Are You a Member of the Media?
Contact ATA for industry insights and responses to current affairs involving the translation and interpreting professions.
Media Contact
Adrian Aleckna, ATA Interim Executive Director
+1-703-683-6100 ext. 3019 | interim-executive-director@atanet.org
What is the American Translators Association?
Founded in 1959, ATA is the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the world with thousands of language experts in more than 100 countries.
ATA’s mission is to promote the recognition of professional translators and interpreters, to facilitate communication among its members, to establish standards of competence and ethics, to provide its members with professional development opportunities, and to advocate on behalf of the profession.
What’s a translator?
What’s an interpreter?
What’s the difference?
ATA answers the frequently asked questions and provides some key talking points.
Understanding what’s at stake
Translation and interpreting mistakes can be costly, even disastrous. It is critical to hire qualified translators and interpreters. ATA can help you find the right professional.
Press Releases
Find recent news, announcements, and position statements from ATA.
ATA Position on Mandatory Employee Classification Legislation
The American Translators Association (ATA), the voice of interpreters and translators in the United States, represents 10,000 professional translators and interpreters who work in…
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ATA Statement on Racism and Inequality
ATA stands in solidarity with our members and colleagues who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC), as well as those in the communities they serve.
Read MoreATA Sends Open Letter to the California Assembly and Senate
California AB 2257 will be heard by California’s influential Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, August 17. This is the last chance for the bill…
Read MoreStatement of Position Regarding California Assembly Bill 5 and Request for Exemption
The California State Assembly recently passed a bill that ATA believes will improperly classify the majority of the association’s members as employees, when in…
Read MoreATA Issues Statement on AB 5 and Mandatory Employee Classification
The recent passage of Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) in California will reclassify freelance translators and interpreters as employees beginning January 1, with devastating effect financially on many of our colleagues working in the state.
Read MoreInternational Translation Day 2019
Telling Your Story! What do translators and interpreters really do? What’s a day like for a translator or interpreter? Why are translators and interpreters…
Read MoreVideo Library
ATA offers a library of videos that highlight its many events, programs, and member benefits. Watch them all!
ATA 66th Annual Conference: Get Ready!
No matter what your language, specialty, or experience level, you’ll discover ways to enhance your translation and interpreting skills and grow your business. Get a glimpse of ATA66 in Boston, October 22-25, 2025.
ATA 65th Annual Conference: Highlights
The ATA 65th Annual Conference was held in Portland, Oregon, from October 30-November 2, 2024. Relive ATA65 with event highlights and stories from attendees about their experience!
ATA 65th Annual Conference: Get Ready!
No matter what your language, specialty, or experience level, you’ll discover ways to enhance your translation and interpreting skills and grow your business. Get a glimpse of ATA65 in Portland, Oregon from October 30-November 2, 2024.
ATA 64th Annual Conference: Highlights
The ATA 64th Annual Conference was held in Miami, Florida from October 25-28, 2023. Relive ATA64 with event highlights and stories from attendees about their experience!
Public Outreach
The importance of professional translation and interpreting is often not understood by the general public. As part of an ongoing outreach campaign, ATA provides for-publication content to spread insight to a wide range of readers.
How to Recognize and Implement Quality Interpreting (Hint: It Doesn’t Involve Your Bilingual Staff)
With a set of quality standards in place, it is possible to make healthcare accessible to limited English proficiency individuals without delaying patient care or interrupting your workflow. As many as 1 in 10 working-age adults in the U.S. has limited English proficiency (LEP). Let alone the personal employment and economic implications of this reality,…
Read MoreMachine Translation vs. Human Translation: Will Artificial Intelligence Replace the World’s Second Oldest Profession?
Translators pride themselves on being excellent communicators, and so they should. After all, it’s their job! But sometimes, even the best communicators can talk until they’re blue in the face and still have not really communicated what needs to be said for lack of common ground with their audience. That’s exactly what happened in the…
Read MoreBreaking Intercultural Communication Barriers in Business
Have you ever sensed that you offended someone in a work setting without understanding why? Or have you ever worked with someone from another culture and found their behavior confusing, or even rude? When different cultures are involved, these types of misunderstandings are common. And in today’s globalized business landscape, you’re likely to frequently interact…
Read More7 Tips for Crushing an International Meeting Remotely, According to an Interpreter
As millions around the globe have moved their classes and even social gatherings online, international business and meetings between speakers of different languages look a lot different. In a pre-pandemic world, along with thousands of other professional language interpreters across the globe, I facilitated in-person multilingual interactions with regularity. Now, with a few adjustments, we…
Read MoreHow to Avoid the Pitfalls of Free Online Translation Tools
Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Chinese authorities conducted a city-wide correction campaign to fix embarrassing translation gaffes. The mistranslations included signs labeling people with disabilities as “deformed” and wet-floor warnings advising to “slip carefully!” While the press had a field day with the story, many translators were left shaking their heads. Why?…
Read More6 Reasons to Subtitle Your Social Media Videos for Better Engagement
By Molly Yurick Updated: January 6, 2025 I’ve been a subtitler and translator for well over a decade, working with streaming giants like Netflix and businesses of all sizes to help make their video content more engaging and accessible to their audiences. Through years of experience, I’ve learned how subtitles can make or break the…
Read MoreHow to Avoid Misinformation: Cross-Border Strategies PR Pros Should be Thinking About
At a time when misinformation and fake news are running rampant, communication, and more specifically the written word, is arguably more important than ever. The last thing public relations (PR) pros want to do is jeopardize brand image by miscommunicating to a critical audience. The fact that PR budgets are down and advertising dollars are…
Read More25 Million Americans Don’t Speak English: Translators and Interpreters Essential in Pandemic
At the time of this writing, millions of Americans are have been ordered to stay home, instructions that are hard enough to grasp if you speak English—even harder still for the eight percent of Americans considered limited English proficient (LEP). As new updates and guidelines are issued by the day—in English-only communication, for the most…
Read MoreContent Marketers: Time to Call in the Language Professionals?
The U.S. is the largest consumer market on earth, but did you know that 96% of the world’s consumers reside beyond the country’s borders (according to the U.S. Small Business Administration)? Nonetheless, content marketers have largely focused on English-speaking markets because of their high internet penetration and enormous spending rates. Translating and adapting content for…
Read MoreHiring an Interpreter? 9 Dos and Don’ts to Get the Most Out of Your Partnership
From Mari Kondo to the tiny house movement, the concept of “less is more” is undergoing a resurgence of sorts. Yet, in one area at least, the practice of “more is more” still rings true. If your upcoming meeting or business transaction requires a communication expert, such as an interpreter, you may think it’s as…
Read MoreAre You a Member of the Media?
Contact ATA for industry insights and responses to current affairs involving the translation and interpreting professions.
Media Contact
Adrian Aleckna, ATA Interim Executive Director
+1-703-683-6100 ext. 3019 | interim-executive-director@atanet.org