This is a guest post from one of ProZ.com's advertising partners, Translated in Argentina (TINA).
New reality, new normal, new challenges. We have all been affected by the worldwide changes, regardless of our role in the industry. Therefore, Translated in Argentina, a non-profit association of language service companies whose objective is to promote the local language industry, train resources, and build awareness of the industry within the local business environment, organized its third event, #CLINT21Virtual and it was a huge success.
More than 200 attendees, 25 speakers, 2 tracks, 2 days, 15 sponsors and 16 hours of content for TINA’s first virtual event were possible thanks to the hard work of our volunteer Organization Committee. Big shout out to Ceci Maldonado, Gabi Morales, Natalia Quintás, Germán Garis, Juan Baquero, Fernanda Lui, Karina Sanguinetti, Angelica Perez, Eugenia Echave, Mariela Rosa, Emanuel Longo and of course, TINA’s President, Agustina Pioli.
The event took place on Remo and the platform was well received by everyone since it gave us the perfect setting to network, exchange ideas, experiences, and perspectives of the present and the future of our industry. Two days filled with learning and sharing around a variety of topics that included the current and future state of the industry, editing, project management, machine translation, marketing and sales, interpreting, translation technologies, inclusive language, multimedia translation and gaming, and talent management. The virtual world can have its perks; in this case it allowed us to have amazing speakers from all around the globe and even start our days with yoga sessions by the one and only, Marek!
Building communities was a big topic during the event and #CLINT21Virtual is proof of what can be achieved when we work together. It is true that some professionals in Argentina knew about translation technologies and the possibility to “export” services 20 years ago, but the difference was made not by those, but by the organizations that dedicated their time to spread the word and train resources so that we can all serve this huge market better. TINA took on the responsibility to continue to offer training opportunities to all professionals by opening up leadership positions within the organization, bridging the gap between the market and academia and committing to continuous education. “The more we professionalize the different areas and tasks in this industry, our position as a sector becomes more solid”, adds Agustina Pioli, President of TINA.
Our keynote speakers had similar perspectives and outlooks on what the future holds. Renato Beninatto said that the development of new technologies will always create new job opportunities – increasing the need for communication, customer service, support manuals, etc. – and that there is no need to be afraid of technology. Florian Faes coincided and added that the sales and marketing efforts should not be forgotten since there’s a significant consolidation of the client base (mergers and acquisitions) that is affecting some vendors. He also encouraged LSPs to look at adjacent growth markets: PEMT, data annotation, MT as a managed service, transcreation and multilingual authoring, and into English dubbing.
Talent acquisition and talent retention are hot topics these days, especially in Argentina. Emilia Montero, from Great Place to Work, enlightened us with what makes companies more attractive for talent. She stressed the importance of a good leader: 50% of the organization’s climate depends on the leader, and added that “people don’t quit their jobs but their bosses”. Being employee-centric is a differentiator these days and can be easily achieved by implementing actions such as clear communication, listening, inspiration, appreciation, and recognition.
As we all have witnessed, the world can change fast. It is our responsibility to be prepared for disruption. If you don’t know where to start, join an association, become a volunteer, create your network of peers, and engage.
So many lessons learnt, so much inspiration! I’m sure every speaker at #CLINT21Virtual made an impact on our growing community. Super grateful for their time, knowledge sharing and dedication. This is what makes our community so great.
Cecilia Maldonado
CLINT21VIRTUAL Chair
Una versión en español de este blog se encuentra disponible aquí.
