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German professor receives prestigious award

April 10, 2009

KALAMAZOO--Peter Krawutschke, foreign languages, has received the Alexander Gode Medal, the most prestigious award of the 10,000-member American Translators Association. The prize was presented at a ceremony during the ATA's annual conference late last year.

Krawutschke was cited for having "single-handedly done enormous good" for both the fields and practitioners of translation and interpreting.

Among the specific examples of his contributions was the work he did with the U.S. government to have the Bureau of Labor Statistics recognize translators and interpreters as professionals, rather than as clerical workers.

ATA president Jiri Stejskal said that the successful effort to reclassify translators and interpreters has greatly impacted these professionals' earning power and increased recognition of the education and skill required of those in the translation and interpreting fields.

A faculty member since 1967, Krawutschke was a nominee for Inttranet's 2008 Linguists of the Year awards. He is treasurer and a past president of the ATA, and just finished a term as president of the International Federation of Translators.

Krawutschke also serves as president of the American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation, which he founded in 1997. The organization supports and disseminates research related to translation and interpretation, encourages education in these fields, and archives documents in these fields.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

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