Laura Ball (chair),  Jayne Graham, John Keep, Emma Paulay, & Martin Underhill

Originating in San Francisco in 2005, co-working is now a growing phenomenon, particularly in the UK. It offers freelancers

a new, structured way of breaking out of the isolation of home-working and can be a valuable tool in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Co-working can help bring translation into the wider world, as it allows translators to promote their services and the profession as a whole to a much wider range of people. It also enables translators to learn from other fields and professions, particularly where there are areas of overlap, such as tax issues or finding and retaining clients. Finally, the structure and discipline that visiting a co-working event or space entails can offer translators a new way of running their business and increase productivity.

In light of these benefits, the panel session aims to raise awareness of the co-working events, the so-called “jellies”, that take place throughout the country. Attendees will also learn about the practical opportunities that exist for joining or setting up local co-working spaces. Due to the nature of co-working, the panel session will be more relevant for translators than interpreters. It will be of most interest to newcomers to the profession who may be worried about isolation, but will also appeal to more established professionals who may be looking for a fresh perspective to rejuvenate their business.

After attending the panel session, delegates will be able to find out about and join co-working events in their local areas. They will possess information and resources for setting up “jellies” and other co-working events if there are none in their areas. Perhaps more importantly, they will have experienced first-hand how interacting with and learning from people outside the language profession can be enormously informative, providing fresh, relevant insights on business and adding a new dimension to business operations and ideas.