Translation Companies Discussing Translation
The ALC UnConference, hosted by the Association of Language Companies (ALC), is an event designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing within the language services industry. Unlike traditional conferences with pre-set agendas and speakers, the UnConference format is more spontaneous and participant-driven. This allows translation agencies, among others, to discuss current issues more freely. The 2024 UnConference took place in a great beach resort in beautiful Cancún, Mexico.
Although the topics have been previously determined by ALC’s organizers, the idea is that participants will provide their own experiences and opinions during the discussions and activities that take place during the UnConference. This allows for a more dynamic and relevant agenda based on the interests and needs of the participants. Instead of formal presentations, the UnConference encourages open discussions, brainstorming sessions, workshops, and interactive activities.
By bringing together professionals from various sectors of the language industry, the UnConference promotes innovation, idea generation, and collaborative problem-solving. Participants can share best practices, explore new technologies, and address common challenges facing the industry – in the case of Varendi, the impacts on technical translation. Real-time adjustments to the agenda based on emerging themes, discussions, and interests ensure that the content remains relevant and engaging.
Varendi Translation was present at the Association of Language Companies’ UnConference this year. During the two and a half days at the resort in Cancún, Mexico, our CEO was able to interact, learn and share his own experience with peers during the event. Among the topics of greater interest were those related to the core activity (in our case, technical translation): technology, technical standards such as ISO 9001 and others regulating the industry, among other topics
Other important topics for our profession were discussed. For example, human resources, which is a key factor in the success of a translation company. Technical translation relies heavily on specialized and well trained professionals for translation, and also for editing, proofing, etc. Varendi also participated in discussions about a new yet very relevant topic: the impact of artificial intelligence on written translation – this topic will be discussed in detail in our next article.
