ALEXANDRIA, VA— The American Translators Association (ATA) awarded Francesca Samuel, a freelance translator and court interpreter in Tucson, Arizona, the 2012 Harvie Jordan Scholarship. She was also recently elected administrator of the ATA Spanish Language Division.

The Harvie Jordan Scholarship promotes, encourages, and supports leadership and professional development of translators and interpreters within ATA’s Spanish Language Division and to honor Harvie Jordan’s lifetime contributions as a language professional. To be eligible for the award candidates must be Spanish Language Division members in good standing with two or more years of membership.

The selection criteria are demonstrated leadership skills and career goals; Spanish Language Division involvement and commitment to service; and special contributions to translation and interpretation.

Samuel, who is the new administrator for the ATA Spanish Language Division, has been an active member of the Division since 1999, and has been a key volunteer working on every Spanish Language Division Mid-Year Conference, serving as conference organizer in 2010 and co-organizer in 2012. She served as the Spanish Language Division treasurer from 2004-2005 and as the Spanish Language Division assistant administrator from 2005-2010. Samuel is also an active volunteer for Arizona Translators and Interpreters, Inc., serving as vice president, and is a member of the Pima County Community College Translation Studies Program Curriculum Advisory Committee.

Founded in 1959, the ATA’s primary goals include fostering and supporting the professional development of translators and interpreters and promoting the translation and interpreting professions. ATA, based in Alexandria, Virginia, currently has 11,000 members worldwide. For more information on ATA, please visit www.atanet.org.