ATIA Translation Day Symposium 2020 Poster

Free Events for Translation Day 2020

Translation Day is celebrated internationally. This year, many of the events to mark the occasion are being held online – including those offered by the ATIA. Below is a week’s worth of free online events for Translation Day 2020, enjoy!


The ATIA’s Translation Day 2020 Symposium

Saturday, October 3rd

 

Go to www.atia.ab.ca/events for more information on each session or to register.


Please note that the below are not endorsed by or in any way affiliated with the ATIA. Please follow the links for more information about each event, including how to register and the time. 


East meets West Learning Club presents Poetry in Translation featuring George Elliott Clarke and Anna Yin

Friday, September 25th

This event features reading and discussions of original poems and translations between poets and translators. The myth of “lost in translation” and the art of re-creation and mutual exchange will be discussed. See here for more information or register here on Zoom  (meeting ID 871 3466 4583). Past sessions can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN8-qpOlzk4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXu8g7fQWxo. 


Great Weather for Media presents Spoken Word Sundays Series: A Celebration of National Translation Month featuring Kristina Andersson Bicher, Mi Jialu, and Anton Yakovlev

Sunday, September 27th 

This event will stream here on Facebook Live. 


Archipelago Books and Maison Francaise present Machines a écrire: Scolastique Mukasonga in conversation with Laure Adler (in French)

Monday, September 28th

See here for more information.

BP’s Translation Day Conference

Wednesday, September 30th – Thursday, October 1st

This 30-hour continuous conference offers many short talks in a number of languages. See here for more information.


MAPA Translations & Language Solutions’ International Translation Day

Wednesday, September 30th 

Four sessions include an interpretation panel, a translation panel, a voice-over panel, and a social hour. See here for more information and to register.


 

International Translation Day

The Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta is looking forward to recognizing and celebrating the essential role that our members play as professional translators and interpreters in the community on International Translation Day 2020 next month.

In the meantime, have you ever wondered why we celebrate Translation day, where it comes from, or why it’s important to language professionals both locally and around the world? Read on.

In 2017, the International Federation of Translators achieved a historical milestone with the United Nations General Assembly’s declaration of September 30th as International Translation Day, recognizing the central role of language professionals in the international community. The date of September 30th is of historical significance for the language professions because it marks the feast of St. Jerome, a Christian theologian, translator, and saint lauded for his Latin translation of the bible (382-405 CE).

International days are marked by the UN because they present occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. International Translation Day, as described by the UN, is meant as an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security. Transposition of a literary or scientific work, including technical work, from one language into another language, professional translation, including translation proper, interpretation and terminology, is indispensable to preserving clarity, a positive climate and productiveness in international public discourse and interpersonal communication.

Beyond an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of translators, interpreters, and other language professionals, International Translation Day is an occasion to shed light on globally relevant themes that impact our communities – both locally and internationally. The International Federation of Translators has declared the theme of International Translation Day 2020 to be Finding the Words for a World in Crisis. This timely theme at once unites us with the international community of language professionals tasked with confronting the global health crisis of COVID-19 and the inequalities that have been amplified by it; and sets the stage to address some of the more localized challenges being faced in North America, including in Albertan cities.

The ATIA will be guided by this year’s Translation Day theme as we host a variety of social, professional development, and informative events in recognition and celebration of the professional translators and interpreters that serve Albertans in all different contexts. Stay tuned to the ATIA Facebook, LinkedIn, and Events pages for event announcements as they arise.

A Candid Conversation with Carmen Aguilera, Certified Court Interpreter, ATIA

For this edition of the Member Interview Series, we are fortunate to be joined by Certified Court Interpreter Carmen Aguilera, an active member and current Vice President (Southern Alberta) of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA).

Carmen’s incredible career has taken her from practicing law in Guatemala, to coordinating justice system improvement projects for the United States Agency for International Development, to an appointment as Minister Counselor for the Embassy in Guatemala in both Ottawa and Washington; and finally to becoming a Certified Court Interpreter and Certified Community Interpreter with the ATIA in 2015. Also a full member of the Alberta Court Interpreters Association since 2006, Carmen was given the Honorary Member designation in 2019.

Thank you for joining us Carmen!

Could you elaborate on how you went from practicing law, to international relations, to court interpretation, and finally becoming a Certified Court Interpreter?

Speaking Spanish and English in Guatemala was a plus to get the best jobs, especially with international organizations that were the best and highest paying employers. Guatemala is so close and economically influenced by the US that English was the language they were looking for in your resume.  I started working when I was 18 years old, in a travel agency, went back to the USA for two years of Junior College, returned to Guatemala and from there, a receptionist, a bilingual secretary, administrative assistant.  All of these jobs required English and Spanish.  You would have to type, take dictation, be in meetings and be able to communicate fluently in both languages.  Sometimes even interpret in an informal basis for both languages.

I started Law School in Guatemala and continued to work as long as I could as an Administrative Assistant in a development branch of the US State Department called the United States Agency for International Development (USAID Mission to Guatemala) until my Law studies required me to go and work as a court clerk in the Justice System there.

Finishing Law School, I was again hired by USAID/Guatemala to work as a Project Coordinator in a program created to improve the administration of justice, this included among many activities, the training of Judges.  One of the programs was to create Rural Courts where the personnel including the Judge, spoke the Indigenous language of the community. Interpretation existed but the combination of languages was Spanish and local dialects.  Although I do not speak any of these Mayan dialects, I was very fond of these programs.  This is another example of my informal relation with interpretation.

For my work in the area of communities and human rights, the then named Ambassador of Guatemala to Canada asked me to him at the Guatemalan Embassy in Ottawa as Minister Counsellor for three years; from there I was transferred to the Embassy of Guatemala in Washington, D.C. as Minister/Legal Counsellor.  At that time I met my husband, a Canadian citizen living in Alberta whom I met during a visit to the 1997 Stampede.

Arriving in Calgary in April 2000, I tried to find my space in the workplace in a small city compared to Ottawa, Washington, D.C. and Guatemala, where I was supposed to continue with my career as a Lawyer.  Through small non-profit entities that assist newly arrived immigrants, I again took English classes at Bow Valley College to enter graduate studies. In the middle of that, an opportunity came to study a program called “Interpreting for the Justice Sector,” offering a real situation for getting a job and doing it better with the appropriate training.

I had already been in contact with ATIA trying to get into translation; however, the interpretation sector and the course allowed me to become an Associate Interpreter with ATIA. Being a Lawyer, it was related to my background and it became little by little a professional activity with its challenges in a new legal system.  Years of interpretation in different settings, mainly court, allowed me to become a Certified Court Interpreter.

Beyond your educational background in English, law, and interpretation, you have also undertaken studies at the graduate level in environmental law and international trade; computing; oil and gas industry; and education and research, among others. What can you tell us about your relationship with ongoing learning and professional development?

Professional Development is key in any activity, is in mandatory in many professions, Lawyers, Doctors, Nurses, IT people.  The world is changing and the advances in technology, mass immigration around the world, trade, cultures living together, I do not see how you can miss it.

I have attended many seminars, workshops, events, they all have helped me in interpretation to understand and do a better job.  I am my worst critic.  I also help by organizing Mini-Courses for Court Interpreters at the Calgary Courts Centre, with instructors who are Judges, Defence Lawyers, and Crown Prosecutors. They help interpreters with vocabulary, what different types of Procedures mean, and how to be better prepared for what will happen in court. With all this training you understand the elements, the techniques of formal interpretation.

As an active member of a number of professional and regulatory associations, including the Guatemalan Bar Association, the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta, and the Alberta Court Interpreters Association, could you tell us about why you chose membership in these associations, and how this has impacted your career?

These associations are related to my work as an interpreter and support me as a member, they also allow me to get work and be recognized.  It is important to show your employers that you belong to associations that are registered and support you with professional development.

After the Bow Valley Course in interpreting for the justice sector, I started having a better understanding of the professional and technical form of interpretation.  I joined the associations to meet interpreters, work with them and participate in social or professional activities with members.

I have learned many things about interpretation from my colleagues; you cannot be isolated in your profession.

What kind of developments have you observed in the ATIA and its role in the language sector over the 14 years of your membership? How do you envision its direction in the future?

ATIA is this year celebrating 41styear since it was founded.  I related to ATIA since I arrived in Calgary, initially for the translation area.  It has done a very good job of not only keeping the organization alive for such a long time and developing a more professional system for translators and now working with different designations in interpretation, such as community/cultural, medical, court interpretation.  Conference interpretation and Editing is still to be developed.

ATIA in the future will need to focus more on interpretation, and part of the challenge is that there are no specialized schools for this activity in Calgary, nor in Edmonton, the capital of the province.  For this reason, it is recommended that the new members and for those current members that want to become Certified in any of the interpretation designations and did not have the chance to take valuable interpretation courses that were given in the past, should take the CISOC course (Cultural Interpretation Services for our Communities) on-line as an excellent introduction and training for interpreters.

The path that an association such as ATIA will continue to evolve and change to adapt to the economic and political events of our province in the future, also increased immigration and new languages can have an impact in ATIA’s development, and more than anything else the number of new members that will become certified and will have a say in the decisions and directions that ATIA will take.

 

 

Interested in sharing your story in the Member Interview Series? Contact development@atia.ab.ca for more information!

ATIA Translators

Ways to Engage with your ATIA

As members of the ATIA, we are all accountable for the development of our profession – both through our own professional practice and through the public-facing aspects of our field. There are many ways you can engage with your ATIA to forward your own career and the sector as a whole, and every contribution elevates all of us. 

With Title Protection in the works, there has never been a better time to get involved in spreading the word about the ATIA in your professional and social communities!

Ways to engage with your ATIA:

  • Like, Share, and Follow us on social media to support and promote the visibility of the ATIA and its members:

Facebook: @ATIAlberta

Twitter: @ATIAinfo

LinkedIn: Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta  

Instagram: @translatorsinterpretersab 

 

  • Know of a job posting that would be best filled by an ATIA member? How about a great professional development or volunteer opportunity? If you know of any opportunities relevant to the translation and interpretation professions, please forward them to development@atia.ab.ca to share them with your fellow ATIA members.

 

  • Contribute to the development of the language sector by sharing your insight with the community through our Blog or Member Interview Series.

 

  • Join our Outreach Team!

An important step in the Title Protection process involves a survey of businesses, organizations, and government departments that require or may require translation and interpretation services. If you are interested in supporting ATIA outreach activities, please contact development@atia.ab.cato get started! Each outreach engagement can be done remotely, and takes around 15 minutes.

 

For more information on Title Protection, engaging with the ATIA, or how you can contribute to the development of the language sector in Alberta, please contact development@atia.ab.ca.

ATIA Translators

Title Protection and Your ATIA

Big developments are underway with your ATIA

The ATIA is working closely with the Government of Alberta to secure Title Protection for Certified Translators and Interpreters under the Professional and Occupations Association Registration Act in Alberta.

What is Title Protection?

Title Protection would reserve the right to the titles of “Certified Translator” and “Certified Interpreter” for certified members of the ATIA under provincial legislation.

The fundamental purpose of Title Protection is to regulate professions in the public interest. It serves as a mechanism for informed choice, empowering the general public to understand the risks and benefits associated with their choice in hiring professionals.

As it currently stands, anyone can legally claim to be a “certified translator/interpreter.” With Title Protection, users of translation services will be able to distinguish Certified Translators or Interpreters from uncertified practitioners through the protection of the titles: Certified Translator and Certified Interpreter.

In Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and British Columbia, the titles of “Certified Translator” and “Certified Interpreter” are protected under each province’s respective legislative mandates. Examples of other professions regulated by Alberta’s Professional and Occupations Association Registration Act include Landscape Architects, Professional Planners, Municipal Assessors, Certified Management Consultants, Professional Biologists and Chemists, and Professional Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians.

What does this mean for members of the ATIA?

With Title Protection, only certified members of the ATIA will be able to call themselves “Certified Translator/Interpreter.” Consequently, these protected titles will become synonymous with the professional competence and ethical conduct of the certified members of the ATIA. This will enable the consumer to distinguish between language professionals who meet the guaranteed minimum standard of competence and accountability to the profession from those who do not.

The crux of Title Protection’s utility is informing users of translation and interpretation services and the general public. We are currently developing outreach and engagement initiatives to raise awareness on the standard of competence and accountability guaranteed by language professionals of the ATIA; but we need your support. As members of the ATIA, we are all accountable to our profession – both through our own professional practice and through the public-facing aspects of our field. There are many ways you can engage with your ATIA to forward your own career and the sector as a whole, and every contribution elevates all of us.

For more information on Title Protection, engaging with the ATIA, or how you can contribute to the development of the language sector in Alberta, please contact development@atia.ab.ca.