The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2017 - 6

OUTREACH REPORT

BY BIRGIT-VOSSELER-BREHMER

Marybeth Timmermann Wins 2016-2017
ATA School Outreach Contest

arybeth Timmermann, an
ATA-certified French>English
translator based in Greenville,
Illinois, won a free registration to ATA's
58th Annual Conference in Washington,
DC (October 25-28) through ATA's
School Outreach Contest.
Marybeth won the contest for the photo
taken during her visit to Greenville High
School, where she spoke to juniors and
seniors in the advanced Spanish class. In
the Midwestern community where she lives,
knowing a foreign language is not always
valued. "It's simply not seen as a necessary
or very useful skill," Marybeth says. She
wanted to show students that languages
offer viable career options and point out
how important languages are in today's
professional world all over the globe.
Marybeth's winning photo was taken
after a hands-on activity with students.
After an introduction to the concept of
translation and the singularities of the
English and Spanish languages, she asked
students to think of examples of nonliteral translations and write them down
on index cards. Marybeth says that "many
of the students came up with excellent
examples." From the smiling faces in the
photo, we can tell that the students were
very pleased with their results.
Marybeth was very excited to attend the
conference in Washington, DC, her first
ATA conference in many years.
"We're thrilled to give this award to
Ms. Timmermann to honor her effort in
reaching out to students to educate them
about promising careers in translation and
interpreting," says ATA President David
Rumsey. "Her winning entry is a fitting
testament to the lasting success of ATA's
School Outreach Program."
For more than 12 years, the program
has been raising awareness of the role
that translators and interpreters play in
business, government, and society at large.
With several sources predicting major
growth in the demand for professional
translators and interpreters, this program
continues to build awareness of careers
in the language industry. As our world
6

The ATA Chronicle | November/December 2017

becomes more integrated globally,
businesses and governments are realizing
the importance of using skilled professional
translators or interpreters to communicate
their message effectively and successfully
to global audiences, avoiding potentially
costly and embarrassing mistakes.
ATA launched the School Outreach
Program in 2004 to educate students
about translation and interpreting and to
interest them in these rewarding career
fields. Through the program, professional
linguists speak to students at all levels,
highlighting the career benefits of learning
another language and the increasing
potential for exciting work with foreignlanguage skills. Using a variety of model
presentations and activities available on
ATA's website, presenters outline the
requirements for becoming a professional
translator or interpreter, emphasizing
that these careers demand far more than
simply being bilingual.
"By visiting classrooms through the
School Outreach Program, translators and
interpreters share valuable information
not only with the next generation of
linguists, but also the next generation of
language services clients," says Meghan
McCallum, coordinator of the School
Outreach Program. "Our program focuses

on educating the public about these
exciting career paths and their wide range
of applications around the world."
To receive this award, participants
must belong to ATA or an ATA chapter or
an ATA-affiliated organization and must
deliver a presentation at a school of their
choice. Entrants must also submit photos of
themselves presenting in the classroom. To
learn more about the ATA's School Outreach
Program, visit www.atanet.org/ata_school.
The 2017-2018 School Outreach Contest
is now open! The winner will receive a
free registration to ATA's 59th Annual
Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana
October 24-27, 2018. For more
information, visit www.atanet.org/ata_
school/school_outreach_contest.php.

Birgit Vosseler-Brehmer is an
ATA-certified English<>German
freelance translator based in
Andernach, Germany, specializing
in technical and business
management translations. She is
a member of ATA's School Outreach team. Contact:
bvb@bvb-translations.com.

Marybeth Timmermann posing with advanced Spanish students (including her son Matt, next to her in a black
shirt) and the result of their hands-on translation activity at Greenville High School in Greenville, Illinois.

www.atanet.org

http://www.atanet.org/ata_school http://www.atanet.org/ata_school/school_outreach_contest.php http://www.atanet.org/ata_school/school_outreach_contest.php http://www.atanet.org

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