Why professionalism matters

Abstract: Having qualified as a conservation architect and proudly held professional membership of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation for many years Sara has a firm understanding of what it means to practice professionally. This experience has been further enhanced by her roles as CEO of two professional membership bodies: Icon (the Institute of Conservation) and ITI (the Institute of Translation and Interpreting).

Sara will draw upon this wide experience in this presentation, setting out her views about what makes professionals distinct and why this matters in today’s marketplace. She will focus on five common hallmarks of professionalism which can be found in many sectors, not just the language or cultural heritage sectors:

• Practising with skill
• Maintaining competence
• Being accountable
• Acting ethically
• Acting in the interests of society

She will place particular emphasis on the value of presenting ourselves as professionals in order to achieve greater recognition of the high level of skill, knowledge and experience needed to practice effectively and ethically in the translation and interpreting sector.

Speaker:

Sara Robertson is CEO of

Sara initially trained as an architect at Edinburgh College of Art where she specialised in historic building conservation. Having undertaken the SPAB Lethaby Scholarship in 2002 she spent the early years of her career honing her skills in conservation policy and practice in various roles at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Leading the award-winning Faith in Maintenance project was a highlight from this time. In 2015, she left SPAB to take up a strategic policy role as Head of Historic Environment at the Heritage Lottery Fund before returning to the voluntary sector to become Chief Executive at Icon (the Institute of Conservation) in January 2019.
In May 2023 Sara moved into a new sector, taking up the post of Chief Executive at the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI). Although she is not a linguist, she has a long-standing enthusiasm for languages, and harbours an ambition to brush up her German skills. Her voluntary role as a Council member of Europa Nostra (a pan-European cultural heritage charity) brings her into contact with professionals working in the cultural heritage sector from all corners of Europe and has taught her the value of timely, effective, accurate and trust-worthy communication between those who speak different languages. She is therefore proud to be an advocate for the vital services provided by translators and interpreters.

Host or Publisher Association of Interpreters and Translators (AIT)