The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2017 - 2

FROM THE PRESIDENT
DAVID RUMSEY
president@atanet.org
Twitter handle: @davidcrumsey

Working to
Enhance the
Value of ATA

T

hey say there are two seasons in the
Pacific Northwest: the raining season
and the staining season. For roughly
six to seven months of the year there's a
steady supply of the former. Yet, there
are a few precious months in the spring
and summer when the rain stays away
long enough for those of us with wooden
houses to slap a coat of waterproof stain
on our four walls before the rains return.
Part of the challenge with ATA Board
work is that your to-do list is always much
longer than the available time and resources.
As a past ATA President once remarked to
me, serving on the Board is like walking
down the hallway of a house. As you pass
through, you have the chance to hang a new
picture or fix a light fixture before you have
to leave it to the next group.
Fortunately, we entered the hallway
this year in a much better financial
position than in previous years. At each
meeting, the Board carefully considers
our finances and our desire to offer
affordable programs to our members,
while maintaining a healthy "rainy day"
fund and investing in the Association's
future. Over the past few years, by
streamlining expenses in areas such as The
ATA Chronicle and boosting revenues from
ATA's Annual Conference, we were able
to eliminate our equity deficit and return
to a healthy financial situation. Much of
the January and April Board meetings
were devoted to considering a number of
prudent projects to enhance the value and
secure the future of ATA.
One of the key improvements that the
Board decided to invest in this year is ATA's
2

The ATA Chronicle | July/August 2017

website. The website acts like the front
door to the Association. It's often the first
impression that potential members and the
public have of ATA. So, after four years since
the last update, the Board decided it's time to
redesign the site with a more contemporary
look and improve the ease of use and access
to information. Similar to the revamp of The
ATA Chronicle, a special committee has been
appointed who will be drawing up a list of
suggested "must-haves" and "nice-to-haves"
and begin working with a newly appointed
and dedicated website manager at ATA
Headquarters to restructure the site.
In addition to the website, the Board
recognized the importance and growing
demand for professional development
opportunities among the membership.
This program has been revitalized in
recent years with a steady stream of
webinars covering a range of topics on
translation, interpreting, technology, and
general business skills. To expand these
offerings, ATA has invested a dedicated
professional development manager on
staff who can help coordinate additional
courses and mini-conferences, both online
and in person. We anticipate expansion of
the Professional Development Program to
begin after the Annual Conference.
Public Relations is another program that
underwent major investment and growth
in recent years. The program has grown
to a committee of almost a dozen people,
including speakers at a number of industry
events and a team of four members
working exclusively on articles for trade
publications. The return on our investment
in a public relations firm has been
excellent in terms of the number of article
placements in industry press that target the
actual buyers of translation and interpreting
services. Nevertheless, as any public
relations agent will tell you, there's no such
thing as spending "too much money" on
public relations, and ATA's Public Relations
Committee is always carefully considering
new investments in the program.
The wish list for additional investments
never ends, and figuring out which
investments are wise under the
circumstances is a delicate task for any
Board. Generating revenue is easy to agree
on, but deciding how to spend it is where
the real debate begins. Although many
of the plans and programs that the Board
has discussed and invested in may not
come to full fruition until after my term,
I'm grateful for the opportunity to add
an additional coat of stain to the solid,
welcoming home that is ATA.

American Translators Association
225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590
Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
Tel: +1.703.683.6100
Fax: +1.703.683.6122
E-mail: chronicle@atanet.org
Website: www.atanet.org

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Geoff Koby (chair)
Jeff Alfonso
Lois Feuerle
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walter@atanet.org

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jeff@atanet.org

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The ATA Chronicle (ISSN 1078-6457) is published
six times per year by the American Translators
Association, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590,
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The American Translators Association (ATA)
was established in 1959 as a not-for-profit
professional society to foster and support the
professional development of translators and
interpreters and to promote the translation and
interpreting professions. The subscription rate for
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©2017 American Translators Association

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