Thursday, 21 March
08:30 - 09:00
Ballroom & Foyer
Registration and Networking
09:00 - 09:30
09:30 - 10:30
Ballroom


Quality is in the eye of the beholder” or is it really? Is the concept of quality as elusive or fuzzy as it is frequently made out to be? This is an invitation to unpick principles of quality assurance and to determine their usability across professional settings. We aim to identify what may constitute: universals, applicable irrespective of culture and context; transferables, where some adjustments may seem reasonable; specificities, ring-fencing the options available; and, uniqueness, imposing highly contextual solutions. Our aim is to establish what are must-haves and nice-to-haves when we strive to assume a quality mindset. If quality may mean very specific things for very specific professional settings, can we challenge our thinking to expand those contexts and allow for interplay across professions? The intention is to exemplify how this may be done by juxtaposing translation professionals and translation educators, with a view to retaining those principles which can truly benefit our day-to-day priorities.
10:30 - 11:00
Ballroom & Foyer
Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:00
Ballroom

The presentation is based on my personal experience (1995 to date).
Language is flexible, which makes it hard to define quality in unequivocal, measurable and universally applicable terms, or to determine the factors that influence the perceived quality of a text (original and translation). Can technology help us provide quality translations? If so, which factors can it address? Is high quality always required? Which factors influence the required level of quality?
Factors: Language, culture, text type, purpose, target audience, etc.
Ellen Singer
12:00 - 13:00
Ballroom

A reflective journey through the experience of localizing the video game Yaga in 14 languages and the lessons learned while doing so. From unexpectedly long words, to gender-inflected verbs, French punctuation and computer-generated translations, this talk delves into some aspects of localization that are often unknown to game developers until encountered firsthand. Gain insights into how you, a translation professional, can help us ignorant game developers in anticipating and addressing potential roadblocks before they arise, and enhancing the accuracy and quality of our game localizations.
Cătălin Zima-Zegreanu
13:00 - 14:00
Hotel Restaurant
Lunch
14:00 - 15:00
Ballroom


The translation industry uses various translation quality metrics for numerical evaluation of quality, but while the numbers can tell you a lot, very rarely they can tell the whole story, especially when it comes to something as elusive as quality. In this presentation I will try to define what constitutes “good quality” for various types of translation and discuss how we can use various tools at our disposal to achieve it. I will talk about CATs, QA checkers, LQA and others, but not about specific programs and settings, but rather how to use them for achieving the ultimate goal – a translation that will be considered “good” or “good quality”.
15:00 - 16:00
Ballroom


Big localization industry names have said it over and over again: “clients are not interested in quality”. And some of the trends we've been seeing – costs being cut, machine translation and now AI – seem to confirm this theory.
But... is that true? Having started my journey as a freelance translator, then launching a successful translation agency that’s ALL about quality, I can tell you that the reality is a bit different.
In this session, we’ll look at the different types of clients you can actually work with, and those who are most likely to care about and pay for quality. We’ll dive into how we define quality as an industry, whether there’s a problem with it, and whether translators, clients and translation agencies have the same definition of “quality”. We’ll also look at how you can measure and provide quality as a freelance translator, and we’ll ask ourselves (and answer) some tough questions on some of the “quality” problems that are affecting the translation industry today. I’ll also take you through my journey, showing you that running an successful translation agency that puts quality AND people first is totally doable today.
18:30 - 22:00
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Restaurant (Marco Polo) - Not included in the conference ticket

You cannot visit Transylvania without falling in love with the delicious food you find here. But apart from food, getting to know more about traditional folkloric music and dance is a must (“musai” or “muszáj” as we say). That’s exactly why the Transylvanian evening organised for the TranslateCluj 2024 attendees will take you to another world, where all your senses will be spoiled. Join us at the conference and at the Transylvanian evening, and we promise you’ll have a blast!
Join us for a traditional dance demo and tutorial, delicious food and lots of traditional fun!
Friday, 22 March
08:30 - 09:00
Ballroom & Foyer
Cofee & Networking
09:00 - 10:00
Ballroom


My keynote presentation will tackle quality from a perspective that will help us freelancers make a stand against the perceived rise in AI and MT usage as the dominating business model, which may lead to think that it inevitably ends up with lowering the quality bar as clients no longer care about it.
I will discuss the issue from the translators’ side, highlighting its relevance for our professional activity, but I shall also explain how we can make clients and LSP understand its importance, and how the lack of quality is not a viable option in the long run. I will relate to the tools we use, to communication skills and to the public image offered by LSPs to their clients and to end clients when working directly with them, and how the choice of quality against savings/speed is a win-win situation. I will also touch on using and displaying overtly appropriate tools and processes to raise awareness about quality across all stakeholders, and how we can use our knowledge and expertise to enhance our visibility and acquire better business, which ultimately help LSPs and end clients to gain more business in their end.
10:00 - 11:00
Ballroom

Jerzy Czopik
11:00 - 11:30
Ballroom & Foyer
Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:30
Ballroom


Despite what one may think in the age of Wikipedia, vulgarisms are a tough nut to crack, and even more so to translate, relying so much on context and everything…
This story starts from a Polish movie about a hip-hop band from the ’90, moves on to the Slavistics symposium in Cluj some 10 years ago, jumps to 2020, when a feminist poet was slashed by critics because she used a vulgar word in a poem (the horror!), makes a quick stop to the most recent scandal (key word: Gheboasă) end ends symmetrically with a Polish theatre show that was supposed to take place in one city until the local manager decided the language is too strong for the public.
So yes, this is not so much about how we translate this or that word, but more about how we perceive them and why.
12:30 - 13:30
Ballroom

Subtitles can make or break a viewer’s experience. Just like in any other translation field, quality assessment of audiovisual translation does not follow a clear-cut pattern and is rarely objective. For some a hindrance, for others a “necessary evil”, subtitles should deliver the audiovisual message without distracting the audience. In a world with so many options available, from television to streaming platforms, and with so much content to choose from, the process of providing quality translation is faced with many challenges, which I will illustrate based on my personal experience. Are the tools technology provides in the AVT field of actual help?
Anca Baciu
13:30 - 14:30
Hotel Restaurant
Lunch
14:30 - 15:30
Ballroom

Gain new insights and business perspective with Alecs Litu, a seasoned Learning & Development consultant with a proven track record of running a highly profitable business for the past 5 years. Geared towards translation professionals seeking to enhance their business acumen, this session will equip you with invaluable insights into negotiating with clients wielding significant budgets.
Alecsandra Lițu
15:30 - 16:30
Ballroom


16:30 - 18:00
Ballroom & Foyer
Bubbly Closing Ceremony & Networking
Saturday, 23 March - PM Workshop Day
08:30 - 09:00
Beijing Conference Room
Morning Coffee & Networking
09:00 - 10:30
Beijing Conference Room


Unlock the potential in your current client relationships to elevate your translation business. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, Alecs’ practical insights and strategies will guide you to maximize the value from your existing client base.
10:30 - 11:00
Beijing Conference Room
Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:30
Beijing Conference Room

In his PM Day Workshop, Marek will demonstrate some of the most common and useful features memoQ has to offer to Project Managers.
Marek Pawelec
12:30 - 13:30
Hotel Restaurant
Lunch
13:30 - 15:00
Beijing Conference Room


- How to write and structure instructions. What to include and what NOT to include.
- Communication channels for different needs (project progress, query management, client point of contact, etc.)
- Basic technical setup (again, not covering this in detail), including a proper method and tools for:
- file management
- workflow tracking and versioning
- query logging
- How to handle expected and unexpected project updates
- How to face blocking issues towards freelance providers and end clients
- Pros and cons of automation in project management
15:30 - 17:00
Beijing Conference Room


- How to write and structure instructions. What to include and what NOT to include.
- Communication channels for different needs (project progress, query management, client point of contact, etc.)
- Basic technical setup (again, not covering this in detail), including a proper method and tools for:
- file management
- workflow tracking and versioning
- query logging
- How to handle expected and unexpected project updates
- How to face blocking issues towards freelance providers and end clients
- Pros and cons of automation in project management
15:00 - 15:30
Beijing Conference Room
Coffee Break