ITI Awards 2025 - Results
We are delighted to announce the winners of the ITI Awards 2025.
John Sykes Memorial Prize for Excellence
The ITI Awards recognise the achievements of translators and interpreters and include the prestigious John Sykes Memorial Prize for Excellence. This award is presented for outstanding achievement in translation or interpreting over a long period.
The winner is selected by the current and recent Chairs of the Institute and this year is awarded to Nick Rosenthal FITI.
Nick spearheaded a period of massive change for ITI when he was Chair of the board from 2011 to 2013. He was instrumental in transforming the institute from a member-run entity into a businesslike force for the promotion of the translation and interpreting professions in the more competitive and rapidly changing international panorama of the time. His original and forward-thinking approach led directly to ITI’s professionalisation.
During Nick’s tenure, a range of volunteer roles were replaced with staff roles. This led to a more efficient and effective approach to running all aspects of the institute, with dedicated personnel for operations, membership, professional development, marketing and communications. Outsourcing the company secretary and accountancy roles also demonstrated a greater commitment to good governance and regulatory compliance, ensuring that the board developed a better understanding of the changing financial and legal issues related to running a company. This important step also paved the way to bringing in proper risk management and governance procedures.
Furthermore, as an individual, in his personal and business life, Nick has never stopped promoting the best in our sector. He consistently offers a positive voice in support of the vital role of professional translators and interpreters as providers of language services in these changing times.
Outstanding contribution to ITI award
Newly introduced in 2025, the Outstanding contribution to ITI award will be presented annually to an ITI member who has, over a long and sustained period of time, voluntarily contributed with integrity to the work of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, focusing always on the vision, mission and values of the institute, the winner of this prize is selected by the current and past two chairs.
Our first winner is Kari Koonin. Kari has been an ITI member for over 30 years. During that time, she has made a consistent and outstanding contribution to the life and work of the institute through her work as a mentor, being active in many ITI networks and supporting and encouraging new entrants to the profession through the SWATI (Starting Work As a Translator or Interpreter) events. She has also chaired ITI’s Professional Development Committee for many years, playing an instrumental role in supporting and shaping ITI’s professional development programme.
Highest score - Interpreting Assessment: Aline Morgan
Aline is a Portuguese<>English, Spanish>Portuguese conference interpreter with over 20 years of experience. Born in Brazil, she holds an M.A. in Experimental and Theoretical Linguistics from the University of Kent (UK), and a B.A. in Portuguese Language and Literature from the University of São Paulo (Brazil).
Aline began her interpreting career in Brazil and refined her craft through practical training, and professional development programmes. She spent a decade interpreting in the dynamic markets of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro before relocating to the UK in 2014.
Her work spans governmental bodies, public institutions, and the private sector, with experience in high-level conferences, business meetings, field visits, and roadshows, across a wide range of industries. What she values most about her profession is the opportunity to convey meaning while preserving the cultural richness and nuance of each message.
About winning the award, Aline says: “Receiving this award is a great honour. Being recognised by my peers for upholding professional values gives me a boost to continue improving, providing the best possible service to my clients, and sharing my experience with my interpretation community. Thank you, ITI, for allowing interpreters’ good work to gain visibility and space.”
John Hayes Prize — Excellence in Translation: Kirsty Olivant
Kirsty is an award-winning freelance translator and chartered linguist. She translates from French, German, Spanish and Catalan into English, specialising in the fields of health, lifestyle and nutrition.
Speaking about winning the John Hayes Prize for excellence in translation Kirsty said "It was just the boost I needed after a very quiet winter during which I even considered a change of career. It is a great honour to have received this totally unexpected award, which is a wonderful accolade to add to my personal profile and assure potential customers of my professionalism and the quality of my work.
When I took the MITI assessment around this time last year, I really enjoyed the translation task, but have to admit that I wasn’t so keen on having to write a commentary and explaining the process behind it. I think that I was more worried about the commentary than the translation in itself as I have been translating for many years and it has become a profession that I love and take pride in. However, I was still nervous about having my work assessed by a peer and definitely didn’t expect to achieve such a high grade.
A huge thank you to whoever marked my assessment and to the ITI for chasing away the impostor syndrome and restoring my faith in my abilities!"
