Announcement: Interpreter Trainers’ Network Symposium

June 6, 2018

Announcement: Interpreter Trainers’ Network Symposium

Dear ASLIA Members,

Dear Interpreter trainers, potential trainers and all ASLIA members,

It is with some sadness that the ANC2018 Organising Committee and the ASLIA Board have decided to cancel the Interpreter Trainer Network Symposium (ITNS) which was to have been held on Monday 24^th September following the ANC 2018.

2018 has seen a watershed of changes and events nationally and internationally which have involved interpreters and trainers in ways not foreseen when ITNS planning began.

The WASLI Conference being held in Fiji in August has meant that many of our trainers and members will be out of the country only one month before our own national conference.

This has had an impact on the number of ITNS papers submitted to the Organising Committee, the number of people able to register for ITNS, and also the number of interpreters available to work at ITNS.

Within Australia the NAATI Certification testing system is being piloted during 2018, and this has involved a large number of the very trainers who would normally attend and present training at the ITNS. This has consumed the time of some of our best trainers, leading to a lack of personnel and resources for ITNS 2018.

In addition, the arrival of NDIS is impacting on the current service providers in ways we are all still learning about, causing many changes in working conditions for us all. Again this is consuming the time of many of our senior practitioners who are the educators of the future, who therefore cannot give the time needed for presentations at ITNS in September.

Last but not least, our own ASLIA Board is working at a frenetic pace to rebuild our national organisation as envisaged in the Constitution we all approved last year. Each member has an enormous workload, as well as supporting the OC to conduct the best ever National Conference for all members.

We look forward seeing you all at ANC 2018 in September.

Yours sincerely

Meredith Bartlett
Convenor ANC 2018