Becoming a member of AUSIT as an English to German translator
Thread poster: Annett Roessner
Annett Roessner
Annett Roessner  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 22:11
Member (2017)
English to German
May 20, 2019

Hi everybody,

I am about to finish my second year of study (Masters in Translation Studies) as a long distance student at a university in the UK. As part of my studies, I am currently working on drafting a business development plan. It was pointed out in my course that membership in a professional translator association is an absolute must. So, I had a look at AUSIT and also the BDÜ.

All my current clients are in Europe (all found me through ProZ.com) and I don't have
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Hi everybody,

I am about to finish my second year of study (Masters in Translation Studies) as a long distance student at a university in the UK. As part of my studies, I am currently working on drafting a business development plan. It was pointed out in my course that membership in a professional translator association is an absolute must. So, I had a look at AUSIT and also the BDÜ.

All my current clients are in Europe (all found me through ProZ.com) and I don't have any clients in Australia (they don't seem to be on here). I have not marketed myself to Australian agencies because they all require NAATI accredited translators (I am not). In addition, it was already mentioned in previous discussions that the market for English > German translations is very small in Australia. So I am not sure if joining AUSIT is the right choice for me or If I should look for associations in other countries instead (e.g. BDÜ in Germany).

Any thoughts on the benefits of joining AUSIT in my situation are very welcome.

Thanks,

Annett
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Daria Bontch-Osmolovskaia (X)
Daria Bontch-Osmolovskaia (X)
Australia
Local time: 21:11
English
+ ...
It depends... May 20, 2019

Hi Annett,

First, congratulations on your successes Sounds like a really good course to do...

As for NAATI - it depends on where you are based, and what kind of work you are targeting. If you are in Australia, and you think you'll be doing a lot of documents - then sure. But as you write, the market for EN>German translations in Australia would be quite small.

TBH, in your situation, I woul
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Hi Annett,

First, congratulations on your successes Sounds like a really good course to do...

As for NAATI - it depends on where you are based, and what kind of work you are targeting. If you are in Australia, and you think you'll be doing a lot of documents - then sure. But as you write, the market for EN>German translations in Australia would be quite small.

TBH, in your situation, I would look into the BDÜ membership and other international organisations. NAATI is only applicable to Australia, and the exams are geared for people who do general & government work. So unless you are planning to become a court or medical interpreter in Australia, it's most probably going to be a waste of time for you...

Just my musings.

Cheers,
D.
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Dylan J Hartmann
 
Natasha Ziada (X)
Natasha Ziada (X)  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 21:11
English to Dutch
+ ...
Benefits May 20, 2019

Hi Annett,

I'm in a similar situation to yours, where there is a very small market within Australia for my language pairs (EN NL) and most of my clients are overseas.

Ultimately, it comes down to your main reason for joining. Despite hardly having any Australian clients, I do find AUSIT membership worthwhile in terms of networking, professional development, and social activities - things that may be harder to find with an overseas association.

In terms o
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Hi Annett,

I'm in a similar situation to yours, where there is a very small market within Australia for my language pairs (EN NL) and most of my clients are overseas.

Ultimately, it comes down to your main reason for joining. Despite hardly having any Australian clients, I do find AUSIT membership worthwhile in terms of networking, professional development, and social activities - things that may be harder to find with an overseas association.

In terms of marketing/branding, you would have to find out if membership of AUSIT carries the same weight as membership of BDÜ among your clients. My clients are all over the world, and while AUSIT may not be as internationally renowned as ITI or ATA for example, being a member still shows that you are a professional translator and not one of the many 'cowboys' out there As far as being listed on an association's directory goes, I'm not sure how good of a marketing tool that is in general, compared to a website, Proz profile, LinkedIn profile, etc. Perhaps others have more experience with this.
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Dylan J Hartmann
 
Natasha Ziada (X)
Natasha Ziada (X)  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 21:11
English to Dutch
+ ...
NAATI certification or AUSIT membership May 20, 2019

Daria Bontch-Osmolovskaia wrote:


As for NAATI - it depends on where you are based, and what kind of work you are targeting. If you are in Australia, and you think you'll be doing a lot of documents - then sure. But as you write, the market for EN>German translations in Australia would be quite small.

TBH, in your situation, I would look into the BDÜ membership and other international organisations. NAATI is only applicable to Australia, and the exams are geared for people who do general & government work.


NAATI is not the same as AUSIT - NAATI purely concerns itself with the certification (testing) of translators and interpreters, while AUSIT is the professional association for translators and interpreters in Australia. One doesn't have to be NAATI certified to be a member of AUSIT or vice versa.


Dylan J Hartmann
 
Anna Herbst
Anna Herbst  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 22:11
English to Swedish
+ ...

Moderator of this forum
SITE LOCALIZER
When in Rome... May 20, 2019

Hi Annett,

If you are based in Australia and are serious about making a career in T/I here, I would suggest you look into joining AUSiT as your first priority.
Membership in your local professional association will, as Natasha has already pointed out, give you opportunities to widen your professional network, participate in professional development, as well as keep up to date with what is happening in Australia. This should ultimately make it easier for you to find your way i
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Hi Annett,

If you are based in Australia and are serious about making a career in T/I here, I would suggest you look into joining AUSiT as your first priority.
Membership in your local professional association will, as Natasha has already pointed out, give you opportunities to widen your professional network, participate in professional development, as well as keep up to date with what is happening in Australia. This should ultimately make it easier for you to find your way into the Australian T/I market.

All the best,
Anna
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Natasha Ziada (X)
 
Vanda Nissen
Vanda Nissen  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 21:11
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
It really depends... May 20, 2019

Hi Annett,

It really depends. I have colleagues in Australia, for whom AUSIT membership has become a good investment in terms of getting new clients, while they could not get a single client on Proz.com. That said, I do not personally think that the AUSIT directory will make you particularly visible, it is certainly not ATA. However, as Natasha and Anna have pointed out, AUSIT membership will certainly widen your professional network - agencies work closely with AUSIT as well.


 
Annett Roessner
Annett Roessner  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 22:11
Member (2017)
English to German
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you so much everybody May 24, 2019

Hi all,

This is certainly a difficult decision. I think I’ll continue to keep an eye out on the AUSIT website but for now will join the ITI as a student member. I can always join them later.

Best regards,

Annett


 


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Becoming a member of AUSIT as an English to German translator






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