Tag Archives: virtual events

2 days of events in celebration of International Translation Day Reply

by • events, fun, knowledge, ProZ.com, Training • Tags: , ,

virtualeventCome celebrate International Translation Day with ProZ.com by attending the site’s annual 2-day virtual conference series! These events are free to attend and include panel discussions, training sessions, on-demand content, group discussions, special discounts and software savings, live chat with exhibitors and more.

CAT Tool & Software day
September 29, 2015
10:00am – 8:00pm GMT

Complete program information including on-demand sessions details available here: http://www.proz.com/virtual-conferences/671/program

ProZ.com 2015 virtual conference for International Translation Day
September 30, 2015
10:00am – 8:00pm GMT

Full session information available here: http://www.proz.com/virtual-conferences/668/program

You can register to attend by clicking the “Click here to register” link on the virtual event series page: http://www.proz.com/virtual-conferences/group/26. Once you’re registered, visit the “My data” tab to add details to your personal bio, as well as a message/greeting to fellow attendees.

For a full list of tips and pre-event information – ranging from setting up your computer to deciding which sessions you will attend – visit: http://www.proz.com/virtual-conferences/668/prepare. For even more advice on getting ready to attend a virtual event, be sure to check out this past blog post: “Translation events 101: Virtual events”.

Don’t forget to stop by the ProZ.com support booth located under the “Exhibitors” tab for a chance to win one full year of ProZ.com membership!

Be sure to spread the word and invite your colleagues to attend the events on social media using the hashtag #ProZVirtConf

Hope to see you all there!

Celebrate International Translation Day with ProZ.com! 1

by • events, fun, ProZ.com • Tags: ,

virtual_conference_banner

International Translation Day is almost here, and it’s time to celebrate.

ProZ.com will be kicking off the festivities on September 29th with its annual virtual conference series. This is a two day event, the first day being dedicated to CAT tools and software training. The sessions on September 30th will feature a wide variety of panels, discussions and workshops geared towards professional development, business management, and more.

The program for the event on September 29th is as follows:

…and the sessions for the event on September 30th are:

Attendees will have access to on-demand content, special discounts and software savings, as well as a platform to chat live with event exhibitors. Those who attend on September 30th will also be eligible to use their certificate of attendance towards 10 ATA Continuing Education points.

The event is free to attend, and those who are registered will be able to view all listings from agencies and LSPs that have recruitment needs.

You can register to attend the virtual conference here: http://www.proz.com/virtual-conferences/group/23/register

While you’re at it, be sure to check out this past blog post for tips and advice on how to get the most out of your virtual event experience: https://prozcomblog.com/2013/07/24/translation-events-101-virtual-events/

Hope to see you all there!

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Did you know the virtual event series coincides with the announcement of this year’s winners of the ProZ.com Community Choice Awards? Keep an eye on http://www.proz.com/community-choice-awards to see who won!

Getting the most out of industry events: Part ten 2

by • events, ProZ.com • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the tenth –and last– post in a series of weekly blog posts with tips to get the most out of translation industry events (click here to see a full list of previous posts). As explained in the first part, tips are grouped into “before the event”, “during the event” and “after the event” for easy reference. Please feel free to post below and share your tip(s)!

After the event

Tip 10: organize your own event

As mentioned in the first part of this series, translation industry events are probably one of the most important parts in the marketing strategy of many language professionals. By attending conferences, workshops, seminars and other industry events, translators and interpreters not only get the chance to learn about new industry trends, but also to network with colleagues while promoting themselves. The same principle applies to organizing translation industry events, where organizers can not only learn and network with colleagues, but also do something different that enhances their translation business and professional profile.

So, what are the benefits of organizing a translation industry event? Why would anyone want to devote time and effort in setting up a conference, a seminar, a workshop? Initially, language professionals who have organized at least one translator event have reported the following benefits:

  1. Interaction with people from all around the globe.
  2. Networking not only within the local community, but also within the international translation community.
  3. Acquisition of new interpersonal and organizational skills.
  4. Relationship with companies, associations and other major players in the industry.
  5. Gained exposure.

Organizing an event is not for everyone though -it requires a great deal of time, responsibility and dedication. Willingness to interact with other language professionals and form relationships with them is a must, but organizers should also meet other criteria if they want to organize an event that has the purpose of providing language professionals with the opportunity to network, learn, expand their businesses and have fun. These criteria include:

  • Experience with industry events (as attendee, co-organizer or organizer).
  • Active participation in the translation community.
  • Reactive, responsive and collaborative attitude.
  • Task orientation.
  • Business understanding (keeping in mind that the organization of an event is a business investment for all involved, including for event attendees).
  • Creativity.

If you believe that you have all of the above and you would like to learn new skills, network with colleagues and market yourself, you may consider organizing an event for translators in your country. There are several ways to do it either individually or with the support of colleagues, private companies or associations.

Becoming a ProZ.com event organizer

Rather than seeking to organize events on its own in locations around the world, or on a variety of topics, ProZ.com normally seeks to provide others with the tools, support and promotion that they need to organize events.

Applied in varying degrees for various events and event formats, this “enabling” approach make it possible to offer low-cost events that have a local focus, or that delve deeply into a given topic. It also makes it possible for ProZ.com events to be held in many languages.

ProZ.comEvents

ProZ.com conferences, powwows, workshops and virtual events.

Utilizing both online and offline approaches, a variety of specific event formats have evolved at ProZ.com:

Powwows – informal meetings, usually carried out in-person, often over a meal.

Virtual events – events with planned agendas, carried out primarily online using video, chat, etc. (sometimes with a corresponding real-world component).

In-person events – events with planned agendas, carried out primarily in-person (and ideally streamed and recorded).

Events have been held with various other formats, and more formats (for example, hybrid formats that combine virtual and in-person elements) can be imagined and explored.

If you would like to give it a try at organizing an event with the support of ProZ.com, go ahead!

In the end, the translation industry is like other industries, in that it is important for professionals to have opportunities to learn, network and socialize among peers. Then why not get the most out of an industry event by organizing it yourself?

Have you ever organized an industry event or considered organizing one? 

Please share.

ProZ.com 2014 regional event in Porto, Portugal: tools and strategies Reply

by • events, ProZ.com • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After the great success of the ProZ.com 2013 international conference in Porto, Portugal, ProZ.com and event organizers Paula Ribeiro and Maria Pereira are organizing a regional event again in the city of Porto for language professionals with years of experience as well as for those who are just starting out in the translation business.

This regional event, scheduled for May 24th, 2014, will offer attendees an entire day of presentations, a pre-event powwow on Friday night and the possibility to learn, network and have fun with colleagues.

The program

The event program includes four sessions, two coffee breaks and one lunch. With the purpose of discussing and learning more about tools and strategies freelancers can use to cope with industry challenges, presentations will cover topics such as project management, personal branding and business issues. To see a full version of the event program, click here.

The speakers

This regional event will have the presence of five well-known speakers of the translation community:

125715_r52cf3322971eeRui Sousa

Holding a Degree in Translation Studies (English/French branch) at the Instituto Superior de Línguas e Administração (ISLA-Gaia), Rui Sousa collaborated with several Portuguese and international companies as an in-house and freelance translator. Between 2010 and 2012, he worked as a project manager at a translation agency in Porto, being directly involved in the agency’s day-to-day business. In October 2013, he created Mind Words® venture in partnership with her colleague Luísa Matos, offering services in translation, specialized training and linguistic consultancy. He is a certified trainer and a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (IoL), reputed translators association based in London. In his free time, he loves travelling and hanging out with friends. He enjoys cinema, sushi and bossa nova.

23970_r511fdbdd6a8bcLuisa Matos

Luisa holds a Degree in Specialized Translation (English/German branch) at the Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP). She is a freelance translator and a certified trainer since 2001, and worked as a translation project manager for twelve years. In October 2013, she created Mind Words® venture in partnership with his colleague Rui Sousa. In her free time, she practices Tai Chi, Lu Jong and plays the violin. Also loves reading and music.

1302197_r5106369d6ee1aMarta Stelmaszak

Marta is a Polish-English translator and interpreter specializing in law, IT, marketing, and business. She is a member of the Management Committee of the Interpreting Division at the Chartered Institute of Linguists and a Co-head of the UK Chapter of the International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters. She is also an Associate of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, a qualified business mentor, a member of the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She is currently studying for master’s degree in Management, Information Systems and Innovation at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Recently, she’s been awarded with the Higher Education Social Entrepreneurship Award. Marta runs the Business School for Translator, a blog for translators and interpreters with an entrepreneurial angle recently turned into an online course. Marta is active on Twitter and Facebook where she’s sharing information related to the business side of being a translator or interpreter.

783740_r478376bd9b1fbValeria Aliperta

Valeria, member of IAPTI and Head of External Relations, Associate of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, member of ASETRAD, is a conference interpreter and translator working from English, Spanish and French into her native Italian. Her fields of expertise are IT, fashion, design, marketing, legal and advertising. With a soft spot for blogging and social media (she organised the Tweet‐Up at the 2010 ITI Conference), she was listed as 15th Top Twitterer and 21st Top Facebook Page in the Language Lovers 2012 contest. She runs monthly gatherings of colleagues, the London TweetUps, in London. Along with talks and webinars, she writes articles and guest posts on branding / corporate identity and regularly contributes to the ITI Bulletin. In 2013 she has launched Rainy London Branding, an all‐new sister site to Rainy London Translations, entirely dedicated to branding and identity consultancy. Along with Marta Stelmaszak, she runs The Freelance Box, a series of hands‐on, no-nonsense, in‐person courses on the practical side of the freelance translation business.

12742_r4fb7bb01c2c39João Roque Dias

João is a mechanical engineer and technical translator. He discharged several duties in engineering, consulting and construction companies in Portugal, Israel, Denmark, United States, Bermuda and Mozambique. He is a member of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International), an independent translator since 1989 and a corresponding member of the American Translators Association (ATA) since 1993, also certified by them in English-Portuguese. João was also an ATA Accreditation Exams Grader from 1994 until 2001 and Vice-chair of the Organizing Committee of contrapor2006 – 1st Portuguese Translation Conference. He also acted as a scientific advisor and speaker at the 2007, 2009 and 2010 TRADULÍNGUAS Translation Conferences (Lisbon, Portugal). A well-known speaker in translation related events around the world, João is also a trainer of mechanical engineering translation and professional development for translators, and author of several articles and glossaries related to technical translation and mechanical engineering. More about Joao can be found on his website or via Facebook.

The event

The event will take place on May 24th at the HF Ipanema Porto Hotel from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM CET. To register for this event, visit the event page and click on “Sign up now”. To save your seat, just click on “Buy now to register” in the pricing box.

What tools do you use to cope with industry challenges? What strategies have you applied (or are you planning to apply) to improve the way you manage your translation business? Share below!

The unique experience of organizing a ProZ.com event 1

by • ProZ.com • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ProZ.com events are virtual or in-person gatherings that represent the most powerful concentration of the ProZ.com mission statement by providing opportunities for translators to network, learn, expand their businesses and have fun.

To date, there has been thousands of events, virtually and in different cities around the globe. These events include powwows, conferences, workshops, you name it!

But what makes ProZ.com events different is not just the many event options available, but the fact that they are are organized by and for language professionals. Plus, they are less formal and more intimate than events in other industries, and planned in such a way as to be affordable and easily accessible.

Why organize a ProZ.com event?

Most event organizers agree in that organizing a ProZ.com event is a truly unique and rewarding experience. For them, ProZ.com events represent a fantastic opportunity to be challenged to do something different, learn new skills, make contacts with companies, associations and other major players in the industry. Furthermore, event organizers may find that the exposure gained by organizing an event enhances their translation business and professional profile.

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“Organizing the 2013 ProZ.com international conference made me develop skills I never knew I had in me, gave me the opportunity to know some great professionals from other companies and areas of interest and to make some new friends, apart from the fact that having mentioned this organization on my CV and profiles all over the net, has helped my clients realize that they can rely on me as far as organization and responsibility goes!”

Paula Ribeiro, organizer of the 2013 ProZ.com international conference in Porto, Portugal.

Whether it is a powwow, a conference, or a workshop, if there are language professionals living in close proximity who are interested in learning, networking, expanding their business and having fun, there is the opportunity for a ProZ.com event!

Can I propose a ProZ.com event?

Sure you can! If you would like to organize a gathering of professionals for 2014, just complete the event proposal form. ProZ.com staff will review your poposal and contact you to discuss different possibilities available.

Fore more information on ProZ.com events, click here.

Translation events 101: Virtual events 2

by • events, fun, knowledge, ProZ.com • Tags: ,

virtual_eventsThe virtual event starts in five minutes and you’ve just sat down to your desk, coffee in hand, ready to listen to sessions, view panel discussions, and chat with colleagues via a virtual powwow. Suddenly, as you go to enter the event, an error message pops up on your screen, or you realize that your headphones only work in one ear, or you find out that your version of Flash Plug-In is not supported
by the event platform (whatever that means).

Some pre-event planning

Don’t let this happen to you! Here are some quick and easy things you can do prior to the event to not only ensure that everything runs smoothly from a technical standpoint, but also to make certain that you are getting the most out of your virtual event experience:

  • Complete your bio. First and foremost, introduce yourself to other attendees by completing your event registration form and biography. Just visit the “My data” tab to see the information that will be visible to other attendees.
  • Check your hardware. Make sure you have a working set of headphones or speakers so you can listen in on presentations and group discussions. You also have the option of using a webcam and microphone for voice and video chat during the virtual powwows, so make sure you have those set up beforehand if you plan on using them during the event.
  • Know the program. Take a look at the “Sessions” tab to review the different sessions that will take place during the event. You can even submit any questions you may have for speakers prior to the event taking place directly on the individual sessions pages.
  • Check your software. Make sure some basic software is installed and up-to-date on your computer to ensure that everything runs smoothly when you try to access the event. See the technical requirements to enter a virtual event here: http://proz.me/systemrequirements. You can also run a systems check to see if your computer meets the minimum requirements necessary to enter the virtual environment by running the test available here: http://proz.me/systemcheck. You’ll also need to have Adobe Flash Player Version 10.1.82 or higher installed on your computer to attend the virtual powwows and group discussions. To download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, visit: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
  • Find out who’s going. Browse the list of attendees to see who else will be attending the event. Take a look at the biographies they’ve entered and any interests they’ve expressed to get a feel for the type of people you can meet and interact with on the day of the event. You can even search through the list of registrants by name, country and company fields.
  • Tell a friend. Spread the word about the virtual event by posting to your blog, liking the event on Facebook, or tweeting the event URL and hashtag to your followers.

What to expect at the event

Once you’ve made it to the virtual conference, you can enter the session that is currently underway from the event’s program page (under the “Sessions” tab). Once that session ends, a prompt will appear on your screen indicating what the next session is, and where you can enter it. Here are the types of sessions that usually take place at a virtual event at ProZ.com:

panel_discussionPanel discussion: Watch a panel of speakers discuss a particular topic live and via webcam. You can pose questions to speakers via a chat box at the bottom of the page.

  On-demand: Watch pre-recorded videos that are made available on-demand throughout    the entire event, and after.

group_discussionVirtual powwow: Participate in a group chat with colleagues. These sessions are typically fairly informal in that there is no set topic to discuss, and are mainly used as a “meet and greet” or icebreaker activity.

  Group discussion: These sessions take place in the virtual powwow environment, but with    a set topic to discuss.

presentationPresentation: Listen to a speaker discuss a certain theme, trend in the industry, or other point of interest via a pre-recorded or live session. A live Q&A with the presenter takes place after the session ends.

Upcoming virtual events at ProZ.com

Now that you know what to do to prepare for a virtual event, and you’re familiar with the types of sessions that take place during a virtual conference, let’s take a look at some upcoming virtual events at ProZ.com:

Online Networking Event
The new Online Networking Event series seeks to connect language professionals across the globe who work in the same areas of expertise. Some upcoming events in this series are the following:

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MT Is Useless and The Cloud is Slow – a discussion event
This event will take place on August 22nd and includes a panel discussion and group chat touching on the advancement of translation-related technology over the years.

2013 ProZ.com virtual event series
Don’t miss the 5th annual virtual events series in celebration of International Translation Day. This week-long event will kick off on Monday, September 30.

Post-event checklist

Now that you have an idea of some upcoming virtual events, let’s go over some things to keep in mind after the event has ended:

  • Follow up. Know who you spoke to and connected with during the event, and consider touching base with these individuals after the event has ended.
  • Continue the collaboration. Form a team or start a private forum to include the colleagues that you spoke with at the event.
  • Stay informed. Know that much of the content for these events is made available after they’ve ended. Sessions for virtual events are generally always recorded, and these videos can be accessed post-event by visiting the page for the specific session.
  • Stay tuned for upcoming events. Check in on the virtual conferences page to find out about new virtual events taking place on ProZ.com. New events are announced regularly.

Next post…

This is part one of a two-part article on events at ProZ.com. Stay tuned for the second half of this article which will focus on in-person events.

ProZ.com’s First Interpreter Virtual Workshop gathers over 270 attendees Reply

by • ProZ.com • Tags: ,

On Thursday, July 21, ProZ.com held the First Interpreter Virtual Workshop with over 270 interpreter attendees. The event offered 3 sessions, 3 focus groups, a virtual powwow and even an interpreter story contest!

Event sessions included presentations on “Interpreting in the Global Village of the 21st Century”, “Leaving the semi-professional status behind” and “How to become an EU accredited interpreter”, and focus groups allowed attendees to discuss the state of the interpreting industry in 2011, the certification process for medical interpreters in different countries and the best ways to get the good conferences.

A special thanks goes out to event speakers:

Also, congratulations to the interpreter story contest winner, Jan VDBuckle, who won with his submission of “What about a good offer?!”.

For those who missed the event (or part of it), recordings of session presentations are available via on-demand content here. Also, speakers’ material can be downloaded here. Finally, transcripts of focus group discussions can be viewed here.

Thanks to the interpreters that attended this event! Now stay tuned for upcoming ProZ.com events…