In early September 2012 I was in Berlin for the “Translating into the Future” Conference. This is a recurring international conference for linguists that takes place at irregular time spans, organised by the German Federal Association of Translators and Interpreters (BDÜ). This translation conference with the overall topic of “Translators and interpreters as specialists in international communication at a professional level” and about 1,500 attendees was 2012’s largest event in the German translation industry.
The conference started with a welcoming speech by Professor Dr. Schavan, then Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research.
After that, the conference’s programme had a lot to offer: around 100 presentations, 50 longer seminars and workshops, a trade fair a job market. The sessions that interested me the most were related to terminology and legal translation. The evening programme with networking meet-ups, boat excursions and a cabaret show was varied. And during the day participants could take a break from the 3-day conference to enjoy a little bit of Berlin.
Event details
| Type of event | three-day conference held in German and English |
| Title | “2. Internationale Fachkonferenz Übersetzen in die Zukunft” [2nd International Conference on “Translating into the Future”] |
| Event organiser | German Federal Association of Translators and Interpreters |
| Facilitators / Presenters | various |
| Date | 28-30 September 2012 |
| Place | Henry-Ford-Bau • Garystraße 35 • 14195 Berlin • Germany |
| Main topics | • Why do terminology work? • Terminology work with Uniterm Light • Researching terminology and exchanging terminology • Freelance translators and interpreters working for courts and other public authorities in Germany: How their professional and private lives affect each other • Limits to text processing when translating legal documents • An introduction to financial derivatives – basic principles and applications • Panel discussion: “What does a match cost? Reasonable weighting system or concealed dumping?” • More professionalism for translators: On current developments regarding translation rates in Germany |
