ABRATES 8th International Translation and Interpretation Conference is coming up, and you should definitely attend it!
ABRATES is the Brazilian Association of Translators and Interpreters, a non-profit association managed by volunteer translators and interpreters. It promotes courses and events and encourages the exchange of knowledge and networking among the industry’s professionals, institutions, and agencies.
São Paulo, Brazil.
Going beyond the obvious of any good industry event, I would say that the first great reason to attend ABRATES’ Conference is that it will be held in São Paulo, Brazil.
I wasn’t born in São Paulo, but I was raised there, so I guess that allows me to call it my hometown.
São Paulo is Brazil’s (and Latin America’s) vibrant financial center, and is among the world’s most populous cities (some 20 million people live in São Paulo’s metro area), with numerous cultural institutions and a rich architectural tradition. Its iconic buildings range from its neo-Gothic cathedral and the 1929 Martinelli skyscraper to modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer’s curvy Edifício Copan. The colonial-style Pátio do Colégio church marks where Jesuit priests founded the city in 1554.
If food is your thing, that’s the place to be. São Paulo is the world’s gastronomic capital. Add to that the fact that it is a 24-hour city and I can guarantee that you will find any type of food, anytime! Going out to eat is a big deal there!
The city is also highly diverse. São Paulo demography shows a conglomeration of a large number of ethnic communities. There are European, Arab, Asian, African, Jewish, Latin American, and North American people in the city; however, Portuguese remains the most widely spoken language, and São Paulo is the largest city in the Portuguese-speaking world.
Brazilians
The other good reason is we, Brazilians!
We are a great bunch! We love to party, and we love even more when foreigners visit us and are interested in our culture, history, food, etc. Brazilians go several extra miles to help foreigners find their way around town (as long as you follow basic safety precautions applicable to any large city). We want to make our casa, your casa.
Exchange rate
If you live in North America, Europe or Oceania, you are almost certain to find great bargains. The usual international trip tips apply, such as booking your flights and hotel as early as possible, but the exchange rate is your friend.
Unfortunately, amid a political crisis, Brazil has dived deeper into recession. That means Brazilian Real (R$) has, for the past three years, dropped to record lows against U.S. Dollar and Euro.
| CURRENCY | 1.00 equals to |
| American dollar | R$ 3.27501 |
| Euro | R$ 3.50452 |
| Pound | R$ 4.18004 |
| Australian Dollar | R$ 2.61196 |
| Canadian dollar | R$ 2.53997 |
| Yen | R$ 0.03233 |
| Danish Crown | R$ 0.53656 |
| Norwegian Krone | R$ 0.43833 |
| Swedish Krona | R$ 0.42175 |
| New Zealand Dollar | R$ 2.41321 |
| Swiss Franc | R$ 3.41257 |
| Argentinean Peso | R$ 0.28796 |
| Chilean Peso | R$ 0.00564 |
| Mexican Peso | R$ 0.19558 |
| Uruguayan Peso | R$ 0.13232 |
| Rand | R$ 0.30552 |
| Israeli Shekel | R$ 1.11436 |
| Korean Won | R$ 0.00198 |
| Yuan | R$ 0.55505 |
Source: http://www.cotacao.com.br on 03/18/2017.
Click here for information and here for registration.
The more obvious reasons
Attending industry events has some pretty obvious benefits, and it is no different if you attend ABRATES Conference.
Scheduled for May 25-27, 2017, this will be the 8th edition of the conference.
Dr. Leandro Karnal will be the keynote speaker, and the conference will have several professionals and expert guests addressing different topics, such as Translation Market, Literary Translation, Copyright, Translation of Games, Audiovisual Translation, Translator-Client Relationship, Translator Internationalization, Entrepreneurship, etc.
If you are like me, you work either from home or in a coworking space — only a small percentage of our industry’s professionals work in-house, which means, ours is somewhat of a lonely life. Attending a conference is like a parent kissing a child’s boo-boo — it makes everything better! You get to see friends and colleagues, meet some very interesting folks, learn from your peers, exchange knowledge, find new or potential clients, and have the best happy-hour beers of your year.
One thing to keep in mind is that ours is a very fast paced industry, and I am not talking (only) about deadlines! A conference is the best place to go to see what is new in technology, productivity, business practices, and get great first-hand advice from like-minded peeps.
If your software needs updating, enjoy the famous discounts available at conferences from software exhibitors.
That being said, update your LinkedIn profile, website and resume, print lots of business cards, and hit the road (or the airport).
Have a safe trip and enjoy the conference!
Translation Tidbits 