ATA65 Conference Preview: Business Practices Education at ATA65

Autumn is in the air again. For me, the beginning of the season means mountains covered in brightly colored trees, fresh apples—along with apple pie, applesauce, and apple cider donuts—and a new briskness in the air. It also means I’ve spent too much time on the ATA65 website, poring over descriptions of too many fantastic-sounding presentations and wondering how I’ll ever narrow down the choices to just one per time slot.

To help solve this problem, at least partially, for the last two years I’ve created fictional language professionals, each with their own career needs, and chosen business practices-related sessions that might appeal to them. This year, I’ve done it again, and several of the presenters have offered their help by giving me some personal insight on their sessions. Here are this year’s imaginary conference-goers and my picks for their conference experience.

Jackie is a student in her university T&I program. She’s excited to establish herself as a language professional after graduation. She’s a little nervous, however, about her unfamiliarity with the nuts and bolts of a successful freelance career, especially the financial aspects.

• Taxes for the Taxed: Business Tracking for the Non-Business/Financially-Minded – Allison Bryant offers advice on tracking and managing income and expenses, as well as tips on finding and working with a legal or financial professional. Jackie will get an idea of what to do with all her money, just as soon as she gets some.
• Using Objective Data to Set Your Freelance Rates – Jackie feels overwhelmed when trying to figure out how much she should charge for language services. Corinne McKay’s session will give her a framework for making those decisions. As Corinne says: “Many of us price our freelance work based on vague factors like fear of being too expensive, fear of not earning enough money, or vague speculation about what other people are charging. Worse yet, many freelancers are simply working for what clients seem willing to pay, and hoping it covers their expenses. There’s a better way! I learned these methods from the original pricing guru, JT Hine, at my first ATA conference in 2004, and they’re even more relevant today.”
• To Sell or Not to Sell Is No Question – Vladimir Reznikov will explain the basics of making and closing a sale. This session will give Jackie some ideas for landing her first clients.

Jacob is a translator who has been working with agency clients for eight years. He’s not happy because his workload has shifted to MTPE and editing AI translations. His job satisfaction and his income have both tanked. He’s looking for new clients that will give him the specialized translation work he loves.

• A Strategic Guide to Securing Direct Clients at ATA’s Annual Conference: From Networking to Closing the Deal – Jacob knows he needs to start looking for direct clients, and he wants to get started immediately. Lenny Yang’s presentation will point him in the right direction. According to Lenny, “Securing direct clients is an essential skill for freelance translators and interpreters, and the ATA conference offers a prime opportunity to achieve this. Attendees can expect to learn practical, actionable strategies—from networking to negotiation—that they can apply right away to expand their client base and turn those connections into long-term, fruitful business relationships.”
• In Praise of Project-Based Price Quotes – As Jacob changes his client base, he’ll have the freedom to move away from word counts when charging for services. Stephen Rifkind says, “I believe that charging by project creates fair value for translators. I hope that translators will understand that they can take control of their income, i.e., they are not at the mercy of agencies and project managers. Through the explanations and examples, project-based pricing will help all translators price their work based on actual time and effort.”
• How to Use LinkedIn to Find Translation Clients – Jacob has had a LinkedIn profile for several years, but he uses the platform only to connect with colleagues. He’s never understood how to use it effectively as a marketing tool. María Paula Plazas will help: “This talk will help established professionals refine their online branding and optimize their LinkedIn profiles to attract target clients. By the end of the session, attendees will have discovered practical, actionable strategies to help them find clients. Participants will leave with a clear roadmap to elevate their presence on LinkedIn, allowing them to grow and sustain their business with ease and confidence.”

After several years as a freelancer, Sasha has decided to start an agency. They’re looking for tips to help navigate the added layers of complexity that will be involved with their new venture.

• How to Get Your Language Services Provider ISO 17100 Certified – Sasha wants ISO 17100 certification to boost their agency’s credibility and professional image. Patry Muñoz Andrés’ session will help them get started.
• Utopia vs. Reality: A Win-Win Approach to Vendor Management – This session will give Sasha some insight into what other freelancers may want from a vendor management relationship with their new agency. Presenter Filipe Averca got the idea for this session from personal experience: “It all started with a Vendor Management course I took in September 2023. . . . I was the only translator in the room. My classmates were all project or vendor managers; some had never worked as translators. During the classes, I shared many funny (and not-so-funny) situations I usually face as a translator, and I noticed that the other side, i.e., the LSP side, was clueless about some issues I raised. I thought it would be interesting to present a seasoned translator’s perspective on the ideal relationship with Vendor Management to spark discussion and possibly promote some change in the industry.”
• Macintosh Magic 2: Integrating Your Workflow Using Utilities and Apps in the Mac Universe – Sasha has always used Windows PCs, but some of the colleagues they hope to onboard as vendors are dedicated Macintosh users. Robert Sette’s session will help Sasha understand what those vendors can do with their tech tools.
• Digital Literacy and Business Growth for Solopreneur Translators – Lara Li examines digital marketing that targets Gen Z clients successfully. Sasha is hoping this session will help them develop a marketing strategy that leads to long-term relationships with clients from this age group.

Kai is a trained conference interpreter. Like other interpreters, he had to pivot quickly to Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI) in recent years. He’s mastered the tech end of it, but he’s still uncomfortable with negotiating rates and working conditions. He’s also considered adding translation to his service portfolio, but he’s not quite sure if it’s the right move for him.

• How Should Interpreters Defend Their Interests When Doing RSI – Presenter Tony Rosado will speak to Kai’s concerns: “Since the pandemic and with it, the arrival of remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI), some service providers decided to ignore the rules and conditions applicable to interpreting, and this could harm individual interpreters and the profession. Seeking to level the playing field for interpreters and service beneficiaries, I got the idea [to give] this presentation and address negotiating conditions and preparing a contract that protects the end user of our services and the interpreters’ interests when interpreting remotely anywhere in the world.”
• Translating and Interpreting: How Do They Differ? – Helen Eby will give a research-based description of both translation and interpreting, their similarities and differences, the tools they use, and more. Kai should come away with a solid understanding of what he will need to do if he chooses to move into translation work.

Muriel’s career spans two decades. She’s developed a reputation for excellent work and for expertise in her chosen specialty field, which she has worked hard to achieve. After so much time focusing on her craft, she’s feeling restless and wants to get more involved in the broader industry. She’s thinking about one day running for the ATA Board of Directors, but she doesn’t have a background of volunteer leadership in the industry.

• Resources for You from the Business Practices Education Committee – Muriel has built up a wealth of business knowledge over the course of her career, and sometimes she’s surprised that newer professionals don’t know things she considers basic. This Committee Forum presentation will show Muriel what ATA is doing to support T&I professionals in their business endeavors. She may ask to volunteer with the committee as a means to start building up her resume for a future ATA Board candidacy.
• How to Prepare Presentations for Conferences – Step by Step – Every time she sees a call for speakers at an industry conference, Muriel considers sending a proposal and then changes her mind. She’s not confident in her public speaking skills, and she wants to improve. Presenter Stephen Rifkind promises, “If making a presentation ever scared or bewildered you, you will learn how simple the actual process is.”
• President’s Panel: Looking Into the Future – This gathering of presidents from several T&I associations will allow Muriel to hear what leaders in the field think about where the industry is. ATA President Geoff Koby describes the session like this: “Expect to hear different perspectives on the translation industry from the various presidents; how they are responding to the challenge of AI, where the industry will need linguists in the future. It will help give professionals a larger perspective on where the industry as a whole is headed, so that they can make good choices as to directions to move into.”

Further details about all these sessions are available on the conference website. Take some time now to decide what you want to learn about and let us know in the comments. Maybe we’ll see you at one of these talks!

About the Author

Danielle Maxson has been translating since 2009 and specializes in medical translation with a focus on patient records. She is an ATA-certified Portuguese to English and Spanish to English translator and the chair of ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee. Before focusing on translation, she worked as a Spanish teacher and a medical interpreter. For more information, visit http://dmaxsontranslates.com.