“Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture.” Anthony Burgess
Last month, language industry representatives from across the globe gathered in London for the 2017 Language Industry Summit, organised by the Association of Translation Companies (ATC). The summit provides an opportunity for leading companies within the language industry to learn, discuss and share information about developments within our own industry, as well as those in other sectors which impact on the work we do.
It was a privilege to be able to attend and stand alongside peers who are united in building up the image and reputation of the language industry, in order to set the standards and enable clients to communicate accurately and effectively across all borders.
This year, the ATC took to the stage to announce their plans to develop the association and to promote the language industry. It was fascinating to hear that, at present, the ATC only represents around 15% of the industry in the UK. Their goal is to increase membership to ensure they become a recognised voice for the industry whilst at the same time maintaining the strict criteria for membership to ensure that only reputable translation companies are admitted.
From the point of view of Peak Translations, this is great news, knowing that we are supported by an association who is at the forefront of maintaining standards and educating other industries about the importance of working with professional linguists to get their commercial messages out to market. We are proud, also, to be included as a member of the ATC, which confirms that we satisfy their membership criteria and maintain the requisite quality standards.
As always, the ATC Summit touches on various topics which are impacting the industry and gives attendees the opportunity to learn new techniques or develop new strategies in order to make continuous improvements in their businesses. And this year was no different.
Technology is always in the spotlight, with the advances in machine translation and other platforms to automate workflow within the industry. I was particularly interest in the discussion around international SEO and how clients can really benefit from ensuring they have the right international strategy and the right expertise involved in their projects.
Another topic which is continuously under discussion is around Quality and Quality standards. Having recently achieved accreditation to both the new ISO9001:2015 standard and the translation-specific ISO17100 standard, it was reassuring to hear the ATC announce their support service to encourage companies to achieve the standard. It is certainly something clients should be looking for in their provider to ensure they get a great service.
All in all, the Summit proved, once again, to be a source of very useful information, an opportunity to innovate with new ideas and strategies to develop, a thought-provoking insight into the future of the industry and ways to achieve sustainability, as well as a chance to make new connections and catch up with existing partners. The remaining 85% of the industry has no idea what it is missing!
FOR ALL YOUR LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS CONTACT THE PEAK TEAM FOR ADVICE
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01663 732 074
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