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Introducing AAITE - a Home for Interpreters and Translators in Education

by: AAITE Board
Category: Press Release
Jan
19

With great joy we announce that the group formally known as the Interpreters and Translators in Education (ITE) Workgroup, is now officially the American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education.

Our launch as a formal, professional association is the fruit of two years of hard work by a diverse group of very dedicated individuals and supportive allies in our field.

Origins

The ITE Workgroup officially formed in September 2019 to launch a national conversation about the need to professionalize interpreting and translation in educational settings. Since then, the founding members have worked diligently to build a new professional organization from the ground up, which meant a building out a formal organizational structure from the inside while, at the same time, learning as much as we could about and from linguists and stakeholders in K-12 education across the United States.
 
Our learning process has included holding two annual meetings, national surveys run by our Job Task Analysis and Ethics and Standards Committees, running a national listserv to promote discussion and learning and building relationships with sister organizations and key stakeholders in the interpreting and translation fields.

Internally, a dedicated group has been meeting regularly for months to create our vision and mission statements, write bylaws for incorporation and create a structure to elect our first Board of Directors. And throughout it all, our core committees have continued to advanced our work to create a comprehensive national code of ethics, standards of practice and to identify desperately-needed best practices in our rapidly-evolving field.

 

A New Home for Interpreters and Translators in Education

Interpreters and translators have been working in educational settings for decades with adequate resources, support and recognition from the professions of which they should be an integral part. In recent years, the visibility of this vital group of professionals has been increasing and momentum has built to start laying in a true foundation for a bona fide specialization in educational interpreting and translation.

The American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education, or AAITE, is a key part of laying that foundation. We are a professional association for the practitioners in educational interpreting and translation. Our primary focus is to support the thousands of hard-working, committed individuals working in school settings, whether as employees or independent contractors, who make language access possible for millions of children and families.

We need nationally-recognized ethics, standards of practice, training, best practices, and ultimately, when the pieces are in place, a national certification process. We need a place to network and professionalize. We need a place we can call home.

To that end, the AAITE's core vision and mission statements are:

Vision:

To be the national authority for professional interpreters and translators in education through advocacy, education and professionalization of the fields.

Mission:

To promote the recognition and professionalization of the interpreter and translator in educational settings through communicating timely relevant information to all stakeholders, and the continued development and implementation of nationally-recognized best practices, code of ethics, standards of practice; professional development and training opportunities for practitioners in the field; and a national certification program.

Next Steps

On April 30th, 2021 The Leadership committee gathered to elect the first AAITE Board of Director. It is with great pleasure that we can now share with you the foundational Board for this ground-breaking organization:
 
 
The new board will be continue the essential work of building out a complete professional association, with membership, benefits and continued leadership and advocacy for all interpreters and translators.

In the days ahead, we'll be sharing out our projects, ideas and looking to all of you for your expertise, wisdom and energy.

 
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