Slavic Languages Division (American Translators Association)
Dear SLD members,
Save the Date!
The next SLD networking meetup is coming up! Join us on Zoom from 4–6 PM EST on Sunday, April 24. Come chat with Slavic Languages Division colleagues about what’s going on in life and in business. Join when you can, leave when you must – latecomers are welcome. Come chat with Slavic Languages Division colleagues about what’s going on in life and in business. RSVP details will be in an upcoming email broadcast from ATA.
ATA’s events schedule is as busy as ever. Here are a few upcoming events not to miss!
“Introduction to Localization” by Alaina Brandt
June 15, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT / ATA CEP: 1.0
ATA members: $45; non-members: $60. Click to register.
Localization is the act of customizing language services and products to audiences who speak different languages. The strategies employed in localization are highly dependent on cultural, subject field, and textual/product expectations. Localization strategy is tailored to business goals in areas like sales, expansion, and growth. Localization work is performed in a dynamic environment of rapid technological advancements, ever-shifting regulations, and looming and unforeseen risks.
Join us to learn about opportunities in this exciting field and the skills needed to be a successful localizer. You will leave this session understanding that localization is anything but a one-size-fits-all approach.
Virtual Brainstorm Networking
June 29, 5:00 – 6:00 pm EDT
FREE and limited to ATA members! Click to register.
Join your colleagues for this fun, fast-paced hour of solving common business challenges in small teams. Attend this virtual event to meet new people, learn new skills, and expand your support network, while sharing your own experiences. Don’t miss it!
“Practical Strategies to Capture Notes Virtually When Providing Remote Interpreting” by Armando Ezquerra Hasbun
June 30 / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT / ATA CEP: 1.0
ATA members: $45; non-members: $60. Click to register.
The pandemic has forced us to adapt to interpreting from home. In this webinar we will review basic and advanced pointers on how to use low-cost or free programs and applications you may already have to capture information, bypassing the traditional approach of handwritten note-taking strategies.
“Interpreting Insults from Spanish into Your Target Language” by Darinka Mangino
June 30 / 1:00 pm – 2:30 pmEDT / ATA CEP: 1.5
ATA members: $65; non-members: $90. Click to register.
Even seasoned interpreters have a hard time making the right choice when dealing with big words and colloquial expressions when content is more emotional than technical. In some cultures, expletives might be used as a form of flattery and expressions of closeness, even if authoritative dictionaries list those big words as taboo.
When you do not know how to interpret insults, you may use a different register than the speaker used originally. A colloquial expression could become a formal one or—even worse—a word that is key to the message could be omitted.
Having a strategy to delve into the cultural meaning will help you detach from the awful feeling of uttering insults you don’t mean but have to say in the first person. You will make confident choices and be assured that you did not compromise the speaker’s agency or your client’s trust.
In this webinar, you will learn how to not take words at face value, how to perform a comprehensive analysis of the message, and how to convey the speaker’s message accurately.
Register for both “Practical Strategies to Capture Notes Virtually When Providing Remote Interpreting” and “Interpreting Insults from Spanish into Your Target Language” and save $15!
Dear SLD members,
Spring is a time for reaching out!
After the success of the online networking meetup at ATA61 and the second one in January, we would like to invite you to the next quarterly gathering on Zoom. Come chat with Slavic Languages Division colleagues about what’s going on in life and in business. The past meetups have offered members consolation and camaraderie through the difficult winter. We hope that this one will give attendees a sense of hope and motivation as we cautiously emerge from hibernation.
Grab something from the fridge and meet us on Zoom from 1-3 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, April 25. We will do our best to accommodate latecomers.
To RSVP, please email SLD Assistant Administrator Steven McGrath (steven@mcgrathtranslations.
SLD CONTACT INFORMATION
Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya, SLD Administrator: eugenia@
Steven McGrath, SLD Assistant Administrator: steven@mcgrathtranslations.com
Hi SLD members!
Inspired by the division meetup at the ATA 61st Annual Conference, we’re hoping to have Zoom networking meetings about four times a year.
Join us for our first one this weekend!
Thank you and hope to see you there too!
Thursday, October 24
12:30 PM
Grand Central Palm Springs
160 La Plaza, Palm Springs, CA
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash
Several members have requested SLD to start compiling sign-up sheets to facilitate mingling between SLD members during ATA conferences.
This year we offer all SLD members attending the ATA 58th Annual Conference an opportunity to explore Washington, D.C., restaurants offering Slavic (or, in one case, Uzbek) food together.
If you are interested, you can see additional information on the venues and sign up here.
Once the registration closes on October, 23, we’ll send out group emails to participants interested in the same time, date, and venue. From there it’s up to them to decide whether or not to make a reservation, where to meet, and how to get to the venue.
We hope that this new initiative will be of interest to the SLD members!
You’ll notice that there are no options for Thursday. We would like to encourage our members, both new and old, to attend the division events scheduled for that day: Newcomers Lunch and SLD Division Dinner.
Please remember that the registration deadline is October 20th for both of the events.
For SLD Dinner, please remember that we need to reach a minimum number of attendees in advance to avoid event cancellation. Do not wait until the Welcome Celebration to register!
By Jen Guernsey
Every year SlavFile publishes an article encouraging our fellow SLD members to attend the ATA Annual Conference and providing tips for newcomers. Why is that? you ask. Do we get some sort of referral discount? Nope! Does the rate get cheaper when attendance is higher? No (though I am sure there is a critical mass of attendees required to keep rates reasonable). Why, then, do we keep bugging you about going to the conference?
There are two reasons: one altruistic, one selfish. The altruistic reason is that the conference has been a terrific experience for us, and we want you to be able to share in that experience. Don’t take our word for it; read about the experiences of our conference newcomers of recent years in the SlavFile Preview.
The second, selfish, reason is that your presence makes the conference a richer experience for us. Getting to know our colleagues is the best, and ultimately the most productive, part of the conference. If all we wanted was educational sessions, we’d attend webinars. Instead, we invest the time and expense to go to the conference. For me personally, being able to commune with like-minded people, getting their sage advice, being able to refer work to them or share jobs with them, and having them refer work to me have all made an immeasurable difference in the success of my translation career, not to mention made it far more enjoyable. We regular conference-goers want YOU to come so we can get to know you and add you to our circle of colleagues.
How to Survive Your First ATA Conference
Actually, you aren’t going to SURVIVE it, you’re going to LOVE it! Below are some tips that will make it a little easier for you to hit the ground running.
First, here are a few pearls of wisdom from other first-time attendees:
If you’re introverted, never fear! There are plenty of ways for you to meet people and make connections without having to walk into a crowd of strangers and start cold. I signed up for the excellent “Buddies Welcome Newbies” program that partnered me with an experienced translator working, as I do, from Russian into English (hi Jen!) who showed me the ropes. She answered my questions, introduced me to people in the Slavic [Languages] Division, and was a very welcome familiar face in a sea of strangers. I also attended Slavic [Languages] Division events, such as the newcomers’ lunch, the Division dinner, and the Division meeting. The great thing about this is that people in the division know each other and as a result know that you’re new, and they really do go out of their way to be welcoming. My worries of being the silent person standing awkwardly in the corner never materialized. – Natalie Mainland, 2016.
At the BWN [Buddies Welcome Newbies] program, all it takes is sitting at a table and saying “Hello” for all anxiety to disappear, because everyone is so welcoming, understanding, patient, really interested in what everyone has to say, and always happy to give advice. Having gained confidence, I went to the Welcome Celebration, where I experienced a second wave of anxiety, but found my way to the Slavic [Languages] Division table. What a relief! There were so many people who spoke my native language (Russian), and some were also wearing the pink ribbon saying “First time attendee.” There is no problem finding common interests when you know you are speaking with someone in your language pair. And that pink ribbon: it is the most powerful and magical thing for a newbie. It identifies you as someone who needs some guidance. People saw it and approached me at breakfast, coffee breaks, and other events. They made me feel welcome and asked questions. It would lead to the most amazing conversations. – Daria Toropchyn, 2015
First on my list of events was “Buddies Welcome Newbies,” part of a program in which seasoned conference-goers adopt first-time attendees and show them the ropes. My “buddy” was an experienced technical translator who seemed to know everyone else by name. He gave me advice on how to approach the conference (in a nutshell: relax and get to know other translators) and introduced me to people I wouldn’t otherwise have met. — Christopher Tauchen, 2015
So, prospective newbies, here is your pre-conference to-do list:
1) Register for the conference BY OCTOBER 6 to take advantage of lower rates.
2) Download the conference app. I find it very helpful for planning my conference and finding event locations. You can input your resume and other profile info to help both colleagues and prospective employers find you.
3) Review the conference program to get an idea of the sessions and events you’d like to attend. A list of presentations in the Slavic languages track and by SLD members can be found in the SlavFile Preview.
4) Join Buddies Welcome Newbies to be paired up with an experienced conference-goer who will show you the ropes. All three of our newbies quoted above mentioned this helpful program, scheduled for Wednesday 4:45-5:30 (Debriefing Saturday 12:30-1:30) https://www.atanet.org/conf/2017/newbies/.
5) Reserve your spot at the SLD Newcomers Lunch. This solves the question of lunch for your first conference day: you already have prearranged colleagues to eat with! Some of us old-timers come as well. On Thursday, October 26, we will meet at 12:20 PM in the lobby of the hotel and proceed together to the restaurant, or you can just walk there on your own. Meals are not prearranged; we just order off the menu and pay for our own. To expedite service and food preparation, we will order from a limited menu of around 15 dishes. Our destination this year will be:
Sette Osteria
1666 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
www.setteosteria.com
To reserve your place, please email jenguernsey@gmail.com by Friday, October 20. Please specify any dietary restrictions.
6) Reserve your spot at the SLD Dinner (see information here). It’s a nice chance to get to know your SLD colleagues better while enjoying a lovely meal. I didn’t sign up for the dinner my first year, and regretted it (and have gone to every one since!). If you follow a special diet, check it out anyway, as accommodations are possible. Thursday 7:00–10:00 PM.
And while at the conference:
1) Wear your pink First Time Attendee ribbon with pride. It will spark a lot of conversations…kind of like wearing a “Please Welcome Me” sign on your forehead…but more comfortable.
2) Come to the Welcome Celebration. It is huge! It is crowded! It is loud! It is daunting! Never fear—just seek out the table marked SLD. You will encounter some familiar names, soon to be familiar faces, and introduce yourself. Plus, hey, free food and a couple of drinks. Wednesday 5:30-7:00.
3) Attend the SLD meeting. This is another good way to get to know people in the division, as well as learn what is going on in the division. We usually have a little time at the end when we encourage first-timers to introduce themselves. The meeting will be 4:45-5:45 on Thursday, October 26.
4) Volunteer to write for SlavFile. Every year, SlavFile publishes reviews of all of the Slavic track sessions and any others a potential reviewer considers of special interest to our members, as well as printing the impressions of a conference newcomer. Volunteering to write one of these is a great way to get involved and get your name out there. Any other contributions from new members, including profiles introducing yourselves to readers, are enthusiastically welcomed.
5) Don’t get boxed in. While we in the SLD would love to have you with us for the entire conference, there is no requirement to stick with one group of people or one track of sessions. Explore! The conference has so many interesting sessions, and so many interesting people – you can’t go wrong!
See you at the conference!
Jen Guernsey is a Russian>English translator and longtime SLD member with 14 conferences under her belt. She is the SLD Leadership Council member responsible for newcomer activities.
This lunch is for conference first-timers AND any experienced conference-goers who would like to join in to welcome the new folks.
Meet us in the lobby at 12:20 to walk over together, or just meet us at the restaurant.
To expedite service, we will order from a limited menu of about 15 dishes and pay for our own meals individually.
Please reserve your spot by emailing Jen Guernsey at jenguernsey@gmail.com by Friday, October 20. Please specify any dietary restrictions.
Address/Ph: 2437 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 797-0017
Meze Restaurant is in Washington, DC’s Adams-Morgan District. Located only one-half mile from the conference hotel, the restaurant is easily accessed on foot. The establishment has been in business since 2001 and specializes in Turkish meze dishes. According to the restaurant, meze dishes “are intended for sharing, and offer diners the opportunity to experience multiple flavors in one meal.” The Division’s event will be held in Meze’s private Gold Room with a seating capacity for 50 guests.
Please join other Division members and guests for an enjoyable evening. Converse with friends and colleagues, make new acquaintances, and welcome Division newcomers.
Vegan Coban Salatasi (*GF/NF/DF) Shepherd’s salad: diced fresh cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and green peppers, dressed with olive oil, parsley, and lemon juice.
Vegan Humus (GF/NF/DF) Chickpeas & tahini paste seasoned with garlic and olive oil.
Vegetarian Mucver (NF) Savory zucchini pancakes mixed with feta cheese served with tomato and yogurt sauces.
Vegan Dolma (GF/DF) Grape leaves stuffed with caramelized onions, rice, and pine nuts and cooked over a gentle fire.
Vegetarian Sigara Böregi (NF) Turkey’s popular crispy cigar-shaped pastry stuffed with feta cheese, parsley, and dill.
Vegan Mercimek Kofte (NF/DF) Veggie lentil cakes with bulgur, onions. and parsley.
Köfte (NF/DF) Grilled Turkish-style beef and lamb meatballs, seasoned with parsley and onions.
Fistikli Adana (DF) Ground lamb and beef mixed with pistachio and grilled on a skewer, served with ezme salad.
Tavuk Kebab (GF/NF/DF) Marinated grilled chicken breast on a skewer, served with fresh tomato relish.
Icli Patates Kofte Potato shells stuffed with ground lamb, beef, parsley, and walnuts, served with yogurt sauce.
Baklava Delicate leaves of filo layered with walnut, with homemade lemon syrup.
*GF/Gluten Free; NF/Nut Free; DF/Dairy Free
Dietary Options: Vegetarian and nut- and gluten-free options are indicated in the menu. If required, a separate vegetarian menu can be made available upon request. Please coordinate any other special dietary requirements with Fred Grasso (frdgrasso@satx.rr.com; 210-638-9669) no later than Wednesday, 10/25/2017.
Beverages: Iced tea included; non-alcoholic and alcoholic available beverages available for purchase.
Ticket cost is $50.00 per person (includes iced tea, sales tax (10%), and gratuities (20%)). Tickets can be purchased by PayPal (preferred) or check received not later than Friday, 10/20/2017.
NOTE: If a vegetarian or gluten-free menu option is required, please so indicate when purchasing your ticket.
Payment via PayPal: Access the PayPal website (www.paypal.com) and select the “Send Money” tab. Enter the amount ($50 per person) and choose the “Friends and Family” option. In Step 2, use the following e-mail address: frdgrasso@yahoo.com.
Check payment: Mail a check for the appropriate amount made payable to “Fred Grasso” at the following address:
Fred Grasso
14414 Indian Woods
San Antonio, TX 78249-2054
NOTE: Provided space is available, a limited number of last-minute tickets can be purchased—cash only—during the ATA welcoming reception on Wednesday, 10/25/2017.
By Natalie Mainland
Photo from Unsplash by Daria Shevtsova
It’s that time of year again! We’ve come back from vacation, summer is drawing to a close, and translators across the country are wondering, “Should I go to the ATA conference this year?”
If you’ve never been, and you’re on the fence, perhaps my experience as a newcomer to last year’s conference can shed some light on it for you.
I have to admit, I wasn’t sure about attending the 2016 ATA conference. I have a degree in translation and have been translating for a few years now, so I didn’t know how useful it would be, and I am—like I think many translators are—extremely introverted. Given the choice between getting a root canal or chatting up a room full of people I don’t know, I’ll take the root canal, please. However, I keep in touch with my former classmates, and not a single one of them has said that attending the conference was a waste of time or resources. I wasn’t sure if going would be helpful, but I figured it couldn’t hurt.
What next? Well, my personal philosophy is to always have a plan. Once I’d decided to attend the conference I immediately started planning so I could get the most out of it. I had a look at the first-timer’s guide in the ATA’s “Savvy Newcomer” blog, downloaded the conference app, and immediately began organizing my schedule. By the time I landed in San Francisco, I had each day planned for (supposedly) optimum effectiveness.
Educational sessions held throughout the day are organized into subject-specific tracks and are a major part of the conference. I’m trying to expand my business, so I planned to attend sessions in the “Independent Contractor” track. These were great, and I picked up tips and tricks for getting more work and running my business smoothly, but by the second afternoon I was feeling burnt out…so I decided to change things up. I went to a few medical sessions, even though they focused on language pairs other than mine. Were they helpful? You bet! Although the target language examples didn’t apply to me, I still learned strategies to improve my medical translations. Overall, I’m pleased with how much I learned, and in the months after the conference I even put that knowledge to use when I worked on a large medical project.
The other major part of the conference is networking, and that’s the part that worried me. I went to the Welcome Celebration on the first night, where everyone from the ATA divisions can mingle and learn more about one another, and I honestly felt a bit like a deer in the headlights. However, the whole process became markedly easier when I realized one obvious thing: everyone else is here to network, too! They want to meet new people and talk with them, and all the people that I spoke with were wonderfully welcoming. After making it through that first hectic evening, everything else—such as talking to agency reps in the Exhibit Hall—was no problem at all.
Now for the big question: do I think going to the conference was worth it? I absolutely do. I picked up new skills and met other people working in my field. This profession can be a solitary one, and having actual, face-to-face contact with other humans was, for me, one of the best parts of the entire experience.
So, now that I’ve (hopefully) convinced you to go, what are my suggestions for your first conference?
All in all, my first conference was a resounding success. I’m glad I went, and I would encourage anyone else to do the same.
The ATA 58th Annual Conference is fast approaching! This year’s conference is in Washington, DC, on October 25-28, 2017. Register by September 15th to take advantage of Early Registration Rates.
Natalie Mainland holds an M.A. in Translation from Kent State University. She currently works as a freelancer, translating Russian into English (with a focus on medical texts) as well as Finnish into English. She can be reached at natalie@mainlandtranslation.com. This post was adapted and updated by the author from an article that appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of SlavFile.