By Marion Rhodes
CTA Social Media Coordinator
August 27, 2014
At its last meeting, the Board of the Colorado Interpreters & Translators Association decided that CTA, as a growing association, needs someone to help manage the membership process. We asked our members to volunteer for the role of membership coordinator, an appointed position that is not part of the elected Board. Several people applied, all highly motivated to volunteer for CTA, and their excellent statements made the Board’s decision quite difficult. We are excited to announce that our new membership coordinator is Elsbeth Rozanski of Boulder. I caught up with Elsbeth and asked her a few questions to help our members get to know her a little bit better.
Marion Rhodes: You work as a localization project manager at SDL International and are finishing up a certificate in Spanish into English translation from New York University. Where do you plan to take your translation career down the road?
Elsbeth Rozanski: Working as a project manager has really opened my eyes to the localization industry as a whole, and by training as a translator, I am able to work more effectively with teams of translators around the world. I plan to continue learning and growing in both the project management and translation arenas. I want to be a “lifer” in localization!
MR: Why did you decide to volunteer for the position of membership coordinator?
ER: I joined CTA during my last year of college at the suggestion of my translation professor. I can truly say that by joining CTA, I found my “tribe”! I love getting together with fellow linguists and localization professionals and talking about the latest challenges we’ve faced, trends in the industry, etc. CITA is an organization that really encourages us to be ourselves and show our professional side to the world. I hope that by volunteering as membership coordinator, I can increase membership and get CTA the exposure it deserves, and meet some interesting people along the way.
MR: You’ve attended a number of CTA events in the past. What has been your favorite get-together so far?
ER: I really loved the first CTA conference I attended in 2013. Driving to NCAR early in the morning (what a view!) and spending the day getting to know my colleagues was really special. I also loved the CAT tool workshop at the end. CTA events are a great way to learn about new technologies and trends in localization as well as catch up with friends.
MR: Do you have any ideas for promoting CTA to get new members?
ER: I think CITA is headed in a great direction and has been for the last few years. The enthusiasm of current members will really drive the growth of its membership. We’ll have a table at the ATA conference in Chicago this year, and I’m looking forward to showing people what we’re all about. Our presence on social media will also help to draw in new members, and of course, word of mouth never hurts! I also think that visiting local colleges would be a great way to let people know about us early on in their careers, or inspire them to pursue translation professionally.
MR: Where would you like to see CTA go over the next few years?
ER: CTA has the potential for a lot of growth considering how well the translation field is doing these days. I anticipate a larger influx of young translators who are looking to find people with similar interests, and are also looking for mentors to help guide them after college. I would love to see a diverse group of people band together to share their knowledge and expertise and push our industry to the next level. ¡Viva la CTA!
MR: Now tell us something unique about yourself.
ER: I grew up on an organic farm in north Boulder and spent over 15 years working at the Boulder County Farmers Market! I’m a farm girl at heart.
