Collaboration and participation

ITI seeks to work closely with a worldwide community of friends and partners with whom we share values and goals.

Memorandums of understanding

ITI has signed memorandums of understanding with the following partner organisations in recognition that there is much to be gained from working together in areas of mutual benefit, and to establish a basis of trust between our associations.

Association of Translation Companies (ATC)

The ATC represents the interests of language service companies in the UK and internationally and is the leading voice for companies operating in the UK’s language services industry.

Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET)

MET is an association of language professionals who work mainly into or with English. Members include both in-house and freelance language professionals, individuals and businesses; they work with institutions, governments, corporations and NGOs.

ITI is a member of the following organisations

The International Federation of Translators and Interpreters (FIT)

FIT represents its members' interests and is instrumental in developing international policies which will influence and affect the profession on a global basis. ITI is also a member of FIT Europe, one of FIT's regional centres, which unites the interests of around 35,000 language professionals, promoting the interests of translators and interpreters right across Europe.

FIT Europe 

FIT Europe is a regional branch of the International Federation of Translators. FIT Europe’s mission is to represent the interests of translators, interpreters and terminologists in Europe. To achieve this, FIT helps member associations exchange information, experience and best practices. It also represents these associations to EU institutions, as well as liaising with other stakeholders in the translation field.

This website presents the whole range of FIT Europe’s activities and projects. For more information, please refer to the FIT-Europe-website or contact the General Secretary of FIT Europe ([email protected]).

The European Legal Interpreters and Translators Association (EULITA)

EULITA’s objectives include promoting the quality of justice, ensuring access to justice across languages and cultures, representing its members' interests, promoting quality in legal interpreting and translation, and exchange of information and best practices in training and continuing professional development.

The Professional Associations Research Network (PARN)

PARN is a not-for-profit membership organisation for professional bodies, offering expertise and support via a range of services.

ITI is a supporter of the following organisations

Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J)

ITI has joined with other representatives of court interpreters to form Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J). PI4J is an umbrella organisation comprising a number of parties that are campaigning against the implementation by the UK Ministry of Justice of a Framework Agreement on interpreting in the Courts and Justice System.

The group is currently engaged in working with the Ministry of Justice to resolve the current problems in interpreting in the courts and tribunals in England. ITI's partners in PI4J are listed below:

  • APCI - Association of Police and Court Interpreters
  • NRPSI - National Register of Public Service Interpreters
  • NUPIT - National Union of Professional Interpreters and Translators, part of Unite the Union
  • SOMI - Society of Official Metropolitan Interpreters Ltd
  • WITS - Wales Interpreter and Translation Service
  • CIOL - Chartered Institute of Linguists
  • NUBSLI – National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters

Routes into Languages

Routes into Languages promotes an increase in the take-up of learning languages and their associated cultures, student mobility, work and study abroad and greater national capacity in terms of employment and careers.

RedT

RedT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation dedicated to the protection of translators and interpreters in conflict areas and other adversarial settings. 

 

Translators Without Borders

Translators Without Borders was originally founded in 1993 in France to link the world’s translators to vetted NGOs that focus on health, nutrition and education. Translators without Borders (TWB) is a U.S. non-profit organisation that aims to close the language gaps that hinder critical humanitarian efforts worldwide.

Languages in Education

Education in languages is essential to the future of our professions and, as a UK-based entity, ITI is deeply concerned about the state of language learning in the UK and is actively involved in lobbying for better education in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) from primary school right through to post-graduate education.

ITI and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages

The APPG on Modern Languages meets six times a year to discuss a wide range of issues relating to languages and their place in the policy discussions of the day. It also acts to gather evidence and write to ministers and other key figures, when the need arises, to draw attention to key issues.” 

National Recovery Programme for Languages

The National Recovery Programme for Languages sets out strategic objectives across five sectors, with a series of goals for each:

  • Schools should ensure all young people learn a language from ages five to 18 and provide a variety of forms of accreditation
  • Colleges and universities should protect and expand language courses to reverse closures of degree courses
  • Business should invest in language and cultural skills in the workforce to boost GDP and export growth
  • Government should take a strategic lead on this question, perform an audit of language skills in the civil service and rectify the absence of language skills in the Export and Industrial strategies
  • Society should recognise language skills as achievable, beneficial and fun to learn.

ITI and outreach

ITI actively encourages members to become involved in spreading the word on languages within the education system and among businesses. To this end we have produced a series of resources to support members when they go to speak in primary, secondary and tertiary educational establishments, and to business. 

You can find out more about outreach for your own organisation here.

Translators in schools

The Stephen Spender Trust celebrates multilingualism and literary translation through a range of initiatives, including their Poetry in Translation Prize and Creative Translation for Teachers programme.

Charity Translators

Charity Translators are a growing network of volunteers that use their language skills and knowledge to support charities and community groups. They offer advice and guidance to everyone who reaches out for help with languages, translation, and interpreting and where possible, their volunteers work together to support charities and community groups with translation projects.

Charity Translators first started in the UK but now have volunteers across the globe and will support charities and community groups in every part of the world. Volunteers work remotely and collaboratively in teams to support language projects. Everyone is welcome to join Charity Translators as a volunteer.

The Bell Foundation

The Bell Foundation is a charity which aims to overcome exclusion through language education by working with partners on innovation, research, training and practical interventions. Their mission is to create opportunity, change lives and overcome disadvantage through language education and to achieve this they work with partners on innovation, research, training and practical interventions. Through generating and applying evidence, The Bell Foundation aims to improve policy, practice and systems to enable children, adults and communities in the UK that speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) to overcome disadvantage through language education.