Reflecting on the Success of
The International Translators and Interpreters (ITI) Conference
Cardiff 2017
[Source: https://www.iti-conference.org.uk/?page_id=2070, Accessed: 11/06/2018]
ITI Conference May 2017
The ITI Conference is a unique event, the biggest of its type in the UK for translators and interpreters. Just over a year has passed now since the Conference was held in the beautiful, historic city of Cardiff in May 2017. The Welsh capital is a great place to host a conference; there is so much to see and do besides conference activities, but it has also proved itself to be a natural destination for translators. Cardiff is home to ITI Cymru Wales, a network of translation professionals who have made their base in and around the city. It was perhaps with little surprise that the first city outside of London to play host to the ITI Conference was the polylingual city of Cardiff, returning by popular demand.
The Aims of the Conference
The Institute of Translation and Interpreting has in excess of three thousand members who cover more than one hundred dialects and languages from across the globe – a lot to talk about you might think, in more ways than one. As a collective, the Institute represents the interests of translators and interpreters within all sectors of society including at government level; it offers continuing professional development to its members and resources to support them in their work. The Conference aims to bring everyone together and offers a range of programmes and speakers from diverse backgrounds over two days, with topics designed to challenge, provoke thought and promote interest among those attending the event. Usually working to a set theme, there is a focus on integration and engagement, which provides delegates with opportunities to network and share ideas and challenges.
The City of Cardiff
The city of Cardiff provides an exciting and vibrant backdrop for breakaway groups to take their new-found friends and colleagues into a social environment. Delegates naturally tend to group together in their language specialisms, and the fringe events are designed to promote fun and mildly competitive activities between the different language groups and others, such as the immensely popular ‘The Singing Translators’ intended to bring everyone together to share how much they really do have in common. The success of the last two ITI Conferences all bodes well for Cardiff to be the host destination for more ITI events in the future.
Corporate Membership
Business Language Services Ltd. is proud to have been a Corporate Member of the ITI for many years. It reinforces our commitment to quality and the highest professional standards. We are delighted to be part of the leading professional body for translating and interpreting. We believe that our Corporate Membership to the ITI helps us to gain recognition from our translators and interpreters as a trusted language services provider. As Business Language Services Ltd. is based in Cardiff, it means even more that this great city continues to be recognised as a hub for languages and a wonderful host to such a prestigious event.
On a Lighter Note
Let’s finish with a joke with interpreters in mind: How many interpreters does it take to change a light bulb? One to climb the ladder, one to hold the ladder and a third to interpret the language when the first realises the bulb doesn’t fit.
