BY NINA BOGDAN
In Wind, Rain, Sleet or Snow…
No, I’m not referring to the postman’s work ethic, but to the perseverance of those who attended the NCTA’s annual New Year’s Brunch. Despite inclement weather, about 50 NCTA members, some accompanied by their significant others, made the trek to Berkeley for the annual New Year’s Brunch at Skates by the Bay on January 17. This post-holiday event is a great way to start the New Year. → continue reading
New Trends in Crowdsourcing: The Kiva/Idem Case Study from NCTA BM on Vimeo.
Wisdom of the crowd or something for nothing? BY SARAH LLEWELLYN
The final general meeting of 2009 took place on December 12 at The Center in San Francisco. Despite the rain and the upcoming holidays, the meeting enjoyed an excellent turnout, with over 40 members and non-members in attendance. → continue reading
Expectations were surpassed at the ALTA Conference in November. BY MARGARITA MILLAR
This was my first time at the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) conference, which took place in Pasadena in November of 2009. When I registered for the conference in July, I didn’t know what to expect. The program seemed really interesting and I could not make up my mind about the panels I wanted check out. The topics were diverse, ranging from song translating to finding ways to publish literary translation. The pre-conference reception was auspicious. Held on the outdoor patio of the Pacific Asia Museum, it was the stage for the presentation in song of Vietnamese poetry performed by Lê Phanm Lê, a poet and resident of Oakland, and her translator Nancy Arbuthnot. To be outdoors listening to poetry, with plenty of food and wine to go with it, was truly a magical moment. The festive evening set the mood for the rest of the conference for me. → continue reading
National Medical Interpreter Certification was a hot topic at the 2009 ATA Conference. BY LINDA JOYCE
The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters was very pleased to participate in the ATA 50th Annual Conference, held in New York City on October 28-31, 2009 and to introduce conference attendees to the nation’s first National Medical Interpreter Certification. → continue reading
Monica Moreno and Naomi Baer will be speaking at the NCTA General Meeting on December 12.
Monica Moreno and Naomi Baer
The term “crowdsourcing” was created just three years ago and is already causing much discussion and experimentation in the translation industry. What does crowdsourcing mean in the context of translation, and what does this new wave of translation crowdsourcing projects look like? How do community translation projects that predate the invention of this term relate to the trends today?
As a rapidly growing international non- profit organization, Kiva faces the challenge of how to efficiently handle translations and has developed a unique translation crowdsourcing methodology. Kiva’s approach integrates volunteer resources, a mentoring program, and a professional translation agency, Idem Translations.
Monica Moreno, of Idem Translations, and Naomi Baer, of Kiva, will discuss emerging translation crowdsourcing projects at both not-for-profit and for- profit organizations, provide insights into why organizations are interested in this approach, and what can be gained. → continue reading
Lured by offers of free software, translators may make decisions they later regret. BY HANY FARAG
Early in the week I received an invitation from XXX, a company that produces dictionary software, to join an outreach program for translators. This program offered to grant me a free license to their software if I placed the company’s logo on my website. I flagged it for later review and took a look again on Friday–a relaxed workday which I reserve for small jobs, casual business and which I typically conclude with some pleasant event.
On that Friday, my work load was light. The day would be made special by observing the ritual of Happy Hour. I checked potential spots and my evaluation ended with two top choices. The first was Elephant Bar & Grill, a great local place with a fabulous view of the Bay. With a stool in the right spot, I view the planes descending to San Francisco airport while also watching the TV sports channel. The second was BJ Brewery—dim lighting but it dedicates one big screen in the afternoon to European soccer.
→ continue reading
BY AFAF STEIERT
Latest East Bay lunch social at Cha Am, a Thai restaurant.
The NCTA East Bay lunch social is a nice event because it breaks up the work week. On October 7, we met at Cha Am, a Thai restaurant. Every lunch is an exchange of experiences. I’m always pleasantly surprised at who I meet, whether it’s new members, potential members, or long-term members. We share our perspectives of current day-to-day life and work, and exchange information about everything from client relations to vacation ideas. → continue reading
As it reaches a milestone in its history, the ATA returns to its birthplace, NYC, with a stronger commitment than ever to promote our profession. BY NINA BOGDAN & KAREN TKACZYK
The opening session of the 50th Annual ATA Conference
THE FUTURE IS HERE
Pavel Palazhchenko, Mikhail Gorbachev’s interpreter for many years, spoke to standing room only crowds at the ATA conference, and as I soaked in his words, admiring both his insightful perspective about the world of interpreting and translation as well as his wonderfully elegant English, I reflected also on the importance of this event. At the closing session of the conference, ATA President Nicholas Hartmann announced that ATA membership, as of now, numbers more than 11,000. In an interview that same day with Fox Business News, past president Jiri Stejskal stated that the profession of translator is just that—a profession (meaning, not a hobby or something one can take up after taking a Berlitz course) and that a proficient translator may well earn in the six figures. → continue reading
Frank self-assessment of both linguistic and business skills are necessary in order to be successful as a freelance translator. BY ADA LUZ RESTREPO
Do you find yourself translating documents at work because your co-workers know you speak Mandarin? Or find yourself serving as “interpreter” between your Mexican family and American husband who doesn’t speak Spanish? People admire your abilities to speak two languages and help others who are still living in a monolingual world; but have you asked yourself if you are truly bilingual and truly bicultural?
These were some of the topics covered during the “Getting Started in Translation and Interpretation,” workshop organized by the NCTA, which took place on Saturday, September 19, at the San Francisco State University downtown campus. → continue reading
San Francisco’s resident Trados guru concludes his teaching and eating trip to India. BY TUOMAS KOSTIAINEN
The good start I had with the first workshop led to another pleasant surprise: a full Indian lunch buffet! Incredible. We have nice refreshments at NCTA workshops thanks to our Events Director, but this was something else, and we had it at every workshop, showcasing the local cuisine from the milder Delhi affair to certainly much spicier Southern Indian dishes in Bangalore. And although the local power strips and extension cords didn’t completely fulfill my standards for safe electronics, these buffets more than fulfilled my requirements for a lunch. And of course, we had plenty of chai breaks in between. → continue reading