Board Elections 2024 Candidate
Annelise Finegan
Academic Director, NYU SPS MS in Translation & Interpreting | United States | LinkedIn
"I believe in the intrinsic value of language access and by extension GALA’s commitment to the profession that makes this access possible."
In your view, what are the most important challenges and opportunities facing GALA?
The most important opportunity and challenge for GALA today is education: education externally about the profession, continuing education within the profession, and education of those who will enter the profession tomorrow.
Thanks to generative AI and LLMs, this industry no longer has a best-kept-secret status. Instead, we are positioned to shape the future of language services proactively through advocacy and knowledge sharing. At the same time, it has never been more crucial for each of us, individually and organizationally, to keep up-to-date and upskill. As an educator, I have the privilege to see daily the aspiration that draws people to this profession, which is itself a renewable form of energy.
If elected to the Board of Directors, I hope to bring this future-focused and always human approach to GALA’s critical work of community formation across those invested in furthering translation, interpreting, and localization.
How have you engaged with GALA as a member?
I initiated NYU joining GALA as an academic member five years ago, volunteered for the Member Programs Committee three years ago, committed my department to bringing student volunteers to GALA starting this past year, and co-organized the first GALA Roadshow in NYC last summer.
Besides your work with GALA, how do you engage with our industry (associations, conferences, speaking, publishing, community events, etc.)?
I currently serve on the American Translators Association Education and Pedagogy Committee and the Association of Language Companies Bridge Committee. At NYU I recently initiated a community-facing project on Asylum Seekers and Language Access. I supervise a faculty body of over two dozen highly qualified language professionals. I maintain an active publishing presence as a (literary) translator from Chinese into English, with two forthcoming book-length translations in 2025.
What superpowers can you bring to board service? Describe previous board experience, leadership training, or strategic leadership you’ve had.
Academic Director of NYU Master’s in T&I. Responsive, empathetic, and focused.
Which segment(s) of GALA's membership do you represent? What perspective will you bring?
My perspective on the board representing GALA’s academic members will be novel and deeply engaged. I intend to facilitate and further the ongoing conversations between academia and industry that are much-needed given the advancement of language technologies and the importance of building community across sectors.