David Warriner, Canada
You might be wondering what a French-to-English translator based on the West Coast of Canada was doing attending an ITI conference in London. I’ll be the first to admit it was a somewhat unconventional choice, but it certainly made for change of scenery from the annual conferences and AGMs organized by OTTIAQ and STIBC, the professional translators’ associations in Montreal and Vancouver I’m a member of.
Well, I’m a firm believer in thinking outside the box, and by “box” I mean the local translation scene. I grew up and graduated from university in the UK, but I’ve spent my entire working life so far in Canada. Most of my clients and colleagues are in Quebec and British Columbia, and I thought it was high time I tended an olive branch back in my home country to familiarize myself with the translation scene in the UK and make some new connections. The timing worked well for a visit to my family up in Yorkshire, so not only could I broaden my conference horizons outside the country, I could also claim the cost of a plane ticket over to see my folks as a business expense. That certainly helped to seal the deal.
I signed up for the full three days of the 2013 ITI conference, Masterclass Friday and all, and was highly impressed by my experience on all levels. Not only was the content of the workshops at the conference world class, varied, interesting and well delivered, the people I met over the course of the weekend — translators, ITI board members and conference organizers alike — couldn’t have been more welcoming. I’d been a little nervous about walking into a sea of unfamiliar faces at the welcome drinks reception the night before the Masterclass Friday, but by the time we sat down to dinner I felt like I’d already made lots of new friends. Now, a year after the conference, I am still in touch by email and on Twitter with many of the translators I met at the conference.
ITI certainly makes it easy for members of sister associations to attend the conference, and I would make the trip to attend another ITI event like this without a moment’s hesitation. I’d highly recommend the ITI conference, in fact, to other certified translators overseas who are looking to make new connections, broaden their horizons and develop business leads in the UK. Similarly, I’d encourage ITI members seeking a change of scenery (and an excuse to plan an exotic business trip!) to consider registering for a conference overseas in between ITI conferences. Why not step outside your comfort zone and see how you and your business can grow from the experience?
If French and English are your working languages, you might be interested to learn that the Quebec order of translators holds its annual conference in Montreal every November, and other provincial translators’ associations organize conferences throughout the year in different parts of the country. Have no fear: it doesn’t snow all the time here in Canada, we don’t all wear lumberjack shirts and drive pickup trucks with a fresh moose in the back… and the bears out here are much friendlier than you might think.
David Warriner is a certified member of OTTIAQ (Ordre des traducteurs, terminologies et interprètes agrees du Québec) and STIBC (Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia). He runs his own business, W Translation, from his home base on Vancouver Island and travels often to meet clients in person and make new connections. Feel free to connect with David by email at david@wtranslation.ca or find him on Twitter .
