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@Linguist_CIOL APRIL/MAY The Linguist 17 FEATURES they would be in terms of input. "I studied economics, so I learned about the economies of scale, where doing more of the same thing costs relatively less effort." Even before the first event, he knew that if it was a success, he would want to do more. The name – like his commitment to doing the conference – had been a spur of the moment decision, BP being the internationally recognised code for Budapest. If he was to continue in other central European cities, that would have to change. It was while he was researching the first BP event at the IAPTI Conference in London, "with the main purpose of trying to identify the best speakers", that it occurred to him that BP should stand for 'Business and Practice'. "These words came up regularly from one session to another, and I thought this was a framework I could build on." Since then, 'BP' has denoted 'Badass Polyglots', 'Boosting Productivity' and, this year, 'Bel Paese' ('beautiful country' in Italian). Organisational matters Bán's strict time-keeping is well-known among regular delegates, leading some to ask if he has German ancestry. "I do but I don't think it has anything to do with that," he laughs. "If you want an event to take place successfully you need to set certain rules." Even so, he admits to leaving details such as delegate badges to the last minute. "I always promise myself that I will do it earlier, but the last few days before the conference are always frantic. It isn't until the first session starts that I'm calm, because I know that everything is in place." Most venues are well-equipped to deal with conference requirements, which keeps logistical difficulties to a minimum. However, special dietary requirements have "caused some headaches", he says. In 2017, BP underwent a redesign. With competing conferences every month, Bán was keen to distinguish it in some way, and after going to several TEDx events in Budapest, he "fell in love with the format". BP now follows a similar pattern, with a series of 20-minute presentations each followed by a Q&A session, usually moderated by translator- turned-comedian Konstantin Kisin. Bán also took inspiration from the online recordings for which TEDx is known, hiring a cinema in Budapest to screen the BP17 presentations. The response has been good, he says. "I always send out surveys, and when I ask 'Why did you buy a ticket to this particular conference?' many people mention that they like the format. They also think the networking is better at BP conferences than anywhere else – they love the easy atmosphere. But what I really cherish is that people say they value the professional content." The launch of a networking app is making it easier for participants to make contact before this year's event. And improving on the idea of virtual attendance, BP19 will be available via live streaming "with a twist": on the left side of the screen will be a live stream of all the sessions, and on the right will be a chat window where viewers can comment and make contact. It's a lot to be keeping Bán busy. BP has already grown from 150 attendees in 2014 to 280 in 2018, and this year's event could be the biggest one yet. BP19 Translation Conference takes place on 2-3 May in Bologna. Visit bpconf.com for details or to register. Going it alone Bán has almost made an art of falling into careers and making a success of them. He didn't so much choose translation as a career as happen upon it. Growing up in the city of Székesfehérvár near Budapest, he started interpreting as a way of funding his travels while studying Economics and Business Administration at university in Budapest, and soon realised he could make good money from it. His love of travel had come from his parents, while his dedication to learning Russian and English at school was inspired by his grandfather, who spoke four languages. After graduation, he became a freelance translator, his degree giving him a competitive edge during the privatisation process of 1990s Hungary. Today, he spends less than a third of his working time on translation, with the rest dedicated to the conference. Like many freelance translators, Bán prefers to work alone, but has always enjoyed meeting colleagues at translation events. So he was well aware of the value of translation conferences before he got involved with the industry. "I know quite a few examples of people getting work after being referred by translators they have met at a conference. It has happened to me too," he says. This belief in the value of what he was doing kept him going in the early days, when it was often unclear whether he would break even until the final hour. "The first few years, I lost money because of the amount of translation work I had to turn down," admits Bán, who has two children. "I'm always anxious and I always fear there will be too few people; if it's not profitable, that's the family budget." He quickly realised, however, that the more conferences he did, the more profitable Csaba Bán talks to Miranda Moore about developing the BP Conference following a spur of the moment decision A conference calling