New Logo! New Name! New Programming!

It’s official! InterpretAmerica has a new look – a new logo – and a new name for our annual conference.

We are excited about our new logo, which can be seen in its various formats on our Facebook page. The logo design is symbolic of interpreting, with two opposing dialog balloons representing different languages. They are connected in the middle by a vertical line, one color seamlessly fading into another, representing interpreting.

Our new logo is meant to convey that we support anything and everything that helps make communication and understanding possible between languages and cultures.

We also have streamlined the name of our annual conference. Formerly the North American Summit on Interpreting, we have shortened it to the InterpretAmerica Summit, in recognition of how most people already refer to the event.

In celebration of our new logo and summit name, we have finalized the preliminary program for our 4^th Summit, which can now be view at http://interpretamerica.net/program2.

Check out the planned program for 2013, a blend of the familiar and new, and mark your calendars to attend the 4^th InterpretAmerica Summit this coming June 14-15, 2013 in Reston, Virginia.

And let us know what you think of the new look!

Interpreting Finds Its Voice

InterpretAmerica Co-President Katharine Allen is this week's author for the NAJIT Blog. In a piece titled Interpreting Finds Its Voice: The Shared Vision of Association Leaders Cruz and Ferreira, she explores the encouraging trends both men see in our profession.

When will “I am an interpreter” have shared meaning for the average person in the same way that “I am a teacher” or even “I am a politician” does?

And perhaps more pertinent, how will that shared meaning come about?

If NAJIT Chairman Robert Cruz and California Federation of Interpreters (CFI) President Michael Ferreira have their way, that broader recognition and clout will only come about as a result of the efforts of all of us, whether as individual interpreters or as larger association and agency players. However, they see a vital and special role for us, the individual practitioner.

And the moment may indeed be ripe to achieve that kind of visibility.

Both leaders keynoted the recent California Federation of Interpreters (CFI) 10^th Annual Continuing Education Conference in Los Angeles. In his address, NAJIT Chairman Cruz emphasized the growing synergy between initiatives undertaken by individual interpreters and interpreter associations, and those spearheaded by outside fields, such as lawyers and the Department of Labor..

You can read the full blog post here. 

Be sure to leave your comments as to what you see as the most important trends you are experiencing in the interpreting profession.