Dear school friends,
I’d like to share something with you at this time. Last year I attended the ATA Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. I realized I never got to share what I experienced there by written means. And as the next conference approaches “XIX World International Congress: Bridging Cultures” that will be held in San Francisco, California, which I will be attending. I will attempt to help you realize new possibilities you may try in the near future. As a translation student at the Autonomous University of Baja California UABC, attending any conference is indeed a major undertaking for anyone who goes to any state university in Mexico, since it takes money and time. But I’ll tell you, it pays off in a major way. Any conference out of our comfort zone, let’s say Baja California, is in my opinion the ultimate worth experiencing. Approximately 1500 people attended the 51st ATA Annual Conference last year. The organizers did a fantastic job. From the reception, the division open house, sessions, the exhibit hall to how to get around town, everything was perfect.
I’ll start with the welcome reception; it was a fun and right time to mingle among peers, as well as to talk to very interesting people. Translators and interpreters always have something to say. I found it hard not to listen as well as to be quiet. As attendees we were given tokens to exchange them for drinks. As for me my choice was red wine, for others it was cocktails, beers or just drinking water. What a pity champagne wasn’t being offered! It’ll be a fun night to remember.
The sessions offered were varied from practical to quirky, presented by speakers from all over the world. Different insights in diversity as in depth were set. I couldn’t attend as many sessions as I wanted however; I am satisfied with what I learned from some of the most experienced people in the field.
The Exhibit Hall had it all: translation agencies, colleges, universities, online courses, equipment, books, software, online information sources, a job market place and more. Anything you wouldn’t think existed for translators was there. Everything there seemed to be a lifetime investment. I bought some books for my personal library.
From the conferences I attended in Mexico and now in the US. I’ve learned a great deal, and not just from the sessions: it is the socializing part that I find especially exciting. Perhaps because translators tend to be isolated working from their homes and hardly ever have a chance to spend time with people experiencing comparable lifestyles and work habits. As I was told at the first time attendee session “Never eat alone while here”, so I got to meet more people than I would have in whole year at UABC. Plus my hunger was always satisfied with great food from the local cuisine.
In addition to all these great things, I enjoyed the city. The foliage experience Denver offered me at that time of the year, November, was spectacular. This is what captivated my attention the most. Just by walking on the streets, the golden colors of the aspen trees mixed with green, orange and red made me calm and relax. Luckily, I got there just in time when the town was awash in picturesque tones. Plus, stunning architecture, delicious cuisine, and I’ll never forget the beautiful local people I met.
What I am trying to convey here is that going to these events is an investment that pays off in many ways: as a great opportunity for students to get a gist of what we are entering by studying translation, to attach a face to the names of people we might have read about, as a learning experience, as a discovery trip to cities, places and settings we haven’t seen before. For these reasons I encourage you to take the first step.
Give a chance to the XV Congreso Internacional de Traducción e Interpretación San Jerónimo, “Traducción: ¿tierra de nadie?” October 2011, Guadalajara, Jalisco, hosted by OMT (Organización Mexicana de Traductores) or 52nd Annual ATA Conference, Boston Massachusetts (American Translators Association) November 2011
Thank you for reading.
http://www.omt.org.mx/congreso.htm
http://www.atanet.org/conf/2011/
For further information feel free to ask iochoaperez@gmail.com
