This award, created in memory of the founder of the Société des traducteurs du Québec, honours extraordinary or lifetime achievements in the language professions.

The Order wished to innovate by extending this honorary distinction to members and non-members alike. Offering this award raises the Order’s public profile and helps cultivate the image of language activities outside its own sphere.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Member or non-member of OTTIAQ
• Practises various language professions
• Practises in diverse fields related directly to the various fields of their profession (technology, teaching, management, research, etc.)
• Numerous substantial achievements with significant impact

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS 

• Letter of nomination
• Summary of relevant achievements
• Letters of recommendation (maximum three)
• OTTIAQ award nomination form (fillable PDF)
• Send nominations to: jtrudel@ottiaq.org

NOT ELIGIBLE

• Members of the Board of Directors
• Members of the Awards Committee

Nomination deadline: April 1

Note: All OTTIAQ members, except for members of the Awards Committee, may personally submit a nomination.

Award presentation: OTTIAQ Annual Conference in Montréal

Example of a nomination file (PDF)

The recipient of the 2019 OTTIAQ Joseph LaRivière Award of Merit was Suzanne Villeneuve, Certified Interpreter.

View the list of recipients.

Honorary members are selected by the Order’s Board of Directors in recognition of their outstanding service to the profession or OTTIAQ.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Current or former member of OTTIAQ (except in exceptional circumstances)

Must meet one of the following criteria:

• Outstanding services rendered to the profession (organization, promotion, etc.)
• World renown
• Recipient of an honorary distinction (Governor General’s Award, CIQ Award of Merit, etc.)
• Achievements such as publications, work in teaching and research, lectures
• Presidency of an organization related to the profession (OTTIAQ, CTTIC, CIQ, FIT, etc.)

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

• Letter of nomination
• Summary of relevant achievements
• Letters of recommendation (maximum three)

OTTIAQ award nomination form (fillable PDF)

Information sheet on honorary members (PDF)

Nomination deadline: April 1

Award presentation: OTTIAQ Annual Conference in Montréal

Send nominations to: jtrudel@ottiaq.org

In 2019, Johanne Boucher, Certified Translator, was made an honorary member of OTTIAQ.

View the list of recipients.

The Claire Stein Volunteer Award was introduced to honour Order members who distinguish themselves through volunteer work. The award was renamed in 2004 to pay tribute to Claire Stein, who chaired the Awards Committee for many years and contributed significantly to OTTIAQ as a volunteer.

Eligility criteria

OTTIAQ member

Profession-related volunteer work, significant in quantity or quality

Outstanding service to OTTIAQ or a specific outstanding action

Local, regional or provincial volunteer work dedicated entirely to OTTIAQ activities

Past or present volunteer work on a committee, working group or other OTTIAQ body

Nomination deadline: March 1

Send nominations to: jtrudel@ottiaq.org

Supporting documents

OTTIAQ award nomination form (fillable PDF)

Information sheet on the Claire Stein Volunteer Award (PDF)

Example of a nomination file (PDF)

The recipient of the 2019 Claire Stein Volunteer Award was Dany Gagnon, Certified Translator.

View the list of recipients.

• The OTTIAQ Award for Excellence is given to one graduating translation student from each university translation program recognized by the Order.
• For winning students, the Order covers the fees for training on ethics, professional conduct and professional practice as well as the first year of recent graduate membership dues, for a total value of $419.52.

Eligibility criteria

• The student must have the highest grade point average as determined by their university.

Universities must initially base their decision on the student’s grade point average. In the event of a tie, they must use other criteria such as the student’s motivation, involvement and dedication.

Supporting documents:

• Transcript
• Complete contact information, including email and phone number
• Letter of nomination from the university

OTTIAQ award nomination form (fillable PDF)

Recipients of the 2021 OTTIAQ Award for Excellence:

Antoine Hersberger, Université de Sherbrooke
Laurence Marion-Pariseau, Université de Montréal
Caroline Demers Barbeaux, Université du Québec en Outaouais
Clara Andrea Powell, Université Concordia
Judith Marcoux, Université Laval
Geneviève Proulx, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

• The OTTIAQ New Talent Award is given to one second-year student from each university translation program recognized by the Order.
• For winning students, the Order covers the registration fees for the upcoming OTTIAQ Annual Conference.

Eligibility criteria

• The student must have the highest grade point average of their cohort after completing 45 credits of a recognized translation program and must be enrolled to continue in the program.
• The recipient will be selected by their university. Universities must initially base their decision on the student’s grade point average. In the event of a tie, they must use other criteria such as the student’s motivation, involvement and dedication.

Supporting documents:

• Transcript
• Complete contact information, including email and phone number
• Letter of nomination from the university

OTTIAQ award nomination form (fillable PDF)

Recipients of the 2021 OTTIAQ New Talent Award:

Audrey Couture, Université de Sherbrooke
Marjorie Charlebois, Université de Montréal
Catherine Lapensée, Université du Québec en Outaouais
Mila Mitojevic, Université Concordia
Gabrielle Bilodeau, Université Laval
Ashlene Allen, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

The OTTIAQ Young Entrepreneur Award recognizes the initiative of a young language professional who has stood out in the past year by launching or developing an entrepreneurial language project, whether it be an offering of products or services, or even a business (company, cooperative, non-profit organization, association, etc.).

Eligibility criteria

• The candidate must be 35 or younger on the date of the nomination deadline.
• The candidate must be a resident of Quebec.
• The candidate must be practicing a language profession or studying in a related program.
• The candidate must be a registered student, a certification candidate or a member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec.
• The project must have been launched or developped over the calendar year preceding the date of the nomination deadline.
• The entrepreneurial project must be based in Quebec.

Exclusions

The following persons cannot receive this award or nominate or support the nomination of a candidate for this award during their mandate and the year following their mandate:

• Members of OTTIAQ’s Board of Directors
• Members of OTTIAQ’s Awards Committee
• Members of OTTIAQ’s Young Professionals Committee

Nominations

Only one nomination can be made per project. If several partners participated in the project’s creation, only one of them can be nominated for this award.

Nomination file

• Information form
• Nomination letter (limit of 1,000 words)
  • Presentation of candidate
  • Description of project
  • Strong points of project
  • Expected benefits of proejct
  • Contribution to raising the profile of language professions
• Any other document considered relevant (business plan, letter of recommendation, etc.)

Submit nominations to jtrudel@ottiaq.org before February 15, 2020.

Award

• Pair of tickets to Mentorat express
• Year-long membership to a junior chamber of commerce, for a maximum value of $180
• Year-long membership as an entrepreneur to YES Montreal, or an equivalent francophone organization, for a maximum value of $40
• Post on OTTIAQ’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages
• Publication in L’antenne express

Presentation of award

At Mentorat express, an event organized every year by OTTIAQ’s Young Professional’s Committee.

This award is presented by the Québec Interprofessional Council (CIQ) to recognize a professional’s notable contribution in terms of their:

• Dedication as a member of their professional order’s board of directors or committees or to the CIQ’s committees
• Contribution to the advancement of their profession in the Quebec professional system
• Outstanding work on the management, structuring and advancement of their professional order

Information sheet on the CIQ Award of Merit (PDF)

Recipients

1993  Jean-François Joly, Certified Translator

1999  Nada Kerpan, Certified Translator, Certified Terminologist

2000  Betty Cohen, Certified Translator

2001  Bruce Knowlden, Certified Translator

2002  Geneviève Mareschal, Certified Translator

2004  Johanne Boucher, Certified Translator

2007  Monique C. Cormier, Certified Terminologist

2011  Anne-Marie De Vos, Certified Translator

2013  François Abraham, Certified Translator

The Micheline Simard Short Story Contest is in memory of a passionate colleague who created the contest in 2002. She was so passionate, in fact, that she funded it herself. Micheline passed away in 2007, and OTTIAQ decided to continue the contest, naming it after her and donating an amount of $200 per year. The contest takes place every year.

Short stories are submitted to a bilingual jury made up of five people. The odd number ensures that a winner can be chosen if there is a tie.

Criteria for submitting a short story:

1. The short story must be written in English or French and no more than 4,000 words long.
2. The short story must have never been published.
3. The short story must have never been submitted for the Micheline Simard Short Story Contest, whether it won or not.
4. For reasons of fairness, the short story is sent to OTTIAQ’s office where any information that could be used to identify the author is removed before it is submitted to the jury members.
5. For the same reasons of fairness, authors should avoid using anything that could be used to identify them in their texts.
6. Authors must be members of OTTIAQ, candidates for certification or student members.
7. Deadline is June 1.

To these very official rules are added the jury’s whims:

• The short story must either include or begin with the following sentence:

French version: “Je pars d’Amsterdam.”

English version: “I am leaving Amsterdam.”

• We all need a break—the word “COVID” is off-limits!

Otherwise, you have free reign.

Please submit your text by email by March 1.

Recipients

2021: Liza Beaulieu, Certified Translator

2019: Guylaine Saint-Pierre, Certified Translator

2018: Guylaine Saint-Pierre, Certified Translator

2017: Caroline Mangerel, Certified Translator

2016: Daniel Laguitton, Certified Translator

2015: Sylvie Charbonneau, Certified Translator

2014: NOT HELD

2013: Mme Nouha Homad, Certified Translator

2012: Chantal Litalien, Certified Translator

2011: NOT HELD

2010: NOT HELD

2009: Dominique Côté, Certified Translator

2008: Anne-Marie Mesa, Certified Translator

2007: Didier Féminier, Certified Translator

2006: NOT HELD

2005: Danielle Charron, Certified Translator

2004: Chantal Litalien, Certified Translator

2003: Francine Labarre, Certified Translator

2002: Nouha Homad, Certified Translator

2001: WINNER UNKNOWN

2000: Annie Chrétien

1999: Michel Buttiens, Certified Translator, Christiane Martineau, Certified Translator