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NEXT HITA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING: Saturday, September 29, 10-00-12-00 AM
 
While the translation of literary and non-fiction works is not necessarily the highest paid, it is in many respects the most demanding and rewarding kind of work a translator can do. Our speakers, Stella Guillory, Lucia Aranda, and Paul Cobbett will talk about how they found their opportunities to work in this field, as well as of the challenges and solutions they found in this type of translation.
 
The meeting will be held in the recreation area, ground floor of Dominique Derrien-Bartley's apartment complex at 500 University Avenue, the last building on the right at the ocean end of University. Free parking is available in the Ala Wai public parking lot. Enter the building through the main driveway. The recreation area to the left, up a short flight of steps and through the large glass doors.

REPORT ON HITA MEETING: Thursday, June 21
 
BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR FREELANCE INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS
 
Mr. David Brown of the Small Business Adminisration (SBA) described a wealth of resources available to small businesses and freelance service providers in Hawaii, including:
 
* the Business Information and Counseling Center, which provides training, print materials, computer programs, and counseling to help with the development of business plans and applications for various types of loans available to small businesses
* the Hawaii Small Business Development Center, which provides monthly workshops on financial management and other topics
* the Business Action Center, the state agency in charge of registration and applications for licenses, permits, and information on taxes and state and federal requirements and regulations
 
Further information and brochures descring these programs can be obtained by calling Mr. Brown's office at 541-2986.
 
HITA member Dr. Xin Liu, interpreter of Mandarin for the Federal Courts, the U.S. Department of State, and at many business and government conferences spoke about "How to Negotiate a Contract" for conference and legal interpreting. Xin strongly advises that interpreters should never accept a job with a private employer without drawing up a written agreement which specifies matters such as:
 
* the names of the parties to the contract, the event, dates and time
* the mode or modes of interpretation to be used
* the rate of pay (daily or hourly), including the general excise tax, and with specific terms for overtime
* event-related expenses, such as transportation, parking, meals, and lodging
* cancellation policy
* due date for payment
 
Other handouts provided at the meeting included model contracts from NAJIT and ATA, information on professional liability insurance, and an article on the benefits of incorporation for interpreters/translators.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FOR 2001
This is a good time to renew your membership for 2002-- both in HITA ($20) and the HITA Referral Service (optional, for an additional $20). Checks dated October 1, 2001 or later will be applied to your 2002 membership. You must be a HITA member in order to join the Referral Service.
 
Please make a separate check for each organization (to HITA and/or HITA Referral Service), and in the memo section, please indicate "2002 membership dues for [your name]" Membership dues will be accepted at the Sept. 29 meeting, or you can mail them to HITA, P.O. Box 90900, Honolulu, HI 96835

ATA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The American Translators' Association's (ATA) Annual Conference will be held in Los Angeles, October 31-November 3, 2001. Registration fees are $245 for ATA members, $335 for non-members if registration is made by October 1. For more information and to register on line, see the ATA website: http://www.atanet.org/

HITA REFERRAL SERVICE
Sadly, the HITA Referral Service treasury (which, due to IRS requirements, operates with a separate account from HITA itself) is running dangerously low, at least in part because some members have yet to pay their 10% referral fees for jobs obtained through the Referral Service. Please remember that your referral fees are needed to pay the ongoing expenses of the Referral Service, including telephone, fax, and yellow pages listing.

CLEARANCE TO ENTER THE FEDERAL DENTENTION CENTER
In order to enter the newly opened Federal Detention Center (FDC), interpreters are required to obtain a clearance. Most of those on the Federal Court Interpreters List have been mailed the FCIC Check Form and a visitors information sheet. If you anticipate being called to work at the FDC and you have not received these materials, please contact Pat Harpstrite (247-3578 or harpstrij001@hawaii.rr,.com)

FEDERAL COURT INTERPRETER CERTIFICATION
The Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination (for Spanish, Navajo and Haitian Creole) will be administered in Honolulu on December 1, 2001. The deadline to register is October 20, 2001. For further information please refer to the FCICE website: http://www.cps.ca.gov/fcice-spanish. The Provisional Edition of the Examinee Handbook is now available for viewing or downloading at this website on the "Candidate Information" page. There is also a link for on-line registration at the bottom of the "Candidate Information" page, where you can register for the Written Examination on-line using your Visa or MasterCard.
 
You can also obtain information about the examination by telephone: (916) 263-3494, via e-mail at FCICE-Spanish@cps.ca.gov or by writing to:
CPS Human Resource Service
Federal Court Interpreter Certification Program
(916) 263-3494
241 Lathrop Way
Sacramento, CA 95815

"DAY IN COURT" FOLLOW-UP:
 
HITA is pleased to announce the following communications from the US District Court which resulted from questions raised at the March 8 "Day in Court" orientation to interpreting in Federal Court:
 
1. A letter from US Magistrate Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi, answering questions about the court's policies on assignment and pay for interpreters. (Click here to see the full text of this letter: LEK Letter)
 
2. "Guidelines for Billing for Interpreter/Translator Services," prepared and mailed out to all interpreters on the Federal Court Interpreters List by the Office of the Clerk.
 
3. A change in the FPD payment policy was explanied in a letter from First Assistant Public Defender Alexander Silvert : "From now on we will be paying for a full hours work even when only a portion of the hour is spent interpreting. Of course, . . . we hopethat interpreters will not charge us for an additional hour if we go over the hour by a few minutes.
 
4. A Standard Interpreters Invoice form for the Federal Public Defenders Office, prepared by Chief Federal Public Defender Peter Wolff in response to a suggestion from a HITA member. The new invoice includes a brief description of payment rates and policies for interpreting services, travel time, and written translation. The new form is available in the Public Defenders Office; however, its use is not mandatory. Interpreters may continue to submit their own invoice forms, if they prefer.
 

COMMITTEE ON COURT INTERPRETER CERTIFICATION:
 
Click here to see the report of the February meeting of Hawaii State Judiciary's Committee on Court Interpreter Certification, submitted by HITA's representative to the committee, Tuan Jensen-Lech.
 

HITA EXECUTIVE BOARD: To see the minutes of the previous Board Meetings, click here: BoardMinutes 2-17-01


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