Pursuant to the Societies Act, the General Meeting of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Slovenia adopted, on 24 July 2014 in Ljubljana, the following
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF TRANSLATORS AND INTERPRETERS OF SLOVENIA
as amended at the General Meetings on 17 March 2015 and 7 March 2017, 6 September 2018, 11 March 2020 and 30 June 2020.
I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
The Association of Translators and Interpreters of Slovenia (hereinafter: the Association) is a voluntary association of translators and interpreters, founded for the purpose of promoting the common interests of its members, as set out in this document.
The functioning of the Association shall be based on the principles of equal and voluntary association of members, decision-making and joint decision-making by its members on an equal basis, and on the principles of openness of operations. The Association shall be a non-profit organisation.
II. STATUS PROVISIONS
Article 2
The registered name of the Association is: Društvo prevajalcev in tolmačev Slovenije (the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Slovenia).
The registered office and address of the Association is: Dalmatinova 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The Association shall operate within the territory of the Republic of Slovenia.
Article 3
The Association is a legal person governed by private law that has been entered in the Register of Societies held at the Ljubljana Administrative Unit.
Article 4
The Association has its own seal. The seal of the Association is round, 3.5 cm in diameter, with the full name of the Association engraved on it. The number of seals, their use and manner of safekeeping shall be laid down by the Executive Committee of the Association.
Article 5
The Association shall cooperate and liaise with Slovenian, foreign and international associations and societies embracing similar purposes and aims to those set out herein.
Article 6
The President of the Association shall be authorised to act on behalf of, and represent, the Association before state bodies and organisations in Slovenia and abroad. The President shall, within the scope of resolutions adopted by the Association’s bodies and of these provisions, act on behalf of, and represent, the Association on an individual and unlimited basis. The Association’s documents (business, financial and other documents) shall be signed either by the Association’s President or the Secretary. The Court Interpreter Section (in Slovenian: Sekcija sodnih tolmačev, abbreviated as SST) shall be represented by the Head of the Court Interpreter Section of the Association, who shall sign Court Interpreter Section documents when authorised to do so by the President of the Association.
Article 7
The two authorised representatives of the Association and The Court Interpreter Section may authorise other individuals to perform individual legal and other acts.
III. PURPOSE, TASKS AND AIMS
Article 8
The primary purpose of the Association shall be to represent and promote the interests of its members, that is, translators and interpreters practising the profession of translator and/or interpreter, who are either registered to perform 74.300 Translation and interpreting activities or who engage in translation and interpreting on a complementary basis. Furthermore, the primary purpose of the Association shall be to represent and promote the interests of court interpreters and to assist them in meeting the requirements imposed in this field by the applicable EU laws and Slovenian laws. The Association shall, in particular, uphold the reputation of the profession and work to ensure the professional development of translators, interpreters and court interpreters.
Article 9
The aim of the Association shall be to bring together individuals who engage in translation and interpreting, include them in professional development programmes aimed at raising the quality of the translation, interpreting and court interpreting profession and further the interests, needs and rights of translators, interpreters and court interpreters.
Article 10
With a view to fulfilling its purpose and aims, the Association shall carry out the following tasks as non-profit activities:
It shall:
- represent and promote the interests of its members within the Association, in public, and before state institutions;
- contribute to the reputation of the translation, interpreting and court interpreting profession and to raising the quality of translation and interpreting;
- organise various forms of lifelong learning for translators, interpreters and court interpreters;
- cooperate with state institutions in addressing outstanding issues related to the role and profession of its members registered to perform 300 Translation and interpreting activities, and members who are court interpreters, and shall make every effort to enhance the professional profile of translators and interpreters and the profile of court interpreters;
- develop the culture and ethics of translators, interpreters and court interpreters;
- organise the Association’s gatherings and professional conferences;
- publish professional articles, books, magazines and other publications, and manage its website, and organise research on technical terminology and the compilation of glossaries;
- organise translation and interpreting for the needs of the Association;
- commission analyses and research linked to the purpose and activities of the Association.
Article 11
The Association may, with regard to the fulfilment of the purpose and tasks defined in articles 9 and 10 above, perform the following gainful activities as defined in the Standard Classification of Activities (SKD):
- S94.120 Activities of professional organisations;
- M72.200 Research and experimental development in social sciences and humanities (research and development in the field of linguistics and education);
- J58.110 Publishing of books (brochures, information leaflets, dictionaries in printed form or on electronic media, also on the internet);
- J58.140 Publishing of journals and periodicals (issued less than four times weekly);
- C18.130 Pre-press and pre-media services (editing of texts in Slovene and foreign languages);
- M74.900 Other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c. (specialist consultation);
- P85.590 Other education n.e.c. (organisation of seminars and other forms of education of translators and interpreters).
The Association shall perform the said gainful activities subject to the conditions laid down for their performance by law and only to the extent required for the fulfilment of the purpose and aims of the Association. Assets acquired through the performance of gainful activities shall be used for the performance of non-profit activities set out in Article 10 hereof.
MEMBERSHIP
Article 12
Membership shall be full and voluntary. In addition to the members who adopted these Articles of Association on the date of founding of the Association, any person meeting the conditions of membership, embracing its purpose and tasks and willing to implement its programme and Articles of Association and participate in the Association’s activities, may become a member of the Association.
Admission to Membership
Article 13
Members of the Association shall be translators and interpreters with
- a completed Level VII university education in translation studies, a linguistic or other field of study who engage in translation and interpreting;
- a completed Level VI education in translation studies, a linguistic or other field of study (short-cycle higher education programmes or 1st cycle Bologna study programmes) and at least 2 years of translation and/or interpreting experience, which means at least 2000 standard pages of translation or 120 interpreting days or a combination of both;
- court interpreters appointed by decision of the Ministry of Justice.
Members of the Association shall, by means of an application for admission, accept the Translator’s Charter of the International Federation of Translators, FIT.
Article 14
The decision on admission to membership shall be taken by the Executive Committee on the basis of the application for admission.
Persons applying for membership shall submit evidence of their education and their appointment as court interpreter, where relevant, and a CV listing no fewer than ten translations, including the title of the text translated and the number of pages translated, or, where relevant, listing no fewer than ten interpreting sessions performed, including the number of hours and the end client.
If doubts as to the suitability of the applicant arise during the decision-making procedure, the applicant shall be informed thereof and shall be given the possibility of responding thereto in writing.
In its decision-making, the Executive Committee shall observe the purpose of its powers and the purpose of the Association, and it shall decide in compliance with the principle of equal treatment of all applicants.
Membership Fee
Article 15
Members of the Association shall pay an annual membership fee. The level of the membership fee shall be decided by the Founding Meeting and later by the General Meeting on the proposal of the Executive Committee. The mode of payment of the membership fee shall be determined by the Executive Committee of the Association.
Article 16
The record of membership shall be kept in the membership register.
Rights and obligations of members
Article 17
The rights of the Association’s members shall be:
- to participate in the Association’s activities;
- to elect and be elected to the Association’s bodies;
- to be kept informed of the Association’s work;
- to propose to the Executive Committee candidates for duties in the Association’s bodies;
- to have access to the Association’s financial and material business transactions.
Article 18
The obligations of the Association’s members shall be:
- to participate in the Association’s activities;
- to abide by the Articles of Association and resolutions and decisions of the Association’s bodies;
- to make regular payments of the membership fee;
- to perform their work in accordance with professional standards and the code of ethics;
- to strive to uphold the reputation of the Association and seek to advocate positive relations among their peers.
Article 19
The rights and obligations of the Association’s members shall be honorary. The Association’s members shall, as a rule, not receive payment for their work and activities. The Executive Committee of the Association may determine that individual tasks of the Association’s members that are of permanent or extraordinary significance for the Association be remunerated. On the basis of a resolution by the Executive Committee, members may also be reimbursed for the costs of carrying out individual tasks for the Association.
Termination of membership
Article 20
Membership of the Association shall be terminated:
- through voluntary resignation of a member on the basis of a written statement addressed to the Executive Committee of the Association;
- through a member no longer meeting the conditions under Article 14 hereof, as ascertained by the Executive Committee, which shall in such case impose the sanction of exclusion from membership;
- on the basis of a decision by the Disciplinary Commission on the date it becomes final, unless appealed against by the member;
- through exclusion on the basis of a resolution by the General Meeting;
- if a member has fallen behind more than six months with his or her payment of the membership fee, the member shall be struck from the membership, which shall be confirmed by the Executive Committee on the basis of a declaratory resolution;
- upon the dissolution of the Association.
BODIES OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 21
The bodies of the Association shall be:
- the General Meeting,
- the Executive Committee,
- the Monitoring Committee,
- the Disciplinary Commission.
The officers of the Association shall be:
- the President of the Association,
- the Secretary of the Association,
- the Treasurer of the Association
- the Head of the Court Interpreter Section.
The President of the Association shall, by virtue of his or her office, at the same time be the President of the Association’s Executive Committee. The corps of the Court Interpreter Section and the officers of the Court Interpreter Section shall be bodies operating within the Association.
The General Meeting of the Association
Article 22
The General Meeting of the Association, being the highest body of the Association, vested with powers laid down by law and these Articles of Association, shall consist of all members of the Association. There shall be Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. The Annual General Meeting shall be convened at least once a year by the President of the Association by a resolution passed by the Executive Committee.
Resolutions of the General Meeting of the Association shall be above those taken by the corps of all Sections.
Minutes shall be taken of the work of the General Meeting; they shall be signed by the member taking the minutes and by two authenticators.
Article 23
An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened by the President upon a resolution of the Executive Committee, Monitoring Committee or on the request of one fifth of the Association’s members. The Executive Committee shall convene an Extraordinary General Meeting not later than within one month of receiving the proponents’ written request. If the Executive Committee fails to do so within the period of time specified, the Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by the proponent. The proponent shall also prepare the necessary materials and a proposed agenda. The Extraordinary General Meeting may pass resolutions only on the matter for which it has been convened.
Article 24
The convening of the General Meeting shall be published together with the agenda. The publication and invitations shall be sent no less than a fortnight ahead of the General Meeting.
The General Meeting may also be held as a distance – a correspondence General Meeting (by e-mail or regular mail, or by other means of information and communication technology). The provisions governing live sessions of the General Meeting shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the convening and holding of the correspondence General Meeting as well as to decision-making at the correspondence General Meeting.
Article 25
The General Meeting shall have a quorum if more than half the Association’s members are present at the scheduled beginning of the General Meeting. If the General Meeting does not have a quorum at its scheduled beginning, it shall be postponed by 15 minutes. Upon the expiration of this period, the General Meeting shall have a quorum if at least 10 members of the Association are present. Resolutions of the General Meeting shall be passed by a majority of the votes cast by the members present. In deciding on any amendment to the Articles of Association, resolutions shall be passed by two thirds of the votes of the members present. In deciding on the dissolution of the Association, resolutions shall be passed by a majority of all members of the Association or at least three fourths of the members present. Voting shall be by show of hands unless the members decide on a secret ballot by a majority of votes at the meeting itself.
Article 26
The powers of the General Meeting are as follows:
- to decide on the agenda;
- to elect a Chair presiding over the General Meeting;
- to discuss the work and reports of the Executive Committee and the Monitoring Committee and pass resolutions thereon;
- to approve the accounts for the previous year;
- to elect and remove the President and thereby the President of the Executive Committee;
- to elect and remove members of the Association’s bodies;
- to adopt the Association’s policy and work programme;
- to pass resolutions on the financial plan and the work plan;
- to pass resolutions on the dissolution of the Association;
- to decide on amendments to the Articles of Association;
- to set up and close down Sections;
- to decide on complaints against the resolutions of bodies and on other matters regarding the admission, striking off or exclusion of members;
- to set the level of the membership fee.
Term of office and elections
Article 27
The term of office of members of the Executive Committee, the Monitoring Committee and the Disciplinary Commission and of heads of sections is four years and they may be re-elected once. After two terms holding the same office, a member may not run for the same office in the Association for the duration of one term; a member may, however, run for another office in the bodies of the Association.
Elections to the Association’s bodies shall be held every two years when elections shall be held alternately for five or four members of the Executive Committee, one or two members of the Monitoring Committee, three or two members of the managing committee of sections, and one or two members of the Disciplinary Commission. One alternate member shall be elected in respect of each body to fill a position in the Association’s body until the end of the term of office of the person who has vacated the said position.
The Executive Committee of the Association
Article 28
The Executive Committee is the executive body of the Association, consisting of nine members. The President of the Association and the Head of the Court Interpreter Section shall be members of the Executive Committee by virtue of their office. Seven members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by the General Meeting from among members. Members of the Executive Committee shall elect a Secretary and a Treasurer from among themselves at the Committee’s first session. The General Meeting may remove the Executive Committee or an individual member before the term of office expires.
The Executive Committee shall be accountable for its work to the General Meeting of the Association.
Article 29
The Executive Committee shall perform organisational, administrative, expert and technical duties arising from documents and resolutions of the General Meeting. The powers of the Executive Committee shall be in particular:
- to draw up rules on the internal organisation of the Association and other operational documents of the Association and submit them for approval to the General Meeting;
- to convene annual and extraordinary General Meetings of the Association;
- to discuss and communicate to the General Meeting proposals for the yearly work programme, work plans and financial plans as well as the accounts;
- to manage financial and material business transactions;
- to decide on investments not included in the plan and not exceeding the value for which it has been authorised by the General Meeting, or not exceeding the amount in the invoice;
- to designate an accountant and other forms of hiring individual support functions for the operation of the Association;
- to obtain the consent of candidates running for offices and members in the bodies of the Association and to propose them to the General Meeting for approval;
- to set up and close down committees and working or interest groups of the Association on the proposal of members or on its own initiative;
- to decide on bestowing the Association’s awards and commendations falling outside the power of the General Meeting.
Article 30
The Executive Committee shall meet as necessary and shall adopt resolutions at its sessions. It may take decisions if at least one half of its members are present. A resolution shall be adopted if the majority of the members of the Executive Committee present have voted in its favour. Minutes shall be kept of every session. Article 31 Sessions of the Executive Committee shall be public. Members may access the minutes of sessions.
The Monitoring Committee of the Association
Article 32
The Monitoring Committee shall consist of three members. The Monitoring Committee shall be accountable to the General Meeting. The Monitoring Committee shall elect its President from among its members.
The Monitoring Committee shall have a quorum if more than one half of all members are present; its decisions shall be valid if more than one half of the members present vote in their favour.
Article 33
The tasks of the Monitoring Committee shall be in particular:
- to monitor and supervise implementation of the provisions of the Articles of Association and other documents of the Association;
- to monitor and supervise the implementation of resolutions passed by the General Meeting and other bodies of the Association;
- to monitor and supervise the material and financial business transactions of the Association;
- to deal with other matters laid down herewith;
- to report to the General Meeting;
- to receive letters of resignation of the President or the entire Executive Committee and to forward them to the General Meeting.
The Disciplinary Commission
Article 34
The Disciplinary Commission shall consist of three members. Members of the Disciplinary Commission shall elect its President from among themselves. The Disciplinary Commission shall be accountable to the General Meeting. The Disciplinary Commission shall have a quorum if more than one half of its members are present; its decisions shall be valid if the majority of the members present vote in their favour. A member of the Association may appeal against a decision of the Disciplinary Commission to the General Meeting, which shall take a final decision on such appeal.
Article 35
The Disciplinary Commission shall decide on infringements of these Articles of Association, the FIT Translator’s Charter, the Code of Ethics of the Court Interpreter and other rules of the Association at the request of either those affected or the Executive Committee. The Disciplinary Commission shall impose the following sanctions: - warning- public warning- The Disciplinary Commission shall inform the requestor of its decision in writing within 15 days.
Sections
Article 36
The General Meeting may, on the proposal of the Executive Committee, set up a section for the purpose of implementing individual tasks of the Association. The setting up of a new section must be proposed by at least ten members of the Association, who shall propose an amendment to the Articles of Association. The Executive Committee shall submit the proposal for consideration to the General Meeting, which shall vote on it.
The Court Interpreter Section
Article 37
The Court Interpreter Section (CIS) was set up at the Association’s Founding Meeting.
It shall be composed of members of the Association who are court interpreters and have adopted the CIS Code of Ethics through their application for admission. The Section shall operate in compliance with both the Articles of Association of the Association and the CIS Rules of Procedure, which define its aims, tasks and working method.
The corps of CIS members shall elect the CIS managing committee, consisting of five members, for a term of office of four years. The elected members of the managing committee shall elect the head of the Section from among themselves. The elected head of the Section shall become a member of the Association’s Executive Committee, therein representing the Section.
The CIS may become a member of related international organisations, subject to the Executive Committee’s approval.
The mission of the CIS shall be to bring together and represent the interests of members who are court interpreters both within the Association and on a wider scale, provide for their continuous professional development (CPD) and cooperate with users of court interpreter services in dealing with pending issues, in order to ensure successful and efficient communication between parties to judicial, administrative and other proceedings, and raise the status of court interpreters in Slovenia.
The CIS shall not be a separate legal entity.
The CIS shall draw up an annual work programme and a financial plan to be approved by the Executive Committee.
The Association’s President, Secretary, Treasurer and Head of the Court Interpreter Section
Article 38
The President shall represent, and act on behalf of, the Association; the President may delegate a part of his or her powers to other bodies.
Article 39
The President of the Association shall:- ensure that business transactions are in compliance with the law;- manage the work and chair the sessions of the Executive Committee as its President;- draw up the operational work plan for the duration of the term of office;- represent the Association in property, legal and other matters;- sign financial and material documents;- act as the authorising officer for the implementation of the financial plan.
Article 40
The Secretary shall: - manage administrative business transactions;- keep the membership register and the Association’s documents;- perform other tasks by order of the President of the Association.
Article 41
The Treasurer shall: - manage the Association’s funds;- make cash payments;- settle the Association’s financial commitments;- perform other tasks by order of the President of the Association. The Head of the Court Interpreter Section shall: - represent court interpreters who are members of the Association at home and abroad when authorised to do so by the Association’s President;- draw up the operational plan of work of the Court Interpreter Section;- work to ensure the effective use of funds available to the Court Interpreter Section for the performance of its activities and report on the use of funds to the Executive Committee.
MATERIAL AND FINANCIAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS
Article 42
The Association may, for its activities, obtain funds from:
- membership fees;
- pursuing a gainful activity;
- donations;
- its own activity.
Article 43
The Association’s assets consist of the cash in the Association’s bank account and the premises and equipment obtained by the Association in order to perform its activities. The Association’s assets shall be managed by the Executive Committee within the powers and restrictions laid down in the Articles of Association and in accordance with the regulations in force.
The surplus, profit and assets of the Association shall be used exclusively to achieve the purpose and objectives of the Association and shall not be distributed among the members.
Article 44
The Association shall conduct financial and material business transactions in compliance with accounting standards and the regulations pertaining to associations. The manner of keeping account books shall be laid down by the rules to be adopted by the Executive Committee of the Association within ten months of registration. Supervision over the regularity of material and financial business transactions shall be performed by the Monitoring Committee.
VII. DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 45
The Association may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of members voting at a General Meeting or by law.
In the event of dissolution, the assets of the Association shall pass to another non-governmental organisation pursuing the same or similar activities, after all commitments have been met. The budget funds shall be returned to the budget.
VIII. OPENNESS OF WORK
Article 46
The operation of the Association shall be public. The President of the Association shall be authorised to maintain public relations; the President may, in turn, authorise the Head of the Court Interpreter Section to maintain public relations in connection with the work of the Court Interpreter Section. The Association shall keep the general public informed via public sessions of its bodies, its website or the mass media. The Association shall keep its members informed via written communications, circulars, its website and access to the minutes of meetings of the Association’s bodies.
TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 47
The Association has the following documents:- Articles of Association,- other documents, among which the Rules on Financial and Material Business Transactions and the Disciplinary Rules shall be adopted by the Association’s Executive Committee within ten months of the Association’s registration.
Article 48
The provisions of the Societies Act and other regulations governing the work of associations or pertaining to it shall be applied directly in respect of matters not regulated under the present Articles of Association.
Article 49
These Articles of Association were adopted by the General Meeting on 24 July 2014. They were amended at the General Meetings on 17 March 2015, 7 March 2017, 6 September 2018, 11 March 2020 and 30 June 2020. The consolidated text of the Articles of Association shall take effect on day after being adopted by the General Meeting.
Ljubljana, 30 June 2020
Chair of the Working Presidency:
Andreja Pignar Tomanič
President of the Association:
Barbara Rovan
Translated by: Simona Sovinc