This year, in honor of International Translation Day, the Houston Interpreters and Translators Association (HITA) will host a conference for interpreters and translators in Southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast. The HITA International Translation Day Conference will pay tribute to FIT’s chosen theme, “Terminology:
Professionals from various fields will present on topics related to the use of specialized terminology in their given field. Legal, educational, healthcare and oil & gas professionals will be just some of the guest speakers for this event. “Every industry has its own jargon. Our job, as interpreters and translators, is to convey the meaning of the message in another language. This can be quite a challenge when equivalent terms or expressions haven’t been translated or don’t even exist in the target language. In order to do our work with accuracy and completeness, we must understand the exact meaning of such industry-specific terms,” states Jorge Ungo, Director of Professional Development for HITA. Attendees of the conference will receive reference materials such as glossaries of specialized terminology from each session.
“During each presentation, we will stress the value and importance of translators and interpreters knowing the correct terminology, jargon, regionalisms, and slang used on a daily basis in our courtrooms, during depositions, workers compensation hearings, doctor’s appointments, etc.,” stated Sandra Dejeux, HITA’s Social Chair. “It is crucial to create an awareness of the impact that mistranslation, misinterpretation, or alteration of the message can have on the outcome of a trial or even someone’s life.”
The International Translation Day conference will kick off on Friday, September 26th, with the annual HITA International Translation Day Celebration at The Black Swan located in the Omni Houston Hotel (4 Riverway, Houston, TX 77056). The celebration will be a terrific opportunity to unwind after a long week and network with other professionals in the field as well as with potential clients. The conference will convene on Saturday, September 27th, at the United Way Center at 50 Waugh Drive in Houston. The keynote speaker for the event will be Verónica Albin, author, translator, interpreter, educator, and lexicographer!
“Frequently, the workshops presented at translation and interpreting conferences focus on protocol, ethics, and how to convert the message, all of which are incredibly important! This year, however, we chose to go a different route and really focus on the words,” said Mr. Ungo. “The words really do matter.”
For more information about the HITA International Translation Day Celebration & Conference, please visit http://www.hitagroup.org.
