Agreed Statutes of Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters

Article 1 Name
The association’s name is The Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters. Its address and court jurisdiction is in Reykjavík.

Article 2 Purpose
The purpose of the Association, which is a professional association for translators and interpreters, is to work for its members’ interests, to strengthen promotion about their work, to increase collaboration between members, support education and continuous learning, initiate cooperation with analogous associations abroad and protect the interests and rights of translators and interpreters in accordance with Icelandic laws and international practices.

Article 3 Membership
Only members of the following associations can become members of Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters:

Union of Icelandic Journalists,
Association of Professional Translators
Association of Graduate Sign Language Interpreters,
Association of Certified Court Interpreters and Translators,
Association of Television Translators,
Association of Interpreters,
Association of Translators at Stöð 2 (TV Station),
Hagþenki (association of writers of academic and educational texts),
Esperanto Association of Iceland,
The Writers’ Union of Iceland.

Article 4 Management
The board of Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters has five members (the chairman, secretary, treasurer and two other member) and two deputies. The chairman shall be electedindividually at the AGM, then the other members and they shall divide thetasks between them. The secretary shall deputise for the chairman. For a board meetingto have the power to make decisions, at least 4 members must attend andproposals shall be considered rejected in the event of a tie. Board members are elected for a term of two years in each instance. At the inaugural meeting the whole board shall be elected and the deputies. Subsequently members shall be elected alternately, one year the chairman,two members and one deputy and the following year two board members and one deputy.

Article 5 Annual General Meeting
The AGM of The Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters shall be held annually, normally at the end of winter, though never later than 1 June. At the AGM the chairman presents his report on the Association’s activities from the preceding year. Accounts shall be audited annually by the Association’s auditors and submitted to the AGM for endorsement. The election of board members shall take place at the AGM, see article 4. Two auditors shall be elected at the AGM to audit the Association’s accounts and they may not be members of the board. Elections to committees or elections of individuals for specific tasks are according to the decision of the chair unless a proposal for a different process is agreed on by the meeting. Where two parties receive an equal number of votes the issue will be decided by the toss of a coin. The call for the AGM shall be made in writing, e.g. by email, with at least three weeks’ notice and the meeting shall at the same time be advertised on the Association’s web site. In the call the main points of board proposals for changes to the Association's statutes shall be given, should such proposals be on the agenda. Candidacy for membership of the board shall be delivered to the board no later than two weeks prior to the AGM and the list of candidates shall be appended to the final agenda for the meeting.

Article 6 Extraordinary Members' Meeting
The board shall call a members’ meeting within two weeks should 20% of the members so demand.

Article 7 Arbitration and Ethics Committee
The Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters has an ethics committee. The committee shall comprise three members elected at the AGM. The committee shall create a code of ethics for members that shall be endorsed at the first AGM. In addition the committee’s role is to settle conflicts and to arbitrate on disputes that may arise about professional aspects of translation. Translators, interpreters and those commissioning translations may refer cases to the committee. An arbitration committee comprising one representative of the ethics committee, one representative of interested parties and one appointed specialist agreed by both parties.

Article 8 Penalties for Breaches of the Association's Statutes and Regulations
All members are obliged to obey the Association’s statutes and regulations. Should a member commit a serious breach of these statutes or regulations, cause the Association intentional damage or be declared disqualified by the ethics committee, then the board is authorised to expel him from the Association.

Article 9 Honorary Members
The AGM of The Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters has the authority to elect honorary members who will enjoy lifelong exemption from membership fees. A ¾ majority of votes cast at the meeting are required for the lection of an honorary member to be valid. Nominations shall be sent to the board no less that two weeks before the AGM. Only those endorsed by the board shall be eligible for election.

Article 10 Membership Fees
Membership fees shall be decided by the members at the AGM. Only those members that are not in arrears with their fees shall have the right to vote at the meeting. A member’s failure to pay the annual fees for three consecutive years is deemed de facto resignation from the Association. Such a member shall however be offered the opportunity of paying the outstanding fees before his name is removed from the list of members.

Article 11 Changes in the Statutes
Changes in the statutes of The Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters can only be made at a legal AGM and only where 2/3 of the members attending the meeting vote for the changes. All proposals for changes in the statutes, and other important proposals that are to be voted on at an AGM, shall be announced in the agenda for the meeting, see article 5.

Article 12 Operating Surplus
Any operating surplus from the Association’s operations shall be disposed of in accordance with the Association’s purpose.

Article 13 Termination of the Association
A decision to terminate the Association shall be taken at the AGM with an increased (2/3) majority. Its assets, if any, shall accrue to Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg (Search and Rescue Organisation).

Article 14 Entry into Force
These statutes are hereby in force.

Agreed at the AGM (continued) in Reykjavík, 12 October 2004.