How MET works

The association Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET) works under charter through projects conceived and carried out by volunteers. Those with expertise share it with others who wish to fill in gaps or improve practice. The best way to learn how we work and volunteer to help is to attend a workshop or two or come to our annual autumn meeting (METM — pronounced /mEt-Em/) and General Assembly.

Founders and early volunteers have come from language teaching or linguistics, the basic or biomedical sciences, and translation or social sciences — but we also have historians, philosophers, journalists, art historians and others among us. Most of us live in or come from Mediterranean countries, are involved with Mediterranean languages in our work, or wish to support MET’s practical approach to continuing professional development. Many come from countries where English is the vernacular or were educated in English. Others have become highly proficient users of English by various means.

We share satisfaction in improving our work and knowing we contribute to the international projection of knowledge from Mediterranean countries. The motivation to volunteer comes from a belief in peer-generated continuing professional development, consistent with practice in the disciplines we started from and in the knowledge societies we serve.

We also believe MET serves us by raising awareness of language support as an interdisciplinary profession that can identify and promote its own promising practices. A truly Mediterranean metaphor introduced at our first meeting was the need for a sea change in our profession, through initiatives that raise all ships on the sea by extending knowledge of quality editing, translation, writing education and other aspects of communication. In this way, MET also stands to help clients use appropriate services in rational ways.