Dear Colleagues,
As I write this newsletter, at the conclusion of the 36th National Conference (see below), I want to tell you that I feel really hopeful for the future. The conference was a great success – I hope you get to watch some of the video clips going around about it (on social media, plus you’ll find a link to the official video below), which provide a glimpse of the buzz of activity during those three days. The enthusiasm was palpable, and I would like to encourage practitioners to make arrangements early to attend the 37th AUSIT National Conference in Melbourne in 2024. We were contacted at the eleventh hour by practitioners wanting to attend, and had to turn them down. Please understand that an event for 500 or more attendees requires adhering to strict deadlines.
The proceedings in two rooms were videoed, and will be made available through the multimedia kiosk on the AUSIT website in the near future. Certificates of attendance will be issued in due course, so please refrain from contacting the Secretariat about this. If you have not received yours by February, then yes, by all means email: admin@ausit.org.
This conference had a record number of not only attendees, but also government stakeholders, union representatives and LSPs in attendance. For me, the roundtables were a great success, and I took away with me really valuable points.
In 2024, we will consolidate the work we have been doing in AUSIT during 2023. This is YOUR professional body – get involved, so that we can change things. I am excited that we have received expressions of interest to join committees, and I will review these early in 2024 and get in touch with practitioners.
Now, please go on to read about what has been happening since my October newsletter.
AUSIT Annual Conference 2023
The National Conference has come and gone. Hosted by UNSW on their Randwick campus from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 November, it was a resounding success! We had just shy of 500 registrations, and attendees found a massive selection of 91 presentations, workshops and other sessions to choose from, in eight streams (catering for the wide range of practices encompassed by the T&I industry. Plus three keynote addresses, the annual Jill Blewett Memorial Lecture (JBML), the National Annual General Meeting (NAGM), announcements of the winners of the AUSIT Translation Competition 2023 and the recipients of the AUSIT Excellence Awards 2023, Welcome Drinks and the Gala Dinner. For the Excellence Award winners and other highlights, see the upcoming issue of our In Touch magazine, due out mid-December.
Meanwhile I’d like to take a little space here to thank all the conference’s presenters and participants for taking part, as well as our first professional event organisers, Alana Brettle and Caitlin Johnson of Ozparty Events who helped make this conference a success, and also the many AUSIT members who volunteered their time before and/or during the conference.
Special thanks to Silvia Martinez, my co-Chair of the Organising Committee, who spent day and night working on the finest points of the organisation and budget. Silvia went above and beyond. I know she is not keen on praise, but it is only fair that you all know about the people who devote countless hours (which they could spend working, relaxing and doing other things) in order to make the conference a memorable event for all of us. Likewise, I want to thank the rest of the Organising Committee:
Camille Lapierre, Hania Geras, Juliana Frantz, Louis Ndagijimana, Marcia de Almeida, Marion Gevers, Rebeca Paredes Nieto, Reza Shariflou, Rosario Lázaro Igoa, Sophia Ra, Suzan Gendy and Vesna Dragoje.
Thank you to Prof. Sandra Hale for her valuable input in abstract review, and also to reviewers:
Suzan Gendy, Leah Gerber, Marion Gevers, Jim Hlavac, Miranda Lai and Camille Lapierre.
Thank you to the chairs of the conference sessions:
Abigail Pita, Alisa Tian, Amy Wang, Anthony Li, Catherine Pfammatter, Cintia Lee, David Deck, Deanne Lightfoot, Dorothy Prentice, Elvira Quintana, Fatih Karakas, Jim Hlavac, Jorge Salavert, Karine Bachelier, Linda Dannoun, Ludmila Stern, Magdalena Rowan, Nancy Guevara, Rebeca Paredes Nieto, Rema Nazha, Roksan Lashin, Rosario Lázaro Igoa, Saeed Khosravi, Sandra Hale, Silvia Martinez, Uldis Ozolins, Vesna Cvjeticanin, Vesna Dragoje and Yveline Piller.
Thank you also to volunteers who worked as ushers during the conference:
Andrew Kozlowzki, Carina Mackenzie, Catherine Pfammatter, Echo Zhang, Emma Yeung, Emong Zheng, Fatih Karakas, Hania Geras, Jemma Ives, Jhonny Pedraza, Karine Bachelier, Louis Ndagijimana, Marta Menéndez, Nancy Carrasco, Naomi Roulston, Qian (Iris) Wang, Rebeca Paredes Nieto, Rosario Lázaro Igoa, Shiva Motlagh-Elbakri, Silvia Martinez, Sophia Ra, Suzan Gendy, Veronica Spagna Gil, Vesna Cvjeticanin and Xuran Guo.
Thank you to the volunteers who helped with speaker liaison and registration, staffed the AUSIT info booth, and more:
Emong Zheng, Hania Geras, Helen Sturgess, Juliana Frantz, Joanna Alice, Louis Ndagijimana, Majida Toma (logo), Marcia Almeida, Nancy Carrasco, Reza Shariflou, Rosario Lázaro Igoa, Shiva Motlagh-Elbakri, Silvia Martinez and Ying Dong.
AUSIT Annual Conference 2024
And as the peals of AUSIT’s new ceremonial Conference Bell (see the In Touch report) at this year’s conference fade into memory … it’s time to start work on the AUSIT Annual Conference 2024! At the closing ceremony I handed the bell on to Karine Bachelier, Chair of the Victorian Branch, who will organise next year’s conference.
So if you’re a Victoria-based member, please consider contacting the VIC Branch to volunteer for any of the roles above during the 2024 conference.
AUSIT National Council for 2023–24
During the National Annual General Meeting (NAGM), held on 25 November 2023 at the AUSIT National Conference, most members of the National Council (including myself) were confirmed for a further term. Amy (Xiaoxing) Wang stepped down as Vice-President (Events and Professional Development) and Carl Gene Fordham was elected unopposed. Thank you Amy for all your hard work, and welcome Carl to National Council. Vesna Cvjeticanin has also stepped down from the role of Vice-President (Communications and Public Relations), therefore this position is currently vacant. Thank you, Vesna for your dedication. If anyone reading this is interested in finding out more about this role with a view to taking it on, there is a description of the position written by Vesna in my October newsletter, which you can find here, or refer to the eFlash regarding the role we hope to send in the coming week.
You can find out more about the current National Council members here.
Wordfast Licence Raffle Prize
One lucky conference attendee from Victoria, Olga Stojic, won the raffle drawn at the Closing Ceremony – a year’s subscription to the translation memory software program Wordfast Pro.
On top of donating this prize, Wordfast has offered a discount on a Wordfast Pro subscription to conference attendees, and another discount to AUSIT members who didn’t attend the conference – see the OPPORTUNITIES for AUSIT MEMBERS section below.
AUSIT Excellence Awards 2023
The AUSIT Excellence Awards 2023 were announced at the Gala Dinner during the conference. The recipients will be featured in the December issue of our In Touch magazine, but I’d like to list their names – and also those of the other nominees – here:
Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution to Interpreting: Xiaoxing (Amy) Wang
(other nominees: Lynn Geng, Fadi Fakhoury, Sam Hoballah)
Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution to Translating: Mecia Freire
(other nominee: Hayley Armstrong)
Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution in Tier C and D Languages (i.e., languages of low diffusion): The Aboriginal Interpreter Service, NT
(other nominees: Polaron Language Services, Alina Ielenko, Janet Lor, Pakiza Espindar)
Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution to Capacity Building in T&I:
Fatih Karakas
(other nominees: Amy Wang, Leisa Maia, Rema Nazha)
Excellence Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Profession and/or Raising the Profession’s Profile: Cintia Lee
(other nominees: Silvia Martinez, Professor Helene Jaccomard, Patricia Argüello de Avila,
Camille Lapierre)
I’d also like to thank the AUSIT/NAATI panel who gave their time to judge the awards.
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- Adolfo Gentile
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- Amale Hourani
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- Barbara McGilvray
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- Magdalena Rowan
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- Michael Nemarich
Fabulous photos and video from the Conference!!
AUSIT hired professional photographer Matthew Georges to document the conference, and he took some great photos! Here’s one of the two dance groups who provided the fabulous floorshow after dinner: Indian dancers Raj and Jennifer and the Colombian Cultural and Folkloric Organisation. If you attended and would like to see the photos and download some for yourself … or get an idea of what an AUSIT Conference is like … you can do so here. |
Matthew also made a great little one-minute video that really captured the event, so if you didn’t attend and would like to see what you missed, or get an idea of what an AUSIT Conference is like you can download and view it here, on the AUSIT YouTube channel.
AUSIT Translation Competition 2023
The aim of the Translation Competition is to encourage students to have a go at a text. The winners are chosen by experienced practitioners. This year’s winners were announced at the National Conference, and will also be featured in the December issue of In Touch magazine, due out mid-December.
Report on interpreter feedback about the implementation of the RNS in courts & tribunals
Click here to find a new report (uploaded in December) on the interpreter feedback received in the last seven months.
AUSIT’s push for implementation of the RNS continues. Collection of evidence to support this work is being assisted by those practitioners who are filling in our short, easy Interpreter Feedback Form online after assignments. If you’ve being doing so, thank you, and please keep it up in the New Year. And if you haven’t given any feedback yet, please add your voice too.
AUSIT survey on remuneration rates
AUSIT’s survey on remuneration rates was finalised last month. You can take a look at the results here.
BRANCH NEWS
WA Branch
… as reported by Mary Street
AUSIT WA was delighted to welcome our national president to Perth from 17 to 18 October. As well as impressing upon WA legal practitioners the importance of the Recommended National Standards for Working with Interpreters in Courts & Tribunals through the Law Society, Angelo met with over 50 local practitioners and students on campus at the University of WA for one of his Linguists and the Law seminars. The WA Branch Committee and representatives of educational affiliates also enjoyed an evening meal together with Angelo in Subiaco.
Angelo presenting to Linguists and the Law attendees
Catherine Pfammatter, Chair of AUSIT WA Branch Committee, introduced the event.
During the break some snacks, dips and nibbles were offered
Dinner with Angelo at the Subiaco Hotel, clockwise from front left: Catherine Pfammatter, Hélène Jaccomard (University of WA), Angelo Berbotto, Elisa Michelini, Francika Roberts, Kamran Afshar, Mary Street, Hawra Latif, Aida Oye Gomez and Nicole Zhou (Babel International College).
AUSIT PD & EVENTS
All registrations for the remaining 2023 events are now closed.
EXTERNAL PD & EVENTS
All information below is provided by external organisations. Please register and direct any enquiries to the relevant contact outlined in each announcement, rather than to AUSIT.
FIT Webinar | Ethics in Court and Legal Interpreting
When: 16 December 2023, 3–5 pm CET
FIT is organising a free webinar (open to all) on ethics in court and legal interpreting with Tony Rosado on Saturday, 16 December at 3:00 pm (CET time) via Zoom. Registration is required.
Interpreting is a fiduciary profession used by people to make important decisions that affect their lives. In the legal field those decisions could include matters of life, freedom, family, and money, and they could have lasting, often irreversible effects. Legal and specially court interpreters are bound by carefully crafted rules of professional conduct, and a strict code of ethics. This webinar will explore said rules and canons, analyze their reason to exist, and explore the consequences of ignoring their observance. Because of their complexity and relevance, the presenter will place special attention on the duties of impartiality and confidentiality, including the attorney-client privilege. Those attending this presentation will leave with a better understanding of the rules court and legal interpreters must live by.
The webinar will be on the rules court and legal interpreters must live by worldwide, although most of the examples will refer to the United States of America because the speaker works and lives there. The webinar will be in English, interpreting will not be provided.
For more information and to register, click here.
United Nations Global Language Register exam for Spanish Interpreters
The United Nations is currently accepting applications for the Global Language Register examination for Spanish Interpreters. The deadline for applications is 15 December 2023.
Successful applicants will be placed on the DGACM Global Language Register and may be offered temporary positions and short-term assignments at United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations Offices at Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna. The examination is open to qualified candidates with Spanish as their main language and an excellent knowledge of both English and French. Further requirements are outlined in the job opening announcement, available in English and French.
Additional information about UN language careers can be found on the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) website.
Traducción audiovisual: doblaje, subtitulación y accesibilidad en los medios (e-course)
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain
11 December 2023 – 27 May 2024
CALLS FOR PROPOSALS
CFP EATS5 Conference in June 2024
Hosted by the University of Queensland (hybrid conference)
26–28 June 2024
For more details visit the conference website, and if you require further information email the organisers here.
Lingusitica Antverpiensia, New Series – Themes in Translation Studies
special issue on Machine and Computer-assisted Interpreting, Vol. 24, 2025
CALLS FOR PARTICIPANTS
What do you need to know before interpreting for the family of a child who is deaf?
We are looking for interpreters to complete a 5 to 10-minute survey about what they need to know before interpreting for the families of young children with hearing loss in health and education settings. This study is aimed at interpreters who work between spoken languages, not Auslan interpreters.
Click here to complete the survey.
FIT Research Task Force Position Paper on Translation Grades
The FIT Research Task Force has been working on a position paper on Translation Grades. The draft can be found here.
The Task Force is now seeking feedback and comments on the draft. Please provide your association’s feedback and comments by reply-email no later than 12 December 2023.
Working Conditions of Translation Workers in the Digital Platform Economy
Find out more and take part in the survey here.
Research Project: The efficacy of post-editing machine translation on translation processes and products in translator training (Online Participation)
If you meet the following profile:
- Native speaker of Mandarin Chinese
- Completed middle and high school in China
- Current undergraduate student in Australia
- Having taken at least one translation course
Click here to register your interest. Eligible participants will be contacted later for further arrangements. I would be grateful if you could also help spread the ads to potential participants.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR AUSIT MEMBERS
WORDFAST subscription discount for 2023 conference attendees
*** limited time only ***
Wordfast is offering AUSIT National Conference 2023 attendees a US$150 discount off a Wordfast Pro licence. The coupon link has been emailed to attendees and is available until 18 December 2023.
If you’d like to try out Wordfast Pro before purchasing the licence, you can download and try it for free in demo mode here.
WORDFAST subscription discount for AUSIT members
For AUSIT members who didn’t attend the conference, Wordfast is offering a 25% discount off a new Wordfast Pro, Wordfast Classic, Wordfast Studio, or Wordfast Server license.
To take up this offer, click on this link to Member-only Resources on the AUSIT website, log in, and scroll down to find the Wordfast discount.
If you’d like to try out Wordfast Pro before purchasing the licence, you can download and try it for free in demo mode here.
And keep an eye on the Member-only Resources page, we hope to add more discounts and benefits for AUSIT members.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
Victorian Government Interpreter Scholarship Program 2024
The Victorian Government is offering scholarships to support students undertaking interpreting courses at RMIT University in 2024. Applications close 31 January 2024, or when all available places have been allocated. You can find out more or apply here.
EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES
Translation Fund for Literature
Creative Australia offers support for international publishers to translate Australian works by living authors of creative writing, and Australian publishers to translate non-English works into English by Australian translators.
The next application round closes on 9 April 2023. Find out more here.
AAH Medal for Excellence in Translation
The Australian Academy for the Humanities award the medal biennially in recognition of outstanding achievement in translation.
Who can apply: A translator who submits a book-length translation into English of a work of any genre (including scholarship) from any language and period. The winner receives a medal, certificate and monetary prize of $1,000.
How to apply: Applications occur every 2 years. The next round of applications opens in February 2024.
Background: The Medal for Excellence in Translation is a major national award that recognises outstanding achievement in translation and celebrates the vital role of translators and translation in Australian culture and scholarly discourse. It is generously supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, Monash University, the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia.
In February, you will be able to find out more information and apply here.
AALITRA Translation Awards 2024
The focus language for the AALITRA* Translation Awards 2024 is:French.
The Awards will open for entries on 28 February, and close on 28 May 2024.
These biennial awards have two categories: prose and poetry, and entrants must translate set pieces.
In each category there will be prizes of $500 for the winner and $250 for the runner-up.
Look out for more information here.
* AALITRA is the Australian Association for Literary Translation
JOB KIOSK
NAATI role-players and examiners
Ethnolink: Translators (Freelance): Ethnolink are looking for NAATI Certified freelance translators. Applications are open to translators around the globe.
The SA Government is advertising for casual interpreters and translators
Interpreters especially in:
Albanian, Bangla, Cantonese, Dinka, Greek, Gujarati, Hazaragi, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Karen, Khmer, Kirundi, Korean, Kurdish Sorani, Lao, Mandarin, Nepali, Polish, Punjabi, Rohingya, Swahili, Tamil, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Urdu, Uyghur and Zotung
and translators especially in:
Amharic, Dinka, German, Hakha Chin, Karen, Lao, Pashto, Tigrinya, Turkish and Uyghur.
First Nations Expert Reference Group – a new paid initiative by The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO). For more information and to send an EOI, click For more information and to send an EOI, click here.
READING CORNER: interesting articles & journals
AUSIT member Miranda Lai is co-editor of this new book on how the T&I community evolved to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented to the T&I industry by the pandemic:
Educating Community Interpreters and Translators in Unprecedented Times
And for some summer reading, you could try this new novel with an interpreter as its central character:
Well, this is my last newsletter for 2023. I wish you all a peaceful festive season. At the AGM, an AUSIT member asked National Council to support the Palestinian people with a donation of money (this request came out at the time the Treasurer’s report was delivered). The National Council has also considered correspondence from a member asking AUSIT to issue a press release in support of Palestine. I wish to remind everyone that AUSIT is a non-political organisation that is concerned with the Australian T&I profession. We bring together members of different political views, and we do not see it as our role to delve into areas outside our expertise. We do extend our solidarity to all individuals in distress due to conflicts around the world, regardless of their nationality.
National Council’s last meeting for 2023 took place on 26 November 2023, and we will convene again in mid-January.
Thank you again for your support in 2023. One last thought: if you are an interpreter working in courts/tribunals, please don’t forget to provide that feedback here.
Best wishes,
J. Angelo Berbotto
AUSIT National President
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