The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2022 - 4

FROM THE PRESIDENT
Looking Back while Moving Forward
MADALENA
SÁNCHEZ ZAMPAULO
president@atanet.org
@mszampaulo
he end of the year
is always a time for
reflection. And if we
reflect on the past year in
ATA, I think it's safe to say
that it's been a year of big
wins and growth in several
areas of our Association.
T
It's safe to say
that it's been a
year of big wins
and growth in
several areas of
our Association.
Advocacy: Our Advocacy
Committee has had quite a
year. Under the leadership
of Ben Karl, the committee
has responded to multiple
calls for action and stepped
up in ways that make
us all proud to be ATA
members. The committee
has drafted letters to various
organizations, including
the City of Santa Maria, the
Oregon Health Authority,
the Court Administration
Office of the Eighth Judicial
District Court in Nevada, the
Department of Health and
Human Services' Office for
Civil Rights, U.S. Department
of Labor, and several others.
The committee also shared
a presentation at ATA63 on
how members can become
more involved as advocates
in the T&I professions. I
know we'll continue to see
our ATA Advocacy team
stepping up in the coming
year. (Read about ATA's
most recent advocacy
effort involving the U.S.
Department of Labor on page
9 of this issue!)
Professional Development:
The Professional Development
Committee, chaired by Nora
Díaz, has been dedicated to
bringing ATA members the
4 The ATA Chronicle | November/December 2022
highest level of continuing
education opportunities
on a variety of subjectspecific
and languagespecific
topics. The
committee has expanded
its offerings to include
workshops, webinars,
and even a professional
development podcast series
on specialization. Committee
members have also been
working to organize a virtual
conference that we hope will
take place in the spring of
next year. So, watch your
inbox for more information
on this as plans unfold.
Ethics and Professional
Responsibility: The Ethics
Committee, chaired by Robin
Bonthrone, has been working
diligently to revise the ATA
Code of Ethics. This revision,
which started under the
previous Ethics Committee
Chair, Jill Sommer, is now
complete, and the Board
recently approved the revised
code, which will take effect
January 1, 2023. You'll find
information about it on ATA's
website soon, and you'll
be asked to agree to abide
by the Code of Ethics and
Professional Responsibility
when you renew your
membership for 2023.
Certification: Our
Certification Committee,
under the leadership of
David Stephenson, took
our new online testing
platform to the next level
this year. Not only can you
now take the certification
exam online, but you can
take it on demand. This is
a huge accomplishment
and one that began under
the leadership of the late
Michèle Hansen. I'm grateful
to this group who picked up
this project and made the
on-demand option a reality,
making the exam available to
more members anywhere in
the world.
ATA Website: As you know,
ATA's website has come a
long way over the past few
years! In fact, not only did
we completely revamp
the website, but Website
Manager and Graphic
Designer Teresa Kelly at
ATA Headquarters took
it to a whole new level.
And, because of this hard
work, ATA was recognized
this past summer at the
International Federation
of Translators (FIT) World
Congress in Cuba, where we
were awarded the FIT Prize
for Best Website. Thanks to
Teresa and to ad hoc
website committee chair,
Karen Tkaczyk, for leading
this effort!
Honorary Members: Perhaps
one of the most significant
changes in ATA in 2022
was the decision by ATA
Executive Director Walter
" Mooch " Bacak to wrap
up his time with us. Mooch
served our Association for
28 years. He has been, in
many ways, the institutional
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The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2022

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