On June 15, ProZ.com/TV hosted the first #LocNowAndFuture, a virtual event centered around the changes COVID-19 has brought and the challenges that will arise in the localization sector in this “new normal”.
#LocNowAndFuture kicked off with an introduction by ProZ.com founder Henry Dotterer and Burcu Demirörs (CEO, co-founder of HeliCo Translations and co-organizer of the event), followed by six panels, each focusing on different sectors and stakeholders of the industry.
The event started at 10 AM GMT, so at the beginning most viewers were from countries like Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Egypt, but as the day progressed, people from all over the world started joining in. LSPs owners, employees, end clients and freelancers alike joined the event. All in all, approximately 1200 people viewed and participated in each session.
In the first panel, How LSPs are Dealing with and Capitalizing on the Challenges Brought by COVID-19, Burcu Demirörs, Lucrecia Jarab, James Myatt and moderator Anne-Marie Colliander Lind discussed how industry members are capitalizing on the challenges brought by COVID-19. They were approachable, interesting, dynamic and informative, and gave much appreciated insights on the criteria for selecting candidates from an insider and expert’s perspective.
Then, in The Shift in Marketing and Sales Strategies in the Localization Sector Due to COVID-19, Jennifer Vela Valido and Alberto Ferreira and moderator Kathrin Bussmann went over how marketing and sales strategies have changed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and offered some suggestions to the viewers on how to make the most of their strategies. They talked about how to best market yourself to end clients (and what not to do) using all tools available, such as social media, blogs, and podcasts.
Kirill Soloviev, István Lengyel, Nancy Hähnel and Adam Bittlingmayer, moderated by ProZ.com’s own Drew MacFadyen, talked about how industry members are approaching investing in AI solutions in their panel The Approach of Industry Members about Investing in AI Solutions after the Pandemic Started. What viewers loved most about this panel was that they not only discussed the future of the industry but proposed new ways in which AI can be used to the benefit of both clients (whether LSPs or end clients) and freelancers.
In the fourth panel, The Changes to be Brought in the Aftermath of COVID-19 in the Interpretation Sector, Mário Júnior, Maxim Motin, Sandor Milovanovic and moderator Burcu Demirörs discussed the interpretation section and on how the aftermath of COVID-19 will change it in the future. They also talked about interpretation in different settings and what kind of technologies could be used during and after the pandemic, as well as hardware.
Nearing the end, during The Impact of the Pandemic on the Non-profit Organizations in the Localization Sector, Aimee Ansari, Maria Kania, Jeannette Stewart and moderator Allison Ferch tackled the topic of how non-profit organizations have been affected in their localization efforts by COVID-19. Participants enjoyed how clear and motivational the speakers were and their perception of the industry in some different areas and markets that are not the most commonly mentioned. If you’d like to volunteer or donate, don’t hesitate to check Translators Without Borders, Translation Commons and Women in Localization out and see how you can help!
The final session was led by Nimdzi: How to Be Prepared for the New Normal with Facts and Figures in Mind. Tucker Johnson (replacing Renato Beninatto), Sarah Hickey and Belén Agulló García along with moderator Dave Ruane went over some facts and figures from the side of a market research and consulting company. In this interactive panel, viewers were able to vote on which topics they wanted the panelists to discuss, which resulted in an overview of the changes in the different sectors within the industry and future scenarios.
Did you miss the event?
Don’t worry! All recordings are available on ProZ.com/TV to logged in users and members. If you want to keep the conversation going, you can join the Facebook and LinkedIn groups and the Slack channel and network with people from all over the world who participated in the event.