The world is changing rapidly before our very eyes. The pace of change is accelerating, and the language industry is no exception. Our old certainties are disappearing. Globalization vs. deglobalization. Growth vs. slowdown. New tech, new business models, new skills needed. The list goes on.

The only way for all of us to stay relevant is to understand and embrace these changes, and to make the best of all the many new opportunities they bring. New opportunities to grow and thrive, as businesses or individuals. New ways to transform our operations. New trends to explore and adopt.

The good news is that there are great stories all around us. Many as yet untold. And GALA 2023 Dublin is the place to tell these stories. To that end, the event will include new session formats, short and long, and several new tracks – all designed to bring interesting and fresh perspectives to the things that matter to anyone engaged in language services.

GALA 2023 Dublin will be the place to rethink some of our established assumptions or ways of working, see how the language industry can regroup for the future, and how all of us, as professionals and businesses, can flourish in this brave new world.

Special thanks to our GALA 2023 Program Committee for their work to create the Call for Proposals and conference program.

Deadline to Submit: 21 October 2022
You will need to be logged into your GALA account in order to complete your submission

About the conference

Dates: 12-15 March 2023
Location: Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin, Ireland
Format: In-Person
Deadline for proposals: 21 October 2022

GALA launched its Language of Business conference series in 2009. The 3-day annual conference has been held in cities across Europe and North America and draws delegates from around the globe to learn, share, and network. Prior to the disruption caused by COVID-19, annual attendance reached 500 registrants and GALA conferences had become one of the regular gathering places for professionals in the translation and localization sector. GALA conferences have earned a reputation for being open, inclusive places to learn with peers. They have a collaborative atmosphere and a buoyant, energetic vibe.

Tracks

Tracks are designed to be inclusive and cross-functional. Please keep in mind our diverse audience which includes translation, localization, and interpreting professionals serving in a variety of roles.

For each track we provide suggestions to inspire you and help you develop valuable and compelling proposals that might include best practices, use cases, case studies, and success/personal stories.

Track 1: Interpretation & multilingual events – Language services for global events

• Advances and breakthroughs in interpreting technologies
• Customer experience at global events: Business cases in E2E (Enterprise-to-Enterprise)
• Interpretation procurement: Proposals, tenders and bids
• Emerging use cases for interpretation
• Interpreting standards, interpreter training & interpreters’ working conditions
• Positioning interpreting services in an LSP’s portfolio
• Remote conferencing: A step beyond the conventional tools

Track 2: Economics of the language industry – Talking business from a language perspective

• Pricing models: Alternative approaches for clients, vendors, and freelancers
• Non-traditional working models to meet changing needs: Crowdsourcing, gig economy, etc…
• Re-positioning translators and interpreters inside the value chain
• Language access enablement as an emerging role on the buyer side: A potential opportunity for LSPs?
• Real impact of certifications (ISO compliant, green company, people-centric, etc.)
• From linguistic quality to customer experience and content performance
• The costs and benefits of the localization process (ROI, KPIs, OKRs)
• Designing a localization process from scratch: How would it look in 2023?
• Are new demands on the horizon? Industries, companies, content, regions, use cases, trends (M&A, VC/PE involvement, investments)
• Is “Go big, go niche or go out of business” the new mantra for our industry?

Track 3: Change and evolution of professional profiles – Embracing the future

• Upskilling/Reskilling to meet real-world needs:
  • Costs and benefits
  • Resource availability
  • Leadership support
  • Mentoring
• New profiles for the industry
• Collaboration between academia and the language industry: How to make curricula fit the future
• Fostering partnerships between industry and research
• Hiring, promoting, learning: case studies from recruitment agencies, universities, students’ initiatives etc.

Track 4: Ethics in the language industry – Social impact and alternative measures of success

• Data protection and data value
• Functionality vs Privacy
• Concentration/decentralization of power in AI-driven language technologies
• (Dis)Empowering language work
• How can ethics empower company and business decisions?
• Ethical/Alternative ways to measure success that better reflect social (or other) needs
• Employee ownership as a business model
• The human impact of remote work
• Language as an accessibility tool vs. language as a business tool

Track 5: Technology – Pushing tech a step forward

• Relevant innovations in technology
  • Language data manipulation
  • Voice-related technology
  • NLP & NLG & NLU
  • Translation devices for the public
  • VR and the metaverse
  • CX/UX tools
• Evaluating language technologies
• Tech accessibility for emerging markets
• Impact of technology on processes and client-provider relationships
  • MT, MTPE and TEP: How do they fit together?
  • AI-powered automation
  • How do MT and automated interpreting stack up against reality?
  • Pushing agile localization in the age of TikTok
  • QA tools
• Opportunity costs
  • Generating business opportunities through new technologies
  • Financial impact of not keeping abreast of new technology or relying too much on the next best thing
  • Developing technologies inside of LSPs
• Democratizing tech for non-tech people – Low-code/No-code
• Enabling/Supporting global content delivery
  • Filling the gap in tech requirements and implementation between LSPs and clients
  • New ideas, approaches
• Digital wellness

Track 6: Accessibility – A new challenge

• (Web) accessibility standards and regulations
• Addressing accessibility from the LSP’s and the client’s POV
• Research and accessibility
• Accessibility as a business driver
• Accessibility for events – language inclusion (audio description, captioning, sign language, etc.)

Track 7: Project, program and vendor management – Key elements for success

• Developing a healthy partnership between LSPs and client-side organizations
• Project management: aligning the role to customer’s requirements and business needs (case studies, business cases, success stories)
• KPIs for localization program management
• Integrating vendor management in localization project and program management strategies
• Vendor management as a key factor for success
• Transparency in vendor management
• Client-side globalization teams: New roles to meet changing needs

Special Track: The GALA Soapbox

• This track is for those who would like to take a stand, express an opinion, and bring lively debate into the conversation. For more information on the GALA Soapbox, please check out the GALA 2023 Soapbox Call for Proposals
• Please note that there is a separate form for Soapbox proposals. Soapbox proposals are not accepted using the general CFP form.

Session types

Short Talks: Presentations (including Q&A) of concepts that promote conversation, debate, and/or curiosity.  (20’ of presentation and 10’ Q&A)

Panel discussion: Long-format panel discussions (3-5 experts) around a specific topic. (45 minutes of panel discussion and 15’ of Q&A with the audience)

Other: Have an idea for a creative and engaging session type that doesn’t fit one of these categories? Pitch it to us!

Audience