Rules of procedure of AIIC Italia
Preamble
INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION
All members of the Associazione Internazionale Interpreti di Conferenza in Italia, hereinafter called AIIC Italia, are members of the Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence[1], hereinafter called AIIC World.
By virtue of their membership AIIC Italia members benefit from the work carried out by the technical, scientific and training bodies of AIIC World as well as the results of negotiations leading to collective agreements with the main supranational and international organisations. They also enjoy access to the only global interpreters’ association network.
The names of AIIC Italia members, along with up to date information regarding their professional domicile, language combination and contact details are available on the AIIC Italia website as well as the electronic and hard copy versions of the AIIC World yearbook.
Members are bound by the statutes of AIIC Italia which in turn are founded on the Textes de Base of AIIC World. They must also observe the collective agreements entered into by the Association along with strategic guidelines adopted relating to professional issues of considerable importance of which its members are regularly informed. All AIIC Italia members in their capacity as AIIC World members are also bound to abide by the principles which inspired its foundation and refrain from any conduct which could discredit the profession or the national and international Associations.
Article 1 - Name and logo
The official name of the association is Associazione Italiana Interpreti di Conferenza in Italia - AIIC Italia. The logo of the association is an integral part of its official name.
The President, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster as well as members of the Professional Development and the Public Relations Committees of AIIC Italia may use headed paper with the AIIC Italia logo in all institutional communications relevant to their duties.
Members of AIIC Italia may use the AIIC Italia logo stating that they are members thereof on their headed paper, visiting cards or on websites. All members must submit their request to do so to the Secretary of AIIC Italia who will then ensure they receive the appropriate vectorial version of the logo. The structure, colours and form of the logo shall not be altered in any way.
Groups of AIIC Italia members may only use the AIIC Italia logo indicating that they are members of the Association on headed paper, visiting cards and the website for interpreter groups if the following conditions are met:
- All members of the group must be members of AIIC Italia.
- A written request must be sent to the Secretary asking for permission to use the logo and undertaking not to use the material if even one member of the group is no longer a member of AIIC Italia. This written request must be accompanied by a list of the members of the group.
- Authorisation to use the logo is granted by the Executive Board of AIIC Italia.
The logo structure, colours and form as well as all logotypes shall not be altered in any way.
The AIIC Italia template for Power Point presentations may only be used by AIIC Italia members for presentations on AIIC Italia or subjects linked to AIIC Italia agreed with the Executive Board and on condition that the structure, logo, colours and template forms are in no way altered.
Article 2 - Headquarters
The Headquarters of AIIC Italia are located at Studio Piantella, Via Tirso 90, 00198 Rome.
Any changes to the headquarters shall be decided by the Assembly. The Executive Board shall inform all those concerned of this change.
Article 3 - Members
Members of AIIC Italia are Conference Interpreters, be they Italian or non-Italian citizens, who share the objectives of the Association and must:
- be full or associate members of the international association.
- maintain their professional domicile in Italy for at least six months a year and
- meet the admission requirements.
Members shall attend on an ongoing basis professional development courses pursuant to the relevant Rules and according to the established procedures. This attendance shall be duly checked by the Association.
Members shall abide strictly by the Code of Conduct and the professional standards adopted by the Association.
Article 4 - Admissions
Article 4 - Admissions
1. Admission requirements
All Conference interpreters are admitted as members of AIIC Italia if they:
- are full or associate members of AIIC World;
- maintain their professional domicile in Italy for at least six months.
- have paid the appropriate membership fee;
- possess the following study qualifications:
a. Master’s degree in interpretation or equivalent national or foreign qualification and documented experience in interpretation of at least two years.
b. Master’s degree in another subject or equivalent national or foreign qualification and documented experience in interpretation of at least three years.
c. Three-year university degree in interpretation or documented experience in interpretation of at least three years.
d. Any other three-year university degree and documented experience in interpretation of at least five years.
In exceptional cases of proven professional expertise and experience, admission is also granted to those who have a secondary school leaving certificate and documented experience in interpretation of at least seven years. Once it has completed the relevant checks, the Membership Committee informs the member of his or her admission.
Article 5 - Exclusions
Article 5 - Exclusions
Members of the Association who decide to leave AIIC on a voluntary basis shall immediately inform the Executive Board of AIIC Italia and the Membership Committee which then proceeds to delete their name from the AIIC Italia list of members without refund of the membership fee. Members of the association who are expelled from AIIC World automatically lose their AIIC Italia membership status.
Article 6 - Honorary members and presidents
The status of AIIC Italia honorary member or president is awarded, following a decision taken by the Executive Board, to individuals who have distinguished themselves for their invaluable work in relation to activities relevant to the profession of Conference Interpreter.
Article 7 - Membership fee
The amount of the membership fee is decided by the Assembly on a three-yearly basis. The deadlines for payment, collection arrangements and other financial procedures relating thereto are dealt with in a specific financial regulation approved by the Executive Board.
Article 8 - Positions and Collective Bodies
The statutory bodies of AIIC Italia are:
The Executive Board
The Membership Committee
The Professional Development Committee
The Probi Viri Committee
The Customer Contact Point
The following bodies are ad hoc AIIC Italia committees:
The PR Committee
The Committee for institutional and legislative affairs
The President, Treasurer, Secretary and other Members of the Executive Board as well as the members of the Probi Viri Committee are elected by the Assembly. Voting is by secret ballot unless otherwise decided by the Assembly.
The members of the Membership Committee, Professional Development Committee, ad hoc committees and the Customer Contact Point are appointed by the Executive Board.
No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms on the Executive Board.
Article 9 - Incompatibility
In order to safeguard the independence of the bodies of the association and the proper running thereof, no member who is already a member of a statutory body of AIIC Italia may occupy another position in the organisation or indeed any other position which would lead to a conflict of interest as described in the next article. Should there be incompatibility the person concerned shall notify the body of which he or she is a member within fifteen days and take all necessary steps to remedy the situation.
Article 10 - Conflict of interest
Members of AIIC Italia bodies may not draw undue advantage from the activities of the Association. In the case of deliberations for which they are in conflict of interest with the Association, either directly or indirectly, members of such bodies shall inform their fellow members immediately of this, refrain from taking part in the discussion and abstain from any vote on the matter at hand. If this conflict of interest is not mentioned by the member concerned, the body in question shall suspend his or her membership.
Article 11 - Assembly
The Assembly consists of all of the members. It shall meet at least once a year and shall be convened by the President of AIIC Italia with notice sent by the Secretary by means of authenticated email at least fifteen days before the meeting. In addition to the agenda, the notice also provides the date and venue of the first and second calls.
The Assembly shall be further convened whenever the President, having consulted the Executive Board, deems this appropriate or when it has been requested in writing by one fifth of the members of AIIC Italia.
The Assembly:
- adopts the agenda
- approves the minutes of the previous meeting
- elects the President, Treasurer and Secretary
- elects the other members of the Executive Board
- elects the Probi Viri Committee
- approves the report of the Executive Board
- approves the preliminary budget
- approves the final statement of accounts
- decides the membership fees and any extraordinary contributions
- approves the reports of the other bodies of AIIC Italia
- adopts any amendments to the Statutes or the Regulations, as well as any decision to dissolve AIIC Italia
- decides on any other matter of extraordinary administration.
The Assembly is deemed to be validly constituted on the first call when the number of members present or represented by proxy is at least one half of the total number of the members. On the second call, the Assembly is always validly constituted.
At the beginning of every meeting the President or one or several members delegated by him or her draw up a list of attendance and proxies. Deliberations are adopted on the basis of an absolute majority of the members present and represented with the exception of the following cases:
a) election to positions in the association for which a relative majority is sufficient regardless of the number of members present or represented at the Assembly.
b) amendments to the Statute or dissolution of the Association for which a two thirds majority of those present or represented at the Assembly is necessary. Voting is by secret ballot unless otherwise decided by the Assembly.
Article 12 - President
The President may appoint personal delegates and may revoke their mandate at any moment. The President is a signatory of the AIIC Italia bank account.
The President, subject to a prior agreement with the Treasurer, may add the signature of another member of the Executive Board to the account.
Article 13 - Treasurer
The Treasurer shall report to the Association as to the financial management thereof at the regular meetings of the Executive Board and every time this is deemed necessary for the discussion of the items on the agenda.
The Treasurer draws up a list of Members who have not paid their dues and collects the supporting documents for expenses, payments and requests for reimbursement. He or she proceeds with the reimbursement on the basis of the supporting documents submitted and in keeping with the criteria established by AIIC Italia. These amounts are subsequently entered into the final statement of accounts.
The Treasurer is a signatory of the current account of the Association.
The Treasurer may attend, at his or her own initiative or if invited by the body concerned, any meeting at which there is a discussion relating to initiatives which involve payment commitments.
Article 14 - Secretary
As specified in Art. 13 of the Statutes, the Secretary is responsible for convening Executive Board and Assembly meetings with notice sent by means of authenticated e-mail at least 10 days in advance of Executive Board meetings and at least 15 days before Assemblies. The Secretary is also responsible for the production and custody of reports of meetings. Reports of meetings of the association, once ratified and signed, shall be placed in the books of the Association held at its Headquarters.
The Secretary of AIIC Italia shall maintain contact with the Secretariat of AIIC World.
Article 15 – Meetings of Collective Bodies
Ordinary meetings of the Collective Bodies of AIIC Italia shall generally conduct their business electronically.
Meetings convened for extraordinary business may be held, if so approved by the Executive Board, with the physical attendance of all or some of the members of a Collective Body. In such cases, any travel or accommodation costs incurred by non-local members shall be reimbursed, subject to approval on the part of the Treasurer and following presentation of expense receipts via e-mail.
Article 16 - Executive Board (CD)
As established by Art. 10 of the Statutes of AIIC Italia, the EB comprises the President, the Member of the advisory Board of AIIC World, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and three regional representatives – elected by the Assembly. The term of the Executive Board is three years. Members are eligible to serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.
If a member ceases to serve, the Executive Board may co-opt a replacement who will maintain the position until the next AIIC Italia Assembly.
The Executive Board shall meet at least three times per year.
Executive Board meetings shall be convened by means of authenticated e-mail containing the agenda and sent out at least 10 days (except for urgent cases) in advance of the meeting and shall be chaired by the President or, in his or her absence, by a person selected by the members attending. A Board meeting shall be considered to be properly constituted when half of its members are present and its decisions shall be taken by a majority of those present.
The Executive Board is responsible for:
- presenting to the Assembly the Budget and the final statement of accounts of AIIC Italia as well as its programmes of activity;
- proposing to the Assembly the membership fees to be set;
- appointing the Representatives of AIIC Italia on the Customer Contact Point;
- proposing any amendments to the basic texts of AIIC Italia to be submitted to the Assembly.
The Board may delegate some of its powers to one or more of its members.
The Board may sit in an expanded format to include representatives of all the bodies of AIIC Italia and the Customer Contact Point.
Article 17 – EB Meetings
A report, to be signed by the President and the Secretary of the meeting, shall be produced for each EB Meeting.
All EB decisions, even when made via electronic communication, must be included in the report of the meeting
The report must be approved by the subsequent EB meeting.
Article 18 – Membership Committee
The Membership Committee shall comprise three (3) members appointed by the Executive Board. The Membership Committee shall be informed of all the names of new members of the Italian Region of AIIC World by the Secretary of AIIC Italy and check whether they comply with the membership criteria established in Art. 4 of these Regulations in conjunction with the Treasurer.
Once it has completed its examination, the Membership Committee shall inform the parties involved of the outcome of the proceedings and, if necessary, request further information to be provided.
The Membership Committee shall properly keep the Membership Registry for the current year, so as to contain the personal details, tax code, professional domicile in Italy, academic qualifications, date of membership and, where applicable, date of resignation from the Association. The Membership Registry shall be updated on the 31st of December every year. The updated Membership Registry shall subsequently be deposited at the Headquarters of AIIC Italia at Studio Piantella in Via Tirso 90, 00198 Roma.
The Membership Committee shall present an annual report on its activities to the Assembly.
Article 19 – Committee for Professional Development (CPD)
AIIC Italia shall establish a special Regulation for Professional Development which provides a detailed description of the composition, role and remit of the CPD and specifies the content and ways in which Members are called upon to comply with their obligation to update their knowledge.
The CPD shall comprise at least five members, appointed by the EB and chosen so as to ensure an adequate coverage of the entire national territory and its term of office shall coincide with that of the Board which appointed it. Its term may be extended by the successive EB.
Pursuant to Art. 15 of the Statutes of AIIC Italia, the Committee for Professional Development has the task of identifying, suggesting, and approving professional development activities and of ascertaining whether Members of the Association perform their ongoing training obligations.
The Committee for Professional Development shall regularly report to the Assembly.
The CPD may identify the most suitable practices for the achievement of the goals established within its remit.
Article 20 – Probi Viri Committee (PVC)
The Probi Viri Committee, established under Art. 16 of the Statutes of AIIC Italia comprises three members, who shall be elected by the Assembly.
The Committee oversees the proper conduct of Members and it may take action on its own initiative or its action may be triggered by any Member of group of Members of the Association, by the Collective Bodies or the Officers of AIIC Italia and, in particular, by the Representatives of AIIC Italia on the Customer Contact Point in order to settle any disputes between a member and clients or consumers.
The Probi Viri Committee shall ascertain the facts of any case fairly and reasonably and shall proceed on the basis of objective evidence obtained. Where Members fail to comply with its indications it may, if necessary, compile a disciplinary dossier to be submitted to the EB.
It takes it decisions in complete independence and based on the Professional Ethics enshrined in the statutory documents of AIIC Italia.
Article 21 - Members' discipline
Members of AIIC Italia shall comply with the Statutes, the Internal Regulations, the Code of Ethics, Professional Standards and the Regulation on Professional Development.
Members whose conduct towards colleagues or clients does not conform to professional ethics and decorum, or is harmful to the image of the Association or to the Internal Regulations, the Code of Ethics, Professional Standards and the Regulation on Professional Development, shall be subjected to the following disciplinary sanctions, in accordance with the seriousness of the alleged breaches:
a) an informal reminder from the Probi Viri;
b) a formal reminder from the Executive Board (Regional Bureau);
c) a temporary suspension of the certificate of professional qualification pursuant to Law No. 4 of 14 January 2013, until any relevant obligations have been met.
d) the lodging of a complaint and referral to the AIIC disciplinary bodies.
The disciplinary procedure is initiated ex officio by the Board of Probi Viri or upon receipt of a complaint.
Article 22 - Publicity of the Association and of its official documents
AIIC Italia shall provide due publicity on its website of all information relating to its structure and activities. Also made public shall be the articles establishing the Association, the statutes, the regulations and any guidelines produced, the organizational chart, the complete list of members, the membership fees and a list of professional development activities organized or sponsored by AIIC Italia and/or the Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence, of which AIIC Italia is an integral part.
AIIC Italia shall publish on its website the statutory documents of the Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence and the list of International Institutions with which AIIC has negotiated and adopted collective agreements.
The Association shall also provide a detailed account of the conference interpreting profession and the various kinds of language interpretation services, a table of professional rules concerning the composition of teams for the various interpretation requirements existing and a system to search for interpreters based on required language combinations and professional domicile.
AIIC Italia members will be able to make use of a dedicated area to access EB decisions, records of ordinary and extraordinary Assemblies and Treasurer's reports.
Article 23 - Financial Resources
AIIC Italia may request AIIC World to contribute to the financing of specific national projects of particular importance.
AIIC Italia shall make use of its own financial resources in line with the expenditure plan drafted by the Treasurer and approved by the EB in order to ensure the coverage of the current expenditure indicated in the annual budget. This expenditure plan may be amended, subject to EB approval, to respond to the Association's management requirements.
Expenditures to be incurred for reasons of extraordinary management or for the purchase of capital goods must be approved by the EB.
The Treasurer shall collect documentary evidence of expenses incurred, payments made and requests for reimbursement received and shall subsequently include them in the accounts.
No member or body of the association, except for the Executive Board, may undertake commitments of expenditure with regard to third parties or members of the association without the written authorization of the Treasurer.
Article 24 - Reimbursement of expenses
Office holders in AIIC Italia provide their services free of charge. Travel and accommodation expenses incurred by the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer for ordinary and extraordinary assemblies where their presence is required shall be reimbursed. Travel expenditure for Members of the EB and other bodies of the Association shall also be reimbursed for attendance at extraordinary meetings of their bodies which have been authorized beforehand by the EB and which require their physical presence.
Members of the Association who have been selected by the EB or the Assembly to attend meetings of common interest shall also have their travel, food and accommodation expenses reimbursed. Reimbursement of all expenses shall be subject to presentation in electronic format of documentary evidence as indicated by AIIC Italia in its Financial Regulations, approved by the EB.
Article 25 - Voting
Votes held during ordinary and extraordinary Assemblies shall be by secret ballot. Direct votes as well as proxies shall be admissible, unless otherwise decided by the Assembly.
The maximum number of proxies allowed per member is six.
Votes held during EB meetings shall be held by open vote, unless otherwise decided by the EB. Decisions in the EB shall be taken by a majority of board members present.
Article 26 - Elections
When elections to renew offices are to be held at an Assembly, the President through the Secretary shall inform all members by email and also post the information on the Association website no later than thirty days before the expiry of terms, at which time deadlines for presentation of candidatures shall also be indicated.
If the number of candidatures received by the deadline for presentation are insufficient, the President shall re-open candidatures. In such a case, Members may also present their candidatures during the Assembly.
Article 27 - Customer Contact Point
Pursuant to art. 2 paragraph 4 of Law 4/2013, AIIC Italia shall open an assistance service for Users, to be called Sportello Del Consumatore (Customer Contact Point) in order to directly provide information regarding the profession of interpreting and receive any complaints in cases of disputes with one or more Members of the Association.
The Customer Contact Point shall receive requests from consumers and shall forward them to AIIC Italia Representatives on the Customer Contact Point, who shall reply promptly to each case in the most appropriate manner for each specific situation and, if they see fit, consult the EB or the Probi Viri Committee, or consult Members of the Association or external consultants.
Article 28 – AIIC Italia Representatives on the Customer Contact Point
There shall be three AIIC Italia representatives on the Customer Contact Point. They shall be appointed by the EB and shall serve for the entire term of office of the EB which has appointed them. They may be confirmed by the following EB.
If one or more AIIC Italia representatives on the Customer Contact Point resign from their position or are removed by the EB, the EB shall appoint replacements. In view of the nature of their office, AIIC Italia representatives are required to comply with an obligation of confidentiality and shall only report on cases which may potentially involve disciplinary action to the CPV and the EB.
Article 29 - Certificate of quality of service
Every year, AIIC Italia shall issue to members who are in compliance with the provisions of the Statutes and the Regulations of AIIC Italia a certificate of professional quality and qualification for services as required by art. 4 paragraph 1 of the law on unregulated professions (Law no. 4 of 04/01/2014) The EB shall issue guidelines relating to the issuance of the certificate which shall, if necessary, be updated.
Every year, AIIC Italia shall issue to members who are in compliance with the provisions of the Statutes and the Regulations of AIIC Italia a certificate of professional quality and qualification for services as required by art. 4 paragraph 1 of the law on unregulated professions (Law no. 4 of 04/01/2014) The EB shall issue guidelines relating to the issuance of the certificate which shall, if necessary, be updated.
Article 30 - Amendments
Amendments to these regulations shall be approved by the Assembly under a specific item on the agenda.
[1] L’Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence was founded in Paris on 11 November 1953, pursuant to the Law of the 1st of July 1901, and has its headquarters in Geneva, Avenue Blanc 46, http://aiic.net/