2011 Election results are in!
12/15/11
Congratulations to Marjon van den Bosch and Yetlie Morales-Macedo, who were re-elected as President and Treasurer of NCATA, respectively!
Their second terms will run until the end of 2013. Come help us welcome them back at the Annual Meeting on January 22, 2012.
Thank you to everyone who ran and who gives of their time, energy, and expertise to keep NCATA running!
NCATA elections coming soon: December 1-14, 2011
11/20/11
Elections for the offices of President and Treasurer of NCATA will take place December 1-14, 2011.
Candidate statements were sent by email to all members on November 16 and the voting will begin on December 1.
All votes will be taken electronically. Look for your elections email and if you have any questions, contact Theresa Shepherd, NCATA Secretary, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
More on the National Museum of Language
9/27/11
If you missed the Meet-up:
July's NCATA Meet-up featured a presentation from Jill Robbins, Co-founder of the National Museum of Language in College Park. The museum is a wonderful collection of resources and exhibits for those who love language. If you missed the Meet-up, Jill's presentation can be found here. Or visit the museum's website at www.languagemuseum.org.
Interpreting in the big leagues
9/3/11
Who says interpreting is all courthouses and conferences? The United Nations has no monopoly on glam jobs in this field.
The retirement last month of NBA star Yao Ming is a good time to remember that interpreting dream jobs aren't only found at the UN or the White House. When Yao first came to the US to play with the Houston Rockets, he spoke no English. He was paired up with Colin Pine, a young interpreter who was living in Washington, DC at the time and pondering his future. By answering what was certainly one of the most unique interpreting job ads ever posted, Colin became the voice of the 7-foot, 6-inch Rockets sensation to sports agents, fans and teammates, not to mention the worldwide press who helped make Yao a global icon.
Colin was side-by-side with Yao almost every minute during the star's first years in Houston, even living in the same house with Yao and his parents in Houston. He accompanied the Yao from the grocery store to the locker room to the team jet- just about everywhere except on the court during the game. For that, he sat on the Rockets bench. Colin's adventures were the subject of an entertaining (and perhaps inspirational, for some in the profession) piece on the popular public radio program, This American Life in 2003. It's about 20 minutes long, and you can listen to it here.
Website Update No. 3: New Photos in the Gallery
11/24/11
We have just posted new photos from NCATA events in the Photo Gallery. See pictures from the United Nations trip in May, the September Meet-up with the University of Maryland, the Summer Rooftop Party, and NCATA's table at the ATA Conference in Boston.
Click here to check it out!
Website Update No. 1: NCATA has a new website!
8/17/11
This week NCATA launches its completely redesigned website and all-new Membership Directory. In addition to the long-awaited visual upgrade, the website offers a virtual cornucopia of new features and content, all with the purpose of providing better service to members and essential information to the public.
If you can't stand the heat...head to the roof!
8/1/11
Summer Soirée
Despite the heat wave, members came out in record numbers last Thursday for NCATA’s annual summer social, catching a welcome breeze and enjoying the stunning panoramas from the rooftop at Camilla Bozzoli's Kalorama home.
Lillian Clementi speaks on direct client outreach at 5/17 NCATA meet-up
5/18/11
On Tuesday evening, May 17th, NCATA members heard a presentation from Lillian Clementi, Managing Principal of Lingua Legal and a well-known contributor to the translation and interpreting community for many years. In addition to operating her business, Lillian is a former NCATA President and has served on the ATA Public Relations Committee since 1992. She is a frequent author and speaker on issues of interest to the language services industry.
The topic on Tuesday evening was cultivating relationships directly with clients and advancing the translating and interpreting professions. Lillian based her talk on the ATA Client Outreach Kit, a complete set of direct client outreach tools whose development was spearheaded by Lillian, together with Chris Durban, Dorothee Racette. Expert tips and planning advice from the Kit were available to all attending that evening via Lillian's presentation. The Kit is also accessible at http://atanet.org/client_outreach/.
Read more: Lillian Clementi speaks on direct client outreach at 5/17 NCATA meet-up
NCATA members tour UN headquarters in New York
5/4/11
Have you ever wanted to get a glimpse of the world of translating and interpreting at the United Nations? About 30 NCATA members joined by Howard University T&I students recently had a chance to take a closer look at how these jobs are done at the UN headquarters in New York City.
The group headed off to New York City for the day on May 2, 2011 by chartered coach. Margarita Tobar (NCATA Vice President) and Evelyn Yang Garland (NCATA Programming Co-Chair) led the way as organizers and tour guides. After meeting up at a hotel lobby in downtown DC, they headed for the highway, with the good fortune of having a bus driver who was not only a long-time DC resident but also a native New Yorker (meaning he knew all the best routes in and out of both cities).