– Mike Lemay, Canadian EN/FR interpreter, speaker at The TranslateCluj Booster –
If you ever wondered how TranslateCluj was born, please know that it all started with a very informal and friendly series of translators’ and interpreters’ get-togethers (for dinners, drinks and whatever our then small group might have decided).
In the first year we knew what we wanted to share: hands-on, practical content, be it translation technology-, project management- or marketing-related. We also knew we would have liked our local community to be stronger and more cohesive.
Our second conference took us (just a little bit) by surprise: we had, with not much of an effort, gathered around us like-minded participants: positive and interested in learning and CPD.
It was our third international event and Mike’s remark that opened our eyes on what we were actually doing, without having given it a name: sharing resources and knowledge in a friendly and friendship-inducing way, without all that professional stiffness and coldness such events may sometimes induce.
So, what is the ideal mix for an effective learning experience that might lead to a very friendly and sharing community like the one that seems to gather around TranslateCluj?
First and foremost, the participants: a growing group of curious and eager to learn translators and interpreters, as willing to learn as they are willing to share their experience.
Then, the speakers: experienced translators and interpreters, as well as project managers and online marketing experts, sharing our values of providing practical, hands-on advice.
And, of course, yours truly, our team: five friends, half-scared and half-excited before each event and content launch, and half-exhausted and half-exhilarated after them, as well as ever more motivated to keep on organising them.
Thank you, dear members of our vibrant and friendly community, for willing to be part of our dream and encouraging us to keep on doing what we do.
Big, big virtual hugs to all of you.
Laura, Thomas, Elvira, Ioana and Silvia
