Dear Newbie,
By
We鈥檝e been in your shoes.
In fact, I鈥檓 personally still in your shoes. Last year was my first time at the ATA annual conference, and let me be the first to tell you: it鈥檚 overwhelming. But take heart! 鈥淏uddies Welcome Newbies鈥 is here to help.
I was a first-time attendee and an undergrad student looking to learn more about this 鈥溓槁伦耘拟 I kept hearing about. You may be a student like me, or a mom looking to earn some extra money, a business professional interested in a second career, or a professional translator/interpreter who has just never been to a conference before. Wherever you鈥檙e coming from, as a newcomer you will have a lot of questions for the real experts: the people who have made it in this field.
Here鈥檚 how Buddies Welcome Newbies works:
- On the Wednesday of the conference there will be a Buddies Welcome Newbies intro session where buddies and newbies will be paired up to swap contact information, do some role-playing in preparation for all the real-life networking both parties will do during the conference, and hear some practical advice from me and Helen Eby, my partner in crime (and a very knowledgeable translator/interpreter).
- During the four-day conference you will be expected to attend one session with your 鈥渂uddy,鈥 and to have one meal together. This isn鈥檛 a lifelong commitment to be mentor and mentee for as long as you both shall live; it鈥檚 just for the conference. The experienced translator will be excited to share their knowledge and expertise with you, and you鈥檒l be glad to have a familiar face in the crowd.
- On the Saturday of the conference there will be a Buddies Welcome Newbies wrap-up session. Here, you鈥檒l reconvene with your buddy to talk about how the conference went and we will provide you with some helpful instruction about how to follow through on the progress you will have made over the previous few days.
Our goal is to provide you with an experienced translator/interpreter who will help you to make the most of this conference and get a good, strong start in your career. With that said, let me point you to two sites that I know will enhance your understanding of the profession and your preparedness for the conference (that is, in addition to this blog, which you should definitely subscribe to鈥攋ust click 鈥+ Follow鈥 at the bottom right of the page):
- The ATA newbies listserv is an online forum that you can join to post any questions you may have before the conference gets underway. It鈥檚 easy to join, and you鈥檒l benefit from the questions that your peers ask on the forum as well. Click here to see the group: . You can subscribe by sending a blank email to atanewbies54-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
- The ATA conference website has a page devoted to the newbie/buddy sessions where you can register for our event (this will allow us to pair you up with a buddy, and it will give us an idea of how many people to expect). Click 鈥淪IGN UP NOW鈥 at .
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Next week: Why be a Buddy? From Helen Eby.
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