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The American Translators Association will hold its Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas November 6–9, 2013. It is our goal here at the SciTech blog to provide a preview of some of the sessions that will be of interest to scientific and technical translators. The ST track looks very promising!
Steven Marzuola will be presenting Offshore Oil and Gas Technology (ST-3, Thursday, 4:00pm–5:00pm). The brief description from the conference website reads:
“This session will provide an introduction to offshore oil and gas exploration and production. The discussion will include descriptions of the major technological developments that enable the production of oil and gas from deep-water fields and the technical challenges that must be overcome. The session will also focus on historical trends in the industry and on the future importance of hydrocarbons in the world energy market.”
I asked Steven to provide us with a little more information, and he provided links to two presentations he gave in Boston in 2011, Introduction to Oil and Gas Production, Parts I and II. You can download these handouts to get a good preview of his presentation in San Antonio , which will be similar to Part II. When asked who will benefit from his session, he replied:
“My audience is someone who doesn’t know very much about the oil industry. I will include some material from Part I in Boston , including why we use oil in the first place; as well as seismic exploration and its importance in the search for oil and gas. Next will be a series of transitions: from onshore fields to nearby shallow water, and then to deeper water—first the Gulf of Mexico in the 1960s, the North Sea in the 1970s, and the newer deepwater fields. Each advance uses technology borrowed from earlier development, and new ideas that had to be invented or perfected.”
Steven won’t present the political, social, or environmental aspects surrounding oil and gas, and hardly any numbers. He’ll show us pictures of equipment and tell us what it’s used for, the conditions it needs to withstand, and how much it costs.
The mainstream media reports on the oil and gas industry, and they sometimes provide incorrect or misleading information. I asked Steven if he’ll correct any misconceptions or clarify confusing reports, specifically mentioning the Deepwater Horizon disaster (2010 in the Gulf of Mexico ). Steven will let John Moffitt, the SciTech Distinguished Speaker, discuss that incident, but he’ll be able to answer other questions attendees may have.
I’m lucky to know Steven as the president of the Houston Interpreters and Translators Association, my local ATA affiliate, so I can personally attest to the fact that he is an engaging and entertaining speaker. His talk is sure to be informative, clear, and well prepared, pumped full of real-world examples and injected with humor.
