The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2021 - 11

y Researching and learning
about the various countries
where your language is
spoken. Incidentally, this
also makes you more
marketable. Doing so will
increase your awareness
of how the dynamics of
a language can change
depending on where it's
spoken. It also makes you
more open to cultures
that are different from
your own.
y Referring fellow certified or
qualified interpreters and
translators. We might not
be able to meet a client's
expectations every time,
so we connect them with a
colleague who can. Again, if
you have a wide and diverse
network, you'll have a
better chance of finding a
colleague who can provide
the client with what they
need. (When referring
colleagues, this might also
be the time to help clients
realize that a translator or
interpreter's qualifications
for an assignment should
not be based on the country
they are from.)
y Recommending fellow
certified or qualified
interpreters and translators
for membership in
professional associations.
(Some associations
require recommendations
from peers to become
a member.) Your
recommendation could help
diversify an association's
membership, which will
ultimately benefit the
industry by promoting a
sense of inclusiveness.
y Making a conscious
effort to avoid criticizing
colleagues because of the
way they talk or look. Let's
try to remember that we're
www.ata-chronicle.online
all teammates and can
learn so much from each
other. I know I have!
Ways Associations
Can Help
Associations play a big role
in shaping our industry. It
goes without saying that,
as a whole, they could help
promote inclusion on a
bigger scale. How? Well,
associations could:
y Start fostering inclusion
by creating more diverse
committees that include
underrepresented people,
such as Africans, those
from Latinx countries,
and people from Eastern
Europe. During meetings
or gatherings, associations
could be more intentional
when asking members
from underrepresented
communities how they
could be better served.
y Implement policies
for holding members
accountable if they
engage in exclusionary or
discriminatory practices.
y Include statements on
their websites that make it
clear they oppose all forms
of discrimination.
y Offer a diversity and
inclusion workshop where
NOTES
1
2
speakers could share their
experiences to illustrate
how discrimination affects
the industry.
These measures would
help members feel protected
and valued.
Working Together to
Raise Awareness
The great thing is we're
making progress in our
industry, and that's
commendable.
y In 2017, ATA members
proposed, and the Board
approved, a resolution
supporting diversity:
" Whereas translators and
interpreters are committed
to promoting and
facilitating communication
and understanding between
peoples, be it resolved
that we, members of the
American Translators
Association, strongly
oppose all forms of
discrimination on the basis
of gender, race, ethnicity,
country of origin, or sexual
orientation, as well as all
forms of expression of and
incitement to xenophobia,
racial hatred, and religious
intolerance, and strongly
favor welcoming qualified
immigrants who, with their
skills and knowledge,
contribute to the wealth
of our country or seek
refuge here from war
or persecution. "
y In addition, in July 2020,
ATA issued a Statement
on Racism and Inequality,
which is posted on its
website.3
y ATA's 62nd Annual
Conference in Minneapolis
also featured the following
sessions: " How Translation
Choices Affect Stereotypes
in Translation, " " Words
Matter: The Vocabulary of
Diversity, " " Rethinking
Professional Ethics in a
Non-Binary Context, " and
" Subtly Sexist Sources:
What's a Woke Translator
to Do? "
These ideas are just a start,
and I know some of my
colleagues will be glad to
share more. Let's work
together to raise awareness
of these issues that have
plagued all industries, not
just ours, so that ATA and
other organizations can
continue to promote the
values of inclusion, fairness,
and nondiscrimination. We
owe it to our amazing
professions to remain fair
and inclusive, considering
that diversity is at the very
heart of our work.
For more information on various types of bias, read: " 11 Harmful Types of Unconscious Bias
and How to Interrupt Them, " https://bit.ly/bias-types.
Gerdeman, Dina. " Minorities Who 'Whiten' Job Résumés Get More Interviews " (Harvard
Business School, 2017), https://bit.ly/whiten-jobs.
3
ATA Statement on Racism and Inequality (July 2020), https://bit.ly/ATA-racism-inequality.
Cathy-Eitel Nzume is a certified French<>English court interpreter and translator
specializing in legal, corporate, commercial, and conference interpreting and
translation. She has law degrees from the University of Picardie Jules Verne
in France and Howard University in Washington, DC. She is the host of ATA's
French Language Division's podcast. She also serves as a member of ATA's Ethics
Committee. cathyeitel@cmnlegallanguageservices.com
American Translators Association 11

https://www.bit.ly/bias-types https://www.bit.ly/whiten-jobs https://www.bit.ly/ATA-racism-inequality http://www.ata-chronicle.online

The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2021

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