A long-awaited international translation conference, UTIC 2016 has taken place. Hurray!

The conference and its format in the first place provoked intense discussions even at the organizing stage. The organizing company took a risk and moved the conference into the forest. That proved to be fascinating. On the one hand, the atmosphere was a relaxing one: outdoor lunches, reports while listening to the birds singing, evening boat trips, meetings without ties, and gathering near the campfire at night under the stars. On the other hand, everything was very serious: comprehensive reports by respected professionals on topical issues, difficult round-table discussions, creative and non-trivial solutions at the workshops, introduction to state-of-the-art technologies, and forecasts for the future that inspired and made one think about many things.

The agenda was divided into three sections: Localization and Translation Technologies, The Art of Translation, and the Business of Translation. Each section has its high point. No one was bored, largely due to active and cheerful moderators who set the tone for each of the locations. Useful pieces of advice by professionals, round-table discussions with market players from various countries, discussion of technologies, captivating workshops with interesting cases, exciting forecasts for the future, and much more. Practically everybody (freelancers who work with translation agencies and with customers directly, owners and representatives from translation agencies, and in no small measure students and professors from translation departments) could find something interesting for themselves, at least get new connections or just a company of people who are language enthusiasts. Those who could not visit the conference in person had a chance to watch it on the web. This is a pleasant opportunity that deserves a separate “Thank You”.

As always, after active events, we had many thoughts and ideas, our eyes sparkled and we wanted more. We will be sure to watch the sessions that we missed.

We thank the organizers very much for the unusual conference format, interesting agenda, and well-organized event. Also, we thank them for the patience, care, and warmth with which the participants were surrounded before and after the conference, for a great opportunity to learn, exchange, network, meet friends, think, and grow. In addition, we thank all the participants for the three active days. We wish you success and strength, and see you soon!