Translation Studies Hub Colloquium: The Lives and Labors of Professional Translators and Interpreters

NOTIS members and friends are invited to an online event exploring the lives and labors of local translators and interpreters. The event is free and open to the public, but you must register to attend.

On February 19, Seattle-area translators and interpreters will join the UW Translation Studies Hub community to discuss the practical and ethical dimensions of working in their professions. Topics will include translator/interpreter training and education, the joys and frustrations of the working life of a translator/interpreter, the tension between accuracy and efficiency, and the prospects and perils of artificial intelligence/machine translation in the field. Featuring:

• Yasemin Alptekin (NOTIS Secretary), specialist in literary, legal, medical, and educational interpretation/translation. Yasemin Alptekin studied linguistics, literary translation theory and techniques while pursuing a BA in Western Languages and Literature at Bosphorus University in Turkey. She specializes in legal, medical and educational interpretation/translation as well as literary, and has an academic interest in translation theory.
• Chris Kunej, Manager of Interpreter Services at King County Superior Court, Seattle, Washington. Chris Kunej is currently the Manager of Interpreter Services at the King County Superior Court in Seattle; the program schedules interpreters for 150+ language events daily and has covered 170+ languages. Chris is a certified court interpreter in over 10 US states, is a published linguist in both the US and internationally and has taught advanced language and culture at a major US university as an Adjunct Professor.
• Yvonne Simpson (chair of NOTIS's Community Interpreters Division), Director of Interpreter Services at Harborview Medical Center. Yvonne Simpson is Director of Interpreter Services at Harborview Medical Center. She is a DSHS and nationally certified medical interpreter. Yvonne began her career 15 years ago in Arizona after completing her Master's in Spanish sociolinguistics.
• Mia Spangenberg, literary translator, Finnish and German to English. Mia Spangenberg is a literary translator who translates from Finnish and German into English. She is particularly passionate about children’s literature and a regular contributor to the WorldKidLit blog.
• Moderated by NOTIS President Shelley Fairweather-Vega, freelance literary translator, Russian to English

For more information and/or questions, please contact: Miriam Wojtas, uwtranslationhub@gmail.com