FIT External Partnerships - draft
DRAFT - 2025.07.17
https://en.fit-ift.org/partners/
AIIC - No MoU
FIT is involved in the global language alliance, which includes AIIC, where work has been ongoing to protect linguists in high-risk settings. Informal discussions from time to time with AIIC, which most recently led to a joint statement from AIIC, FIT and WASLI concerning the economic effects on freelance interpreters and translators worldwide following the spread of the coronavirus
https://www.fit-ift.org/joint-appeal- coronavirus/
Former AIIC President Linda Fitchett and FIT President Kevin Quirk have both contributed articles on the plight of linguists in high-risk settings to Circuit the quarterly bulletin of OTTIAQ.
Translation Commons believes every language deserves a place in the digital world. We’re committed to bridging the digital divide, ensuring all communities can communicate, learn, and thrive online in their native tongue.
Asling - (International Association for Advancement in Language Technology)
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Eleanor Cornelius
Nature of collaboration
Usually held in London every November. FIT often participates.
Update
(Feb 2022) At the 2021 AsLing conference, Eleanor
moderated a panel discussion on unedited (raw) machine translation. And FIT
council member Alan Melby, with a colleague,
made a presentation about the MQM Scorecard app.
**
Organization
CEATL / (Conseil
Européen des Associations de
Traducteurs Littéraires; / European
Council of Literary Translators Association)
URL
MoU
with FIT
Yes, see ProofHub files
FIT Liaison
Kevin
Quirk
Nature of collaboration
FIT,
together with FIT Europe, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CEATL in
2018. The FIT Literary Translation and Copyright Task Force is actively
involved in cooperation with CEATL on a number of issues. Projects include an
attempt to put in place an important memorandum of understanding between FIT
and CEATL with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair aimed at drawing attention to
the shockingly low levels of remuneration offered to translators of children’s
books in Europe and elsewhere, monitoring copyright infringements and working
with WIPO.
CIUTI
and FIT have collaborated for many years.
Update
(Feb
2022) Continued good cooperation with CEATL. In partnership with CEATL, FIT
Council members Marta Morros and Kevin Quirk gave presentations at the Bologna
Children’s Book Fair in June 2021. FIT President also attended the CEATL annual
meeting on the island of Åland in the Baltic Sea 8-10 October 2021. In
addition, CEATL President Shaun Whiteside and FIT President Kevin Quirk both
spoke at Salone Internazionale del Libro Torino on the subject of literary
translation. Kevin Quirk has been part of the Authors’ Rights Workgroup in
CEATL in recent years, where implementation of the Digital Single Market
Directive in relation to copyright has been a hot topic along with other issues
relating to translators’ rights.
**
Organization
CIUTI / (Conférence internationale permanente d'instituts
universitaires de traducteurs et interprètes)
URL
MoU with FIT
Yes,
trying to locate
FIT Liaison
Olga
Egorova
Nature
of collaboration
Update
(Feb
2022). CIUTI has rendered support to a project of the Education and PD Task
Force - they helped us gather updated information about T&I training
programs around the world. CIUTI requested all their members to send us the
information and many did.
In
September 2021 Olga Egorova took part in (attended physically) the General
Assembly of CIUTI in the University
of
Granada in Spain. CIUTI elected a new president - Bart Defrancq. Olga Egorova
discussed possibilities of FIT-CIUTI cooperation. Possible participation of
CIUTI in FIT events was discussed, and one of the possibilities was inviting
the CIUTI President to speak at an online event of the Association Development
TF (to be further decided). CIUTI promised to further support and work together
with the Education and PD TF of FIT to create a comprehensive global database
of TTI training institutions and programs and contribute to other FIT projects
when necessary.
**
Organization
CRITICAL
LINK INTERNATIONAL
URL
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Kevin
Quirk
Nature of collaboration
FIT
takes part in occasional meetings/discussions with Critical Link International,
which participates in the global language alliance. Among other things, we are
involved in the Open Letter project, together with Red-T, AIIC, IAPTI, WASLI
and several other entities throughout the world, where open letters are sent to
heads of state and others to highlight the plight of linguists in high- risk
settings (see, e.g., the Open Letter to Australia’s Prime Minister from
February 2020 https://wa1.fit-ift.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/02/OL_Prime- Minister-Morrison_2020_REV2.pdf)
Update
(Feb
2022) Continued contact with the president of Critical Link International, who
is planning to attend the FIT Congress in Varadero. Otherwise contact via the
global language alliance on issues relating to linguists in high-risk settings.
**
Organization
EST
/ (European Society for Translation Studies)
URL
https://est-translationstudies.org/
MoU with FIT
Yes,
trying to locate
FIT Liaison
Kevin
Quirk and Reina de Bettendorf
Nature of collaboration
FIT's commitment to promote training and research
worldwide coincides with EST's own mandate. EST has been one of the oldest
external partnerships that FIT has. Our cooperation has not been active
for a while.
Update
(Feb
2022) Kevin wrote recently to EST vice-president Luc van Doorslaer to rekindle
contact with EST. He replied and informed Kevin that EST are considering
sending a representative to the FIT World Congress, if it is held physically in
Varadero.
**
Organization
European
Union
URL
MoU
with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
FIT
Europe and Olga Egorova
Nature of collaboration
FIT Mundus and FIT Europe work together to collaborate with the European Union.
Update
(Feb
2022) Olga Egorova has been working closely with DG Interpretation of the
European Commission in order to make sure that the new DG will be a keynote
speaker at the Cuba Congress. DG Interpretation is waiting for the news about
the format of the Congress. Olga Egorova is also in close touch with: DG
Translation of the EC, DG Logistics and Interpretation for Conferences of the
European Parliament and DG Translation of the European Parliament (which
includes the Terminology Unit)
**
Organization
GALA
/ (Globalization and Localization Alliance)
URL
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Alan
Melby
Nature of collaboration
GALA
members consist primarily of medium to large language service companies (LSPs).
FIT sends a representative to GALA events to make translators visible and to
gather information about the translation sector from the perspective of LSCs.
Update
(Feb
2022) AKM participated in a panel discussion abouttranslation &
interpreting related standards at the GALA Connected event in October 2021. His
topic was a commentary on an article by Tucker Johson about regarding
translation quality evaluation. AKM is scheduled to be part of a panel
discussion about translation grades and labels at the April 2022 GALA
conference.
**
Organization
IAPTI
/ (International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters)
URL
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Kevin Quirk
Nature of collaboration
IAPTI
is an association of individual translators and interpreters, not a federation
of associations, like FIT.
Update
(Feb
2022) KQ has sporadic contact with the president of IAPTI.
**
Organization
ISO
/ (International Organization for Standardization)
URL
MoU with FIT
No
MoU, but there is a formal relationship. FIT is an official liaison
organization with ISO
FIT Liaison
Alan
Melby
Nature of collaboration
Izabel
Souza was the previous liaison person between FIT and ISO. Now AKM is the
liaison. There is a FIT SCTF that is focused on monitoring and commenting on
ISO Standards.
Update
(Feb
2022) Please see the report from the FIT ISO SCTF.
**
Organization
JIAMCATT /
(International Annual Meeting on Computer-Assisted Translation and Terminology)
URL
https://www.iamladp.org/content/jiamcatt
MoU with FIT
There is no MoU
between FIT and JIAMCATT, but FIT was accepted years ago as a member of
JIAMCATT.
FIT Liaison
Alan Melby
Nature of collaboration
FIT frequently sends
a representative to the annual JIAMCATT conference to make translators,
terminologists, and interpreters visible. And to gather information about the
translation sector from other JIAMCATT members, which are primarily
international organizations. JIAMCATT participants are primarily
representatives of translation departments in the respective JIAMCATT member
organization.
Update
(Feb 2022) The next
JIAMCATT conference is scheduled for April 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland, at the
headquarters of WIPO.
************************
Organization
MCE / (Meet Central
Europe)
URL
https://meetcentraleurope.com/
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Alexandra Jantscher
(AJ)
Nature of
collaboration
AJ attended MCE (Meet
Central Europe) in Prague in October 2019 and made a presentation there
entitled "Benefits for Freelancers and Translation Companies - a
Contradiction?". AJ attended the event in Budapest in 2018.
Update
(Feb 2022) AJ is kept
informed on ongoing online activities. The next MCE event will likely be in
Bratislava in the autumn of 2022.
****************************
Organization
PEN International
URL
https://pen-international.org/
MoU with FIT
Ongoing
Alison Rodriguez (AR)
/ Reina de Bettendorf
Nature of collaboration
PEN is an association
of writers, including poets, playwrights, editors, essayists, novelists,
journalists, and historians. (Feb
2022) There has been no recent contact between FIT and PEN.
Update
Talks
******************************
Organization
Red-T / (Protecting
translators and interpreters in high-risk areas)
URL
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Kevin Quirk (KQ)
Nature of collaboration
During the course of
this mandate (since Brisbane in 2017), KQ has attended and spoken at several
events organised by Red-T and the global language alliance at the UN
Headquarters in New York. These meetings and roundtables are aimed at raising
awareness among member states of the plight of linguists in conflict
zones/high-risk settings. KQ is currently working with Maya Hess, the founder
of Red-T, on an Open Letter to the President of Iraq to highlight the highly
dangerous situation faced by translators and interpreters in Iraq.
Update
(Feb 2022) Continued
cooperation and discussion with Maya Hess at Red T. Expressions of support for
the work of Red T given repeatedly via Facebook and Twitter.
*******************************
Organization
TAUS / (Translation
Automation User Society)
URL
http://taus.net/
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Alan Melby (AKM)
Nature of
collaboration
AKM has a
longstanding relationship with Jaap van der Meer, the head of TAUS, and has
presented several times at TAUS events.
Update
(Feb 2022) A few
years ago, TAUS has published a position paper on transcreation, which is at
odds with the recently finalised FIT position paper on translation-related
activities, including transcreation.
In the July-August
issue of Multilingual magazine, Jaap published an article claiming that the
current "mixed model" (free machine translation on the one hand and
paid human translation on the other) is unsustainable. AKM and a colleague,
Christopher Kurz, wrote a rebuttal, which was published in the
November-December 2021 issue of the same magazine. See
http://www.ttt.org/translation- economics-and-rebuttal/ for both Jaap's article
and the rebuttal.
The status of TAUS as
a partner with FIT clearly needs to be reviewed.
****************************************
Organization
UN / (United
Nations)
URL
https://www.un.org/en/
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Kevin Quirk
Nature of
collaboration
Through its networks
FIT provides UN outreach to individual practitioners for recruitment,
information and up-skilling. It elevates the status of multilingualism,
promoting education, access, understanding and the importance of indigenous
languages and cultural diversity. FIT celebrates International Translation Day
(ITD), now adopted by Resolution A/RES/71/288 as a UN International Day.
The selection of an
annual theme for ITD appears to be rather fragmented but worldwide FIT has
dominated with its theme and many follow our lead. FIT supports the
International Decade of (Feb
2022) The priority with the UN is to seek protection for interpreters working
in conflict zones /high-risk settings in collaboration with Red T, AIIC and
others. Before the pandemic, Kevin attended a presentation at the UN and has
continued to be lead in this. Another priority is International Translation
Day, which Kevin has discussed with various stakeholders and missions at the
UN.
Update
Indigenous Languages.
FIT also supports the protection of linguists in areas of conflict and
post-conflict, supporting the work of the UN Security Commission and proposals
by Permanent Delegations to the Council.
There is overlap with
other UN agencies and JIAMCATT, but these are important synergies.
FIT needs to keep the
UN up to date with our activities and monitor such activities within the UN
that may be relevant to us.
***********************************
Organization
UNESCO / (United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
URL
https://en.unesco.org/
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Alison Rodriguez
Nature of
collaboration
FIT is listed as an
NGO partner with UNESCO (see https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ list_ngos_official_partners_unesco.pdf)
Update
(Feb 2022) FIT's
status with UNESCO will need to be renewed in 2023.
*****************************************
Organization
UNHCR / (United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
URL
https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Alexandra Jantscher
Nature of
collaboration
UNHCR was added as
potential partner with FIT as we thought we might meet them in Vienna in 2019
during the Presidents Forum.
Update
(Feb 2022) AJ has
been in touch with the headquarters in Geneva. It turns out they are only
interested in sponsors, not really in any cooperation in the sense we have
cooperation with other partners.
*********************************
Organization
WASLI / (World
Association of Sign Language Interpreters)
URL
https://wasli.org/
MoU with FIT
Yes; see ProofHub
files
FIT Liaison
Alexandra Jantscher
(AJ)
Nature of collaboration
FIT cooperates
officially with the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), and the World
Association of Sign Languages Interpreters (WASLI), on projects with common
objectives (translation support services in conflict zones, disaster relief and
equitable access to community services).
Update
(Feb 2022)
Christopher Stone is scheduled as one of the keynote speakers at the FIT Open
Congress in Varadero in June. A decision regarding the Congress will be taken
soon.
**************************
Organization
WFD / (World
Federation of the Deaf)
URL
http://wfdeaf.org/
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Alexandra
Jantscher (AJ)
Nature of collaboration
FIT cooperates
officially with the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), and the World
Association of Sign Languages Interpreters (WASLI), on projects with common
objectives (translation support services in conflict zones, disaster relief and
equitable access to community services).
AJ met
representatives during the WASLI conference in Paris, but there has beeb no
other contact. They are a very close partner of WASLI, so WASLI serves as a
relay for FIT with regards to this partnership. In the 2014-17 mandate we had
contact with Colin Alan, who was WFD President at the time.
Update
(Feb 2022) They have
a new president, Dr. Murray, whom Alexandra has tried to contact several times.
Dr. Murray hardly
ever replies. When he does, there seems to be interest in collaboration;
however, when AJ writes back there is typically no reply.
**************************************
Organization
Wikitongues
URL
https://wikitongues.org
MoU with FIT
No
FIT Liaison
Alan Melby (AKM)
Nature of
collaboration
Wikitongues’ mission
is to document all the languages of the world, including those that do not have
a written alphabet.
Wikitongues has
received a $3000 grant, which they offered to split with FIT to work toward a
directory for translators of indigenous and underrepresented languages. FIT
would gather information, and WT would create the directory.
In October 2020, the
FIT Council approved a motion to use the portion of the money from Wikitongues
(1500 US dollars) going to FIT to pay a research assistant to with AKM to look
for existing directories of translators and interpreters maintained by various
organizations around the world. At the November 4, 2020, Council meeting it was
agreed that a short-term task force, consisting of three Council members (not
including AKM) would ask FIT member organizations for suggestions regarding the
research assistant and make a selection.
Update
(Feb 2022)
Unfortunately, the short-term task force did not select a research assistant.
Consequently, Wikitongues withdrew its offer to split the grant.
**********************************************
Organization
URL
MoU
with FIT
FIT
Liaison
Nature
of collaboration
Update
**
Organization
WIPO / (World
Intellectual Property Organization)
URL
https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html
MoU with FIT
Yes; see ProofHub
files
FIT Liaison
Olga Egorova (OE)
Nature of collaboration
FIT cooperates
officially with World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on translation
practice and copyright issues, through their Standing Committee on Copyright
and Related Rights (SCCR).
Contacts have been:
· 36th Session, May 28-31, 2018
· 38th Session, Geneva, April
1-5, 2019
· International Conference on
Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries, Archives, Museums and
Educational & Research Institutions Geneva, October 18 and 19, 2019 (Feb 2020)
Update
The latest updates
include meetings with WIPO liaison Geoffrey Westgate who informed us that in
the new centrally approved workplan of WIPO there are defined two firm
objectives which can be explored and worked on in collaboration with FIT:
a) to investigate the possibility
of including terms in indigenous languages in WIPO Pearl, the aim being to make
them visible, searchable, and freely available. WIPO can’t create such content
themselves (unlike the terminology work they do for WIPO Pearl today), so WIPO
would need to acquire it and be given permission to publish it – with all due
reference given of course to the originators of the terms/the collections. They
have been exploring this to an extent for a few years and are discussing with a
few partners who are active in this field, but they never had a green light to
do anything concretely. That has now changed. At this stage, WIPO is very much
in an exploratory phase.
The intention is also
to involve colleagues who are responsible for WIPO’s activities regarding
Traditional Knowledge – they carried out the following initiative on this topic
last year, for example: https://www.wipo.int/tk/en/news/tk/2021/news_0005.html
The scope of their
work covers all aspects of TK of course, not just language aspects.
WIPO proposes to FIT
to be involved and to explore the possibility of working with the indigenous
languages terminology together, probably starting with New Zealand (Maori) and
then moving to Latin America and Central Asia/Caucasus.
b) copyright issues - it is also
part of the newest WIPO workplan to explore the options of modifying the
current copyright situation/documents and it will be very logical to work
together with FIT in order to explore what are the most challenging areas and
where translators' rights are most unprotected in the nowadays world.
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