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  Welcome back to the Foghorn.

I attended the Net Impact Conference at the University of Michigan in October of 2010. The conference was incredible – there were thousands of MBA students and top executives from green and socially responsible businesses from around the world. The main focus of the conference was to look at how business can improve the world through: Corporate Impact, Energy & Clean Tech, International Development, Investing for Impact, Natural Resources, Professional Development, Social Innovation, Urban Renewal, and Community Development. I attended sessions focused mostly on Investing for Impact and Corporate Impact because of my personal interest, experience, and future career plans in those areas. The conference was SO inspiring that I decided to help plan the 2011 conference in Portland OR (my home town). Hope to see some of you there in the fall!

By: Christa Thoeresz

On September 24th Dr. Pushpa Iyer, myself, and three other students (Meredith Benton, Brittany Hill, and Veroncia Beebe) presented on research that we had gathered during the 2010 J-term class entitled, The Challenges to Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone. While there, our class of 14 students interviewed dozens of local NGOs and government institutions across the country on what has been done to restore peace since the end of the brutal civil war in 2002. The four students that presented at ISA wrote research papers on a topic that they had researched while in Sierra Leone. My paper entitled, Reconsidering Trauma Healing & Reconciliation in Sierra Leone: A Look at Local Approaches, looks at what forms of trauma healing and reconciliation processes have occurred.
My research paper emphasizes the need for trauma healing and reconciliation, which are intangible needs of a population recovering from brutal violence, to have greater priority in peacebuilding efforts. As of now, many international agendas see trauma healing as something that will come about as a result of projects directed towards economic growth, democratic reform, and individual liberties. My paper argues that in order to prevent similar violence from occurring in the future, Sierra Leone cannot have top-down approaches that call for a “forgive and forget” attitude towards the past horrors of war. My recommendations are that: 1) there must be concrete and multi-faceted efforts led by professional and socially-responsible international, national, and local organizations to address beneath-the-surface wounds; 2) successful implementation requires a priority on local ownership of programs to avoid the shortcomings of international organizations who are limited to short-term agendas and funding, and 3) programs must be culturally and even regionally specific in order to have long-lasting effects.
The TRC began a process of collective trauma healing by using storytelling on a national level to relieve a burden of history. Montville describes a “burden of history” as an affliction that younger generations face because they bear continued feelings of unreconciled loss and deep-seated fears that their family members pass onto them, even after the end to violence. The downfall of the TRC was that it failed to reach out to the most marginalized groups, people remained afraid to come forward with their stories, for fear of retribution, the TRC approached trauma healing from a Western view which was not completely grasped by Sierra Leoneans, and finally the TRC did not last long enough.
Local organizations such as Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and Fambol Tok (Family Talk) have addressed trauma and reconciliation through methods that are absorbed by the population because they are culturally acceptable. For example, SFCG uses radio to engage citizens in creating their own music and tell their stories. Music is something that all Sierra Leoneans can come together around and more than 80% of Sierra Leoneans own a radio. Fambol Tok goes into individual villages and asks them how they would like to create their own methods of healing themselves and reconciling neighbors. Fambol Tok empowers citizens, and allows them to use cultural traditions, such as village cleansings and reburial ceremonies to address trauma. The organization provides the resources and professional direction to accomplish what the village wishes.
The most difficult aspect of peacebuilding is that all issues are interconnected yet due to financial constraints; certain issues get priority over others. Societal relationships between politicians and civilians, youth and elders, and women and men must be repaired in order for Sierra Leone to take control of its future and not remain reliant upon international development aid. Once people have restored self-confidence and can trust others, more effective and culturally appropriate change will come about.

By: Mary Magellan

I had little knowledge and few expectations when I decided to register for my first ATA conference. I knew it would be held in downtown Denver. I knew hotel rooms would be expensive. I knew it took place from October 27 until October 31. (I knew my Halloween merriment would become its unfortunate sacrifice).
But I figured that this was my last chance to attend without innumerable complications. Still a graduate student, I had only studies to worry about. In a year’s time, real life, full-time employment, possible pets, etc., would only become an added burden. In addition, with significantly discounted student attendance fees, the decision was clear. I had to go. Peers were contacted, registration forms were sent, reservations were made. Before long, five fellow classmates and I were off to Denver.
The conference itself was a blur: three full days of seminars (some more interesting than others), dinner mixers (generally more enjoyable than expected), and business cards (some of which were, frustratingly, far sexier than mine).
And now, left with a mandate to communicate the experience to Foghorn readers, I find myself throwing my arms up in resignation. The event was much larger than I had expected, and trying to encapsulate it in a short article would do it no justice. I thus leave you, the reader, with a few tips in case you find yourself pondering ATA conference attendance.
1) Find your hotel early. ATA tends to pick locations that are compact, urban, and brimming with nightlife to facilitate the after-hours networking. As such, they tend to be held in exorbitantly expensive downtown areas. Great for the independently wealthy; not so great for graduate students. Dig around early and snag the inexpensive hotel rooms within walking distance of the venue.
2) The exhibition hall has a table where conference attendees can place resumes and business cards. Swallow your pride, join the herd, and lay down a stack of resumes you have prepared in advance. You WILL get contacted by translations agencies.
3) Business cards should be in your pocket at all times, not your bag. You want to be ready-at-the-draw; faster than the fastest of business-card slingers. Conversations happen fast and at unexpected times; you want yours at the ready at all times.
4) The seminars are informative, but much of the material will be ‘review’ of topics covered during your time at the Institute. The real value of the conference is in the coffee breaks, the chats as you’re heading to the next seminar, the after-dinner drinks and mixer events. No matter your tolerance (or lack thereof) for these types of events, they will pay dividends in your near and long-term futures.
5) Good walking shoes. You’ll be on your feet often, and at times the seminars are held at different venues. Furthermore, the dinner mixers inevitably end with a group (or several groups) going out to wander about the local pubs and frozen yogurt establishments. Despite your aching soles (perhaps ‘soul’ as well even), join them.
6) Do not pretend you’ll do homework at the hotel room. You’ll be far too exhausted to do any real concentrating, and even if you manage to plunk yourself down in front of your diminutive netbook or laptop, the work will not be of your usual quality.
7) Plan in a day of rest after the conference, either back at home or via sightseeing. The conference is a draining event both physically and emotionally; over-stimulation for a solid three days. You’ll need the break.
I was pleasantly surprised by the event. Though networking is far from one of my personal strengths, some pleasant conversations at the conference have indeed turned into potential business and personal opportunities. Go with an open mind and a smile and opportunities are bound to reveal themselves to you.

Justin Ratcliff
2010 TI Japanese Graduate
2011 TLM Candidate

I had the opportunity to attend the 51st American Translator’s Association (ATA) conference which took place from October 27-30 in Denver, Colorado. As a Translation and Localization Management (TLM) graduate student in the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) Graduate School of Translation Interpretation and Education (GSTILE), the conference was an eye-opening experience.
Along with the three full days of sessions there were also “Tool Tutorials” in Wordfast, memoQ, SDL Trados Studio 2009, and Lionbridge’s Translation Workspace, and Déjà vu to name a few of the computer assisted translation (CAT) tool tutorials which were offered in addition to the regularly scheduled sessions. This was an excellent chance to get hands-on experience with yet unfamiliar tools and to do a side-by-side comparison of the various features.
There were also countless networking opportunities at the ATA Conference including a “Speed Networking Session” (described as like speed-dating, except you’re…NETWORKING) as well as after-conference dinners and socializing. The Marketplace, a conference room with various sponsors and vendors and a section for posting resumes/ business cards was yet another venue for networking. The many chance encounters should not be overlooked either. Basically, with everyone at the conference being involved in translation in some capacity or another, simply starting a conversation with the person next to you in the elevator could end up being a “networking opportunity.”
The sessions themselves covered various areas based on language and specialization. Dedicated to the topic of TLM were sessions including: machine translation and how it’s changing the translation industry; cloud-based workgroups and how translators are using them to collaborate; the use of crowdsourcing by non-profit and for-profit organizations; and the discussion of post-editing. As stated in the session “A Futuristic View of the Translation Profession” presented by Renato Beninatto, a key figure in the translation/localization profession, “the translation profession is advancing at warp speed in certain areas.” And it is being propelled by the by the twin engines of technology and localization. I think this was made evident in the session entitled “Man vs. Machine: Do Translators Need to Pick a Side?” which was a panel discussion on the ways that human and machine translation are being integrated and also on how the growth of machine translation will affect human translators.
As an indication of things to come the ninth conference of the Association for Machine Translation in the Americas (AMTA) took place in Denver after the ATA conference had finished. One of the sessions was on post-editing of Machine Translation (MT). Being proficient in these types of technologies is of course, a career in and of itself, but for those of us pursuing a career in translation, it would behoove us as well to stay current.

By: Brenda McLaughlin

By Mengxue Zhao

It is a meaningful learning experience for me to attend this year’s American Translators’ Association (ATA) Annual Meeting which was hold on Oct. 27-31 in Denver. As the second year Translation and Localization Management student in MIIS, I’ve longed for this opportunity to meet and learn from the localization managers/ translators/ interpreters/translation and localization workflow software and Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tool providers from all over the nation since the first day I enrolled in the program.

In the four day meeting, I gained much practical knowledge through the sessions and conversations with ATA members.

-  Sessions:

Language Division Annual Meeting: Chinese Division; Technology Division; Language Service Provider Division
I talked to and learned from experienced Chinese translators and project managers in the field; I built networks with these useful resources.

Machine Translation (MT): Machine Translation in Practice; Post-editing Environment for Machine Translation
MT users and senior localization consultants presented the current usage of MT technology in the real translation field. I also discussed the solution of controlled language/ disciplined writing in MT pre-editing process with one of the speaker, Doctor Mike Dillinger.

Other sessions: Crowd-sourcing, Translation Agency for Sale, Tips for Online Fraud

-  Showcases and Tutorials:

CAT tools: Transit (STAR), Fluency, Geospace, SDL Trados, Terminotix (logitermweb, alignfactory, synchroterm, transserach)

Workflow tools: Plunet

Besides attending the showcases and tutorials of the CAT tool and the workflow softwares, I’ve collected the up-to-date information about the localization project management technology available at present, including the traditional and new functions of the softwares, their special features and prices and what the LSPs are using right now.

-  Job Market and Interviews

I distributed around 100 copies of my resume and business cards and browsed my competitors’. I received three interview emails at the second day of the meeting and talked with the potential employers. These help me have a better idea of my specialties, my competitor, my target market and how I should charge for quotes.

On the last day in Denver, I also attended half day American Machine Translation Association (AMTA) Annual Meeting, which gave me a further inspection/ study on the MT post-editing working environment.

by Marisa Bowersox (IEP, ’11)

Attending the 2010 Net Impact Conference in Ann Arbor was a learning and networking experience that vastly exceeded my expectations.  The theme for this year’s conference was 2020: Vision for a Sustainable Decade, and as such, the conference program was designed to meet the needs of students and professionals from varying backgrounds.  As an IEP student with no business background, I thought it was important to attend this conference to see how the other side (the business side) thinks.  In this capacity, I attended numerous lectures on the benefits and growing field of impact investing, listened to representatives from some of the largest food and beverage companies speak about the growing role of life cycle assessments in their business models, and the growth of sustainable Bedouin communities in the desert of Israel.  After 3 semesters of studying the theory of environmental policy, sustainable development and carbon neutrality, it was refreshing and inspiring to see leaders from for-profit companies and non-profit organizations come together and try to find solutions for the future.  In addition, the caliber of students and professionals that attended reenergized the feelings that led me toward business and sustainable development in the first place. I was afraid I would have to pursue this work as a kind of ‘lone ranger,’ but I was reassured that I would have the opportunity to do so working alongside these same people in years to come.

I have to be honest and say that networking does not come easy to me. I find the whole thing to be contrived and awkward — having another person size you up for relative importance and worthiness — however, attendees and conference speakers were there to share ideas and learn from one another.  I capitalized on this sentiment and contacted one of the speaker’s whom I felt struck a balance between the making money for his company and actively seeking to conserve the environment.  His response was encouraging and will hopefully lead to a permanent position with his company once I graduate.  The point of this is that attendees and speakers are there because everyone shares a concern for the environment; at least that was my take away.

For MIIS students from all schools, I would recommend attending a Net Impact Conference, but also get involved with the Net Impact group at MIIS.  The opportunity to learn from your fellow classmates and professional peers is invaluable, and honestly can’t be learned in the classroom.

By Justin Ratcliff (2010 TI Japanese Graduate, 2011 TLM Candidate)

I had little knowledge and few expectations when I decided to register for my first ATA conference. I knew it would be held in downtown Denver. I knew hotel rooms would be expensive. I knew it took place from October 27 until October 31. (I knew my Halloween merriment would become its unfortunate sacrifice).

But I figured that this was my last chance to attend without innumerable complications. Still a graduate student, I had only studies to worry about. In a year’s time, real life, full-time employment, possible pets, etc., would only become an added burden. In addition, with significantly discounted student attendance fees, the decision was clear. I had to go. Peers were contacted, registration forms were sent, reservations were made. Before long, five fellow classmates and I were off to Denver.

The conference itself was a blur: three full days of seminars (some more interesting than others), dinner mixers (generally more enjoyable than expected), and business cards (some of which were, frustratingly, far sexier than mine).

And now, left with a mandate to communicate the experience to Foghorn readers, I find myself throwing my arms up in resignation. The event was much larger than I had expected, and trying to encapsulate it in a short article would do it no justice. I thus leave you, the reader, with a few tips in case you find yourself pondering ATA conference attendance.

1)      Find your hotel early. ATA tends to pick locations that are compact, urban, and brimming with nightlife to facilitate the after-hours networking. As such, they tend to be held in exorbitantly expensive downtown areas. Great for the independently wealthy; not so great for graduate students. Dig around early and snag the inexpensive hotel rooms within walking distance of the venue.

2)      The exhibition hall has a table where conference attendees can place resumes and business cards. Swallow your pride, join the herd, and lay down a stack of resumes you have prepared in advance. You WILL get contacted by translations agencies.

3)      Business cards should be in your pocket at all times, not your bag. You want to be ready-at-the-draw; faster than the fastest of business-card slingers. Conversations happen fast and at unexpected times; you want yours at the ready at all times.

4)      The seminars are informative, but much of the material will be ‘review’ of topics covered during your time at the Institute. The real value of the conference is in the coffee breaks, the chats as you’re heading to the next seminar, the after-dinner drinks and mixer events. No matter your tolerance (or lack thereof) for these types of events, they will pay dividends in your near and long-term futures.

5)      Good walking shoes. You’ll be on your feet often, and at times the seminars are held at different venues. Furthermore, the dinner mixers inevitably end with a group (or several groups) going out to wander about the local pubs and frozen yogurt establishments. Despite your aching soles (perhaps ‘soul’ as well even), join them.

6)      Do not pretend you’ll do homework at the hotel room. You’ll be far too exhausted to do any real concentrating, and even if you manage to plunk yourself down in front of your diminutive netbook or laptop, the work will not be of your usual quality.

7)      Plan in a day of rest after the conference, either back at home or via sightseeing. The conference is a draining event both physically and emotionally; over-stimulation for a solid three days. You’ll need the break.

I was pleasantly surprised by the event. Though networking is far from one of my personal strengths, some pleasant conversations at the conference have indeed turned into potential business and personal opportunities. Go with an open mind and a smile and opportunities are bound to reveal themselves to you.

by Gitanjali Mukherjee

The APHA (American Public Health Association) Annual Meeting and Exposition is the premier public health educational forum. It is the oldest and largest gathering with approximately 13,000 experts from the field. Apart from being a great place to learn it is also a great place to network with potential employees in the public health sector. I have spent my summer working on the Gender Health and Equity project in India that was sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, Sida, Rockefeller Foundation, and Ford Foundation.  The project was geared towards decreasing the rates of maternal mortality as well as morbidity that occur in one of the poorest areas in Northern Karnataka – the same state as the IT hub of Bangalore. I was also part of a group that conducted a study that showed the effects of the Millennium Development Goals on women’s health in three countries – Mexico, Nigeria and India. Apart from this I assisted in writing a paper on China’s recent Health Reforms and its plausible outcomes.

Since my time spent in India I have taken the initiative to research various groups within the United States that work on similar projects. This encouraged me to get in touch with the Executive Director of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group (Margie Schaps) based in Chicago. Based on my sustained interest in the field and my enthusiasm she offered me a chance to meet with her and some of her colleagues in the field at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition. Not only does this conference address current and emerging health science but it also brings to light the policy issues facing the practitioners who are looking to prevent diseases and promote health. Being from a country with the highest rates of child malnutrition and maternal mortality this is an area that is very close to my heart. I would treasure any opportunity I get to get involved in this sector.

Being a student in International Development Policy I find it hard to separate the social development factor from the economic development factor. This is why I have chosen my interest area to be the public health sector. This conference would go a long way in informing me about the research opportunities as well as field work opportunities that are available at the moment in my chosen field. In a field that is combines both social sciences as well as medical sciences so dynamically I do not see a better way to keep abreast with the ongoing development than attending a crash course for 3 days at the largest gathering of professionals in the world.

by Xueting Wang

The First Teachers College Columbia University Roundtable in Second Language Studies (TCCRISLS): Second Language Acquisition of Chinese was hosted by Columbia University on October 1 -2, 2010 in New York City. At the conference, I was able to present one of my class projects from MIIS and meet professionals who were interested in my project.

Given the title “Raising cultural awareness through authentic observation: A web 2.0 approach”, my presentation proposed a new way to raise learners’ cultural awareness in the education of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL), that is to change passive learning of Chinese culture into active observation of, and participation in, Chinese culture using Web 2.0 to provide learners with authentic cultural contexts. As a MA TFL (Chinese) student at MIIS, I have particularly focused my academic studies on incorporating technology into language teaching and learning, and have produced many class projects related to this topic- this presentation being one of them.

The opportunity to present my project at TCCRISLS conference connected me to other professionals in the field of CFL. Many teachers have showed interested in trying out my proposal in their classrooms, and some of them have been in touch with me since the conference. In the past few decades, although technology has become more and more popular in most language classrooms, it has never been widely used in Chinese classrooms. It is my believe that incorporating technology into Chinese teaching and learning can enhance learning, and I am very glad to see that Chinese teachers have started to show more interest in doing so.

Presenting at TCCRISLS conference has enhanced my learning experience at MIIS and furthered my career goals. In addition, the experience connected me to like-minded professionals in the world of CFL and helped me reach a higher level of professional development. I’m glad that MIIS awarded me with the funds so that I could go to the conference, to see and learn, to introduce my ideas and projects to the world, and to create greater visibility for MIIS.

By Adrienne Strubb and Rachel Kelley

The Monterey Institute of International Studies is a signatory to the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  As a part of this nationwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in order to address the institute’s process in achieving carbon neutrality by 2016, MIIS developed the Sustainability Council.  Headed by Jason Scorse, IEP Chair, the Sustainability Council has been involved in retrofitting MIIS’s lighting systems on campus, has expanded the recycling program and has completed an institutional greenhouse gas audit.  These actions have begun a paradigm shift on campus towards sustainability.  For example, new community classifieds eliminate waste by fostering re-use amongst students, as well as, all incoming students receive a re-usable coffee mug.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) conference, held in Denver from Oct 10^th, 2010-Oct 12^th, 2010, attended to the current research and development in sustainability initiatives on campuses.  Panels focused on many topics: from how to finance sustainability efforts on campuses to how to create a campus-wide support and recognition for energy efficient practices (living roof systems, storm water catchment, promoting bicycle use/safety, energy auditing, the use of the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System [STARS], etc).

MIIS can benefit from most of the panels presented at the conference.  A few of the more applicable initiatives that could succeed on the MIIS campus include:

1) Continued reduction of energy through the use of alternative lighting mechanisms Read more

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