For over two decades, Argentina has established a leadership position in the language services industry, providing valuable resources, experience and technology to companies worldwide. In 2018, the Knowledge Economy in Argentina was responsible for 6.4 billion dollars of revenue and creating 1.2 million jobs. Based on the volume of business seen in the region, the Translated in Argentina trade association hosted the second Translation Industry Conference in Latin America on September 14-15, 2019, in Cordoba, Argentina. Learning, networking, empowering and mentoring were just a few of the goals for this event. The main objective, however, was to discuss various points of view and analyze some the latest innovations and trends in the language services industry.
The opportunities to connect and network with 280 attendees from around the world were many, not only during the interactive sessions but also during the breaks and welcome reception. Company owners, project and account managers, translators, students and government officials from Argentina, plus places as far off as Spain, the UK, Sweden, the US, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil met at #CLINT2019, an event unique in scale and prestige for the region.
The two-day event kicked off with a presentation on happiness and how it impacts our daily lives and wellbeing at work. This definitely set the tone of the event and had all participants smiling. The program on the first day included presentations on translation for international institutions, indigenous languages, machine translation post-editing, digital transformation, the knowledge-intensive business services, women in the workplace, as well as industry trends. The second day had three different tracks and focused on tools, interpreting, project management, sales, productivity, subtitling, inclusive language, sign language, specializations and much more!
In the spirit of inclusion and accessibility, simultaneous interpretation was possible thanks to ulang, one of the conference sponsors. And talking about technology and innovation, this was offered with no booth, no headsets, just your own mobile phone! Remote interpretation has come a long way, and participants confirmed that this solution is here to stay.
As Chair of #CLINT 2019, my top 10 takeaways are:
- Change continues to happen at a rapid pace within the industry, therefore being agile and adaptable are hugely important.
- Be comfortable with being uncomfortable: It is in times of disruption that the most brilliant opportunities arise.
- Be curious rather than afraid.
- Technology is here to stay, embrace it, educate yourself and find a balance between human and machine. Technology should empower and not overpower us.
- Women in the workplace directly impact the growth of the global economy: Help bridge the pay gap by promoting opportunities for women, mentoring, sponsoring, promoting cultural shifts in work environments.
- Find your tribe: Surround yourself by the right people to succeed, find people that excite you, motivate you, challenge you.
- In order to be future-ready, continue to build your knowledge base (be informed), expand your network (be visible) and be prepared for change (add value).
- The industry will continue to grow but it will move from “cottage industry” to one that is technology led.
- Your thoughts will impact your life: Take control to have the results that you want to see.
- Always do what gives you joy. If you find yourself doing something that you don’t like, do something to change that.
We have seen an increased interest in the region from international companies. Without a doubt, that interest and participation will help take #CLINT2021 to the next level as we collectively contribute to the advancement of the translation industry.
Translated in Argentina (TINA) is the first non-profit association of language service companies and professionals whose objective is to promote the local language industry, train resources, and build awareness to strengthen our activity within the Argentinian business environment.
We focus on bringing together localization industry stakeholders in an effort to further strengthen our already established position as the go-to place for into-Spanish language services; providing training to member companies and industry players in general as well as seeking partnerships with government and industry associations all over the world.