think! Interpreting 2016 Helps Interpreting Onto A Bigger Stage
Published March 7, 2016
think! Interpreting is going strong for the third year running. This year's installment is set for March 20-23 in New York City. Yet we find that many are still confused about just what think! Interpreting is. Here at InterpretAmerica, we've been organizing conferences for seven years, starting with the InterpretAmerica Summit in 2010 and later the first think! Interpreting in 2014. The Summit is bi-annual gathering of interpreting leadership and stakeholders that is run solely by InterpretAmerica.
think! Interpreting, on the other hand, is a unique collaboration with the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), the world's largest trade association for the language service enterprise. Every year, GALA puts on the Business of Language Conference, convening language service companies from around the globe. Since its inception, this conference has attracted the translation and localiation side of the language enterprise, and now an increasing number of attendees focused on interpreting as well. Here's the difference between the two conferences: where the InterpretAmerica Summit focuses on all things interpreting and how that affects the individual interpreter, think! Interpreting is our chance to get our profession seen and better understood at the corporate level.
By now most of us know that interpreting and translation are billed as one of the fastest growing areas of the world economy. Overall, the language services industry generates $40+ billion a year. That's more than the GDP of more than 40% of worlds nations.(1) You might be surprised, then, to know that interpreting can only claim 1/5 of that market share. One result has been that even though GALA describes itself as "a worldwide, independent community for the professional business of translation, localization, and interpreting," historically, interpreting had almost no representation at its annual event.
Enter think! Interpreting. In 2013, GALA leadership approached InterpretAmerica to propose a partnership for creating a unique forum where key players gather to get a big picture of the interpreting market as well as to foster business and networking opportunities with key language enterprise stakeholders from around the world. In other words, we were given the opportunity to make interpreting more visible to the broader language services enterprise--the other 4/5 of the market with all its global networks and resources.
InterpretAmerica's mission is to "raise the profile of interpreting." The chance to convene leading edge interpreting vendors and stakeholders and bring them to the largest language industry event of the year was too good to pass up. Over the past 3 years, we have seen the keen interest shown in interpreting, and the eagerness with which language service company leaders want to learn more about the interpreting market. We hope our efforts help expand awarness about interpreting, while at the same time sending the message that professional and qualitied interpreters should be used when it comes to verbal communication.
Fast forward to 2016. This year's think! Interpreting is just around the corner, and we have the most interpreting-related sponsors, exhibitors and presenters ever at a GALA conference. We are excited to announce an impressive lineup of sessions that explore topics critical to the interpreting sector such as the expansion of service delivery models, the latest in technology for providing interpreting services and finding and retaining high-quality interpreter talent. For Barry and me, it is an honor to be able to curate content for this special track at GALA 2016. But the credit really belongs to the list of speakers below, who submitted proposals and who will be the ones helping interpreting to get one step closer to shedding its "stepsister" status in the language service enterprise.
Monday, 11:00-11:40, How to Expand Your Horizons through Interpreting Equipment and Services, David Utrilla (U.S. Translation Company)
Monday, 11:50-12:30, Stay Ahead of the Game: Strategic Partnerships are Key to Growing Your Business in Conference Interpreting, Emma Mas Jones (Conference Rental)
Tuesday, 11:00-12:30, Master Class: Test Driving Remote Interpreting Platforms, Barry Slaughter Olsen (InterpretAmerica) featuring the CloudInterpreter, VoiceBoxer, and ZipDX platforms
Tuesday, 14:00-15:30, KnowledgeFest: The ABCs of Finding and Retaining High Quality Interpreter Talent, Giovanna Lester (ATIF)
Wednesday, 9:00-9:40, Practical Solutions to Industry Problems: Real World Standards to the Rescue, Panel: Victor Hertz, Bill Rivers, Gabriela Morales, Susan Amarino, Anu Carnegie-Brown
Wednesday, 9:50-10:30, Upending Old Models: Two Groundbreaking Internet-Based Interpreting Organizations and Delivery Platforms, Claudinei Nunes da Silva (Interlink Pro), Kim Ludvigsen (Interprefy AG)
think! Interpreting is co-produced by GALA and InterpretAmerica LLC
Previous think! Interpreting events:
2014 - Istanbul, Turkey and 2015 - Seville, Spain
(1) Source: The Language Services Market 2014: Common Sense Advisory
