The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2018 - 19

NEW CERTIFIED MEMBERS
English, French, Náhuatl, Maya, Tseltal,
and Italian (page 46). The vast majority
(84%) work bi-directionally in their
primary combination (page 47).
■■

■■

On the interpreting front, the most
common combinations, measured in
working days (20 or more days per
month), are Spanish plus one of the
following languages: English, Náhuatl,
and Mexican Sign Language (pages
69-70).
Though conference interpreting may
be the most prominent work setting,
interpreters also work as escort
interpreters and in community settings
with greater frequency (page 72).

Education, Training, and Technology
■■

■■

The majority of translators and
interpreters surveyed have completed
higher education in some subject area.
Over 50% have a bachelor's degree,
27% a master's degree or equivalent,
and 4% have a doctorate.
74% of indigenous language translators
and interpreters have a bachelor's
degree or higher (page 26).
Over one fifth of translators are selftaught, having not participated in any
translation-specific workshops, courses,
or programs. However, many are
formally trained in related fields such as
languages or interpreting (page 63).
The most common types of interpreting
training are courses (20+ hours),
diploma programs (120+ hours),
and conference workshops and
presentations. A significant portion
(16%) of interpreters do not have any
sort of training in the field (page 81).

■■

CAT tools, machine translation, and
voice recorders are the most commonly
used technology tools among translators
of any age (pages 66-67).

■■

Nearly half of the interpreters who
responded state that they do not use
technological tools in their work
(page 84).

Income, Income Sources, and
Professional Associations
■■

Translators and interpreters do not
live exclusively from their work in

www.atanet.org

Congratulations!
The following ATA members have successfully passed ATA's certification exam:
English into Arabic
Mahmoud Basal
Cairo, Egypt
English into French
Helene Conte
Chagrin Falls, OH
English into Finnish
Linda Hirvonen
Weston, FL

Camila Kohen
Chesterfield, MO
Tatiana Paolucci
Jacksonville, FL
Marcela Renna
Overland Park, KS
Manuel Vazquez
Miami, FL
Silvia Xalabarde
Alicante, Spain

English into German
Mikhael Abi-Saleh
Hancock, MN

Graciela Zozaya
Houston, TX

Marion Rhodes
Santee, CA

English into Ukrainian
Iryna Lebedyeva
Lviv, Ukraine

Bettina SchreibmaierClasen
Vienna, Austria
English into Russian
Veronika Demichelis
Katy, TX

French into English
Annie Sapucaia
Montreal, Canada
Sara Stavchansky
Dallas, TX

Kateryna Volobuieva
Zaporozhye, Ukraine

Amanda N. Williams
Marietta, GA

English into Spanish
Marina Ilari
Milwaukee, WI

Portuguese into English
Lesley C. Andrews
Clinton, MA

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Yuriy Vilner
Boston, MA
Spanish into English
Lydia M. Carter
Arlington, MA
Victoria Chavez-Kruse
Huntsburg, OH
Artemis Lopez
Washington, DC
Jennifer J. Nielsen
Brighton, CO
Diana Szilard
Houston, TX
Judith Taylor
Minneapolis, MN
Elizabeth Torres
Sayreville, NJ
Swedish into English
Alice R Klingener
Leyden, MA

Continued from page 5

Is There a Future in Freelance Translation? Let's Talk About It! | Christelle Maginot

Thank you for this informative and well-researched article. Unfortunately, most poorly
compensated professional translators wishing to enter the interpreting field are not
necessarily going to be in a better position than they are now.
Parallel developments in the fields of legal, medical, and conference interpreting are also
combining to drive down quality and qualifications in these areas. These developments include:
■■ The steady transition from on-site interpreters to phone and video remote interpreting
services in courts and hospitals.
■■ The increased hiring in state and federal court systems of uncertified court interpreters as a
significant cost-saving measure.
■■ The preferential use of foreign-based and lower priced U.S.-based interpreters working
both remotely or onsite at U.S. conferences.
■■ The general uninformed state of knowledge by judges, attorneys, medical providers,
and conference organizers who fail to recognize the difference in quality provided by a
certified interpreter, as compared to an untrained or poorly trained bilingual.
Kathleen Morris | Chicago, IL
American Translators Association

http://www.atanet.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2018