ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the importance of professional associations, why creating legal protection will never be enough, three keys to the future success of professional associations. A strong profession needs strong professional associations. Professional interpreting cannot survive without a focus on both individual and group work. The powerful forces of market economics would seem to be set against small professions like interpreting, since they had no real status or track record to use as a leveraging tool. Diplomats, politicians, and international lawyers seemed to be doing pretty well and were used to having things their own way. Connection means being ready to knock over the typical barriers and bring together clients, freelancers, staffers, conference interpreters, sign language interpreters, medical interpreters, court interpreters, government officials, and anyone, in fact, who has an interest in producing or receiving high-quality interpreting. As good as Facebook groups can be, you need a structured, formal organisation to turn community into change and one-off successes into long-term partnership.
