INSTITUTE MATTERS
BUSINESS, ART AND INSPIRATION
Members pose for the group photo in the Great Hall, the venue for the keynotes and
seminars. Doug Lawrence gave an inspiring keynote on the importance of working on
what you love doing; Jaquelina Guardamagna shared her top tips for developing
business strategies; outgoing Vice-President Tim Connell provided an overview of how
the language world has changed during his time at CIOL and talked about future
challenges; and in a talk on writing, Oliver Lawrence illustrated the human aspect of
translating, focusing on the art rather than the science.
CRISIS RESPONSE
Ellie
Kemp from Translators Without
Borders (TWB) gave a keynote
speech on the role of translation in
global humanitarian crises, using as a
case study the 2018 Ebola outbreak
in West Africa. By sharing research,
rallying a global community of
translators and developing language
technology, not to mention
advocating for the need to consider
language, TWB helped humanitarian
organisations better understand how
to talk about Ebola.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Important to any conference is the
opportunity to network, catch up with
colleagues and make new connections.
The buffet lunch provided an ideal
opportunity for this, as well as a chance
to discuss the morning's presentations.
The food at BMA House did not
disappoint, with options for all tastes
and dietary needs.
LOOK TO THE FUTURE
The conference ended with a panel
discussion on the future of professional
linguists, led by Michael Wells. The
panellists – CIOL members Paul Kaye and
Karen Stokes, and Evi Xydia from Oncall
Interpreters & Translators – concluded that,
while the way we translate or interpret may
change, the skills of translators and
interpreters are still much needed.
TOPICAL CONCERNS
The conference rooms offered presentations
on diverse subjects: Karl McLaughlin talked
about his experiences as an interpreter at
the Olympic Games, Hayley Harris looked at
valuing the human input in the translation
process, Martina Eco spoke about attracting
clients through digital marketing, and Ian
Fraser discussed developments in the police
procurement of language services in the UK.
