As the American Translator Association (ATA) continues to innovate its content and programming for its annual conferences, the Government Division (GovD) was excited to host our first Professional Forum at ATA65 in Portland, Oregon.
These new professional forums were interactive opportunities for translators and interpreters working in a specific language combination or field of expertise to discuss important issues in a collaborative setting. Jason Kopp, GovD’s 2022-2024 administrator, Yasha Saebi, a member of GovD’s leadership council, and Steven Miller, GovD’s 2024-2026 administrator, led the division’s professional forum.
Kopp covered employment opportunities for linguists in the government – at local, state, and federal levels. He shared information about different types of positions that exist in the government (i.e. interpreter, translator, linguist, language analyst, etc.), where to look for employment opportunities in the various levels of government, and other resources that are important for government linguists to know – such as LEP.gov.
Next, Saebi spoke to the participants about linguist jobs in the intelligence community. She talked about the contributions that linguists make to the intelligence and national security fields. Saebi also busted some of the myths surrounding work for linguists in the intelligence communities, such as what languages are in demand and who may be eligible for such work.
Finally, Miller addressed job searches and resume requirements. He showed the forum participants how to read a job announcement to see if the duties, requirements, and qualifications would be a good match for their profile. Miller also covered resume requirements, as candidates might not be aware of differences between resumes that are appropriate for the private sector as opposed to government linguist opportunities.
After each mini-presentation, the participants discussed topics relevant to each section in breakout groups, sharing their personal experiences and making new connections. We were thrilled to have nearly 40 participants attend and look forward to hosting virtual sessions to continue the conversations that were started during our first forum!
