The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2020 - 21

ATA Mentoring Program: The Mentoring
Program was originally conceived by former
ATA Secretary Courtney Searls-Ridge, who
administered the program alone for roughly
10 years before Susanne van Eyl took charge
in 2011 and tweaked the format to boost
participation. This ATA member benefit was
recently brought under the umbrella of the
Business Practices Education Committee,
where it is once again being revamped.
The Mentoring Program pairs
translators and interpreters seeking to
learn a new skill with ATA members
possessing more experience in the
relevant area. Mentees are typically
industry newcomers, although students
and linguists with less than one year
of experience are directed to The Savvy
Newcomers blog (more on this below).
Even longtime ATA members can benefit
from the mentee experience if they would
like to learn something new; for example,
adding a new specialty, marketing
to direct clients, becoming a better
proofreader, or fine-tuning their business
skills. Key to the mentee's success over
the course of the program is the
articulation of clear and actionable goals
at the outset. For more information,
visit https://bit.ly/ATA-mentoring.
The program begins each year on April
1 with an application deadline in early
March. Previously, it ran for 12 months, but
beginning this year the program will run for
six months, after which the mentor-mentee
pair will have the option of extending for
an additional six months. The application
process is more streamlined if you have
paired up with a mentor and agreed on
your objectives. But if you haven't already
found one, the Mentoring Committee can
pair you with a suitable mentor. Mentees
and mentors generally meet about once
per month, typically via Skype or a similar
platform for Q&A or other discussion. It's
also worth noting that certified translators
earn continuing education points for
participating. If this sounds intriguing and
you think you would like to be a mentor
or a mentee, please contact the Mentoring
Committee at mentoring@atanet.org
and mark your calendar for the 2021
program year!
Masterminds Program: The committee also
has a Masterminds program in the works.
The idea is to bring together independent
www.atanet.org

groups of around a half-dozen self-guided
professional peers of approximately
the same level of experience to discuss
opportunities and things they have struggled
with in their business. These peer groups
will typically meet for six to 12 months in
a venue of their choosing to brainstorm
solutions and set goals, as well as to
encourage and hold each other accountable
for attaining their goals. This is conceived as
a supplement to the Mentoring Program and
other ATA continuing education offerings.
The program is expected to be launched
later this year at the ATA's 61st Annual
Conference in Boston-yet another reason
to attend!
The Savvy Newcomer Blog: Always
popular, The Savvy Newcomer blog aims to
provide high-quality, peer-reviewed content
directed at newcomers to the industry,
although the information is often also
relevant for more experienced practitioners.
The blog began as an independent activity,
yet always collaborated informally with the
Business Practices Education Committee
and looked to the Business Practices
listserv as a source of inspiration for blog
topics. So, it seemed a natural fit for the
Practices Education Committee when
ATA decided a few years ago that it was
time to bring the blog under the umbrella
of a committee; nevertheless, it remains
essentially an autonomous operation.
The Savvy Newcomer was founded by
Spanish Language Division members
Helen Eby, Jamie Hartz, and Daniela
Guanipa in 2013, but was ultimately
the product of a broader effort by ATA
to assist students and newcomers to the
profession that went through several stages
of development before taking on its current
form. Meanwhile, the founding members
are part of a whole team of volunteers
working to provide fresh and reposted
content on a weekly basis. Topics include
"So You Want to Be a Freelance Translator
(or Interpreter): Starting from Scratch,"
"Questions to Ask Before You Accept a
Translation Project," "Attending Your
Clients' Conferences," and "Translating for
Pharma." Of course, this barely scratches
the surface of what the blog has to offer,
so if you haven't visited lately, check it out
under https://atasavvynewcomer.org.
A New Blog for Experienced Translators/
Interpreters: Finally, the committee is

busy developing another blog to be geared
toward more experienced translators and
interpreters, with content to be added
initially on a monthly basis. The name of
this new blog was recently determined
by vote in a poll posted to the Business
Practices listserv. Henceforth, it will be
known by popular demand as... (drumroll
please)... The ATA Business Practices Blog.
A launch date has not been set, but look
to this blog for guidance on next level
business practices later this year when it is
expected to go live.

The committee is currently looking
for a social media manager to
coordinate and promote its blog
content on social media.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
Now that we've answered the question
of what the Business Practices Education
Committee is doing for ATA members, you
may find yourself wondering what you can
do for the committee. As a matter of fact, the
committee is currently looking for a social
media manager to coordinate and promote
its blog content on social media. This would
be a great way for a gregarious newcomer
to raise their profile or for any ATA member
who enjoys social media to give back to the
profession. Complete the form online at
https://buff.ly/2YfpoaQ if you are interested
in becoming the committee's social media
manager. And if you have any questions,
you can contact Sarah Symons Glegorio
at sarahsg@sharktranslations.com for
more information.
Michael Engley, CT is currently
a member of ATA's Business
Practices Education Committee.
Previously, he served as
administrator and assistant
administrator of the German
Language Division (GLD), as well as the dictionary
review coordinator for the GLD's newsletter
interaktiv. He is an ATA-certified German>English
translator specializing in corporate
communications and financial translation.
Contact: michael@bullishtranslations.com.
American Translators Association

21
https://www.bit.ly/ATA-mentoring https://www.buff.ly/2YfpoaQ https://www.atasavvynewcomer.org http://www.atanet.org
The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2020

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