Nelia Falhoun and Cécile Joffrin (France)

When we first met Anne de Freyman at a translation event in Paris in January 2013, she mentioned the upcoming ITI Conference that was to be held in May at London Gatwick. We were both easily convinced and we decided shortly thereafter to attend together. In order to learn and network as much as possible, we signed up for the masterclasses and stayed at the Hilton, a very nice and classy hotel.

As the date was approaching, it was really nice to find out who was coming and/or presenting through social networks, especially on Twitter. Once we arrived, we were excited to finally meet in person those colleagues with whom we had exchanged for months and to put faces to names – professional pics on profiles do make it so much easier to recognize one another in such a crowd! Because we had chosen to stay at the conference venue, we were able to meet up regularly (outside of conference hours) with our fellow colleagues and even to begin our stay with drinks and a chat!

The two masterclasses we attended (“Working The Room” by Chris Durban and “Interoperability” by Angelika Zerfass) were packed with extremely useful information and resources, which we now use –or should use – daily. They were definitely a brilliant start to the conference, and certainly an intensive one! The rest of the sessions were about 50 minutes long and always started on time, ensuring the conference went smoothly. There were many topics to choose from, including very specialized ones, and we did our best to tailor the programme to our individual needs. At the same time, we did occasionally miss a session to stay and chat with a colleague as the hallways were quieter, or simply to take a break from all the buzz. Cécile even got up earlier to get to a yoga class which she enjoyed greatly.

Breakfast at the hotel also provided very good opportunities for networking, as did coffee and lunch breaks. The gala dinner will certainly remain memorable to us with its combination of awards, tributes, discussions, dancing and… glitter! The conference also gave several “singing translators” present, such as ourselves, the opportunity to combine their talents and end the conference on a high. We were all very moved by our colleagues’ appreciation – the cherry on the cake, so to speak. Finally, the whole audience was shown a beautifully arranged video, made up of clips filmed during the conference, which really captured the atmosphere of the event: a nice wrap-up before saying good bye and heading back home.

Nelia had joined ITI as an Associate a few months before the conference and took part in the launch of the newly-created International Network during the event. As for Cécile, she enjoyed the conference, contacts and potential opportunities so much that she decided to join ITI as well a few weeks after returning to Paris. We are now both considering taking the MITI exam in the near future.

The experience was invaluable and even encouraged us to put forward a paper for the ITI Conference 2015 – we are very much looking forward to reconnect with our fellow ITI members and play a more active role in this key event this time.

 

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 .

 

Alison Hughes (Glasgow, UK)

The place is Gatwick, the month is May

The Hilton Hotel is where we’ll stay

 

The Hilton? What’s the reason why?

It’s this year’s conference of the ITI

 

Masterclasses a choice of four

Technology, money, could you ask for more?

 

Working the room is the other choice

Helping translators to find their voice

 

Drinks and dinner round off the first day

Before the conference gets underway

 

Soap and drugs, workflow and planes

CPD, export, social media and games

 

A yoga session to help us unwind

Stretch our limbs and empty our mind

 

Professional photos taken on site

A chance to get our image just right

 

Line dancing, whose idea was that?

Yes please I’ll have a sparkly hat

 

As Sunday dawns there’s lots in store

Quality, patents, contracts and more

 

Keynote speakers entertain and inspire

Figureheads we all admire

 

A final break with cakes and tea

Then singing translators with “Stand by me”

 

At the summary session we take a seat

And soon realise we’re in for a treat

 

A conference video has been prepared

And we’re the first to see it aired

 

Next it’s feedback, all positive of course

All in one voice, if a little hoarse

 

We ate and drank and had some fun

And learnt to look after number one

 

With knowledge gained at every session

We’ve pulled together as a profession

 

Hailed a success by all attending

For the conference committee a happy ending

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nathalie Reis (London, UK)

When I signed up to ITI Conference 2013, I really did not know what to expect as it was my first ITI Conference. I knew I would meet colleagues, attend workshops, boost my CPD and hopefully do a bit networking (my new business cards were ready!), but ITI Conference 2013 was much more than that. It offered a structured and comprehensive program of events, presentations delivered by experienced and competent translators, interpreters and industry experts who shared their knowledge, their enthusiasm and their passion for their job. I particularly enjoyed Isabel Hurtado de Mendoza’s workshop on sharing ideas to achieve the perfect translation workflow and found Anne Diamantidis and Jost Zetzsche’s presentations on the power of social media and technology both inspiring and informative. What else? Did I mention the warm atmosphere, the beautiful food and the varied fringe activities offered by its hard-working organisers? Did I know I was going to attend a CV clinic, stretch and relax during a yoga session, improve my online image and try line-dancing? So much happened in two days. My only regret: not attending Masterclass Friday.

ITI Conference 2013 definitely delivered on its promise to offer a platform for professional development. I came away from the conference full of ideas which I have since applied to my business, whether to improve my translation skills or my approach to technology and marketing.

Was it worth it? DEFINITELY. What next? ITI Conference 2015, of course!