MATA is the English abbreviation of the Macedonian Translators and Interpreters Association. MATA is a professional association that works on the professional development of translators and interpreters in the country. MATA was registered as a non-profit civil association according to the Law on Civil Associations and Foundations. In 2019, after the change of the name of the state, the long name of our association was also changed, which now reads - Association of Translators and Interpreters of the Republic of North Macedonia, but the abbreviated name remained the same as before.

We are not talking about two different associations, but the second name is the new name, because on March 4, 2017, the Assembly decided that MATA is also an association of interpreters, so it added "and interpreters" in the name and now the name of the Association reads "Association of translators and interpreters of the Republic of North Macedonia". The Macedonian abbreviated name ZPRM remained unchanged. The English name of the association now reads: Macedonian Association of Translators and Interpreters. The English abbreviation MATA remained unchanged.

The mission of MATA is to introduce professional standards on the market in the Republic of North Macedonia, to work on the professional development of translators and interpreters, and at the same time to bring closer and clarify the professions of translators and interpreters, their professional needs and working conditions to potential clients and the general public.

The vision of MATA is to become a recognizable representative of the interests of translators and interpreters in the Republic of North Macedonia.

Primarily, MATA is financed through the annual membership fees paid by the members. In the future, it is planned to find additional sources of funding through applying for grants, joint work on projects with other organizations, donations, etc. MATA also organizes professional development events, such as the annual conference for translators and interpreters, which are financed by the registration fee paid by the participants.

The members of MATA who work on organizing the activities of the Association mostly work as volunteers and do not receive compensation for their work.

MATA is the voice of the individual translators and interpreters that are members of the Assocaition. The more members there are in ZPRM who actively work to build and affirm the professions, advocate for professional standards, apply professional business practices and prices, the stronger the voice of MATA will be and it will be a representative of translators and interpreters in Macedonia. Together we are stronger.

You will find detailed information about the membership procedure in the "Become a Member" tab, where you can find the application form that you can fill out online. After this the administrator of the website or the MATA Secretary will receive a notification that a new application form has arrived. The Secretary shall submit this application form to the permanent Commission for Membership and Language Classification, which consists of the executive members of the Management Board (president, vice-president and secretary). If necessary, the Commission can call a representative from the MATA departments (Department for Non-Literary Translation, Department for Interpretation, Department for Literary Translation and Department for Court Translation).

The application form and the attached documentation are reviewed within 1 month.

After checking the formal criteria, the Secretary shall notify the candidate of the result, after which the candidate pays the membership fee. If the membership fee is paid in the last three months of the current year, it will be valid for the entire next year.

The categories of MATA members are a member and a candidate (who can be a student or a beginner) and this category represents a temporary state until the conditions for membership are met.

MATA has no sponsors that would cover the costs of the Association's operation. The membership fee is the main way to collect funds for its operation. Through this payment, all members jointly participate in the performance of the legal obligations of MATA. By paying the membership fee, it is possible to organize free workshops for professional development and to improve the visibility of members.

Also, the membership fee symbolically represents the member's commitment to achieving the vision and mission of ZPRM.

In addition to informal socializing, consulting, supporting, encouraging and learning from each other, which results in mutual professional development, each member also receives:

• free access to information about conferences, workshops and webinars organized by the partner organizations and networks in which we are members (IAPTI, TermNET, CEATL and their partner organizations and members);
• access to free events for professional development organized by MATA and the partner organizations;
• discount on the registration fee for all conferences and workshops organized by MATA;
  discount on IAPTI conferences and TermNET trainings;
• the possibility to create a profile on the MATA website, which makes the member visible to potential clients both on the global and local markets;
• through networking with the speakers and with other colleagues from other countries at the conferences of MATA and the partner organizations, the members get access to potential jobs.

MATA conferences are regional and international in nature and involve many organizational costs (travel and accommodation for speakers, hall/hotel, refreshments, conference materials, etc.). Since MATA does not have sponsors that would cover at least partially these costs, it has to charge a registration fee to be able to organize the conference, which primarily serves for our professional development. Considering that MATA is a non-profit organization, the fees charged in early registration are calculated without any earnings and barely cover the costs of the conference. If there is profit from the MATA conferences, those funds are either used to organize free events or help cover the costs for the next conference.

All the work related to the organization of the conferences is done by members of MATA who volunteered for it. None of them receive any remuneration for their work. These MATA members are in a way sponsors of the conference, because they donate their labor and time. Without their dedication, work and activism it would not be possible to organize the MATA conferences.

MATA organizes free workshops and other types of events that are always open to members, and often to all interested persons. For example, all literary translation workshops that are organized within the "Babylon" Projects in Skopje and in other cities are free of charge. In 2016, we also had a free seminar on court translation organized together "Goce Delchev" University in Shtip. We also organized a free workshop on the legal protection of translators and interpreters when they charge their fees as individuals, as well as a round table on interpretation, which resulted in recommendations for further action. Follow our website or Facebook page for detailed information regarding events held and/or planned.

The basic rules regulating the work of MATA and the professions of "translator" and "interpreter" are stipulated in the key MATA documents: Statute, Work Program, Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct, Recommended Fees for Translation and Interpretation, Regulations for the Working Groups etc. These documents contain the rules for the work of the MATA bodies, the directions for MATA development, what are the rights and obligations of the members, what behavior is considered professional and ethical etc. You can find all these documents here.

Yes. You can find it here.

MATA has a framework Work Program that provides the general guidelines for the work and development of ZPRM. However every year an annual work program is prepared based on the activities planned by the thematic sectors and the Management Board.

Every year MATA prepares a Work Plan, based on the proposals of the sectors. This plan is discussed at the annual assembly meeting, both by the members and by the Management Board, and then the activities are carried out through the working groups (sectors).

Also, at any time, any member of MATA can initiate an activity and organize it independently of the activities of the sectors and the Management Board.

Everyone independently and on their own initiative decide if they want to participate in a specific sector, and the members of the sector choose a coordinator. The sector jointly makes a plan of activities and tasks are assigned to each member of the sector. The sectors work on various topics (court translation, literary translation, interpretation, public relations, etc.). All the activities of the sectors lead to the realization of the MATA vision and mission.

The members of the Management Board work hard and have a lot of responsibility, but they do not receive a fee for their work.

The members of the MATA working groups work as volunteers and do not receive a fee for their work. Of course, the possibility remains for certain members to apply for a grant to implement projects and receive a fee for their work within that project.

No one will solve our problems. There is no external force, benefactor or miracle that will do this for us. That's why we have to get down to business and do what needs to be done. It is true that we have to invest labor without compensation and part of our private time, but it is not in vain. In addition to being satisfied with the results achieved from the activities, through working with colleagues we get to know each other better, so it is more likely that they will recommend us for work when the opportunity arises. Then, we communicate and get to know many organizations and people who might think of us in the future when they need a translator or interpreter. And if we participate in the preparation of a project, and it is funded by a donor, we can earn money through the work on that project. Work always opens doors.