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Posted on4 July 2022

Atlas at the ITI Conference 2022

Face to face at last!

It had been three whole years since our last face-to-face conference with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), so we were naturally ECSTATIC to finally return this year. Well, ecstatic but also slightly bricking it ahead of our presentation…but more about that in a bit.

Having become quite fed up with the infamous Zoom line “You’re on mute!”, and exhausted the different ways to phrase “Happy to connect!” on LinkedIn, it was unbelievably refreshing to look people in the eye and have normal face to face interaction. Our faces actually ACHED from all the hours of smiling afterwards (not the worst problem to have, we admit!)

Great talks, great grub, sand and sea…

Asides from the great chats we had during the breaks and on our Exhibitor stand, we attended a fabulous Gala dinner and enjoyed some brilliantly insightful talks. From Fiona Gray’s discussion of a blended client base to Daniel Hahn’s transparent look at a literary translator’s process from first draft to delivery, to Oliver Lawrence’s fascinating presentation on the lyricism of language…we could go on…

On top of all that, we were in sunny Brighton! The ITI conference team had arranged for walking tours, runs along the beach and encouraged attendees to make the most of the summer Fringe festival.

Don’t be a dinosaur

Despite our long-standing relationship with the ITI, its board members, and the huge community of registered translators and interpreters, this year was the first time we braved speaking on stage. And we are so glad we took the plunge.

Atlas Director (Clare!) and Marketing Manager (Charlie!) gave a talk titled, ‘Don’t Be A Dinosaur: Is the old approach to winning clients becoming extinct?’ Discussing how things have changed in the translation industry over the years, we put together a few simple but practical tips to help freelancers stand out and win over prospective clients – both direct clients and agencies. As well as our (obviously hilarious) analogies of Clare being an industry dinosaur, we concluded how some things actually never change: trust and communication remain at the heart of it all.

We were delighted to receive some really positive feedback from those who attended.

Award-winning for two years running!

In 2021, we were awarded Corporate Member of the Year by the ITI, commending us for our adaptability during Covid and achieving our best financial year to date.

We were thrilled that Charlie, our Marketing Manager received an award one year later, as  Newcomer of the Year:

“Since starting work as marketing manager with Atlas Translations, Charlie has overhauled every aspect of their marketing activities. She has successfully raised the company’s profile and that of the world of translation and interpreting with Atlas’s potential clients, business contracts and suppliers. She has achieved this alongside project management work, showing her to be a truly dedicated and adaptable member of the team.”

Until next year!

This year was the first ‘hybrid’ ITI conference, with over 150 delegates joining online from all over the world, many first-time speakers and presenters, and the first time all delegates were able to use the conference app to watch any sessions they weren’t able to attend live.

Everything ran so smoothly, and everyone seemed so excited and energized to be back in the same room together. There really was a ‘Brighton Buzz’ about the place. We thoroughly look forward to attending again next year…

…if the ITI will have us back!

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