Help ATIA Achieve Title Protection

 

Dear colleagues and community,

The Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA) is seeking the support of our communities, provincial representatives, stakeholders, and national and international communities in the profession to obtain title protection for translators and interpreters and eventually become the provincial regulating body in Alberta to better serve and protect our Albertan community.

Translation and interpretation standards have decreased alarmingly across Canada over the past few years, with errors and/or ethical breaches ranging from minor (see example of St. John’s AirportOct. 2022) to more serious (see Pope’svisitJul. 2022), to far more serious (see the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada’s report ofmisconductFeb. 2023). Members of parliament have raisedconcernsregarding the quality of translation in the House of Commons if non-accredited translators were to be used. Lawyers practicing immigration and refugee law have also brought theirconcernsregarding translation issues in immigration cases to the attention of ATIA and our board. These and numerous other examples have prompted ATIA to seek title protection and, eventually, regulatory status. Title protection ensures only qualified translators and interpreters are hired and prevents companies, agencies, and middlemen attempting to commoditize and usurp these professions.

Established in 1979, ATIA is the only professional association of certified translators and interpreters in the province of Alberta. ATIA certifies translators and interpreters by facilitating national examinations as a provincial member of theCanadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC). ATIA is also a member in good standing of theInternational Federation of Translators (FIT).

ATIA’s mission is to elevate the professions of translation and interpretation in the province of Alberta by applying high standards of national certification; protecting clients, professionals, and the general public through the implementation of our Code of Ethics; providing unique opportunities to members for professional development and community service; and ensuring that the language service needs of Albertans are met with the exceptional standards and unparalleled experience of our qualified language professionals.

ATIA’s membership reflects Alberta’s culturally diverse communities and supports and protects those communities by reaching out, mentoring, and certifying qualified translators and interpreters in common languages, languages of lesser diffusion, and Indigenous languages. ATIA is the only provincial association that currently has certified Indigenous translators among its members and actively seeks to support and provide a language service platform for Indigenous peoples across Alberta.

As such, we kindly request your signature as a sign of support to help ATIA achieve our goal of receiving title protection from the Government of Alberta for the titles of Certified Translator, Certified Community Interpreter, Certified Court Interpreter, and Certified Medical Interpreter.

Your vote of confidence and support will go a long way to help ATIA achieve this goal – a goal we have been pursuing for over fifteen years. Please add your signature to the ATIA declaration of support HERE.

 

Yours truly,

ATIA President                                                                ATIA Past President 

                                         

Tania Therien                                                                 Roula Salam


Downloadable PDF copy of the ATIA Letter of Support:

ATIA – Request for Support Letter – 2023

Downloadable PDF copy of the ATIA WHY TITLE PROTECTION FAQ document:

WHY TITLE PROTECTION – WITH FAQs


ATIA International Translation Day 2023

ATIA International Translation Day 2023 – Translation Unveils the Many Faces of Humanity

 

On September 23rd, 2023, ATIA hosted our International Translation Day online symposium with excellent participation from members and the public. Each presenter and panellist brought thought provoking and meaningful topics that related to this year’s theme of: Translation Unveils the Many Faces of Humanity.

The day began with opening remarks from ATIA president, Roula Salam, and followed with an “interview” style presentation and discussion with Guillaume Deneufbourg.  Guillaume spoke about how a career in translation can be constructed upon several mutually reinforcing pillars, and highlighted how diversification can offer job security, enhance credibility, and guarantee intellectual stimulation. Guillaume’s career shows how diversification can be particularly relevant at a time when our certainties are being upended by technological advancements. This presentation was followed by some very poignant and thoughtful questions.

If you would like to learn more about Guillaume Deneufbourg and his multifaceted career in translation, please click HERE.

After a short break, the University of Alberta Modern Languages & Cultural Studies brought together a panel that included Dr. Mehdi Asadzadeh (Assistant Professor at the IAU (Islamic Azad University) and Visiting Scholar), one Masters candidate, and two PhD candidates: Monika Pitonak, MA Candidate; Houssem Ben Lazreg, PhD Candidate; and Hongyang Ji, PhD Candidate. This panel discussion featured a variety of intriguing and inspiring topics, moderated by Dr. Odile Cisneros. 

Panelist Dr. Mehdi Asadzadeh presented on the topic of: “Education in Mother Tongue as A Humanitarian Right for Migrant Students: The Case of Canada”. 

Panelist Monika Pitonak presented on the topic of: “Translator Training in Canada: History and New Directions.”

Panelist Houssem Ben Lazreg presented on the topic of: “General Haftar vs. Government of National Accord in Libya: The Representation(s) of Conflict in Global News.”

Panelist Hongyang Ji presented on the topic of: “Where Do We Go? The Post-Anthropocentric Consideration in Translation Studies.”

Many questions resulted from these diverse and contemplative panel presentations. As always, ATIA looks forward to future colaborations with the students and faculty of the University of Alberta Modern Languages & Cultural Studies. 

If you would like to watch the recording of the University of Alberta Moderna Languages & Cultural Studies panel, please click HERE.

ATIA would like to thank everyone who presented, moderated, and participated in the 2023 International Translation Day online symposium. Your support helps make this annual event a success. 



TransLit Volume 13 – Call for Submissions

TransLit Volume 13 – An Anthology of Literary Translations

The TransLit Editorial Board, in cooperation with the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA) and the Literary Translators’ Association of Canada (LTAC), is planning to produce the thirteenth volume of TransLit for publication in the Spring of 2024.

 

TransLit Volume 13 – Deadline Extended to September 30th, 2023❗️
 
The TransLit Editorial Board, in cooperation with the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA) and the Literary Translators’ Association of Canada (LTAC), is planning to produce the thirteenth volume of TransLit for publication in the Spring of 2024!
 
Members of LTAC, ATIA, other associations affiliated with the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC), and l’Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ), or literary translators who are not members of any translation association but who have at least one book-length published translation to their credit, are invited to submit short literary translations. Translators of Indigenous languages or languages of lesser diffusion are particularly welcome to submit.
 
Submissions should include the original text (original or translation must be in English or French), biographies of both the translator and the author, permission to publish from the author and publisher, and bibliographical data for the original and for the translation if already published elsewhere.

Email your contribution by September 30, 2023 to both TransLit Volume 13 Co-Editors:

Wioletta Polanski, wioletta.polanski@ualberta.ca

Tania Therien, therientania@gmail.com

 

The TransLit Editorial Board will select from the submissions received by the deadline, with a focus on literary merit, the quality of the translation, and the variety of language combinations. Only complete texts (short stories, poems, creative nonfiction) will be accepted. Please do not submit excerpts. Original texts should not exceed a length of 4000 words.

Please see the information document HERE for a sample letter to send to your author to obtain permission to print the work you chose with your translation, a copyright authorization form to be completed and returned, and instructions for text presentation. Only texts that comply with this protocol will be accepted.

Please do not hesitate to contact Wioletta Polanski and/or Tania Therien with any questions you may have.

We look forward to your contribution to the latest volume of TransLit.

 

More information on the application process and requirements for TransLit Volume 13 can be found HERE

 

TransLit Volume 12

TransLit Volume 12

On Thursday, September 22nd, at 7:00 pm, TransLit Volume12 was luanched at Shelf Life Books in Calgary, AB – With the participation of Calgary translators and of author and essayist Bill Bunn.
The Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA) and the Literary Translators Association of Canada (LTAC/ ATTLC) invited members and the public to the launch of TransLit  Volume12, an anthology of literary translations. Volume 12 features eighteen authors and sixteen translators! TransLit invites readers to an eye-opening experience in a kaleidoscope of nine languages: Chinese, Danish, English, French, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian and Spanish. Canadian Indigenous voices mix with immigrant stories; Old-World and New World narratives come together; numbers—mathematics even—infuse life realities with poetry, and coexist with children perspectives, fantasy tales, and myth. Engaging characters—even Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy play a part—give life to the poems and short stories included in that anthology.
The TransLit Volume 12 Edmonton, AB launch is in the planning process for the fall of 2022. Stay tuned to your ATIA via the website, newsletters, and social media for more information coming soon!
Your own copy of TransLit Volume 12 can be purchased via Amazon HERE or at the in person launch events. 

Open Letter: Protecting Translators and Interpreters Worldwide

Open Letter: Protecting Translators and Interpreters Worldwide

ATIA President and FIT Council Member, Roula Salam, is assisting and embarking on a couple of long-term projects with some other FIT Council members. Roula, would like to share with the ATIA Membership an open letter co-signed by FIT that was shared with Council for approval prior to its signing. This letter seeks to harness support from the international language community in order to urge the Iranian government to immediately release two Iranian citizens who have been imprisoned because they served as interpreters for two French nationals. Interpreters are by virtue of the professional code of conduct unbiased, unprejudiced, and to have nothing to do with the views of either of the parties they are interpreting for, so this matter would be not only a human rights concern, but only a concern for professionals in our industry.
Here is the link to the  Open Letter