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Fellow feeling
Four FITIs explain the move up from Qualified Member status, why they undertook it and what it meant to them, as well as the CPD that contributed to this move.
Laura Bennett
I realised I was eligible and felt that I fulfilled the requirements for application. Having worked hard to attain MITI status in both my language pairs some years ago, I was keen to take the next step and be recognised at the higher level.
The process wasn’t too onerous. I began by reading all the material carefully and contacting the colleagues I hoped would agree to act as my referees. My sustained contribution was based on a combination of outreach work, volunteering for network committees, speaking at conferences and writing articles for the Bulletin. I think I’d been doing it over the years without really realising, which I suppose is the best-case scenario!
I’ve always been quite good at recording my CPD, so I went back through my records to check the required time span and drew up a proper list for the application. I also started giving some thought to the reflective CPD account section as well as to the part covering future CPD plans. CPD has always been very important to me. As freelancers it is up to us to take responsibility for our own career development; I’m confident that the CPD I’ve undertaken in the subject knowledge, translation skills and business skills areas in particular has helped me provide a better service to my clients and made my job more enjoyable on a day- to-day basis.
Don’t be afraid to go for it if you think you meet the criteria. My main piece of advice would be to document your CPD carefully so that you have an easily accessible overall picture of your efforts when the time comes.
Emma Goldsmith
I was keen to mark a milestone in my career and have a chance to look back on the road travelled so far. While I was planning what to write in my application statement, I contacted four colleagues to ask if I could name them as referees. Serendipitously, Laura Bennett replied saying she was about to request the same of me! After confirming with the ITI office that we could indeed provide references for each other, Laura and I became FITI buddies, spurring each other on with our written statements. We agreed not to share our drafts, so it was all the more interesting to read Laura’s application when the formal request came through.
My tangible contribution grew gradually: first through my keen interest in tech and Trados and sharing that knowledge on forums, in my blog, through workshops and via webinars; and later by getting actively involved with MET (Mediterranean Editors and Translators). Being elected MET’s chair in 2020 was perhaps the clearest testimony to my sustained contribution to the profession.
With my background in nursing and transition into translation, CPD has been instrumental in my keeping abreast of medical advancements and developing my writing skills. In fact, the most useful CPD I’ve done in recent years has been teaming up regularly with peers in an unpaid setting, giving and getting feedback, and ruthlessly revising and editing each other’s words.
Advice? Support your association by getting actively involved. Share your knowledge and experience. And when you’re ready, find an FITI buddy!
Mike Hanson
I’ve valued the professional and personal support offered by ITI throughout my 30-plus years of membership, and the best advice I can offer to colleagues who’ve been members for 10 years and are considering an upgrade is…don’t delay; just do it!
When you’re a Qualified Member, busy with work and life generally, this further upgrade to FITI status is unlikely to feel like a priority. It may also be tempting to think it’s only for ‘senior members’ who have done things like serving on the board. I plead guilty to falling into this trap and left it until last year to apply. In hindsight, I wish I’d done so earlier. Becoming an FITI demonstrates your commitment not only to ITI but to your chosen profession. At this stage in my career, I’m not looking for new clients, but if I was, I’ve no doubt that the letters ‘FITI’ after my name would boost my credibility and my market value.
It is not that hard to do, and there is no charge. You have to submit three years of CPD records (as an MITI you’re keeping those already), together with a ‘reflective account’ on how that CPD has helped you, plus an outline of your future CPD plans. And you need the support of four or five referees (see the FITI guidance for details). All of mine were ITI colleagues from the different ITI networks I have belonged to over the past 30 years… they know who they are, and my thanks go to them!
Trinidad Clares Flores
I decided to apply for FITI status after a few colleagues kept suggesting I do it (one even downloaded the forms for me and started chasing me to do it every week!). I hadn’t given it that much thought because I viewed it as something only ‘veteran colleagues’ would qualify for, but this exercise has made me realise that in fact I have made many contributions to the profession – and that I’m perhaps fast becoming one of those ‘veteran colleagues’.
To prepare my application, I gathered a list of all the CPD I had done in the last three years, which was made quite easy as I had mostly logged it in ITI’s system, so I was able to download all my CPD entries for each year although I still had other things I hadn’t entered in the CPD calendar. I found demonstrating my sustained contribution to the profession straightforward because it was a matter of including details of all the ITI networks I have been active in and then using my own records to list all the presentations I have given, the articles I have written and the modules I have taught at Cardiff University.
I have always thought CPD was essential: not only to expand my knowledge of my specialised fields and keep up to date with developments in technology and within the profession, but also to connect with like-minded translators and interpreters. So I have devoted a significant amount of time and resources to it throughout my career. I find CPD that focuses on my specialist fields very useful, but the advice I would give is to review your plan at least every six to 12 months because things can change very quickly, as we have seen with the arrival of AI.
If you are a Qualified Member who has at least 10 years' professional membership of ITI (i.e. AITI or MITI), including 7 years as a Qualified Member (MITI), you could become a Fellow of the Institute. You don't have to be invited to join, there is no application or assessment fee, and the annual subscription is the same as for MITI.
