The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2023 - 9

support. Members challenge
each other to set strong
goals and, more importantly,
work to accomplish them
by holding each other
accountable. As a result,
the groups benefit from
the synergy of energy,
motivation, commitment,
and everyone's willingness to
learn and grow together.
This means that
professional peers-people
at approximately the
same level of professional
experience-get together
regularly to learn more about
a specific topic jointly. The
meetings follow a defined
script, which helps ensure
equal speaking opportunities
for all participants.
The size of each group
is relatively small, usually
around six people. When
you think of a 60-minute
meeting, a group of six
or seven gives everybody
enough time to speak for
five to 10 minutes. Keeping
groups small is important
because participation from
each member is essential.
All members are expected
to come fully prepared and
engage with each other in
meaningful conversation.
Why Did ATA Introduce
Mastermind Groups?
There is plenty of information
and training available for
those starting out in our
profession, but materials for
advanced specialization and
experience can be scarce. For
example, we may be using
the standard functions of our
software tools but have never
taken the time to explore
highly specific features. ATA
often receives feedback from
members with many years
of experience as translators
or interpreters who say
www.ata-chronicle.online
they find it harder to locate
learning content relevant to
their concerns.
The idea of Mastermind
groups originated from the
process of matching mentors
and mentees. Although
the Mentoring Committee
matches 30 mentor/mentee
pairs of members every year
through ATA's Mentoring
Program, we saw an unmet
need for in-depth discussions
of more advanced topics. The
Mentoring Committee wants
to bring together people
who are at the same level of
professional experience so
they can meet virtually for
structured discussions.
The Mastermind Program
is only open to ATA members
and designed for more
experienced translators/
interpreters who want to
grow their translation or
interpreting businesses,
develop another area
of expertise, plan for
retirement, or discuss other
specific topics. We typically
offer three to four discussion
topics a year but are open
to suggestions for special
issues ATA members want
to discuss. The groups will
run from March to October,
with a summer break. ATA
will not be directly involved
in the scheduling or running
of the groups. We will
expect the groups to follow
shared guidelines so that
everyone has equal learning
opportunities.
At least two years of
professional experience are
required to participate. The
concept is not an ideal fit for
beginners who are learning
about the industry and their
careers. ATA offers other
initiates that newcomers
will find more beneficial,
including the Mentoring
Program, webinars, and the
Savvy Newcomer blog.
Mastermind
How Will the
Groups Run?
Mastermind groups will
be created based on your
interests. For example, you
may want to talk about:
y Moving up to a new
pricing tier.
y Developing a new
specialization.
y Adding a new service to
your portfolio.
y Moving from agencies to
direct clients.
y Starting or developing a
translation company.
y Retirement planning.
y Contracts and nondisclosure
agreements.
The list of discussion topics
is open and will be updated
each year based on the
feedback we receive. If you're
interested in a specific topic
or are willing to facilitate a
Mastermind group for six
months, the time to let the
Mentoring Committee know
is in January.
The Mentoring Committee
will put people with the
same interests in contact
and provide instructions for
the next steps. As mentioned
earlier, to facilitate
discussion, the groups will
not be larger than six or
seven people. The Mentoring
Committee will provide
training for people who
are interested in serving as
group facilitators.
Groups will decide
independently where and
how to meet. Venues can
include Zoom, Google Meet,
or similar applications.
Someone in the group
will keep an attendance
American Translators Association 9
groups offer a
combination of
brainstorming,
education, peer
accountability,
and support.

https://www.atanet.org/career-education/mentoring/ https://www.atanet.org/ata-events/webinar-series/ https://www.atanet.org/career-education/savvy-newcomer/ https://www.atanet.org/career-education/mentoring/ https://www.atanet.org/career-education/mentoring/ https://www.atanet.org/career-education/mentoring/ http://www.ata-chronicle.online

The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2023

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