Extended until 1 September 2016

The ITI Conference is the biggest event in the UK translation and interpreting calendar. Held every two years, it attracts attendees from all over the world. In 2015, the ITI Conference welcomed over 300 delegates from over 20 countries to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and was a resounding success.

By popular demand, in 2017, the ITI Conference makes a return to Cardiff, on 19 & 20 May. There will also be a day of preconference workshops and masterclasses on Thursday 18 May. This makes Cardiff the first city outside of London to play host to the ITI Conference twice.

The 2017 theme ‘Working our core: for a strong(er) translation and interpreting profession’ focuses on the very essence of what we do as translators and interpreters. On strengthening our core skills to ensure our success as we develop as professionals, both individually and collectively.

Whether you work in translation, interpreting or any other field, if you have a relevant topic you would like to present on, we want to hear from you.

NEW in 2017:

As well as the traditional 50 minute presentations, we are looking for proposals for a series of inspiring 20 minute TED-style talks (with no slides). These talks will run concurrently during one of the conference slots. If you’re not entirely sure of what we mean by ‘TED-style talks’, have a look here.

Topics of interest for presentations, TED-style talks and panels include but are not limited to:

• Maintaining and developing your language skills
• Maintaining and developing your translation skills
• CPD with quality and value
• Developing subject-knowledge
• Working with technology
• Learning from other fields and professions
• The role of peers in professional development
• Mentoring
• Translators and interpreters as a community of practice
• What is professionalism?
• Any other related topics

Proposals for the ITI Conference 2017 will be evaluated through a competitive peer-review process. Selected presenters will be rewarded with increased professional recognition and free entry to the conference.

Because of its polylingual history, not just in terms of Welsh and English but also its established immigrant communities and the tourism it receives, Cardiff is a linguistic melting pot. It is also the seat of the bilingual Senedd (Welsh Assembly) and therefore the ideal city to give special recognition to interpreters. So much so that we are hoping to add a fourth track devoted to interpreting. We would like to receive many proposals about interpreting to fill that track and look forward to welcoming ever larger numbers of interpreter delegates to this and future ITI conferences.

Abstracts are being invited for presentations, panels and TED-style talks.

Presentations (50 minutes including questions)

• An abstract of maximum 500 words written in English in running text with no supplementary material, providing a clear description of the content and learning objectives of the presentation. No PDFs please. 
• Specify your target audience, from newcomers to the translation and interpreting industry through to seasoned professionals
• Supply a brief biography of the presenter (maximum 100 words with abbreviations and acronyms written out in full)

OR

• A 2-minute YouTube or Vimeo (private) video containing the above information, accompanied by a written biography of the presenter (maximum 100 words with abbreviations and acronyms written out in full)

Panels (50 minutes including questions)

• As per presentations but with a biography for each of the panel members
• Panels must not exceed 3 members

TED-style talks (20 minutes. No questions)

• An up to 3-minute YouTube or Vimeo (private) video introducing the topic and you, the speaker. Only 1 background slide is allowed. We are looking for talks that are inspiring, engaging and thought-provoking! This is your opportunity to stand out and talk about what’s important to you. If your proposal is selected, you will be contacted for further details.

Deadline for submissions

The deadline for receipt of your proposal and biography is 18 July 2016. Please submit your documents in Microsoft Word/OpenOffice.org/plain text format (no PDFs please) and links to your videos to contact@iti-conference.org.uk, clearly marking your message as ‘Proposal for ITI Conference 2017’.

Please do not submit proposals for pre-conference masterclasses or workshops. However, if you have an idea or a topic you would particularly like to see covered in that format, please write directly to contact@iti-conference.org.uk.

Also new for 2017

As a big thank you, if you are selected to present at the ITI Conference 2017, your conference fee is on us! This offer includes both main days of the conference but does not include travel, accommodation or the conference dinner.

We look forward to receiving your proposals. If you need inspiration or further convincing that you want to be part of it, just have a look at the closing video and photos of our 2015 conference below.

If you have any questions, simply write to contact@iti-conference.org.uk or call the ITI office on 01908 325250.