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BKTD
The Conference Interpreters Association in Turkey was established with 20 members in 1969 in Istanbul, thereby taking the initial step to bring together professional conference interpreters under the umbrella of a professional organization. The Association broadened its membership in 1998 by including all professional conference interpreters in this sector and changed its name to The United Conference Interpreters Association (BKTD) to reinforce the image of its broader membership.
The aim of the Association is to bring together colleagues in order to promote conference interpreting as a profession in Turkey and to establish professional principles and rules in line with international practice.

What is Conference Interpreting?

The conference interpreter enables people of different languages and cultures to communicate. The quality of this communication depends on the expertise of the interpreter and the conditions under which s/he works. The interpreter is one of the key components for the success of an international conference.
Conference interpreting requires special skills and training. There are only a few thousand professional conference interpreters globally and the number is less than 100 in Turkey. This profession requires not only excellent competence and fluency in the two languages involved in the interpretation but also knowledge of cultural issues and current affairs and terminology as well as the ability to switch between two languages swiftly and smoothly. Confidentiality, in other words, respecting the privacy of the meeting, is one of the prerequisites of the profession.
Conference interpreting does not consist of offering the lexical equivalents of the spoken text; rather, it consists of the transfer of the meaning and the concepts into the target language. The interpreter is successful to the extent that s/he is able to establish direct communication and dialogue among the participants.
Conference interpreting is a unique profession and a special service. This is the reason why we attach so much importance to professionalism and why we are so meticulous about compliance with professional principles and the recruitment of new members.

ORGANIZATION

BKTD functions through a Board of Directors and committees as set out in its by-laws. The General Assembly that convenes every three years elects the new President, the Board of Directors, the Board of Auditors, the Board of Ethics and the Admissions Committee. The most recent BKTD General Assembly was held on December 26, 2006.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors determines policies in line with the aims and the strategic vision of BKTD. The Board Members represent the Association and coordinate the activities of the committees. The Board has one president, a vice-president, a secretary general, a treasurer and 3 members.

Current BKTD Board Members:

Hande Guner - President
Leyla Ayas - Vice-President
Hande Caglayansu Suer - Secretary General
Bahar Cotur - Treasurer
Nazan Kiziltan Suzer - Member
Elif Batmaz - Member
Zeynep Kircal- Member

Board of Ethics

The Board of Ethics is comprised of three members who are elected for a period of three years by the General Assembly. The Board aims to settle disputes between members and engages in disciplinary action if members violate professional principles and working conditions. The members elected to this Board must be active professional conference interpreters for at least 7 years. This Board is governed by its own regulations.

Members - Dec 2006 thru Dec 2009

Yigit Bener
Bulent Boysan
Nur Camat

Admissions Committee

The Admissions Committee is comprised of five members who are elected for a period of three years by the General Assembly. Members elected to this Board must be active professional conference interpreters for at least 7 years. The Admissions Committee receives membership applications to the BKTD, supervises the application procedure of candidates, and approves and announces the membership of pre-candidates or candidates. This Board is governed by its own regulations.

Members - Dec 2006 thru Dec 2009:

Nilay Guleser Odabas
Ahu Latifoglu Dogan
Nora Sirman
Fatma Artunkal
Sule Girmen
Board of Auditors
The Board of Auditors is comprised of three members who are elected for a period of three years by the General Assembly. The Board of Auditors is legally responsible for auditing the accounts of the BKTD to ensure greater transparency and accountability.
Members - Dec 2006 thru Dec 2009
Nigar Alemdar
Figen Celtekli
Mesut Onen

Academic Council

Apart from the elected Boards and Committees, BKTD has an Academic Council in which all BKTD members who teach at universities are natural members. The aim of this body is to facilitate coordination between the BKTD and various universities that teach conference interpreting. The Academic Council is responsible for coordinating seminars and academic meetings for BKTD members and students of conference interpreting.

More than 20 BKTD members have been teaching at universities for more than 22 years.


Interpretation Services provided by BKTD Members

BKTD members provide simultaneous, consecutive, bilateral and whispering interpretation services in Turkish, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian.

Over the years, BKTD members have provided professional services to many public and private institutions and organizations. These include the Office of the President of Turkey, the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministries, the Constitutional Court, High Courts, municipalities, universities, chambers, trade unions, professional organizations, associations, foundations, diplomatic representations, companies, television and radio stations as well as international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union institutions, the Council of Europe and its institutions, NATO, OSCE, OECD, OIC, UNESCO, UNICEF and others.

Contacts
Information about our membership, language combinations and any additional information on the profession may be found at our website:

www.bktd.org.

Contact us at: BKTD Çiftevav Sok. Çatak Apt. No.4 D:2, Ayaspaşa 34437, Istanbul - Turkey.

e-mail: bktd@bktd.org