(K)TLC History
Some approximations to give you an idea…
- Attendees at each previous onsite event in Warsaw since 2012: +200
- Attendees at KTLC2020 online: +300
- Attendees at KTLC2021 online: +400
- Attendees at KTLC2022 hybrid: +400
- Attendees at KT2023 hybrid (only Polish conference): +200
- Total attendees since 2012: 3000
- Countries represented: 25
- Conferences organized: 14
- Speakers in total: 180
- Positive reviews from attendees: 90%
- Attendee profile: ca. 50% freelancers and small LSPs, 25% medium-sized and large LSPs, 15% corporations, 5% academia, 5% others. From all over the world, mostly EU, USA, Canada, South America. Experienced, professional, and a number of students willing to join the industry.
- Our mission: be a platform for the whole industry to Talk, Learn and Communicate
- Our values: networking opportunities, insightful presentations, original content
A platform for all since 2012
The Translation and Localization Conference was established in 2012 first as a Polish conference. Prior to that, there was a lack of language industry conferences in this part of Europe which would attract such a multitude of professions: translators, localizers, QA experts, proofreaders, tech writers, software manufacturers, the academia, the media… the list goes on and on!
Attendees from all over the world
Not only does the Translation and Localization Conference attract various language industry professions, it is also a meeting place for attendees from the whole European Union, as well as other continents – reaching as far as New Zealand! Every edition gathers ca. 200 guests, but we’re hoping to do even better every year.
The TLC Dream Team
TLC wouldn’t be what it is without its mothers and fathers. Read more about us here!
It is currently organized by one Polish company: TexteM, but some of us are helping out on a freelance basis. If you need the organizers’ data, click here.
Previous editions of The Translation and Localization Conference
Previous editions… in pictures!
Pictures too smalll? Download a PDF with the posters!
2012: Machine Translation and the future of CAT tools
We looked at the latest developments and practical deployment of SMT and asked the leading CAT tool providers about the future of fuzzy matching technology and new areas for improvement of the translation technology. We also touched the subject of social media for translators, debated on the role of associations, and introduced several audio-visual topics.
2013: Cloud computing and mobile technology in the translation industry
We focused on the growing popularity of cloud computing and its impact on the translation industry. We also debated on the most efficient ways for CPD and introduced several topics related to interpreting. New areas covered at this edition included medical translation and technical workshops regarding regular expressions. We also looked closely at technical challenges to translating Hebrew.
2014: Technical Communication, Big Data, Team building and CPD
This edition was closely focused on corporations who work with Big Data on a daily basis. We learned about efficient localization and project managements processes, standards and certification, training specialists, rule-based technical writing and Simplified Technical English. We also looked at practical issues with localization of mobile projects.
2015: Experts at work
This year was strongly focused on core specialities and CPD. We looked at the role of communication, discussed if terminology can be fun, and looked for the best ways to grow an LSP business. We focused on MT and project management once more, and took a glance at video game localization.
2016: Why translate?
This time we wanted to reach the heart of the profession in the era of constant changes and new technologies surrounding us more and more. Conference highlights included an inspiring look at invented languages we often hear in sci-fi/fantasy TV series, translating the e-commerce, localization testing, interpreting and debates on the title question – why translate?
2017: Level Up!
This edition was our take on success stories in our industries and as it turned out, each story was in fact a path where we all failed at some point – which made us look for ways to quickly adapt, learn from our mistakes and grow stronger businesswise. We also looked at the importance of reference materials, and learned how to survive testing without harming the developers.
See pictures here, here, here and here!
2018: Translator ex Machina
In a world that is becoming increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, companies, organisations and institutions are more and more affected by sudden, unexpected changes in geopolitical and economic circumstances and the ubiquity of new technologies. At an international scale, it is often the Translator Ex Machina who saves the day. During The Translation and Localization Conference 2018, we focussed on this particular main theme, emphasising the growing importance of the role of a translator surrounded by a host of different technologies, but also understanding how these gradual changes influence the profession and the industry.
2019: Ready… Set… 2020!
We speed up the time and reach a year ahead. Do you remember recently watching sci-fi movies where 2020 was a distant future full of robots, flying cars and human colonies on distant planets? Meanwhile, 2020 is almost there. And the translation industry will also enter the 2020 era in the blink of an eye.
We will enter it with third generation CAT tools, NMT engines, task flow automation, but also with translators who still type on their keyboards and whose work is displayed in a table on the monitor. The world is changing, but it is changing in a different way than we would expect. Surprisingly, this change is often slower in the places where hype and fascination with novelty appear and faster in the places where everyday activities are involved and already-known environments are improved.
Translation 2020 is not sci-fi anymore. It is a transformation we will see next year, while we still stay the same. Will we do nothing and try to survive somehow, because the changes will not appear overnight? Or will we do something in the next few months to make our companies really ready for 2020?
2020 might not bring about flying cars, but it will certainly inspire open minds and ideas for the future.
2020: Communicate! Expertise // Business // Culture
“Watson, come here. I need you” were the first words sent in the form of electrical impulses by cable almost 150 years ago. We probably won’t find a better symbol of what we need technology for. We want to be closer to the world, understand each other better, transmit and receive thoughts and observations. To know, experience, understand and think. All this is possible today – on a scale that the inventors of the phone could hardly imagine. We talk in real time with people on the other side of the planet – on the Antipodes or across the pond, just everywhere – order products from factories thousands of kilometres away, take over customs, culture and habits from regions that we have never seen before or never been to. The world is at our fingertips, just a stone’s throw away, one might say. In this new world, where technology is everywhere and where we can communicate instantly from anywhere on Earth, translations play a special role. As has always been the case, children born a few hundred kilometres away from each other will still speak different languages, eat different breakfasts and follow different religions. It is only thanks to translations, or rather the work of thousands of translators, that it is possible to bring down the walls that have been there for millenia. And even though technologies are filling up our world and have become its inherent part, we still use them mainly for communication. And, mind you, it’s translation that lies at the heart of communication.
We invite you to a unique conference that will touch three areas:
– Expert knowledge and specialization. The topics in this group will focus on the impact of specialist translations on understandable and effective communication. Finance, medicine, space flights, or games? Gambling, law, marketing, or social science? Each path is different and so is the role of translations.
– Business. In this area we will focus on the quality of communication with the recipient of translations and cooperation with clients. We will touch upon the essence of a translator’s work, i.e. ensuring a comprehensible message, while at the same time asking questions about good practices in professional cooperation and looking for the best ways to do business in the translation industry.
– Culture. This group of topics will be drawn by the power of the translator’s imagination and craftsmanship. How to create truly understandable translations? How do transcription, localization and adaptation permeate today’s world of services, products and new trends? All in the service of communication.
Within each of these areas we also see the role of translation channels, i.e. how the translation service is provided today and how it will look like in a few years’ time, how the world accelerating at every step affects the daily work of agencies and translators, what current trends are looming on the horizon and how it all fits in with new generations who are experiencing a world full of colourful video content, while at the same time often returning to text communication as the preferred means of contact. Translations are also strongly linked to specific generations. And finally, in the English word “communicate” there’s also a hidden cat, the industry’s animal-technology favourite. It is difficult to fit into the trends of communication without CATs, NMTs and the whole technological background.
2021: The Gap Year
The year 2020 is one that our children will read about in history books. It changed our mindset when it comes to what is possible and what is not, pushed us out of our comfort zones, and made us rethink our business models. And that transformation isn’t done yet! This unpredictable time that didn’t finish when the clock struck midnight on 31 December 2020 could be even called… a GAP YEAR. Let’s fill this gap with some goodness!
Drawing from our experience of KTLC2020, our first online edition, as well as the previous conferences, there have been three thematic areas that are the most popular among our attendees…
G – Growth – both in terms of growing your business and developing as a human, growing your community and your skills
A – Automation – how to make your life easier, and what the possible pitfalls are
P – Professionalism – communication, quality control, taming misbehaving CAT tools… you name it!
2022: POWER
The 2022 edition of KTLC (Konferencja tłumaczy + Translation and Localization Conference) is a special one – after two years of being fully online, we’re peeking out from the virtual world and holding a hybrid conference. Whether you participate online or on-site in Warsaw, you can count on a one of kind experience that will provide you with knowledge, contacts, and inspiration in your day-to-day work.
The main theme for the 2022 conference is POWER. How you approach it is up to you, but here are some ideas…
- How do you give power back to the human translators, interpreters, localizers, and harness the power of machines?
- How do you use software and hardware to power up your work?
- Does our industry have a superpower which gives it an advantage in the increasingly digitized world?
- What’s your “power-up” story in business?
- What’s your secret power that pulls your clients in?
- Other ideas that relate directly or indirectly to POWER.
See pictures here!
2023: INTELLIGENCE (only in Polish)
The 2023 KT, themed “Intelligence”, explored the intersection of various types of intelligence and their influence on translation work. The conference delved into:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): It discussed the evolution of AI and its transformative impact on analytics and the translation industry, with a focus on tools like ChatGTP, ChatSonic, and Chinchilla.
- Emotional Intelligence: It explored how self-awareness and understanding of our own emotions could enhance work efficiency.
- Social Intelligence: It understood how effective collaboration and team-building could lead to a happier and more productive work environment.
- Linguistic Intelligence: It acknowledged the inherent linguistic prowess of translators and emphasized the importance of nurturing this talent.
The conference aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of these intelligences and their role in shaping the future of translation.
See pictures here!
Speakers at previous editions…
Patrik Mazanek, Josef Kubovsky, Grzegorz Gryc, Wojciech Froelich, Grzegorz Wójcik, Agenor Hofmann-Delbor, Ventsislav Zhechev, Michał Kleszczonek, Marta Bartnicka, Łukasz Rejter, Magdalena Mączyńska, Katarzyna Kłosińska, Michał Szcześniewski, Katarzyna Skoczyńska, Jarosław Król, Marcin Jędrysiak, Maciej Kosmowski, Joanna Miller-Casino, Magdalena Balcerek, Anne Diamantidis, Magda Dziadosz, Agata Deka, Agnieszka Szarkowska, Monika Kalinowska, Artur Kubacki, Anna Konieczna-Purchała, Szymon Metkowski, Jerzy Witkowski, Roman Kozierkiewicz, Anna Fitak, Anna Celińska, Dorota Dziadkiewicz, Agnieszka Doczekalska, Jacek Mikrut, Stefan Gentz, Renate Dockhorn, Anne-Charlotte Perrigaud, Rafał Kałuża, Liese Katschinka, Marcin Miłkowski, Dagmar Schwarz, Urszula Srebrowska, Jerzy Czopik, Maciej Andrzejczak, Zofia Rybińska, Jarosław Hirny, Michał Tyszkowski, Emilia Majewska, Karolina Tetłak, Bolesław Matuszewski, Ellen Singer, Marek Pawelec, Siegfried Armbruster, Yana Onikiychuk, Jonathan Golan, Marta Stelmaszak, Danuta Przepiórkowska, Zuzanna Łopacińska, Marcin Turski, Mirosław Bańko, Agnieszka Hein, Karolina Kalisz, Agnieszka Nowińska, Olga Rudnicka, Tomasz Zarzycki, Frank Rojas, Saroj Vohra, Kshitij Gupta, Björn Daag Johnson, Hans Pich, Mikołaj Szajna, Ralf Haldimann, Paul Filkin, Tomasz Kościuczuk, Marek Gawrysiak, Michael Fritz, Adam Szafrański, Bolesław Cieślik, Janusz Dubis, Piotr W. Cholewa, Zygmunt Niechoda, Marek Strumiński, Karolina Jędrusik, Joanna Miler-Cassino, Agata Śliwińska, Lissa Sum, Eyvor Fogarty, Jerzy Nedoma, Michael Fritz, Inkaliisa Vihonen, Ania Plank, Vitaly Bashaev, Patricia M. Ferreira Larrieux, Andrzej Zydroń, Fernanda Rocha, Henk Wijnands, Jan Grzenia, Marcin Łyko, Bartłomiej Dymek, Sameh Ragab, Christian Weih, Alessandra Martelli, Jonathan Downie, Luigi Muzii, Alina Cincan, Klaus Fleischmann, Rose Newell, Valeria Aliperta, Peter Beens, Juan Pablo Sans, Tanya Quinteri, Marta Chereshnovska, Peter Schmitt, Ashley Cowles, Sabina Metcalf, Rui Sousa, Desiree Staude, Attila Piroth, Angelica Zerfass, Adrian Hołojuch, Ondřej Bojar, Jan Hajič, Vyacheslav Guzovsky, prof. Łucja Biel, Paweł Gugała, Andrzej Markowski, David J. Peterson, Nigel Wheatley, Adriana Tortoriello, Madhuri Hegde, Rahel Anne Bailie, Juan Manuel Macarlupu Peña, Nikolay Tyutyunin, Cristina Anselmi, Ari Schwartz, Katarzyna Gosek, Ralph Jung, Justyna Weber, Gala Gil Amat, Diana Jankowiak, Josephine Bacon, Melanie Di-Costanzo, Dorota Pawlak, Patricia Cardoso Ferreira, Anett Enzmann, Minako O’Hagan, Yael Cahane-Shadmi, Arista S. Y. Kuo, Sarah Henter, Małgorzata Kopyra, Katarzyna Bondaruk-Augustyńczyk, Izabela Mrochen, Ed Flower, Giulia Bruno, Alessia Ridoni, Roberto Ganzerli, Oleg Semerikov, Nicolás M. Martín Fontana, Michał Butscher, Kyle Wohlmut, Alexey Kozulyaev, John McCarthy, Piotr Prokopowicz, Sue Leschen, Elena Ryabova, Luis Eduardo Plazas Barrios, Rob Prior, Lelani Prévost, Asia Mleczak, Mary Waggoner Moritz, Agnieszka Prylińska, Elena Shlyapnikova, Robert Etches, Kester Thompson, Beata Strzałka, Joanna Pawulska-Saunders, Areta Kempińska, Paula Ribeiro, Tina Duarte, Csilla Rostas, Jakub Jezierski, Lennard van Uffelen, Sylwia Świerżewska, Veronica Manzanares Alberola, Marcos Aranda, Carina Balbo, Lone Beheshty, Anke Betz, Andrii Biesiedin, Stefanie Bogaerts, Luka Karsten Breitig, Aleksandra Brzeska, Sandra Carvajal, Irmina Daniłowska, Jacek Dehnel, Łukasz Dutka, Soeren Eberhardt, Jesús Fenollós, Ania Fitak, M. Ángeles García, Richelle George, Kris Girrell, Paweł Gugała, Adam Haertle, Andrzej Homańczyk, Joanna Jaczewska-Bogacka, Sabina Jasinska, Dee Johnson, Gabriel Karandysovsky, Virginia Katsimpiri, Maria Kołtrowska-Häggström, Josef Kubovsky, Inger Larsen, Annette Lawlor, Anna Lewoc, Nicole Loney, Zoliswa Mali, John Mastrogiannopoulos, Aika Matsuda, Buyiswa Mini, Asia Mleczak, Łukasz Mrzygłód, Dora Murgu, Yuka Nakasone, Marjolein Groot Nibbelink, Manuela Noske, Agnieszka Nowińska, Wojciech Nowiński, John O’Shea, Gabriela Olszewska, Zofia Owczarek, Liam Page, Jacob Parks, Radosław Pawelec, Genevieve Peprah, Magdalena Perdek, Angelica Perez, Rafal Polikowski, Stephen Rifkind, Tony Rosado, Alex Ross-Scott, Julia Salerno, Michela Sammarone, Luz Marina Sanchis, Carreen Schroeder, Aleksandra Sobczak, Weronika Sobita, Agnieszka Szarkowska, Damian Szlaga, Aleksander Szojda-Pallado, Maria Szpor, Heini Utunen, Iryna Vizir, Piotr Wazynski, Barbara Wiśniewska, Dominika Wnuk, Jakub Wolski, Alex Yoffe, Angelika Zerfaß, Jost Zetzsche, Dorota Ziółkowska-Maciaszek, Artur Zygadło…
Impressive, isn’t it? 😉
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