Language Industry Summit

Gold Sponsor – VoiceBox

VoiceBox’s voice over and subtitle services ensure that clients’ video content is viewed by the largest possible audience. What’s more, everything VoiceBox does is in over 200 languages so the company is the perfect partner for content creators who have global ambitions.

https://www.voiceboxagency.co.uk

Silver – Miton Systems

MITON’s mission is to enable customers to focus on their applications – and lead the technology to use.  We are a leading technical software development company that has been developing computer telephony products for over 20 years, with our installations found worldwide. We specialise in the development and deployment of advance Linux based computer telephony systems and services.  Technology moves fast – we have the people who can keep up with it!

https://www.miton.co.uk/ 

Drinks reception – Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer and wholesale bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US.

With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 80,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website home.barclays

Silver – EC Innovations

EC Innovations is a world leading translation and localization provider with ISO 13485:2016, ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 17100:2015 certifications. Since 1997, EC Innovations has been empowering communications for leading multinationals, specializing in industries including life sciences, game, manufacturing, IT and software, automation, electronics and telecommunications. Today, EC Innovations has grown into 11 strategically located global offices with 400+ full-time employees offering full localization support into 120+ languages. Our aim is to continuously build upon our reputation as a customer-centric organization focused on high-quality standards, technological creativity and value-added services to meet any type of localization requirement.

https://www.ecinnovations.com/ 

Industry Awards Dinner Sponsor – SDL Trados

SDL Trados Studio is a computer-assisted translation software suite, a successor to the older Translators Workbench originally developed by the German company Trados GmbH and currently available from SDL plc, a provider of customer experience cloud solutions. It is considered the market leader in providing translation software across the entire translation supply chain, including freelance translators, language service providers, corporate language departments and academic institutions.

https://www.sdltrados.com/ 

Bronze Sponsor – XTM

XTM is the world’s leading cloud-based translation management solution (TMS) with an integrated computer aided translation (CAT) tool. It is designed to be scalable, flexible and agile, with industry open standards at its core.

Focused on streamlining complex localization processes and supply chains, XTM centralises TM assets for real-time collaboration, maximising translation reuse. The system incorporates in-context WYSIWYG reviews, LQA tests, alternative translations for transcreation, a mobile app for project managers and a REST API with off the shelf connectors for most CMSs. The optional inclusion of MT makes XTM an ideal platform for MT post editing.

For more information or a free trial go to www.xtm.cloud

Water bottle sponsor – 1-Stop Asia

At 1-StopAsia, we are Asian languages experts who are proud of our Asian heritage and passionate to help you succeed in Asia. Entrusting us with your translation needs in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or any of the other 11 Asian languages that we handle ensures that they will experience the same level of care that you apply to your other languages. We understand that quality needs to be accompanied by timely service.

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Isabel Oakeshott

Isabel Oakeshott was the Political Editor of the Sunday Times and is a regular panellist on the BBC1’s Sunday Politics show. She has won Political Journalist of the Year at the UK Press Awards and is a regular commentator for Sky TV and Radio 4, including the flagship Today programme.

Isabel ghost wrote the best-selling Inside Out, an explosive insider account of Gordon Brown’s period in office based on the experiences of Peter Watt, former General Secretary of the Labour Party. Most recently was Call Me Dave, a controversial unauthorised biography of David Cameron co-written with former Tory donor Lord Ashcroft. Isabel is a respected commentator on Westminster and UK politics with a unique insight into the workings of politics in all areas. In speeches she analyses the state of the parties, the futures of the leaders, the implications of policy decisions as well as the gossip and indiscretions of parliamentarians.

Olga Blasco

What drives Olga Blasco is to tackle difficult challenges, unlock people’s potential and help business owners drive value into their companies. She brings over 20 years of experience in the translation industry. Olga started as a linguist but quickly pursued a journey to create client solutions, get things done and build teams around the world. Her natural habitat is rapid growth and M&A, having held senior leadership positions in Lionbridge and Welocalize with a mandate to enable profitable scale. Since 2015 Olga is an independent growth strategist, mentor and social entrepreneur. A professional nomad, she operates out of Dublin and Istanbul, where she co-founded JANA to empower disadvantaged communities towards socially inclusive businesses. Olga is also a Board member of The Rosetta Foundation / Translators without Borders.

Ankita Tibrewal

An MBA from one of the top institutes in India, I have worked in industry for over 5 years in varied roles. I have worked as marketing and credit officer in a bank and asst. manager for a consultancy firm before pursuing my academic interest since 2016.  I have received multiple accolades and merit scholarship for my academic achievements at Aston University, United Kingdom. Presently, I am pursuing doctoral research on the topic “Language competencies in UK SME’s: An impact on international marketing performance” at Aston University, Birmingham.

Jessica Rathke

Jessica Rathke has 25 years of localization sales, sales management and marketing experience for leading language service providers.  She is currently Managing Director at Localisation Sales & Marketing and provides sales consulting, coaching and training to help language service providers increase revenue and profitability

Jessica holds an MBA and Bechelors of Arts degrees in Foreign Affairs and German from Miami University in Ohio, USA. She also did post-graduate studies in German at the University of Salzburg.

Professor Joanna Drugan

Jo Drugan is Professor of Translation at the University of East Anglia. Her research focuses on quality, ethics and technology in professional translation and interpreting. Her last book was on Quality in Professional Translation (Bloomsbury, 2013). She currently leads the ESRC/AHRC-funded Transnational Organised Crime and Translation project.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans is Assistant Pro Vice Chancellor with responsibility for enterprise at the University of South Wales and chair in entrepreneurship. He is visiting professor of entrepreneurship at Turku University in Finland and has worked as consultant for the OECD, EU and other economic development bodies globally. He also served as Vice President for the European Council of Small Business.

He has developed over £40 million of research and development projects and has published over 100 academic articles within refereed journals, academic books and conferences. Along with Professor Sara Carter, he is author of the best-selling textbook ‘Enterprise and Small Business’.

Lesley Batchelor OBE

Lesley Batchelor OBE is Director General IOE International Trade.  In the same way that we entrust the finances of our companies to qualified accountants and legal matters to qualified solicitors – our growing number of organisations exporting are recognising that the management and governance of their multi million pound trading transactions should be conducted by qualified international trade specialists.

Using both my understanding of trade, finance, marketing and digital tools available I have modernised the Institute. I’ve found great solutions to help them engage with young people studying global trade and members operating in this ever changing world – check out www.export.org.uk

Andrew Hickson

An Irish man living in The Netherlands, Andrew graduated from the Radboud University of Nijmegen, with a Master’s of Science in Cross-Cultural Management, and promptly decided to put his degree to absolutely no use, by opening a cocktail bar. With a varied professional background which has included time spent in theatre, cinema, and advertising in The Netherlands and Ireland, Andrew has found his home in the Localization industry. Andrew is marketing manager for Dutch LSP Ludejo.

Raisa McNab

Raisa McNab is the ATC’s Lead on Standards. She oversees the association’s ISO certification service, and works together with a group of LSPs and experts on developing language industry ISO standards in the UK. Raisa holds an MA in Translation and works as Learning & Development Manager at Sandberg Translation Partners.

Sarah Bawa Mason

I am currently Chair of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and a Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Portsmouth.

I trained as an in-house translator with the InterPress Service in Montevideo in the 1990s before graduating with a distinction in the MA in Translation Studies at Portsmouth in 2005. I have worked as a translator and editor for entities such as UNICEF, Elsevier, the European Training Foundation and other private clients for 25 years.

In all my roles I express a deep commitment to improving translator training and to shaping a robust future outlook for the human beings in our profession.

Roger Smith

Roger here, nice to meet you! I’m looking forward to sharing my experience in quality management, communication, ISO and GDPR. I’ve acquired this knowledge during my time as Business Development Manager with ZELENKA Translations and every day I ensure I put it to good use for all our clients.

Bernadette Byrne

Bernie joined the ATC as a Council member in 2016, and has over 23 years’ experience in the localisation industry in both sales and operations management. She gained a BA (Hons) in Applied Languages (French and Spanish) studying translation and interpreting in London, Quebec  and Guadalajara (Mexico) and Paris,

Passionate about this industry and about the customer experience focussing on strategic relationship management, retention strategies and continuous improvement of the customer experience, Bernie provides a voice for the customer on the Board.

With extensive experience in working with the Public Sector from involvement in the Cross Government  Language Service Frameworks, from the initial bidding and winning the contract through to delivery and fulfilment.

Bernie has worked in an advisory capacity on language policy groups with various government departments advising on how to access language services, best practice, regulations and levels of qualifications. Bernie has also attended a Select Committee giving advice on procurement to a Government department.

Heading up thebigwords Corporate Social Responsibility team, Bernie has been instrumental in setting up strategic partnerships both locally and internationally, contributing to our local communities.

Roy Allkin

Roy Allkin is the founder and owner of Wolfestone and is currently the Chairman of the Association of Translation Companies in the UK. Wolfestone has won over 50 prestigious national and international business accolades and awards. Amongst numerous others Roy is the IWA Welsh Entrepreneur of the Year.

Roy’s multi-award winning digital multilingual multimedia company – VoiceBox – is growing rapidly and has offices in the UK and US, with high profile clients such as Sony and the BBC.

Roy studied History for his first class Honours Degree before going on to achieve a Masters Degree with distinction in Business.

In his spare time Roy travels extensively, is an advanced scuba diver, enjoys tennis, rock climbing and sailing and is passionate about reading. Roy is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon-do, has been British Champion, and has represented Wales internationally.

Ruth Partington

Ruth is Founder, and Chief General Dogsbody, for RP Translate, one of the UK’s leading translation agencies. Working with a niche client base for over 20 years, her skill of finding innovative ways to build exceptional client and supplier relationships has seen the agency go from strength to strength.

Ruth is now using that expertise to bring the ATC even closer to its members and their interests. Council Member since 2014, Ruth revolutionised the ATC Member application process as Chair of the Membership Committee. Currently ATC Vice-Chair, she feels passionately about maximising the ATC’s national and international influence and membership offering.

Isabella Moore CBE

Isabella is Co-Director of Comtec Translations , which Isabella originally founded in 1986, sold in 20002 and re-acquired with daughter, Sophie Howe, in 2007,a leading company providing technical translation and multilingual documentation services to exporters in the manufacturing, creative, e-learning and computer software industries with healthy business growth achieved through the development of a customer-focused company committed to quality and continuous improvement. Other focus and interest has been the interface between business activity and public policy in relation to language skills and women’s enterprise. From 2002 to 2004 first female President of the British Chambers of Commerce and Vice-President of Eurochambres, the association of European Chambers of Commerce, Chairman of the Confederation of West Midlands Chambers of Commerce and from 2004 to 2008 CEO of CILT, the National Centre for Languages.

In these roles Isabella initiated research on the effect of language skills on the performance of SMEs across EU member states and was member of a High Level Group on Multilingualism, which made recommendations to the European Commission on EU wide policies. Isabella holds Honorary Doctorates from Sheffield Hallam University and Aston University for services to industry and languages and honorary Fellowships from the Chartered Institute of Linguists and Institute of Translation and Interpreting. Isabella’s involvement in the area of women’s enterprise has been as Chair of the National Women’s Enterprise Panel, President of the Eurochambres Women’s Network. She is currently undertaking doctoral research at Aston University in the field of entrepreneurship for women of 50+.

Julie Giguère

Julie holds responsibility for Asian Absolute’s global Project Management, Quality Assurance and Vendor Management teams. She also personally led the start-up of the company’s operations in Bangkok and Panama City and manages the company’s sales offices in other locations.

Holder of degrees in Specialised Translation and Law, Julie’s career before Asian Absolute saw her manage translation projects for the Bank of Montreal as well as at major Language Service Providers in France and the UK. These roles were a natural fit for Julie, a passionate communicator who speaks fluent French, Spanish and English.

At Asian Absolute, Julie has proven time and again that she loves a challenge. This makes her the first choice for clients who have the most complex and sophisticated projects.

Her development duties at the company saw her grow our Varna operation from a handful of staff to its current team of more than thirty. Meanwhile, the other global locations which she oversees have seen a 100% increase in the acquisition rate of new clients since she took over. A testament to Julie’s hard-earned knowledge of how to overcome the challenges of both start-up and longer-term management.

Based in London, Julie now has responsibility for both her local office and the other two locations which she set up. Between them, these offices handle production for Asian Absolute’s clients around the world. Her colleagues have come to expect her to be continuously looking for ways to innovate and improve both their workplace and internal processes as well as external marketing and client solutions.

A keen art lover, at the weekends you can normally find Julie watching ballet or at a museum, art gallery or opera house.

Rebecca Aldridge

Rebecca has a degree in French and Russian from the University of Wolverhampton and a Diploma in Translation from the Chartered Institute of Linguists. She is a qualified GDPR Practitioner.

Rebecca was previously Managing Director of ATC member Intonation Ltd.  She started work 23 years earlier as an administrator with sole responsibility for handling translations for the technical documentation division in the Group – the precursor to Intonation.  In addition to growing the company organically, during her tenure she oversaw the acquisition of four LSPs.  Latterly Group Managing Director of the parent company, she also provided strategic direction to other group companies in fields as diverse as education, creative design, PR, and regulatory publishing for the automotive industry.

In early 2018, she created GDPR Assist Ltd to provide no-nonsense consultancy services to SMEs in relation to GDPR compliance.  Combining her insight and experience as an LSP with her knowledge of the GDPR, Rebecca provided additional content for the ATC’s 3-part webinar series on implementing the GDPR and wrote the ATC LSP Guide to the GDPR.  She was commissioned by the ITI to write their GDPR guide for members and has also directly advised LSPs on their journey to compliance.

Helen Provart

With a background in international business, Helen builds on over 15 years’ experience in the language industry. Her career began in the manufacturing and textile industries where she put her first degree in international business and Spanish to good use and honed her commercial skills and knowledge. She then turned her attention to the area she was most passionate about, languages, and after completing a Master’s degree in Translation and Interpreting, began her career with Peak Translations.