All the latest information about the PLD 2011 Mid-Year Conference is up under the Events menu, or click here.

We are very excited about the talk lineup for our 14th Mid-Year Conference. We have it all covered: terminology for the financial crisis (Timothy Yuan) and for medical interpreting (Zarita Araújo-Lane), ethnicity and race as seen in the courtroom (Arlene Kelly), tips for taking the Portuguese>English certification exam (Kim Olsen and Doris Shraft), conference interpreting through the eyes of an AIIC interpreter (Marilda Averbug), legal terminology for the European Union (Naomi Sutcliffe de Moraes), and more. You might recognize some speakers and meet others for the first time, but they are all top quality in our field and language pair.

Make sure you register today for this intimate and rewarding professional development meeting. Early bird rates end March 16th.

Click HERE to see the preliminary program.

Tips on traveling to Washington DC for PLD Spring Meeting – April 2011

FLYING

In making your reservations (act quickly – early April is peak tourist season!) please be aware that Washington is served by THREE different airports – Reagan National (DCA), Washington Dulles (IAD), and Baltimore-Washington International (BWI).

Reagan National is by far the closest airport to the Embassy Suites Hotel in Alexandria, VA, where the meeting will be held. In fact, you can take the Blue or Yellow Metro (subway) line right at the airport and ride two stops to King Street. Otherwise, you can take a cab. The ride is short enough that a SuperShuttle shared van would probably not save you enough money to be worth the time and hassle.

Washington Dulles is located about 30 miles west of Alexandria. It has daily nonstop service from Brazil on United as well as daily nonstops from other countries. It also has much better service from distant points of the US than Reagan National has. Your best transportation option would be the SuperShuttle shared van, which costs about $30.00 door to door plus a modest tip. (The second person in a party pays only $10.00.) Reservations not needed. Taxis run about $60.00 and are meter-based. Public transportation – the Metro 5-A bus to the nearest Metro blue line station costs $6.00 (exact change required) plus the subway fare to the hotel, at King Street, which is only 4 stops.

Baltimore-Washington airport is 45 miles north of Alexandria. Some people find that BWI has lower fares from their origin city! It is served by an Amtrak station – all southbound trains stop there, and there is commuter service at rush hour, but the best option would be the shared van system – SuperShuttle costs $47.00, with the second person in a party paying $12.00. No need to book ahead. Metrobus Route B30 serves the airport to the Greenbelt Metro Station, from where you can take the Green Line to the hotel at King Street station.

Both Reagan National and Washington Dulles have information desks staffed by Travelers Aid volunteers, in case you have any questions or problems.

TRAIN

The Amtrak Alexandria station is directly across from the hotel!

BUS

Washington DC is served by Greyhound and the new cheap bus services from New York and some other points in the Northeast. Bolt Bus and Vamoose are among those companies. Vamoose has a stop in Arlington. Others have their designated stops on downtown streets, from which you can take the Metro to Alexandria. These are bookable only on the Internet. Greyhound ends at the downtown bus station (taxis your only option from there due to the nature of the neighborhood.)

Read All About It!!!!

The PLD will have its Mid-Year Conference April 8-9, 2011 in lovely Alexandria, VA, during cherry blossom season.

We hope you will join us! In addition to professional development sessions on the 8th and 9th, we have group sight-seeing planned for the afternoon of Thursday the 7th and all day on Sunday the 10th, so make your flight plans accordingly. Click here for travel tips to the hotel in Alexandria.

The Conference Organization Committee is already in intensive planning mode, and welcomes your suggestions. Start thinking about what you could share with us in DC. Fill out and return the talk proposal form by February 15th!

Register to attend by clicking on the appropriate membership type:

ATA Members
Non-members

See the events page for more details.