The International Translation Industry Conference UTICamp-2019 was held from 22 to 28 July in a picturesque campground Meteorite along the banks of the Samara river in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Judging by the number of warm comments received from campsite participants and online attendees, the conference was a hit. It welcomed 257 participants from 19 countries and featured 66 presentations in 3 streams (business, technology, and the art of translation), as well as 6 roundtable discussions on some of the hottest topics in the industry – these numbers speak for themselves.
But bare facts cannot convey this conference’s unique atmosphere. We’ll use a question and answer format to give you a better sense for what this conference is like.
What makes UTICamp unique?
The very concept behind it. UTICamp is a contemporary, technology-savvy, dynamic international conference held in a forest reserve in complete harmony with nature. Our participants can:
- breathe the fresh air;
- listen to the birds singing;
- swim in the clean river;
- watch wild turtles and listen to the presentations as chickens proudly stroll about the outdoor theater.
In short, you can do things you would never expect from a serious international industry event. Throw in the opportunity to come with your whole family (even small children), live in a tent (in a real campsite) and completely switch off from your daily worries (without having to think about lunch or dinner – it has all been taken care of by the InText team), and you have a recipe for perfect recreation.
Delicious food, gazebos with power outlets, hammocks, comfortable bean bags, new tents and summer chalets, kayaks, and stand up paddle boards – this is just one element of UTICamp. This outdoor recreation is combined with interesting talks, informative presentations, and lots of opportunities for discussion with influential members of the international translation industry. There’s also high-speed wireless internet access, simultaneous interpretation into several languages, and other delights of modern technology you would expect to find at a modern-day industry conference.
What did the UTICamp-2019 program include?
UTICamp covers everything that that’s on the minds of today’s translators, editors, software developers, and representatives of the translation industry. Kimmo Rossi, Head of Research and Innovation sector at the European Commission, spoke about making technology human again. Paul Filkin, Client Service Director at SDL, told us about how to go through forthcoming changes without disruption.
Svetlana Svetova, Director of T-Service, and Pavel Dunaev, Head of Written Translations at Sportmaster, spoke about post-editing of machine translation. Alessandra Martelli, a translator and copywriter from Italy, discussed the creative component of the profession.
Iryna Lebedyeva, a freelance translator from Lviv, explained how to automate any action performed by a translator more than once. Nigel Saych, the founder of Interlex Language Services in the Netherlands, spoke about the ethics of the translation business.
Roman Bulkiewicz, a translator and editor from Kyiv, discussed the ins and outs of translator–editor relationships. Sameh Ragab from Egypt conducted an intensive and productive master class in translation technology.
During a roundtable discussion, interpreters spoke about the problem of harassment. Another discussion with the representatives of SDL focused on new functionality that developers might implement to support creative translation and localization workflow. And that wasn’t even half of the UTICamp-2019 program!
The whole six days — why so long?
So we can fit in every presentation of interest to the audience. To give everyone a chance to speak, communicate, process new information, ask questions, and make new friends and business connections. And finally, to give everyone a chance to have some rest. It is often hard for translators and others in the industry to take this much time off. But in the end, the majority of participants conclude that it’s worth it.
The conference was divided into two parts. There was a break after the first part called Masters’ Village, so that the participants could go on tours or just have some rest, spend time with the nature and gather their thoughts. After that, the intensive second part of the conference, which we call Three Tracks, is easy to take in. Some people preferred to attend only the first or second half of the conference, and this is also an option as freedom of choice is one of the key elements of UTICamp.
Finally, after all the presentations, heated discussions, and intensive informal communication, there were also evenings around the camp fire with guitars, songs and lively music. And instead of the traditional gala dinner, this year we had an unforgettable drum circle, with a single rhythm uniting dozens of very different people from across the translation industry. In this atmosphere, the six days just flew by – agreed all those who attended UTICamp-2019. It was sad when the time came to say goodbye because it seemed as if everybody had only just met.
UTICamp is family-friendly, but what is there for the family to do while the translators set the world to rights?
Family members can rest, have fun, and discover new talents. The InText team arranged an exciting program for the younger participants, keeping children busy till it was time for bed. Archery, boat trips, and other entertainments were a huge success at this year’s event, as expected.
But the adults also had no chance of getting bored, with painting and beadwork classes just for them. The souvenirs from these classes, led by Annette Willems and Nadiya Yehurnova, will serve as reminders of UTICamp all year long.
We express our gratitude to all UTICamp-2019 sponsors and partners for their support and for making the event possible!
We thank our Platinum Sponsor, Language Solutions Pro, two Gold Sponsors Logrus IT and Logrus Global, two Bronze Sponsors Linguistic Centre and Nimdzi Insights, Gala-evening Sponsor, T-Service company, UTICamp-2019 Exhibitor, Alisa TMS, and also our reliable simultaneous translation partner SynchroService, and all the media partners: the Globalization and Localization Association GALA, the translation language industry magazine Multilingual, Proz.com platform, Belarusian Translation Forum and the conferences Meet Central Europe and T-Update.
Better to see once than to hear a hundred times. Where can I find the conference materials?
Take a look at the lively pictures in our conference album, subscribe to the UTICamp channel on YouTube and Telegram, and follow our updates on the conference page on Facebook and Instagram to be the first to receive links to video versions of presentations and roundtable discussions.
See you at the next UTICamp!
