Upper Midwest Translators and Interpreters Association upcoming events

Preparing for Assignments (19 Nov 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Preparing for Assignments

Course offered by Century College´s Continuing Education and Customized Training (CECT)

CEUs sponsored by UMTIA

Disclaimer: This course is offered by Century College´s Continuing Education and Customized Training. CECT organizes the course and will provide the certificates. Any questions about the registration, the link for the course, the credits and/or the certificates should be directed to CECT.

For more information and registration, visit Translation and Interpreting registration page

DESCRIPTION:

Preparation prior to assignments is a fundamental skill for interpreters. In this workshop, participants will explore strategies and resources that will help them prepare effectively for assignments. The session will also cover approaches to preparing to work in new specialty areas or domains. This workshop will be of interest to any interpreter interested in refining their topic preparation skill and knowledge.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Discuss the importance of effective preparation for assignments.
Explore strategies for effective preparation prior to assignments.
Identify reliable resources for use in preparing for assignments.

PRESENTER: RACHEL E. HERRING

Rachel E. Herring was Director of the Translation and Interpreting Program at Century College (Minnesota) until 2025 and is currently serving as interim dean at the same institution. She has worked as a freelance and staff interpreter for 20 years, primarily in healthcare settings, and most recently at Children´s MN. She holds an M.A. in Translation and Interpreting from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, a Masters of Advanced Studies in Interpreter Training from the University of Geneva, and a PhD in Interpreting from the University of Geneva. She has presented and published on interpreting and interpreter training in a variety of venues.

Date: Thursday, November 19th, 2026
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CDT)

Location: Online via Zoom. Approximately 3 days prior to the start of the class, you will receive an email with the Zoom link to the course.

Cost: $35

CEUS: 2 hours CCHI

2 hours ATA

Registration: Translation and Interpreting CECT Offerings

Sight Translation (05 Dec 2026)

Sat, 05 Dec 2026 14:30:00 GMT

Sight Translation

Course offered by Century College´s Continuing Education and Customized Training (CECT)

CEUs sponsored by UMTIA

For more information and registration, visit Translation and Interpreting registration page

DESCRIPTION:

Sight translation (rendering text written in one language into spoken or signed text in another language) is an important skill for interpreters. In this workshop, we will talk about the challenges inherent in the task, decision-making and ethics issues related to sight translation, and approaches to developing sight translation skill. A portion of the workshop will be dedicated to practice. Participants should bring writing utensils (pen/ pencil) and come ready to work in small groups.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Discuss the place of sight translation in the interpreter's toolkit.
Discuss decision - making regarding choosing whether or not to sight translate a given document.
Learn about common difficulties encountered in sight translation and strategies for preparing a text for sight translation
Develop sight translation skills through group practice.

PRESENTER: RACHEL E. HERRING

Date: Saturday, December 5th, 2026
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (CDT)

Location: Century College - East Campus; Room E2311 and E2313

3300 Century Avenue N, White Bear Lake, MN, 55110

Cost: $60

CEUS: 3.5 hours CCHI

3 hours ATA

Registration: Translation and Interpreting CECT Offerings

Medieval Castle with a Renaissance Façade (09 Dec 2026)

Thu, 10 Dec 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Medieval Castle with a Renaissance Façade

UMTIA is hosting its last event of the year online.

UMTIA is offering this webinar free of charge for members. Renew your membership or join now!

DESCRIPTION:

In the age of AI, it is harder to tell if a project request is genuine or a scam. In this presentation, UMTIA´s incoming Vice-President and seasoned industry leader will outline the types of scams that an interpreter or translator may come across, show how to identify them, and how to protect yourself from falling victim. Essentially, building your business into a medieval castle with a renaissance façade.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

In this workshop, participants will:

Establish types of scams and ways of identifying them.
Create a toolbox of tactics to protect interpreters and translators from falling victim.

PRESENTER: JOSEPH WOJOWSKI

Joseph Wojowski is a 19-year veteran of the translation and localization industry and a translator of French and Spanish into English. He is currently the Director of Translation at AccessBridge, a communication access service company based in California. He is the vice president elect of UMTIA and currently serves as the assistant administrator of the ATA Korean Language Division, and member-at-large on the board of the American Foundation for Translators and Interpreters (AFTI). Previously, he taught data security for project managers and advanced project management in the department of localization project management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), and has presented on scams, scammers, and data security at ATA conferences, MATI conferences and webinars, NETA meetings, and NOTA webinars.

Date: Wednesday, December 9th, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Location: Online via Zoom. The link to join the workshop will be provided on Tuesday, December 8th.

Cost: $ 0 for members

    $ 10 for non-members

CEUS:   1 hour IMIA
1 hour CCHI
1 hour ATA

Additional information:

• At UMTIA, we are committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment, free from discrimination and bias, where all participants are treated with dignity and fairness.
• Attendance at this event presumes acceptance of the use of photographs and video of the event for UMTIA promotional material.
• Attendees MUST be present for the entire duration of the event to receive a CEU Certificate. We will be taking attendance.