2025 SESSION Descriptions

Keynote — Articulate Your Human Value in a Language Services Industry Grappling with Artificiality, with Dr. Devin Gilbert

Large language models (LLMs), artificial intelligence (AI) cannot achieve real understanding of communicative situations or contexts. In the context of translation, both are characterized by a focus on the linguistic source or on prompts they are given. Human interpreters and translators, on the other hand, achieve true understanding of context. We bring more to the table every time we translate, localize, and interpret because we can analyze the underlying goals and purposes of our task and produce translations and localizations that resonate, as well as interpretations that create connections for our clients.

An understanding of the range of strengths, weaknesses, and risks of computer-generated translations can help us to advise when to recommend machine translations and when to advise against their use, all while intelligently and realistically communicating the advantages and disadvantages. As language professionals, we need to competently and realistically communicate the advantages of human-centered interpreting, translation, and localization, especially for high-risk or high-creativity domains.

Live Audience Thoughts on Ethical Dilemmas in Interpreting, with Dr. Devin Gilbert 

In popular culture, Murphy’s Law refers to the idea that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The world is seldom a tidy, predictable place, and this applies to the world of interpreting as well. Whether working in healthcare, the legal system, the education system, or elsewhere, interpreters are consistently surprised with situations that present them with conundrums about how to respond in a responsible, professional manner. These are ethical dilemmas.

This webinar will first present attendees with a review of varying examples of interpreter codes of ethics. Next, attendees will explore examples of ethical dilemmas that force interpreters to put these codes of ethics into practice. The bulk of this webinar will be spent reviewing authentic ethical dilemmas from dialogues on Terp (https://terp.app), and attendees, in real time, will mark how they would respond to each one in an interactive survey. After recording how they would respond, attendees will predict the consequences of their decisions and defend their responses using principles from interpreter codes of ethics.

The Basics of Terminology Management: Simple Yet Powerful Things that Many Linguists Get Wrong, with Dr. Devin Gilbert 

Properly managed terminology can be a powerful tool for large companies, a money-saver for translation projects, a boon to growth-mindset interpreters, and a valuable asset for enterprising linguists. Nonetheless, many linguists misunderstand or are ignorant of the foundational concepts of terminology management. By the end of this presentation, you will be able to teach your friends and clients what a term is (and how it’s different from a word) as well as what an entry is (and how it’s different from a term). You will also be able to whistle-blow on a whole gamut of pernicious termbase faux pas. Finally, during the presentation itself, you will be led on a guided experience of creating your own graphical representation of a termbase.

Introduction to Note-Taking for Dialogue Consecutive, with Rachel E. Herring

Note-taking for consecutive interpreting is an important skill set for interpreters. This workshop is an introduction to note-taking for consecutive for dialogue interpreters with little or no formal instruction and limited experience with note-taking. It may also serve as a refresher for interpreters who have some formal instruction and/or experience. We will discuss the place of note-taking in the interpreter’s toolkit, fundamental considerations related to note-taking, the basics of a systematic approach to note-taking, and recommendations for skill development. The workshop will include opportunities to practice some of the topics that are discussed, but is primarily focused on introducing participants to concepts and approaches.

 

Refining Consecutive Note-Taking Skills, with Rachel E. Herring

This workshop is intended for interpreters who have at least some formal training and experience in note-taking for consecutive and are looking to level up their skills. It assumes familiarity with the basics of a systematic approach to note-taking. While some advanced aspects of note-taking will be discussed, the focus is primarily on practice. Participants will have the opportunity to self-assess their current note-taking skills, identify (an) area(s) for improvement, and engage in practice and discussion with peers and the workshop leader. Participants should come ready to take notes, interpret, and share their reflections and experiences.

  

Poetry Translation A to Z: From First Poems to First Book, with Wendy Call

Are you curious about the world of translating (or co-translating) poetry? Or have you finished some poetry translations and want to know how to move toward publishing a book? Either way, this workshop is for you! This session will be a whirlwind tour of poetry translation, including how to get started, how to sharpen your craft, and how (and where) to publish your translations. The emphasis will be on answering participants’ questions and concerns. Resources to be shared include lists of U.S.-based literary journals and publishers that welcome poetry and translations, as well as key anthologies, books, and resources to hone your craft.

The Interpreter as a Sleeping Beauty: Topics and Strategies, with Dulce Bustamante

Modern life has brought forth a number of disruptions to our quality and quantity of sleep, which we tend to take for granted. In recent years, researchers and clinicians have focused on the effects of poor sleep on our daily functioning. High-level cognitive functioning is essential in bilingualism, and even more so for interpreters and translators; yet, we remain unaware of the crucial role that sleep plays in enabling us to perform optimally in our professional and personal lives. The goal of this presentation is to raise awareness among attendees about the stages of sleep, key aspects of healthy sleep, sleep’s impact on cognitive functioning, and practical strategies for optimal sleep health; by the end, we will achieve a greater understanding of the health benefits of quality sleep and how it supports cognitive and emotional domains critical for us language professionals.

 

Intercultural Competency for Translators and Interpreters: What Is It? Why Do I Need It? How Do I Get It?, with Zakiya Hanafi

Effective communication across cultures is a cornerstone of professional interpreting and translation. Intercultural competency—defined as the ability to identify culturally specific elements in the source language, accurately convey them in the target language, and engage clients with cultural sensitivity—has emerged as a critical skill set. This presentation explores the core components of intercultural competency, emphasizing its role in preventing miscommunication. Attendees will gain insights into why intercultural competency is not merely an additive skill but a foundational requirement for ensuring accuracy, equity, and trust in multilingual interactions. NOTE: This presentation includes one group activity.

 

Practice Makes Progress: Creating Effective Interpreter Practice Groups, with Andrew Belisle 

This session outlines strategies for creating and sustaining effective interpreter practice groups focused on skill development and credential preparation. Based on models developed through graduate training at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, European Union accreditation preparation, and current NOTIS-facilitated groups, the session presents concrete approaches to organizing peer-led interpreting practice. Topics include group structure, modality-specific formats (consecutive, simultaneous, sight), methods for peer feedback, and tools for tracking progress and participation. The session is intended for interpreters interested in launching or refining a collaborative practice group.

  

How to Handle Ambiguous or Unclear Source Sentences, with Rainer Klett

Have you ever been faced with poorly written or ambiguous sentences in the source text and found yourself on the fence between guessing the intended meaning and asking the client for clarification? This hands-on presentation includes many real-life examples of problematic English source sentences and aims to help you establish a guideline for how to handle these in a way that no machine translation will ever be able to — while providing exceptional value to your clients. Presentation chapters include: 1. Spelling or punctuation errors, missing words, 2. Poorly written source text (oxymorons, etc.), 3. English idiosyncrasies, 4. Unclear source text, and 5. Translation vs. localization.

 

Russian Literary Translation and Human Rights in the Putin Era, with Marian Schwartz

In Putin’s Russia, human rights are besieged as never before in the country’s history. Since his ascent to power, Putin has consistently chipped away at independent media and cracked down on writers displaying even the slightest degree of opposition. Once again, the literary translator has come to play a crucial role in defending human rights. Today, as in the similarly brutal Soviet past, literary translation not only brings suppressed literature to the rest of the world, highlighting issues around dissent and opposition; it also gives great encouragement, support, and protection to the repressed writers themselves. Increased attention in the West tells the regime that there are eyes on these writers and retaliation will not go unnoticed.

This talk will address the relationship between literary translation and human rights in Russia in the Putin era through the examples of writers like Svetlana Alexievich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Alexander Podrabinek and follow my professional translation journey from my life-changing experience reading, and later translating, the work of Solzhenitsyn and, most recently, my translation of human rights activist Alexander Podrabinek’s memoir of Soviet dissent in the 1970s: Between Prison and Freedom: Memoir of a Soviet Dissident.

The Revised National Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice: What’s Changed?, with Cynthia E. Roat

In July 2004 the NCIHC released the first truly national Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care, which they followed shortly thereafter (in September 2005) with the National Standards of Practice. These two documents have formed the foundation of healthcare interpreter practice over the past 20 years.

These two decades have brought significant changes to interpreting. The growth of language services and interpreter training has led to a more nuanced understanding of the interpreter’s role. Advances in technology have led to remote interpreting, the rise of off-shore interpreting, and, most recently, AI-generated interpreting.

Now, after another year of outreach, focus groups, and surveys, the NCIHC has released a revised set of guidelines that combines their Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. This presentation will trace the process used to review and revise these foundational documents, highlight key updates, and discuss the implications for working interpreters and interpreter educators.

Court Language Review: Common and Uncommon Terms, Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Expressions Used in the Courtroom, with Carlo Tanne

Court interpreters work in a fast-paced environment. Lawyers and judges speak high-level English, and the interpreter has to be ready, at all times, to interpret quickly as the Code of Ethics and professionalism require. Beginner interpreters soon find that what they had to learn to pass certification exams is not enough once they come to encounter the hurried and, at times, perplexing rhetoric exchanged in the courtroom.

In this session, the presenter shares his database of legal terminology, expressions, and acronyms that are heard in today’s courtrooms. Interpreters can carry this reference guide in their smartphone for quick reference, review, and practice. Both beginning and intermediate interpreters will find this database very useful to excel in their work, be it on civil or criminal court matters. Although this resource is in Spanish/English, other language interpreters may also find it useful as a reference guide for their own language pairs.