1) Tell us about your NYCT Board Position.
I have been the NYCT Treasurer since January 2023. The Treasurer handles all the financial transactions and responsibilities of the Circle. Since most of the recurring receipts and expenditures are now handled automatically and electronically, one of my main duties is to keep an eye on our online banking accounts to make sure I recognize and can account for all our expenditures.
In addition, I need to manually process one-off receipts or charges such as expenses related to NYCT events (food, facilities, speaker fees, etc.). The Treasurer must also keep a log of all these manual transactions and pull together two end-of-year financial documents (Statement of Activities and Financial Position). These documents are presented to all members at the annual meeting in January. They are also sent to ATA in the spring as part of our ATA member rebate application.
The Treasurer also occasionally informs and advises the Board on our financial standing, particularly when planning activities and events for the year.
Beyond these core duties, I have also undertaken a couple of related initiatives during my tenure. First, given the buildup in Circle reserves during Covid, I took the additional funds that were not needed for annual operations (and also additional Stern Fund monies) and invested them in CDs in order to earn interest.
Finally, I’ve been working to fully digitize all Circle financial accounts. This involves moving all transaction logs and receipts online where they can be accessed by all current and future Board members.
Being the NYCT Treasurer is a great job and not as complicated or time-consuming as it may sound! (Most things are now automated and take less time and effort than before.) If you are comfortable working with numbers, it can be a very fulfilling way to give back to your profession and fellow NYCT members.
2) What are your language pairs, specializations?
I translate primarily from German into English, with occasional projects from French or Spanish into English. I specialize in economics, business and finance translations.
3) How did you get involved in the industry?
One of my first jobs after graduate school was covering the major economies of Western Europe for a boutique economics consulting firm in New York. Soon after I was hired, my boss noted I had studied German and lived in Austria and turned over large amounts of German economic and financial data that needed to be translated into English.
One of the reasons I decided to step back from the corporate world several years ago was to more fully pursue my interest in translation as a business.
4) What do you like about being involved with NYCT?
NYCT is a great way to meet and interact with other language professionals in our area. Most freelance translator work is done in a solitary setting, without the benefit of being able to easily interact with peers and colleagues, at least in person. One of the best things about NYCT for me are the social and education aspects of the organization.
5) Give us a few fun facts about yourself that other people may not know.
As a young German student, I had the opportunity to participate in a study tour of West and East Germany in 1988. Other than smuggling oranges across the border into East Germany, my most memorable experience was visiting Leipzig and the historic Thomaskirche, aka J.S. Bach’s church. Our private tour of the church ended on the balcony near the organ at which point the tour guide asked if anyone wished to play “Bach’s organ.” As a big lover of Bach’s music, I was in awe of the opportunity to play the organ in that wonderful historic setting. And since Bach is purportedly buried in the front of the church, I kept thinking, can he hear me playing and is he rolling over in his grave?!
Randal’s Pictures from left to right>
1) Bach’s church Leipzig: Visiting Leipzig many years later; still trying to figure out if Bach was rolling over in his grave when I played the organ!
2) Rwanda mountain gorillas: Are we sure these guys are only vegetarian?
3) Austrian Alps: I’m pretty sure I can balance up here… as long as no wind gusts come along!
