On 20 October, after three years of meeting online owing to the pandemic, we were finally able to meet in person when FIT Europe held its annual general meeting (AGM) in Athens. Believe me when I say the atmosphere was buzzing with the anticipation and joy of getting back together!
The Panhellenic Association of Translators (PEM) hosted and chose the impressive headquarters of the Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers as our meeting’s venue.
We were joined by representatives from associations from the four corners of Europe. We were also incredibly lucky to have in attendance as observers Dimitra Stafilia and Valérie Le Plouhinec, representing the European Federation of Audiovisual Translators (AVTE) and the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL), respectively, both of which have collaboration agreements with FIT. FIT Vice President Annette Schiller addressed the meeting on behalf of FIT Council.
Unfortunately, our president, John O’Shea, was unable to travel to the Greek capital due to ill health but, thanks to the tireless efforts of the FIT Europe Board and our host association, he was able to join us remotely. Our president always leads from the front, even in the most difficult moments.
Once the Board had informed attendees about its activities over the last year and given a statement of its accounts, there was an intense, yet polite and respectful, debate covering the issues that affect us most as a Regional Centre, as representatives of national associations, and as independent teachers of translation and interpreting. Over the coming year we will work to put all the initiatives that arose at the AGM into practice, staying within the framework of the FIT strategic plan and liaising closely with the working groups created.
We’d like to sincerely thank PEM for its hard work arranging the FIT Europe AGM in Athens, and to all the associations represented there, either in person or by proxy. Thank you for participating and sharing your opinions and concerns. Without you, nothing we do on the Board would have any purpose.
María Galán Barrera, ASETRAD, FIT Europe