Written by I am truly excited after receiving this letter from the New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters today saying I’ve been admitted as a member!
NZSTI is the representative body of translators and interpreters in New Zealand, which promotes the professional development of both translators and interpreters, as well as strives to maintain the highest quality standards within the profession. This basically means that they are somewhat of a “translation and interpreting police”, looking after each one of us translators and interpreters, fighting and working for us, while striving to keep order (and quality) in the field.
The Society is a Member of the International Federation of Translators (IFT), an international grouping of associations (not individuals) of translators, terminologists and interpreters with more than 100 affiliates from 55 different countries. The body represents approximately 80,000 translators through their associations, and they are the ones who are best buds with UNESCO (it maintains a consultative status with this agency of the United Nations).
Membership Categories
NZSTI has three different categories for translators and interpreters to join, depending on their qualifications.
Those with an interest in these professions who do not have any type of NZSTI-approved qualification, can join the society in the quality of observers.
Those translators and interpreters who have attended part-time training courses or similar which do not qualify them for ordinary member status can join the society in the quality of affiliates. These guys also get to be listed in the NZSTI’s Online Directory.
Finally, there is the ordinary member category, for the most highly qualified translators and interpreters, to which I have just been admitted by means of my university degree from the School of Languages, National University of Córdoba (eternally grateful to them and my home country, Argentina, for offering public, high-quality education).
The membership allows me to vote at the society’s Annual General Meeting and offers me a translator stamp for certifying translations in my language pair. Very professional, if you ask me.
I’m now really looking forward to becoming a more active member of the kiwi translation landscape!
Translations with AM 