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Contemplating becoming a member of ITI
Thread poster: Manuela Junghans
liz askew
liz askew  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:58
Member (2007)
French to English
+ ...
Finding translation work through the ITI? May 25, 2016

Well, to be frank, I was an associate member for a while, and found that there was no help regarding finding work, only about improving one's profile/CV.

It was good for workshops though.

So, if you want the best chances of finding translation work, Proz is definitely the best. Once I joined Proz and gained trust from my first few clients, work has literally been flooding in. I have rarely had a quiet moment in the years I have been a member.

My comment the... See more
Well, to be frank, I was an associate member for a while, and found that there was no help regarding finding work, only about improving one's profile/CV.

It was good for workshops though.

So, if you want the best chances of finding translation work, Proz is definitely the best. Once I joined Proz and gained trust from my first few clients, work has literally been flooding in. I have rarely had a quiet moment in the years I have been a member.

My comment therefore is that being a member of the ITI may look good on the CV and enhance professional development, but in finding work then I would give them zero points and stick with Proz.

All views expressed herein are based on personal experience. ▲ Collapse
 
Herbert Eppel
Herbert Eppel  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:58
German to English
+ ...
Need to be a full ITI member (MITI) to be included in the Directory May 25, 2016

liz askew wrote:

Well, to be frank, I was an associate member for a while, and found that there was no help regarding finding work


See subject line. In other words, Associate members aren't included in the ITI Directory and therefore aren't 'visible' to potential clients.

Having said this, I rarely get enquiries from the ITI Directory these days from clients I would regard as 'desirable'.
 
Dr Lofthouse
Dr Lofthouse
France
Local time: 19:58
Italian to English
+ ...
cartel Nov 19, 2016

what sort of organisation asks you to return your qualifications if you dont pay them x each year?
 
Daryo
Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:58
Serbian to English
+ ...
A member? Nov 20, 2016

Manuela Junghans wrote:

Dear UK translators

I´m currently contemplating becoming a member of ITI and would be happy to hear the thoughts of people who are members. Is it in your opinion worth the investment? Did you get many (good) jobs through the network? Or profit in any other way?

Also, the two memberships categories I would probably be eligible for are "Qualified" or "Associate" member. What exactly is the difference?

...

Manuela


Some FACTS, publicly available and easy to check:

Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI)

is a UK Limited company that has obtained a dispensation from the legal obligation to use "Ltd" in its name - not quite what you would expect from an "Institute":

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02166933/

That being a business, not any kind of "learned society" or "research institute" calling their clients "members" sounds to me like an interesting linguistic contortion; they are in essence a mega-agency that pretends to (or used to pretend to) the monopoly over the UK market.

Do you become a "member" when an agency adds you to their lists?

I did consider joining them years ago, but after some basic "due diligence" I decided that I really don't like their way of [literally] doing business - they are not exactly my idea of a "professional association"; all the info is still out there, you only have to bother looking for it ...

In a more general way, all this alphabet soup that you can add to your name only as long as you keep paying is not in my rule-book a serious "proof of qualification" - no one expects you to pay an annual fee under the threat that otherwise your University degree gets cancelled?

They remind me of a recent attempt by a website to push itself as "the authority" in language services (no names, I won't give them free advertising), only the people who created ITI had the idea in 1987...
 
XXXphxxx (X)
XXXphxxx (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:58
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Approved professional organisations Jan 15, 2017

Translators and interpreters in the UK may want to consider that while the CIOL's member fees are tax-deductible, the ITI does not appear to be an "Approved professional organisation" as far as HMRC i... See more
Translators and interpreters in the UK may want to consider that while the CIOL's member fees are tax-deductible, the ITI does not appear to be an "Approved professional organisation" as far as HMRC is concerned:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/professional-bodies-approved-for-tax-relief-list-3/approved-professional-organisations-and-learned-societies ▲ Collapse
 
Thomas Pfann
Thomas Pfann  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:58
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
Tax relief for ITI fees/subscriptions Jan 15, 2017

Decipherit wrote:

Translators and interpreters in the UK may want to consider that while the CIOL's member fees are tax-deductible, the ITI does not appear to be an "Approved professional organisation" as far as HMRC is concerned:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/professional-bodies-approved-for-tax-relief-list-3/approved-professional-organisations-and-learned-societies


The ITI does actually appear in that list so is in fact one of the HMRC approved professional organisations. (It's listed as "Translation and Interpreting, Institute of" - best to search the list for something like "translat" or similar to find relevant organisations.)
 
XXXphxxx (X)
XXXphxxx (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:58
Portuguese to English
+ ...
... Jan 15, 2017

Thomas Pfann wrote:

The ITI does actually appear in that list so is in fact one of the HMRC approved professional organisations. (It's listed as "Translation and Interpreting, Institute of" - best to search the list for something like "translat" or similar to find relevant organisations.)


Sorry, I should have mentioned that while it does indeed appear to be listed there, the expense was rejected by HMRC as not being the same institute as the ITI. The translator in question did not bother pursuing it as she'd already left the institute and didn't want to go there. It sounds as if it might simply be an HMRC vagary but it's something to watch out for. The discussion was prompted by this article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jan/14/10-ways-cut-tax-bill-file-tax-return
 
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Contemplating becoming a member of ITI






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