By BLISS - Brazilian Language Industry Association

On August 25th and 26th, BLISS held its very first annual conference. The event was a smashing success, and we are excited to share the thoughts of some of our members and participants.

Andrea Gonçalves Pinto (Transmaster Traduções)

The first International BLISS Conference brought together visionary professionals to discuss the evolving landscape of the language services industry in Brazil. The event proved to be a remarkable success, and I found Anne-Marie Colliander Lind's keynote presentation especially enlightening. Among the several useful insights offered by Anne-Marie, these have strongly resonated with me:

“The world is changing, and we with it”: This is something that I bring with me already in my daily tasks, but it’s always useful to remember that our industry is undergoing rapid transformation, and as language service providers, we must adapt to stay ahead and remain relevant. As a company, having a clear vision and well-defined goals are essential to navigate the evolving landscape successfully.

“Outsource what can be outsourced”: I particularly enjoyed this comment. As a small LSP, outsourcing plays a pivotal role, especially when considering cost-effectiveness and scalability. Rather than investing in building and maintaining some capabilities in-house, which could be financially burdensome, outsourcing enables us to access top-notch services without a substantial initial investment. This way, we can redirect our energy toward growing the business, nurturing client relationships, and improving service quality.

“Build your tribe”: That is, cultivate your relationships. Our business is about people. And people buy from other people, as Renato Beninatto usually says. Building a network of like-minded professionals—your "tribe"—is invaluable. Sharing insights, collaborating on projects, and seeking advice within this community can provide the support and inspiration needed to navigate challenges successfully.

While I wish I could explore every aspect presented, summarizing them all would require a full-fledged article from me. I congratulate BLISS for organizing this memorable event.

Carolina Ventura (Freelance Translator and Abrates VP)

I had the pleasure of attending the first International BLISS Conference in August 2023 and was most impressed by the high quality of the lectures. I particularly enjoyed the lectures given by two wonderful women who work at RWS Group, one of the world’s leading language service providers.

Frances Pearn-Rowe (Trados Sales Director at RWS) talked about the ever-evolving Trados ecosystem, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that RWS implements new technology based on users’ requests, which it collects through periodical surveys. She focused on Trados Studio cloud capabilities, which provides users with the longed-for flexibility to work online or offline, at the office desktop, on a tablet, or even on a mobile phone – that is, pretty much anywhere in the world.

Isabel Riera (Translation Line Manager at RWS) offered valuable insights into the challenges faced by a global company that adapts its processes and strategies to fit the local culture and market without losing sight of global patterns and solutions. What really spoke to my heart in her lecture, though, was an initiative called RWS Campus, through which a bridge is built between the localization market and new graduates. As one of the coordinators of Abrates’ Mentoring Program for inexperienced translators and interpreters, I was thrilled to hear about RWS’ free program that partners with universities around the world to help prepare professionals for the language industry.

Daniel Guio (Aliança Traduções)

With the presence of several important players in the localization market, the conference was very well organized. The keynotes and speakers were fabulous, not to mention the valuable content they shared with us. Everything was perfect! BLISS started only three years ago and is already offering top-level services and opportunities to network and grow together for its associates.

In his presentation, Rafael Souza delivered a very helpful and technical introduction to price formation within our industry. With graphics and examples, he demonstrated methods to reach the breakeven point for services and products, leveraging market dynamics of supply and demand. This generated a lot of debate and ideas, enough for a larger discussion among BLISS members with the goal of bringing value to their members and raising the price that our market is willing to pay for the services our industry provides.

Gisley Ferreira (Wordlink Traduções)

Presented by Célia Korn, CEO of Korn Translations, the lecture "ISO Certifications in the Language Industry" provided the audience with a comprehensive understanding of critical ISO standards in our field. The talk highlighted the benefits of achieving these certifications and the necessary changes in both mindset and operations for successful implementation and maintenance.

Célia Korn pointed out various ISO certifications relevant to the Language Industry. Among them were industry-specific standards like ISO 17100:2015, which sets the bar for Translation Services, and broader Management standards like ISO 9001:2015 for Quality Management Systems and ISO 22301:2019 for Business Continuity Management Systems.

For companies considering an ISO certification, decision-makers need to weigh the pros and cons carefully. It’s crucial to focus on client requirements, study the official copies of the selected standards, and create a solid implementation plan. This planning will likely require the expertise of a consultancy firm to identify needed changes and associated costs.

It's also important to note that maintaining your certification requires annual reviews and a recertification audit every three years. Continuous improvement and regular process evaluations are mandatory.

Célia Korn's lecture was an eye-opener for me. While I had a basic understanding of the certification process, her insights helped me realize which certifications would be most beneficial for my company and which ones I should avoid. Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each standard is crucial for gauging the company’s ability to achieve and maintain these certifications.

In summary, the lecture was incredibly informative and enlightening, particularly for the leaders in the language services sector who comprised most of the audience. It undoubtedly aided those seeking insights on whether or not to pursue ISO certification. This topic is another feather in the cap for the organizing committee of the event, which was a resounding success. I’m already looking forward to next year's congress in Rio de Janeiro.

Lilian Alves Mautone (LocHouse Translation)

Imagine being immersed in a transformative workshop, guided by none other than Renato Beninatto, a master in the art of presentation, with decades of experience and unparalleled charisma. This was the privileged setting of the first edition of the Bliss Conference, with the presentation "Think Again," a rare opportunity that left all participants feeling genuinely fortunate. Exploring the psychology behind sales and encouraging the breaking of biases and limiting beliefs, Beninatto highlighted "Understanding Consumer Motivations" as the key to successful marketing and sales strategies.

An intriguing aspect addressed was the "Power of Pre-Suasion," which sets apart the most successful professionals. Instead of simply communicating the message, Beninatto emphasized the importance of laying the groundwork for the audience to identify with the message even before hearing it. This tactic, as described by Cialdini, creates prior empathy, making the message more receptive.

Questioning "Why Focus on Small Numbers?" Beninatto elucidated the benefits of targeting strategies to a smaller audience: enhanced personalization and connection, effective adaptation of approaches, and optimized use of resources and time.

Furthermore, the workshop introduced "Sales Planning Tools," highlighting the importance of segmentation, behavioral segmentation, grouping, and profile definition. Beninatto emphasized creating profiles of ideal customers as an effective method of understanding diverse needs.

In summary, the workshop offered an enriching journey through the psychology of sales, emphasizing pre-suasion, the importance of small numbers, and vital tools for enhancing sales and marketing approaches.

Marina Vilela (Freelance Translator)

I was lucky enough to win the ticket offered by Translators101 to attend the first International BLISS Conference. I have been a member of Translators101 since 2021, and I've seen the power of Continuing Education in my career. So, I was excited to watch William Cassemiro's talk on this subject. William made a lot of important points, but some of my favorites were:

“Professionals who care about continuing education are the ones that bring more productivity, quality, and value to the services your company offers”: I believe in this wholeheartedly and see it in the Translators101 members who are always improving themselves as professionals. It’s great to see this idea being discussed in a conference for LSPs and to see these professionals being highlighted and valued.

“What is your company doing to attract and retain these professionals?”: This was a great question posed by William to some of the biggest LSPs in Brazil. It was clear that these companies were listening to his message and maybe thinking about the vendors they work with from a new perspective. As a freelancer, it gave me a lot of hope to see companies thinking about the quality of their vendors, not just the price.

William did a great job showing how investing in continuing education is a win-win for companies and professionals. I'm very thankful to him and to BLISS for bringing this discussion to the conference.

Roberta Aquino (Transmaster Traduções)

Bridging the gap between academic learning and the real-world business environment is crucial for preparing skilled professionals, especially in the language services field. At the international conference organized by BLISS, the round table discussion about this topic really caught my attention. It brought together experts from both universities and the business world to talk about the roles of each side in education and continued training of recently graduated translators.

The experts highlighted how academic knowledge and practical business skills need to go hand in hand. It's not enough for translators to only know languages; they also need to understand how the business works in the real world.

Currently, we see a shortage of translators who are ready for the demands of the business world. Therefore, a translator who understands both languages and how companies operate is really valuable. I believe this is a topic to be discussed further, so that partnerships between universities and companies can be created and nurtured to allow students to benefit from real-world experiences from seasoned professionals. With this, they would graduate not only with a degree but also with the practical skills needed to succeed in their careers.

Thanks to Daniel Guio, from Aliança Traduções, who facilitated the talk, Prof. Marileide Esqueda (Universidade Federal de Uberlândia), Prof. Simone Vieira Resende (Faculdade Phorte), Prof. Stella Tagnin (USP), Carolina Ventura (ABRATES) and William Cassemiro (Translators101) for this excellent session!

We hope to see you all in our 2024 BLISS Conference, set to take place in the vibrant and beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro!