Welcome!

 In just two years, the North American Summit on Interpreting has become a must-attend event for our industry. This year we are proud to bring the Summit to the West Coast for the first time. For 2012, the Summit will continue to bring a combination of cutting edge information and provide a unified forum for all industry stakeholders, revolving around the theme of relevance.

We will continue the conversation stakeholders initiated in Washington, DC in 2010 and 2011, furthering our exploration of:

• the impact of technology
• our evolving professional identity
• acquainting ourselves with parts of our industry that are often overlooked, including, interpreting in conflict zones and collaborating with end users of interpreters.

For over 50 years the interpreting profession has resisted the profound transformations reshaping other fields. Interpreting has largely been a face-to-face low-tech affair, or has been provided using technology allowing interpreters to work in booths. Even conference interpreting, where technology has penetrated furthest, has seen little change in the essential structure of its workplace.

 All that is changing.

In just a few short years, video and VoIP remote interpreting, advances in portable and conference interpreting equipment, smart phone apps and the explosive expansion of social media into all aspects of business and society have changed the interpreting landscape, regardless of which sector you do business in. The very nature of communication is changing worldwide, from the doctor’s office, to the educator’s classroom, to the diplomat’s high-level meeting.

No other conference gathers the same breadth and depth of key stakeholders for two-days of innovative and compelling programming. For more detailed information, visit our Summit page.

We look forward to seeing you in Monterey!

Barry Slaughter Olsen and Katharine Allen, Co-Presidents, InterpretAmerica, LLC