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Dear colleagues,

Conference season is upon us! If you’re attending ATA 67 in San Francisco or ALTA 49 in Portland and hoping to connect with other Northwest linguists during the event(s), check out our handy guide of local presenters and panelists in the summer issue of this publication (here).

For NOTIS, as you well know, conference season is now behind us — if no less vibrant in our memories and enduring in the lessons we learned, the ideas we shared, and the connections we made... 

In this issue 🔖 

⦿  Loads of recent pictures 📸

⦿  A NOTIS 2026 conference recap

⦿  Upcoming events

⦿  Recommended reading 

⦿  Member updates & industry news

⦿  NOTIS 2026 Sponsor features 

After over half a year of hard work, it’s time! NOTIS board members gather for a quick photo shoot and a few laughs at the start of the big day. In a clockwise spiral, starting from the bottom: NOTIS President Maria Lucas, Secretary Norma Kaminsky, Svetlana Kupriyanova, Elizabeth Adams (short, curly hair), Treasurer Christina Woelz (pink top), Gauri Shringarpure, Vice President Jen Mendez, Dubravka Martincic, and past President Laura Friend.

... Kudos to all those who worked so hard to make it happen — and a special thank you to our volunteer photographer, Rainer Klett. We’ve included a number of Rainer’s excellent shots in this newsletter ( ↓ ), and we’ll share the rest soon. Keep an eye out! 📸

Before we end this intro, we’d like to remind you that, while our conference has come and gone, there are still a few more opportunities to connect with your colleagues before the year’s end: 1) At the PNW Ballet on November 13, 2) At our Annual Meeting & Holiday Party on December 12, and 3) At the NW Literary Translators’ Holiday Party and Book Exchange on December 17. We look forward to making more memories with you in the weeks and months to come. Cheers! 👻

A NOTIS 2026 Annual Conference Recap 🎬
by NOTIS VP and 2026 Conference Planning Committee Chair, Jen Mendez

On September 12th, 2026, NOTIS members gathered for this year’s annual conference, hosted once again by our friends at the Lynnwood Event Center. 

The event started off hot with over 120 guests lining up to check in with our friendly registration table volunteers. After collecting their name tags and equipping themselves with exclusive NOTIS swag (including new water bottle stickers designed by the board’s own Elizabeth Adams), guests mingled over coffee, greeted old friends, and chatted with sponsors before making their way to the main conference room to settle in for the day’s festivities.
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Above: attendees shuffle in, collecting name badges and swag. Below: NOTIS’s Naomi Uchida greets conference-goers with her customary warmth and kindness.
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The conference officially began with opening remarks from NOTIS President Maria Lucas-Pérez and myself, NOTIS Vice President Jen Mendez. We then warmly welcomed our extra special keynote speaker, renowned governmental interpreter and cross-cultural communications expert Dottie Li. Joining us all the way from our nation’s capital, Dottie shared with us her background as an immigrant from China who attended college in rural Alabama. There, through hard work and with a sprinkle of luck, Dottie climbed her way up the ranks from television correspondent to key interpreter for multiple U.S. presidents to highly successful businesswoman...
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NOTIS President
Maria Lucas
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NOTIS Vice President
Jen Mendez
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Keynote Speaker
Dottie Li

Drawing from extensive experience, Dottie extolled the value of practicing clear, effective communication and cross-cultural competency as the keys to success. She reminded us that being in the business of language access means that we should ensure we are keeping our communication skills in tip-top shape. This not only improves our credibility as professionals, but helps us more confidently assist our clients in communicating their thoughts. We are so grateful to Dottie for sharing her inspiring story with us...

Above: Dottie on effective communication. Below: past and present board members, Rosemary Nguyen and Dubravka Martincic, respectively.

Above: partial room view during the keynote. Below: more familiar faces in the crowd — past board members Tim Gregory, Kay Heikkinen, and Zakiya Hanafi.

All revved up and ready to go, we continued on to the day’s program full of motivation and excitement. The educational sessions, led by a bevy of our esteemed colleagues, included topics such as scholarly and literary translation, localization in the humanitarian sector, ambient AI, interpreting basics, ethics, accessible health care videos, and plenty of skill building.

To shake things up, guests were treated to a pair of presentations with slightly different formats: an improv session, led by NOTIS board member Gauri Shingarpure, and a panel of WA State representatives. The improv session served as a “palate cleanser,” introducing a moment of play into a day of intense learning; while the panel gave NOTIS members the chance to discuss their concerns surrounding language rights and access with the people who are affecting change.

To make this year’s lineup even more special, we had the opportunity to welcome a second presenter from outside of our Pacific Northwest bubble! Abi Ocampo Zapién traveled all the way from Denver, Colorado, to lead two sessions for us. A dedicated volunteer with the Community Language Cooperative, Abi spoke passionately about ways in which we can center language justice in our work. Her first session of the day was presented entirely in Spanish and interpreted into English by our very own Maria Lucas-Pérez and Christina Woelz.

Out in the hallways, our sponsor and exhibitor tables — including our own NW Literary Translators and our parent organization, the American Translators Association — were abuzz with activity. NOTIS members spoke excitedly with representatives, gathered information, and made valuable connections.

And that’s exactly what it’s all about — connection. Each year, we gather as an organization to exchange ideas, resources, and camaraderie...

Top to bottom: Yasemin A. on literary translation; Eunyoung K. & Andrew B. on pathways to legal interpretation; Nityia P. on multilingual health education videos; local legislators answer attendees’ questions; Christina W. & Maria L. interpret for Abi O. Z.  

Whether we are networking, sharing thoughts about our industry, or catching up on one another’s daily lives, the connections we form make us stronger as a community. It is no small feat to form these bonds in a profession like ours, where our workspace is largely solitary and it can be easy to feel isolated. Coming together reminds us that we are human, and, as humans, we have the ability to genuinely support each other and the challenging work that we do...
Picture of woman taking picture of two other women
image of female attendees gathered around tall NOTIS sign
Interpreters United / WFSE sponsor table, reps chat with attendee
photo of attendees mingling near ULS sponsor table
Two women pose and smile for camera
attendees gather around lunch buffet and fill their plates

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our sponsors for their generosity, to our presenters for taking time out of their busy schedules to impart their knowledge, and, last but certainly not least, to our members for making NOTIS such a welcoming hub for new and seasoned language professionals alike. I appreciate each and every one of you and what you bring to the table. NOTIS would not be the same without you.

We hope to see you (again) next year! ☐

Have an idea for a NOTIS 2027 Conference presentation, panel, or workshop? Photos to share? General feedback? We’d love to hear from you: 📧 social@notisnet.org

Sponsored banner for the American Literary Translators Association’s 49th Annual Conference, “Give and Take”. Left side is teal with black lettering. Right third features abstract geometric image in off white, dark grey and red.

*Sponsored* content from Interpreters United WFSE/AFSCME Local 1671 — a generous diamond-level sponsor of NOTIS 2026. Click here to learn more about your local union, what they’re working on, and how to get involved. 

Recommended reading (new!) 🔖

ATTENTION: We’re collecting brief reviews of books and films that are relevant to our community. Have you read or seen something lately you’d like to share or discuss with your colleagues? Let us know! We’d love to publish your thoughts and help inspire conversation.

Simple table with white background and black lines/text. Title: WHAT ELSE IS NEXT?! Event dates and locations in left column; event names and presenters' names on right. All of these events appear on the NOTIS events calendar (link below).

To learn more about these and other upcoming NOTIS events, visit our website calendar: notisnet.org/NOTIS-events.

Want to earn CEUs and valuable skills on your own schedule? We also have 11 on-demand courses currently available — one of which will be removed from our library at the end of December... ⏰

Want to share an idea for a presentation, workshop, or social gathering? Click here to get started.

Dynamic Language ad. Heading: “Your expertise deserves a team that has your back / Our interpreters tell us our coordinators make the difference. They’re responsive, supportive, and treat you like a valued colleague.” Blue “Join our network” button, then c

*Sponsored* content from Dynamic Language, a valued diamond-level sponsor of the NOTIS 2026 Annual Conference!

Since 1985, Dynamic Language has worked with professional interpreters and translators across the Northwest. Their interpreters point to the coordinators: responsive, supportive, and treating interpreters as valued colleagues.

Dynamic Language is welcoming spoken language and sign language interpreters to their network. Learn more here.

Also of note, briefly 📝

Have something to share? Email 📧 social@notisnet.org

  • Congrats to NOTIS Board Member Cristina Moldovan do Amaral, who recently passed the ATA exam as the first Romanian–English translator (and interpreter) to receive the certification! 
  • WA lawyers issue new ethics guidance (Advisory Opinion 202601) on serving clients who aren’t proficient in English. Details here.
  • Popular NOTIS presenter Marisa Rueda Will publishes a comprehensive study titled, “The Hidden Roles of Healthcare Interpreters”: available here on the Western Oregon University Repository
  • Attention teachers and student translators! The National Undergraduate Literary Translation Award (NULTA) is accepting submissions for its inaugural cycle now through December 5, 2026. Learn more at nulta.org.

And others’ events... 🗓️ 
Promo graphic for LEO14: “We Are Here to Stay: The Irreplaceable Language Industry,” Winter Ed. December 3–4. Design features the LEO logo, a dark purple background with a collage of virtual conference participants, and white & yellow text

*Sponsored*  Join Linguist Education Online (LEO) from December 3–4 for the winter edition of their biannual virtual conference series: “We Are Here to Stay: The Irreplaceable Language Industry.”

Explore the forces shaping our profession: from AI and emerging technologies to accessibility, legal developments, professional growth, and the uniquely human skills that continue to matter. With 15+ live sessions, expert speakers, Q&As, and CEUs, LEO14 is a chance to learn, connect, and prepare for what’s next.

100% online. Explore the agenda and register at this link.

About Our Publications ️🗞️

Every year, NOTIS publishes four quarterly newsletters in addition to occasional blog posts. The principal objective of our publications is to inform, educate, and entertain. 

The 2026 editorial team is led by Brianna Salinas, NOTIS’s Marketing and Communications Specialist, as editor-in-chief. Her advisors and co-editors are Kay Heikkinen and Jen Mendez. 

Letters to the editor, brief translations or articles, anecdotes, artwork, jokes, calendar items, and other announcements are both welcome and encouraged! For more information, please see our call for submissions.

To submit content, place an advertisement, or for any other inquiries, please contact our team at social@notisnet.org. ☐

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