TKTD – The Conference Interpreters Association of Turkey
The Conference Interpreters Association was established with 20 members in 1969 in Istanbul, thereby taking the initial step to bring together professional conference interpreters under the umbrella of a professional organization. The Association broadened its membership in 1998 by including all professional conference interpreters in this sector and changed its name to The United Conference Interpreters Association (BKTD) to reinforce the image of its broader membership. In 2009, BKTD applied to the Ministry of the Interior to be formally recognized as the Conference Interpreters Association of Turkey. Use of words such as “Turkey” and “Turkish” before an association’s name requires formal approval by the Ministry of the Interior and, when granted, such approval indicates the legitimacy of the association as the national professional representative of the profession. With the approval of our application by the Ministry in 2010, the Association changed its name to “The Conference Interpreters Association of Turkey” in April 2010. The aim of the Association has been to promote conference interpreting as a profession in Turkey and establish professional principles and rules in line with international practice.
What is Conference Interpreting?
The conference interpreter enables people of different languages and cultures to communicate. The quality of this communication depends on the expertise of the interpreter and the conditions under which s/he works. The interpreter is one of the key components for the success of an international conference.
Conference interpreting requires special skills and training. There are only a few thousand professional conference interpreters globally and the number is around 200 in Turkey. This profession requires not only excellent competence and fluency in the two languages involved in the interpretation but also knowledge of cultural issues and current affairs and terminology as well as the ability to switch between two languages swiftly and smoothly. Confidentiality, in other words, respecting the privacy of the meeting, is one of the prerequisites of the profession.
Conference interpreting does not consist of offering the lexical equivalents of the spoken text; rather, it consists of the transfer of the meaning and the concepts into the target language. The interpreter is successful to the extent that s/he is able to establish direct communication and dialogue among the participants.
Conference interpreting is a unique profession and a special service. This is the reason why we attach so much importance to professionalism and why we are so meticulous about compliance with professional principles and the recruitment of new members.
Organization
TKTD functions through a Board of Directors and committees as set out in its by-laws. The General Assembly that convenes every three years elects the new President, the Board of Directors, the Board of Auditors, the Board of Ethics and the Admissions Committee.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors determines policies in line with the aims and the strategic vision of TKTD. The Board Members represent the Association and coordinate the activities of the committees. The Board has one president, a vice-president, a secretary general, a treasurer and three members.
Board of Ethics
The Board of Ethics is comprised of three members who are elected for a period of three years by the General Assembly. The Board aims to settle disputes between members and engages in disciplinary action if members violate professional principles and working conditions. The members elected to this Board must be active professional conference interpreters for at least 7 years. This Board is governed by its own regulations.
Admissions Committee
The Admissions Committee is comprised of five members who are elected for a period of three years by the General Assembly. Members elected to this Board must be active professional conference interpreters for at least 7 years. The Admissions Committee receives membership applications to the TKTD, supervises the application procedure of candidates, and approves and announces the membership of pre-candidates and candidates. This Board is governed by its own regulations.
Board of Auditors
The Board of Auditors is comprised of three members who are elected for a period of three years by the General Assembly. The Board of Auditors is legally responsible for auditing the accounts of the TKTD to ensure greater transparency and accountability.
Academic Council
Apart from the elected Boards and Committees, TKTD has an Academic Council in which all TKTD members who teach at universities are natural members. The aim of this body is to facilitate coordination between the TKTD and various universities that teach conference interpreting. The Academic Council is responsible for coordinating seminars and academic meetings for TKTD members and students of conference interpreting.
More than 20 TKTD members have been teaching at universities for more than 30 years.
Interpretation Services provided by TKTD Members
TKTD members provide simultaneous and consecutive interpretation services in Turkish, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian.
Over the years, TKTD members have provided professional services to many public and private institutions and organizations. These include the Office of the President of Turkey, the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministries, the Constitutional Court, High Courts, municipalities, universities, chambers, trade unions, professional organizations, associations, foundations, diplomatic representations, companies, television and radio stations as well as international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union institutions, the Council of Europe and its institutions, NATO, OSCE, OECD, OIC, UNESCO, UNICEF and others.
Working Conditions
Click here to view TKTD’s working conditions
Contact
Information about our membership, language combinations and any additional information on the profession may be found on our website at www.tktd.org.
Contact us at: TKTD Tomtom Mah. İstiklal Cad. Beyoğlu İş Merkezi No: 187/146 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
e-mail: tktd@tktd.org