The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2023 - 7

This will give outgoing
officers a final chance to
nominate a distinguished
speaker while giving
incoming officers a year to
prepare and research speaker
candidates for 2025. We'll
continue discussing further
changes to the distinguished
speaker model with division
leadership, including the
opportunity for divisions
to collaborate or " share " a
distinguished speaker.
ATA's Annual
Conference is our
flagship event,
and we're always
looking for ways to
make it a fantastic
experience for
attendees, speakers,
exhibitors, and
sponsors.
Conference Tracks: Another
challenge that many
conference organizers before
me have dealt with is the
number of conference tracks
at a typical ATA Annual
Conference. With almost
30 language- and subjectspecific
conference tracks, it
has been increasingly difficult
to schedule something for
everyone and offer a variety
of sessions for beginners
and veterans alike. So, the
time has come to rethink our
conference tracks, and you'll
notice this in the call for
proposals for ATA64.
By introducing new
conference tracks, we're able
to highlight important and
specific areas of translation
and interpreting (e.g.,
conference interpreting,
translation and interpreting
in education, localization,
etc.) as well as bring attention
to such important topics
as working in languages of
lesser diffusion and diversity,
equity, and inclusion in
T&I. Please check the call
for speaker proposals for the
new list of conference tracks,
which now also includes a
description of each track.
You'll also notice that you can
now submit either a 30- or
60-minute session proposal.
New for ATA64!
New this year, we'll also
be hosting three types
of conference sessions:
ATA Microtalks, ATA
Professional Forums, and
ATA Committee Forums.
ATA Microtalks are meant
to be engaging and dynamic.
Speakers will have 15 minutes
to address a topic of interest
for translators, interpreters,
and/or language services
providers. Think TED-style
talks for language nerds!
ATA Professional Forums
will offer divisions an
Useful Links
ATA64 Conference Website
ATA64 Call for Speaker Proposals
" How to Submit a Successful ATA Annual Conference
Proposal " (Free Webinar!)
ATA64 Promo Video
ATA63 Video Recap
opportunity to discuss
important issues facing
professionals working
in a specific language
combination or field of
expertise. These sessions
are not presentations,
nor are they meant to
replace annual division
meetings. Think of these
as interactive discussions
led by a moderator, where
participants work together
to address professional
issues and discuss
possible solutions. We'll
have a limited number of
60-minute slots available
for Professional Forums,
and division leadership
will need to submit a
request through the Call for
Proposals. Divisions can also
collaborate and request a
joint Professional Forum.
ATA Committee Forums
will offer ATA committees
an opportunity to give
a brief update about the
activities, initiatives, and
resources they're working
on and answer questions
from attendees. This is an
opportunity for conference
attendees to learn about
the work of various ATA
committees, meet committee
members, and offer their time
and talents as a volunteer.
We'll have a limited number
of 15-minute slots available
for Committee Forums, and
committee chairs will need to
submit a request through the
Call for Proposals.
Other ideas we're working
on include revamping some
of the conference events,
updating conference badges,
and enhancing the Exhibit
Hall experience and the
sponsorship packages.
I'll share more updates in
future columns.
I'm very excited about these
changes and hope that they
will help boost your ATA64
experience. I look forward to
seeing you in Miami October
25-28, 2023!
www.ata-chronicle.online
American Translators Association 7

https://www.atanet.org/ata64/ https://www.atanet.org/ata64/call-for-speakers/ https://www.atanet.org/video/how-to-submit-a-successful-ata-annual-conference-proposal/ https://www.atanet.org/video/how-to-submit-a-successful-ata-annual-conference-proposal/ https://www.atanet.org/ata-events/annual-conference/ https://www.atanet.org/video/ata-63rd-annual-conference-highlights/ https://www.atanet.org/ata64/call-for-speakers/ https://www.atanet.org/ata64/call-for-speakers/ http://www.ata-chronicle.online

The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2023

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