From your National President
Happy New Year! I hope you had an enjoyable and restful Christmas break. I am looking forward to celebrating Lunar New Year on the 29th with my loved ones in the Chinese community.
The National Council and I have been busy working for you. We’ve been meeting with government, language service providers and NAATI to advocate for the profession. While a lot of this work isn’t visible yet, we’re making good progress and I’ll tell you all about it soon. For now, I hope you can join us this Friday to talk about the future of AUSIT.
AUSIT’s New Vision
This month, I urge all members to think about AUSIT’s future as a professional association, and what you can do to make it a better one.
You may find inspiration in my recent interviews where I talked about AUSIT’s new vision. One is my discussion with Fatih Karakas on the “Conversations: Interpreting and Translating” podcast (listen on Apple Podcasts or YouTube). Another is the article I published in the Summer issue of In Touch magazine (read it here [pages 4–5]).
Meanwhile, I will briefly explain what this vision for AUSIT entails and how you can help realise it.
Finance
Money matters at AUSIT. Last year we made $284,313 but spent $372,579, eating into our cash reserves by $88,266. Once we narrow this gap, we might be able to put some of the money back into programs that could really benefit our membership.
Consider: How can we better manage AUSIT’s finances in the meantime?
On Friday I would love to hear if you have:
- ideas for new revenue streams
- contacts you can recommend with financial expertise
- suggestions on how to reduce costs.
Visibility
Many translators and interpreters do not know what AUSIT can do for them. Some have not even heard of us. We know that AUSIT helps practitioners connect and support each other in ways that really matter.
Consider: How can we show more practitioners the value of AUSIT membership?
On Friday I would love to hear your ideas about how to:
- make more people know about AUSIT
- boost AUSIT’s social media presence
- promote AUSIT better at industry events.
Influence
AUSIT should have a bigger voice in our industry. While we have incredible members, we need to make ourselves heard more. AUSIT must be there when major decisions are being made about our profession.
Consider: How can we build more meaningful relationships between AUSIT and important players in our industry?
On Friday I would love to hear if you:
- know of any contacts that AUSIT should connect with
- are interested in creating networking events for colleagues
- have any ideas about how to make AUSIT more influential.
An Invitation
Please join us on Friday 24 January for a free and open discussion of these crucial matters. You can attend in person at Macquarie University in Sydney, or via Zoom. We would appreciate input from experienced practitioners and newcomers alike. Registration closes on Wednesday, so please sign up soon if you haven’t already.
I’m also running a workshop that day about ethics for legal translators and interpreters. Attendees will learn how to present evidence to court, deal with tricky situations, and maintain professional standards. You can attend in person or online. Thank you to Issa He, AUSIT NSW Branch, and Macquarie Uni for helping make this happen. Please sign up here – again, registration closes Wednesday.
For more information about forensic translation and court interpreting, you can listen to my recent interview with The Native Experience Podcast (on Apple Podcasts or Spotify). You may also enjoy reading the article I published in QLS Proctor on preparing translated evidence (read it here).
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am looking forward to connecting with you – either in person in Sydney this week, or via Zoom. Let’s embrace the new year with hope and positive energy together.
With warmth and gratitude,
Carl Gene Fordham
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