| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Are you a member of a professional translation association? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
| | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:31
German to English
+ ...
I'm a qualified member of the ITI in the UK. I used to be a member of the IOL but let it lapse as it didn't seem to give me anything apart from letters after my name.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:31
Spanish to English
+ ...
There's a Groucho quote about that somewhere, but I'm too busy to look for that right now...
| | | | Giles Watson
Italy
Local time: 23:31
Italian to English
In memoriam | I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member | Mar 4, 2014 |
Moi aussi je suis marxiste, tendance groucho 
| | |
|
|
|
Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:31
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam
The quote you're thinking of is: "I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member", or something like that.
I am MITI & FCIoL, though I agree with Mary that the ITI is the more useful of the two.
| | | |
If JAT - or, the Japan Association of Translators - counts.
Just loved the Groucho Marx quote. 
Fixed typos
[Edited at 2014-03-04 08:55 GMT]
[Edited at 2014-03-05 01:36 GMT]
| | | | | CIoL and K&S - Communication and Language Professionals Denmark | Mar 4, 2014 |
Communication and Language Professionals Denmark is both a trade union and a professional association.
It runs some useful courses and is quite active, but as it covers a very wide range of 'communication professionals' and is at present negotiating to merge with the Journalists' union, it has come a long way since its parent union was started by a group of language secretaries in the 1970s.
I do not qualify to be state authorised, so although I can work with the State... See more Communication and Language Professionals Denmark is both a trade union and a professional association.
It runs some useful courses and is quite active, but as it covers a very wide range of 'communication professionals' and is at present negotiating to merge with the Journalists' union, it has come a long way since its parent union was started by a group of language secretaries in the 1970s.
I do not qualify to be state authorised, so although I can work with the State Authorised Translators (a protected title) I can never join them.
Have often considered ITI, but never got round to it... How many associations does one actually need? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mike Sadler (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:31
Spanish to English
+ ...
| What benefits have colleagues gained from membership? | Mar 4, 2014 |
I was a member of the IOL many years ago, but let it lapse as, like Mary, it seemed to benefit me none.
I'm really curious to know if ITI (for me in the UK, or any other) membership is worth the bother, looking at it from a business perspective - does it help the bottom line?
| | |
|
|
|
Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 00:31
Turkish to English
+ ...
| Serious work inquiries | Mar 4, 2014 |
Mike Sadler wrote:
I was a member of the IOL many years ago, but let it lapse as, like Mary, it seemed to benefit me none.
I'm really curious to know if ITI (for me in the UK, or any other) membership is worth the bother, looking at it from a business perspective - does it help the bottom line?
I am a member of the IoL and find that almost all of the serious work inquiries that I receive come via the IoL's website.
| | | | John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 23:31
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Been there, done that... | Mar 4, 2014 |
and it wasn't worth the time or money.
| | | | | The letters after my name are the main reason! | Mar 4, 2014 |
In my particular situation in Denmark, it is quite important to have some kind of credential.
However, the Danish one is a very tight needle's eye to get through. There is a protected title, Translatør, but I don't know of anyone with an English education who has done it. The magic key is a very specific MA from one of two Danish universities, unless you work with languages not taught there. English is... and I have done some of the course but not all of it.
So like ma... See more In my particular situation in Denmark, it is quite important to have some kind of credential.
However, the Danish one is a very tight needle's eye to get through. There is a protected title, Translatør, but I don't know of anyone with an English education who has done it. The magic key is a very specific MA from one of two Danish universities, unless you work with languages not taught there. English is... and I have done some of the course but not all of it.
So like many other colleagues, I am left in the limbo that includes people with a lot of other excellent qualifications, along with those who 'can English real good' and everyone in between.
At one stage membership of the IoL required three years' experience, while the ITI required five, and I had not got that far, so I chose the IoL.
When I worked in-house I was required to join the trade union (then ESF, now K&S) - and over the years I have been very glad of their legal advice and support, their insurance scheme and other benefits.
So I get some value for money. MITI would look just as good as MCIL for my purposes, but as I said before, I have never got round to it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I'm ATA certified | Mar 4, 2014 |
And so far, it's been a very, very good investment when it comes to expanding my business. There's been several projects I've been offered (and selected for) for which the essential requirement was being ATA certified.
It does cost money. I had to travel to Buenos Aires to sit for the exam, stay in a hotel, I took the practice exam, etc. Probably it was something like $1000 I had to spend. Then if you pass, you need to collect CE points (I'd say that, as a minimum, you need to inve... See more And so far, it's been a very, very good investment when it comes to expanding my business. There's been several projects I've been offered (and selected for) for which the essential requirement was being ATA certified.
It does cost money. I had to travel to Buenos Aires to sit for the exam, stay in a hotel, I took the practice exam, etc. Probably it was something like $1000 I had to spend. Then if you pass, you need to collect CE points (I'd say that, as a minimum, you need to invest another $1000 in the course of three years to remain certified). And then there's the annual membership fee, about $200.
But I believe it's well worth it. I seem to recall there's only around 500 ATA-certified members (for into Spanish) in the world, so I'd say being a member is definitelly a way to stand out.
[Edited at 2014-03-04 12:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Kate Deimling
United States
Local time: 17:31
French to English
+ ...
| I'm surprised the numbers for membership are so low | Mar 4, 2014 |
I'm a member of the ATA in the U.S., and when I was starting out, I thought it was pretty essential to join an organization to learn about the business and give myself some official standing in the eyes of clients. (Though, in fact, I've probably learned more about the business from ProZ.com, which I also joined when starting out.) Although membership isn't cheap ($165 annually, I believe) the ATA has some useful features: a sample translation contract and a code of ethics, for instance, and I h... See more I'm a member of the ATA in the U.S., and when I was starting out, I thought it was pretty essential to join an organization to learn about the business and give myself some official standing in the eyes of clients. (Though, in fact, I've probably learned more about the business from ProZ.com, which I also joined when starting out.) Although membership isn't cheap ($165 annually, I believe) the ATA has some useful features: a sample translation contract and a code of ethics, for instance, and I have gotten some (though not a lot) of work by being listed in its membership directory.
I also became ATA-certified, which is sometimes a requirement for certain jobs. I've been to two ATA conferences and found them useful networking and learning experiences. It tends to be the same people running things and speaking every year, which can make the presentations a bit blah, and the quarterly journal is pretty blah.
But still I think it's a pretty good investment and a way to stay connected with other translators and informed about issues in translation/interpretation.
I'm also a member of a local organization, the New York Circle of Translators, which is more homegrown and personal, and I've made some nice acquaintances and connections there, too. It's great to have some face-to-face encounters in our increasingly digitalized, web-connected world! ▲ Collapse
| | | |
ITI and CIoL, full member of both...
| | | |
Socially I'm not interested
Professionally the entry barriers are generally set so low as to make them meaningless
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Are you a member of a professional translation association? | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
| | Pastey | Your smart companion app
Pastey is an innovative desktop application that bridges the gap between human expertise and artificial intelligence. With intuitive keyboard shortcuts, Pastey transforms your source text into AI-powered draft translations.
Find out more » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
