Asian languages to be the focus of May 13 general meeting

As part of  an effort by our current Board of Directors to explore how AATIA can better be of service to a broader cross-section of the T&I community in the Austin area, our May 13th general meeting will feature a panel of Asian-language specialists who will discuss issues that affect Asian translators and interpreters as they navigate language and cultural challenges in Texas courts, hospitals, businesses, and other environments. The discussion will also explore how AATIA can be a resource for Asian language professionals in Texas.

Members of the panel will include:

  • Vince Cobalis, who serves on the City of Austin’s Asian-American Quality of Life Commission. Vince will provide demographics and an overview of the Asian-American community in Austin.
  • Paw Khu, a  Burmese Health Navigator, who will talk about cultural barriers and other challenges faced by Burmese patients when accessing health and social services.
  • Mimi Tran, an AATIA member and professional Vietnamese-English interpreter, who will provide some perspectives on needs and challenges of interpreting for Asian-language speakers.
  • Jennifer Yip, an AATIA member and interpreter/translator of Chinese, among other languages. Jennifer works with  Asian Family Support Services of Austin.

The program will open with a presentation by AATIA member Marco Hanson on “How to Come Across as a Professional.” Marco is an interpreter, translator, and owner of a small local agency. He receives e-mail every day from freelance translators looking for jobs, and sees most of them making critical mistakes that would be simple to fix. His presentation will cover a variety of “dos and don’ts” for any translator or interpreter looking for more work.

The meeting will be held at Best Western Plus Austin City Hotel, 2200 S. Interstate 35, Austin, TX 78704 (intersection of IH-35 & Oltorf Street, exit 232A from I-35), starting at 1 p.m. The Asian-language panel will get under way at around 2 p.m.

Please join us for this very interesting meeting!