Hi everyone,

I missed the last ITI Conference so it’s now 4 years since I went to one, but I’ve been going to them for over 20 years now (since Stratford-on-Avon in 1992 in fact, where a Shakespeare quotation – “Language and Our Profit On’t” – gave it a brilliant title). So I’m looking forward to meeting up with old friends and colleagues in Newcastle, but also to meeting lots of new ones too. Great to see that people are prepared to travel from all over the world to attend! Most people find that the social aspect of ITI conferences is every bit as rewarding as the professional programme, and newcomers will discover what a friendly bunch we are – all sorts of formal and informal mechanisms are in place to provide support for new translators. And so, as I found out for myself at Stratford all those years ago, any anxieties about attending your first ITI Conference and feeling left out are totally misplaced, provided you are happy to talk to people! I’m also “putting my money where my mouth is” by signing up to the “Newbies and Buddies” scheme, so a special hello if you are planning to make use of this facility.

A little more about me: I’ve been working as a freelance French to English translator for nearly 20 years now, specialising in the legal and commercial fields. Working from home may not be an ideal arrangement but it does give you lots of flexibility and, I find, a feeling of control over organising your life. I also have a sideline in English language editing work, which gets me out of the office and working abroad a few times a year. I’m a committee member of the ITI West Midlands Group and organise walks for them, but haven’t found time to do much else with ITI in recent years.

The venue was another of the attractions of this year’s conference. I haven’t visited Newcastle for decades, and it will be good to see the regenerated Tyne waterfront and hopefully other parts of the city too, time permitting. In fact I think I’m going to extend my stay – or at least bring it forward by a day – so that I can attend the masterclass on alignment (very useful but I don’t do enough of it at the moment) and maybe XML too, not to mention the pre-conference Tweet Up. And then there’s the Singing Translators, the Conference Dinner, the photographic studio… it’s going to be a busy time, and the sense of anticipation is mounting!