The Translating Division is the largest of the Institute’s four Divisions, with some 4000 members. The Division welcomes all members of the Institute who are working as professional translators, as well as student members interested in a career in translation. The Division is run by a volunteer Management Committee, elected at the Divisional AGM in May.
The purpose of the Division is to provide services to members in the form of:
· professional development events
· networking opportunities
· informal peer-to-peer support through its various e-groups
· resources for practising translators
All our activities are subsidised by an annual grant from the Institute, allowing us to offer events and other services at a reasonable cost to members.
Professional development events
The Division organises a programme of events such as workshops, talks and software demonstrations throughout the year and aims to cater to the needs of both experienced translators and new entrants to the profession. Details of our current events are listed below and are publicised in The Linguist, on our e-groups and via our Divisional mailing list.
Networking
The Division provides a range of face-to-face networking opportunities for members, both at its formal professional development events and at social occasions.
E-groups
Our e-groups – branded under the ‘TransNet’ banner – are forums for members to exchange information on a variety of translation-related topics. Queries posted on the general TransNet e-group cover subjects such as translation technology, certification of translations, working as a freelancer and a range of business issues. TransNet also has language-specific e-groups for terminological queries and support. Currently there are dedicated e-groups for translators working from and into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian and Eastern European languages.
TransNet is coordinated by one of our Division members, Erika Baker: please
click here to email her for TransNet joining instructions.
Resources
The Translator’s Pack, a series of PDF factsheets, is full of useful information for practising translators. The pack is available free of charge to Institute members: please contact the Management Committee via the email address below. The Translator’s Pack can also be downloaded from the TransNet members' page.
News/Reports
The Translators’ Arms
The Translators’ Arms is the name of a series of local, “bite-size” professional development and networking events run by the Translating Division.
The TD committee recognises that busy translators are not always able to give up a whole day for a professional development event – but members have also told us how much they enjoy getting away from their computers and meeting up with colleagues face-to-face.
Each Translators’ Arms event focuses on a specific, practical aspect of working as a translator, such as a particular technological or business issue, and includes plenty of time for questions and discussion.
Events are held on Fridays and follow a simple pattern of tea/coffee, a presentation of 45-60 minutes, time for questions and lunch at a nearby pub or café for anyone who would like to join in. If the idea proves popular, we would like to see Translators’ Arms opening in as many towns and cities around the country as there are members willing to act as “landlords”!
The first Translators’ Arms event was held at the newly refurbished Church Street Library in London in mid-August 2011. Our speaker was Ana Iaria, whose topic was ‘The Translator’s Office: from chairs to productivity tools’.
On 7 October, Karen Stokes spoke on “The Translator’s visibility: building your professional profile”, exploring successful strategies and practical tips for translators to develop their professional profile and the benefits to practitioners and the profession of greater visibility.
Dr Heather Fulford took over the reins for the third event in the series on 25 November, with a presentation entitled “Mind your own business: resources for freelancers”. Dr Fulford’s starting point was the importance of producing a business plan – not only when establishing your business but also on a regular basis – stressing its importance as a ‘live’ document. She then went on to explore specific areas of the plan in detail, including market research, finance, operations, marketing, sales and human resources, ending with a consideration of retirement and succession planning. Dr Fulford provided details of useful websites and other sources of business information throughout her presentation, which was followed by a lively discussion of members’ own experiences as freelance translators dealing with the realities of doing business in the sector.
Further Translators’ Arms events are being organised in early 2012. Translating Division events are also publicised via TransNet and the Division’s events mailing list.
Events
An Evening with… Professor Donald White
27 January 2012
The Translating Division is delighted to welcome Professor Donald White for a reading from his translation of Thelen's novel “Die Insel des Zweiten Gesichts”, followed by questions and a wine reception. The novel is a semi-autobiographical work, based on the author's own experiences in the 1930s on Mallorca in the years just prior to the Spanish Civil War.
Members are welcome to stay on for a meal at a nearby restaurant: please indicate on the booking form whether you will be joining us.
Cost: £20 members (£25 non members)
Over-Seas House, St James's Street, London SW1A 1LR; 6-7.45 pm
The Translators’ Arms
Lunchtime professional development events for translators: see above under News/Reports for more information.
10 February 2012
Speaker: Janet Fraser
Topic: “Reflection Skills for Translators" part 1
9 March 2012
Speaker: Janet Fraser
Topic: “Reflection Skills for Translators" part 2
The concept of the ‘reflective practitioner’ is frequently cited in discussions on training and professionalism, but what does it actually mean for translators? What do we stand to gain from taking time out from our everyday work to ‘reflect’ on our practice? What does ‘reflecting’ involve? And how on earth do we go about it?
This hands-on, two-part workshop will briefly explore some of the theory before giving participants a chance to develop their reflective skills in guided practical exercises. Participants will be asked to take part in exercises during both workshops, so please come equipped with pen and paper!
Cost for both workshops: £20 including tea/coffee (£30 non members)
Venue: London Councils 59½ Southwark Street, Southwark, London SE1 0AL
Management Committee
The Translating Division Management Committee encourages active participation and suggestions from the membership. We are happy to hear from members interested in finding out more about supporting the Division’s activities in either a formal or informal capacity.
Committee list 2011-12
