An interpreter on the board

Jonathan Downie reflects on his experience serving as a member of the ITI Board, and why getting involved matters.

For six years, I served alongside two chairs, one Chief Executive and some of the finest board members that you could wish for. From the unbeatable finder of typing and punctuation errors to the keeper of stores of association history and knowledge, they have all left a positive mark on the association. But in this post I want to reflect on what I have learnt from being on the board and how it has changed the way I see my profession and the entire sector in which I work.

Making sure we don’t mess up

First off, let’s begin with a rather embarrassing admission. After all this time, I am still quite impatient with organisational minutiae and the standard administration and legal niceties of being on a board still bore me.

Yes, I know I probably shouldn’t say that, but I have never really enjoyed governance, approving accounts, signing off policies and procedures, and receiving reports. I would much rather be out in the world, talking to the people most affected by our work.

But being on the ITI Board for six years has taught me something important. As much as I would rather be at a tradeshow than reading through procedures and policies, that stuff really matters. No-one wants to be part of an association with dodgy books, rampant bullying, and scattergun procedures. Without good governance, the risk of that happening is very high indeed.

ITI is blessed to have the services of a team of committed office staff. Their work isn’t always glamourous, but it is why memberships are processed quickly, advice is legally sound, and every member of ITI is treated fairly. It’s also why the atmosphere around ITI nowadays is one of collegiality and trust. Sure, we don’t always agree with each other, but we can have debates with mutual respect. 

After six years, I became one of those boring people who actually asks about risk management policies, succession plans and fallback processes. This stuff matters.

Engagement beats complaining

Everyone can find something wrong with our sector and something that their association can change. Yet very few are ready to put their time where their mouth is and work on a committee, stand for election to the board or volunteer. If you see something that needs changing, work to change it somehow. If you feel that your commitments mean that you can’t at least share or praise the work of others who can. A supporting voice can make a big difference.

Being polite wins more friends than being angry

Sure, we can rail and rant at stuff but a factual, polite letter will do much more than a long screed, full of insults. In one case, a polite letter to the Lord Chief Justice led to the opportunity to contribute to a magazine for barristers, increasing the number of people who could learn what interpreting is actually about and why machines aren’t about to take our jobs.

One is too small a number to achieve greatness

I borrowed that quote from John C Maxwell but it is true. On the ITI Board, you have an array of experts: from proofreading masters to medical translation mavens to network-builders and research nerds. You need that wide a range of people in the same room to really start making a difference.

Always work across the barriers

In certain parts of the translation world, it is common to come across the view that agencies and freelancers should never be in the same organisation because freelancers are good and agencies (and tech researchers and software companies and…) are evil. It’s kind of like a nerdy version of the gangs in West Side Story.

But that is silly and self-defeating. Yes, there are bad agencies but there are also bad freelancers. There are tech researchers who would like to put translators out of a job and there are tech researchers who want to make our work more efficient and more fun.

A good association and a good sector provides space for all the interest groups to talk to each other and find common ground. People listen more when an entire sector speaks than when one group wander around with placards.

Change takes time

Again, let me confess my impatience. Everyone joins a board thinking that a new idea can be rolled out within a week, attitudes can change next month and the world will know that translators and interpreters as the new superheroes before Christmas comes around again. The truth is that if we want to create sustainable change, it takes time. Sharing an idea, considering the potential versus the risks, and persuading a room full of successful business people to back you is a game-changer. 

Few people outside a boardroom appreciate how hard decision-making can be and how tricky it can be to balance what everyone agrees needs to be done with what resources and time say can be done. This isn’t a plea to let board members off the hook; it’s simply an attempt to demonstrate why change sometimes takes longer than we hope. But the great thing is that sometimes a small change opens the door for a bigger one, which clears the way for an even bigger one. And that’s an exciting process to be part of!

Looking to the future

My time on the board not only introduced me to a group of amazing people and offered me some unique opportunities, it also made me more confident about the future. With a track record of continued positive progress and competent, skilled people on the board I feel confident that my sector and my profession are in great hands. If you think that you have the skills, time and energy to contribute to this process please consider standing for the ITI Board. It won’t always be an easy task but it will be rewarding and you will be helping the professional translators and interpreters of the future.