ATA Urges U.S. Government to Reinstate Safe Pathways for Afghan Allies Who Served Alongside U.S. Troops as Interpreters and Translators
In response to recent executive actions impacting our fellow interpreters and translators who were allies of the United States in Afghanistan, the American Translators Association has issued a statement urging President Trump, his cabinet, and members of Congress to reinstate pathways for these colleagues to seek safety in the U.S., emphasizing the important role translators and interpreters play in all sectors of society and government. ATA similarly encouraged President Biden to act in support of Afghan interpreters in 2021 and now calls upon President Trump to follow through on the nation’s promise to protect those who served alongside our troops abroad at great personal risk.
Call for Speakers: Submission Deadline Extended
You still have time to submit a session proposal for ATA’s 66th Annual Conference, October 22-25, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts!
The submission deadline has been extended.
Submit Your Proposal by March 10, 2025!
Submission Is Open to Everyone
You do not have to be an ATA member to submit a proposal. ATA66 will feature speakers from around the world – working translators and interpreters (many of whom are also educators), attorneys, physicians, CEOs, and managers. They all have much to share. This is your opportunity to join their ranks, leverage your expertise, build your reputation, and help shape the future of the T&I industry.
All proposals will be assessed through a competitive peer-review process.
Submitting Your Proposal
What is your area of expertise? What topic do you wish to address as an ATA66 speaker? You’ll find the full list of session topics and descriptions on the ATA66 Conference website.
Click here to learn how to submit a session proposal.
Two new session topics have been added to the conference:
- Translation Theory & Skills Improvement – Sessions with this topic will focus on translation theory as it applies to the practice of professional translators, as well as specific skills development to improve practice.
- Interpreting Theory & Skills Improvement – Sessions with this topic will focus on interpreting theory as it applies to the practice of professional interpreters, as well as specific skills development to improve practice.
We hope you’ll consider sharing your expertise at the premiere conference for T&I professionals and look forward to celebrating with you at ATA66!
Need More Information?
If you have any questions, please contact Catherine (Cat) Kenol, Senior Professional Development and Events Coordinator at ata66speakers@gt5cheats.com.
New York City Council and New York Immigration Coalition Announce Launch of State’s First Language Access Bank
New York City Council (1/29/25)
The New York City Council, along with the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and community partners, announced the launch of New York City’s first Community Interpreter Bank.
The NYC Community Interpreter Bank will centralize interpreting services available to immigrants across the five boroughs. The initiative will also create sustainable pathways for community members to gain certification and employment as interpreters who provide essential language services to limited-English-proficient New Yorkers for city-funded legal service providers, community navigation sites, and NYC Council offices. Interpreters fluent in the most commonly requested languages will help ensure that every immigrant in the city can access services and information in their preferred language.
The second of its kind in the country, and the first in the state of New York, the NYC Community Interpreter Bank will recruit interpreters from around the city, including those contracted with other worker-owned language cooperatives and interpreters who have completed the interpreter certification courses at Hostos Community College (part of the City University of New York). These interpreters will work as independent contractors, delivering vital language services across the city.
“We are proud to celebrate the council’s investments to create the city’s first Community Interpreter Bank, which will help ensure that services are available in the languages that residents speak,” said NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
“Language interpreting services are a vital pillar of a healthy, thriving, and diverse New York City, for both new and long-term immigrants navigating complex systems in an unfamiliar language,” said Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of NYIC. “The NYC Community Interpreter Bank ensures these individuals can access critical services in their preferred language while also creating a direct pipeline to employment for New Yorkers trained in interpreting.”
Tennessee Bill Would Require English-Only Driver’s License Exams, Prohibit Translation Aids
The Tennessean (2/10/25) By Vivian Jones
A proposed bill filed in the Tennessee legislature would require all written driver’s license exams to be offered only in English.
State Representative Kip Capley and State Senator Bo Watson are sponsoring Senate Bill 1373, which would ban the administration of written driver’s license exams in any language but English and prohibit the use of translation dictionaries, electronic devices, and interpreters to assist a person taking the exam. Capley proposed a similar bill in 2024, but it stalled in the Senate. If passed, the measure would take effect on July 1.
According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, around 12,494 written exams are taken in a language other than English each year. Written driver’s license exams are currently offered in English, Spanish, German, Korean, and Japanese. Translation dictionaries are also allowed during the exam, but an interpreter is not.
Luis Mata, policy coordinator for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said he believes the bill would not only violate the rights of non-English-speaking Tennesseans under the Civil Rights Act, but would also make roads less safe.
“This is a regressive piece of legislation that would hinder economic and cultural opportunities for people who call Tennessee home and would compromise road safety for everyone,” Mata said. “This bill would have the effect of making it harder for families to get to and from work or school. It would also perpetuate this anti-immigrant language coming from our state legislature.”
Mata sees restricting language offerings as the “beginning of a slippery slope” of the state not making documents and forms available in languages many Tennesseans speak.
“Our diversity makes our state stronger,” Mata said. “This is not only an attack against one group or one community. This English language-only effort is an attack on all our immigrant communities.”
New York Metro Transit Systems Add On-Demand Sign Language Interpreters
Engadget (2/10/25) By Cherlynn Low
The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) just made it easier for deaf and hard-of-hearing New Yorkers and tourists to communicate with transit staff, just by scanning a QR code.
Convo, a company that connects people with American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters on demand, recently announced a partnership with the New York Transit Authority, New Jersey Transit, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to bring its service to area airports, trains, and other major transit hubs. This includes the MTA subway system, the Long Island Rail Road, and NJTransit.
Through this partnership, QR codes will be placed at various locations across those systems, and scanning them will launch Convo’s web app through a browser. The user will be asked to grant access to their microphone and camera, and they’ll then be connected to a real-time sign language interpreter on their devices. This, of course, requires people to have mobile phones or tablets with working internet connections, which might not always be reliable. To address this issue, the MTA has been adding Wi-Fi coverage to subway stations across its network. Many of these QR codes are also being placed at customer service booths for added accessibility and convenience.
Convo’s service in the New York and New Jersey transit systems is free, and its app Convo Now provides 20 free minutes per month to all users who need sign language interpreters. For now, ASL is the default.
Convo and its partners had been conducting pilot tests at Penn Station, Times Square, and the Port Authority terminal for months. In a press release, the company stated that, in general, users reported “feelings of empowerment, inclusion, and newfound confidence in interacting with transit staff.” The company added that 44 out of 47 users were able to successfully access the service during the pilot testing phase.
“As we deploy this out to the MTA, we’re going to learn the types of behaviors, the types of requests, and the types of challenges that we’re going to face,” said Jarrod Musano, Convoy’s chief executive officer.
Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA’s chief accessibility officer, said New York is the perfect location for this pilot program because of the high volume of residents and tourists. “No other transit system in all of North America has the volume that we have, with over six million customers daily between our trains, our buses, our railroads, and we’re giving that service to everybody,” Arroyo said. “That customer base has a myriad of needs, and that’s what makes this case study so important and so impactful.”
Deaf Professor Alleges Disability Discrimination in Lawsuit Against Penn State
Penn State News (2/18/25) By Geoff Rushton
A Penn State professor who is deaf has filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against the university alleging it violated federal civil rights laws when it revoked his American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and provided him with inadequate alternatives.
Joseph Valente, an associate professor of education at Penn State since 2010 and co-director of the Center for Disability Studies, said the university violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act as a cost-cutting measure and retaliated against him when he sought to have his disability accommodation restored.
According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania, a plan to provide Valente with two full-time designated ASL interpreters and qualified backups familiar with his academic subject matter was formalized in 2013-14. However, in 2021, the university “unilaterally decided to reduce ASL interpreting services to one full-time interpreter,” and, according to the lawsuit, implemented the reduction in 2023 through a “Reasonable Accommodation Framework” developed without Valente’s knowledge.
The framework “imposes arbitrary restrictions on interpreter access based primarily on meeting size, disregarding crucial factors such as meeting duration, subject matter complexity, specialized academic vocabulary, and interpreter fatigue,” Valente’s attorneys wrote. Interpreter services for faculty meetings were replaced with AI-generated captions that often fail to provide accurate and contextually appropriate translations for academic discussions.
When Valente began advocating to have his original accommodation terms restored, he said the university retaliated against him. The lawsuit claims that, starting in 2023, faculty began soliciting complaints against him, refusing to provide Valente with information about any allegations. In 2024, the university abruptly canceled his graduate-level classes, and he alleges the three doctoral students and one master’s degree student he advised were encouraged to seek alternate advisors.
“Penn State’s actions have marginalized Dr. Valente within the academic community, caused significant project delays, and inflicted financial harm,” his attorneys wrote.
Valente is seeking, among other relief, unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, restoration of his two full-time ASL interpreters, a centralized funding system for the accommodation, an oversight mechanism for accommodation decisions, and implementation of comprehensive disability training programs.
“Through this action, Dr. Valente seeks to vindicate not only his own rights under federal disability law, but also to ensure that Penn State fulfills its legal obligations to provide reasonable accommodations to faculty members with disabilities and maintain an academic environment free from discrimination and retaliation,” the attorneys wrote.
Senate Panel Kills Effort to Track English Learner Funding
Virginia Mercury (2/17/25) By Nathaniel Cline
A push to examine how Virginia funds English language learners (ELLs) in public schools was shut down after the state’s Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee rejected a proposal for data collection on the issue.
House Bill 2032 would have directed the Virginia Department of Education to collect data on expenditures and proficiency levels for ELL students. The measure also called for the identification of additional support strategies and a status report to lawmakers later this year.
The effort stemmed from a 2023 report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), which found that Virginia has been underfunding schools under the Standards of Quality — the state’s funding formula for public education. Lawmakers had requested the report to identify gaps in school funding and determine whether ELL students were receiving adequate resources.
The funding gap is stark. A 2022 study from EdTrust, an education advocacy group, showed that Virginia school districts serving the highest number of ELL students receive 48% less revenue per student than districts with fewer ELL students.
“I think it’s important for us, as a commonwealth, to provide funding for the requirements that we set forth, so that local appropriations are not needed to close that gap,” Representative Atoosa Reaser, the legislation’s sponsor, said. “That’s money that belongs to the taxpayer; and the state should be, in my opinion, funding its fair share, which the House budget works toward.”
Now Accepting Nominations for ATA’s 2025 Elections!
The 2025 Nominating and Leadership Development Committee is pleased to announce the call for nominations from ATA’s membership to fill the following positions:
- President-Elect (two-year term)
- Secretary (two-year term)
- Treasurer (two-year term)
- Director (three positions, each for a three-year term)
Elections will be held at the Annual Meeting of Voting Members during ATA’s 66th Annual Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, October 22-25, 2025.
Who Is Eligible to be Nominated?
Under ATA’s Bylaws, all Active members of ATA are eligible to run for elected office. Active members are those who have passed an ATA certification exam or who are established as having achieved professional status through Active Membership Review or through the Credentialed Interpreter recognition process.
Active members must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. Other member categories are not eligible to serve as officers or directors. However, any member may submit a nomination.
Members of the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee are not eligible to run for elected office.
Submit Your Nomination
Any ATA member may submit a nomination. Self-nominations are also permitted and encouraged.
Members may make a nomination using the online form on the elections page on ATA’s website. Nominations should be submitted as early as possible so the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee can fully consider proposed candidates.
Nominations must be received by March 28, 2025.
Renew Your ATA Membership for 2025!
Whether you’re an independent contractor, an in-house linguist, or a language services company owner, ATA provides you with the marketing, education, and opportunities you need to be successful in your translation or interpreting business.
Here’s an overview of all the benefits ATA offers!
Take Advantage of ATA’s Divisions
When renewing, please check that you are a member of the divisions you would like to be in and join others that may be of interest. This can be done by logging into your ATA account and clicking on Divisions on the left side. Learn more about ATA’s divisions.
Apply for ATA’s Mentoring Program
Get the support you need! ATA’s Mentoring Program offers matching services to members at different stages in their careers. Mentees and mentors benefit from this mutually rewarding program. Application Deadline: March 31.
Learn More about the Mentoring Program
Welcome New ATA Headquarters Team Members!
We’re pleased to welcome the following individuals to our professional team at ATA Headquarters:
Inge Hafkemeyer is our new Manager of Professional Development & Events. Inge brings over 30 years of valuable expertise in conference management, project management, and marketing, which will be instrumental in providing ATA members events to improve their skills and expertise.
Kim Munroe is our new Membership Coordinator. Kim brings valuable expertise in member engagement, project management, and marketing, which will be instrumental in driving our initiatives for member recruitment and retention.
March 13
ATA Virtual Workshop Presented by Gabriela Escarrá
“Words that Work: Intensive Copywriting Workshop”
Register Here
March 15
ATA Webinar Presented by Delfina Morganti Hernandez
“Digital Marketing for Translators, Part 1: Email Marketing That Works”
Register Here
March 20
ATA Webinar Presented by Devin Gilbert
“Developing Expertise in Interpreting: Reflection, Feedback, and Repetition”
Register Here
March 25
ATA Webinar Presented by Ehsan Etezad and Sam Pournezhad
“Preventing Burnout in Healthcare for Translators and Interpreters”
Register Here
April 3
ATA Webinar Presented by Philippe Mercier
“Wordscope + ChatGPT for Translators”
Register Here
April 8
ATA Webinar Presented by Florencia Russo
“From Words to Workflows: Mastering Translation Tech for Peak Performance”
Register Here
April 12
ATA Webinar Presented by Chris Guichot de Fortis
“Professional Performance, All the Time! Part 3”
Register Here
June 10
ATA Webinar Presented by Paula Ianelli
“Strategies for Excellence in Remote Simultaneous Interpreting”
Register Here
See ATA’s Online Calendar for translation & interpreting events around the world.
Member News
A space dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of our members!
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- EagleEye Trans Inc. is now classified as an ISO-certified service provider for translation (translation, editing, proofreading) and MTPE projects.
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