The idea for the Spanish Forum emerged after the 1992 ATA Conference in San Diego, California, where noticeably few presentations were given on the Spanish language.

Upon returning from San Diego, Alicia Agnese began toying with the idea for an all-day forum targeted to Spanish translators. The goal was to offer presentations that were neither overly academic or theoretical. Her idea was to create an open forum where all attendees would feel free to participate, regardless of their degree of expertise, learn and have fun. She called on Leticia Molinero, her "de facto" associate at the time, and they launched the Forum at the 1993 ATA Conference in Philadelphia.

This first Spanish Forum turned out to be a disorganized, overcrowded, and highly successful one-day marathon of learning, reviewing, and brainstorming that involved a very enthusiastic - and large - audience of Spanish translators. It was the first time that Spanish translators had the opportunity to discuss common translation pitfalls and get feedback from colleagues.

From then on, the Forum underwent various transformations, recruited invaluable help, and evolved into the most popular and well-attended of all ATA Annual Conference didactic events. Topics ranged from Spanish grammar refresher courses to legal, technical and medical terminology workshops and other comparative translation issues. The best U.S. and foreign-based Spanish language professionals were invited as presenters. During "peak hours", the Forum attracted nearly 250 participants, and no less than 100 were in attendance on any given presentation. The presentations were highly interactive with emphasis given to hands-on workshops with dynamic participation from the audience. The last Forum was held during the 1999 ATA Conference in St. Louis, MO.

See TSF Presenters and Presentations - 1993-1999 for more information.