time of transition.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to email ata@atanet.org.
Thank you for your patience.

In the March/April Issue of The ATA Chronicle

Be sure to check out the latest issue of The Chronicle. Here’s a highlight of some of the articles you’ll find in the .

ATA Opposes Oregon Senate Bill 584
ATA recently submitted a letter in opposition to Oregon Senate Bill 584, which would task the Oregon Health Authority with setting up a web-based platform for scheduling and paying health care interpreters in Oregon.

Passive Income Streams to Attract Clients for Translators
Establishing a stable business with a steady client base can be achieved using one powerful approach: the strategic use of digital products to create passive income streams and attract potential clients even when you aren’t working.

Educational Translation and Interpreting: Strategies to Help Your Office Become Part of the Planning Process
This is the story of how a small team of language professionals worked together to transition a school district’s translation and interpreting needs from being an afterthought to a fully integrated part of the planning process.

Sound Like a Pro: Audio Basics for Remote Interpreting
Most interpreters around the world have now worked online, but hearing well, while sounding good to your audience and fellow interpreters, can still be a challenge.

Access to is available online! Check out the latest issue of the today!

ATA Webinar Roundup: Coming to An Inbox Near You!

Wondering what the latest informative ATA webinar topic will be? Look no further than your inbox and search for “Webinar Roundup.” The ATA HQ team will be providing an overview of all the upcoming sessions for each month. We will see you on zoom soon!

Make This the Year You Enter ATA’s School Outreach Contest!

There’s no time like the present to start planning a School Outreach presentation and contest entry!

Profile of ATA’s 2022 School Outreach Contest Winner
ATA-certified English>Spanish translator Aída Carrazco won the 2022 ATA School Outreach Contest. She received a free registration to ATA’s 63rd Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California, for submitting a story and photo she took with students during her interactive presentation to her son’s classroom at Instituto Thomas Jefferson in Zapopan, Mexico. Read and !

How to Enter the Contest
Share your career story with any educational-level or age group of students, then submit a summary of your experience along with a photo of your presentation—a screenshot works just fine if you presented virtually. Check out these tips for taking the winning shot!

And be sure to listen to Episode 53 of The ATA Podcast to learn more about the program and all the resources ATA has at the ready for putting together a presentation. The deadline for the 2023 contest is July 31.