The Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society is a diverse group, with members who live all over the greater Northwest region. Our members are at many different stages of their careers and they do all kinds of jobs, from emergency-room interpreting to the translation of contemporary poetry. NOTIS board members and volunteers are organized into divisions and committees that focus on providing specific information, events and connections that are so important to our members. One of these divisions is the Translation Division, led this year by NOTIS Secretary Elise Kruidenier. The Translation Division has traditionally spearheaded arrangements for a big, day-long event to celebrate International Translation Day. There are no plans for such a major event in 2016, but members can expect a series of smaller events instead.

We are most excited to be hosting Jost Zetzsche, a prominent English-to- German translator and expert in technology solutions for translation. Jost is an Oregon translator and the author of the popular Tool Box Journal newsletter and a book called the Translator’s Tool Box, currently in its 12th edition. He will be presenting a long-format workshop in the fall of 2016, covering topics such as “How to choose a TEnT (Translation Environment Tool)”; “Getting the most out of your TEnT”; and “Working with PDFs and other tricky formats”; This will be a great opportunity for translators who are looking for a TEnT, those who already have one, and for those just looking for some tips on how to use their technology more effectively.

NOTIS’s May social event is also a Translation Division event. Local translators and their fans will take over The Bounty in Seattle on the evening of May 21 for a translation open mic night. Translators in half a dozen languages, from Portland, Tacoma and Seattle, have already signed up to read from their work. Everyone is welcome. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert literary translator, or even, say, a project manager who dabbles in fiction, please consider bringing something to read.

Finally, NOTIS will start producing webinars this year. Look for more information about those in the coming weeks.