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.
With approximately 130 members, the Association today represents the conference interpreting profession in Turkey and around the world, and represents professionals, both members and non-members, and acts as a representative body before the Vocational Qualifications Authority, ISO/TSE, public institutions and organisations, and international organisations.
The members of the Association consist of experienced, professional conference interpreters working in all modes of conference interpreting (simultaneous and consecutive). Some TKTD members give lectures in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in accordance with the TKTD Training Principles.