Post-conference Post

Sometimes I wish there was a place to add a sub-title to one’s post. In this case, mine would be:

The Orgasmic Pancake

This delightful crêpe with apple-filling garnished with a fruits of the forest sauce could be dismissed as pure indulgence. It certainly was an indulgence. All the more so because this particular pancake was the second one I ate at the gala dinner held at Burmester Cellars on the occasion of the 2013 ProZ.com International Conference in Porto for the benefit of translators from all over the world.

I ate it because our dinner companions had to leave early; because it was there; and because I know a good thing when I see one. Experience told me that I would never have a pancake quite like that again.

You see, most of the time, I live a rather pancake-deprived life.

By that I mean that I do not ordinarily experience the intense pleasure to be derived from two days of excellent presentations given by esteemed colleagues in the translation business on subjects which interest me greatly.

Pancake as a metaphor for excellence? Anything is possible. As a result of the close attention I paid to what the speakers were saying, I am brimming full of new ideas which I can apply directly to my translation business. The sooner, the better. To answer the question I posed most frequently to other delegates, the conference was worth it every bit as much as was my second helping of the orgasmic pancake.

To answer the questions most often asked of me, yes, I found the presentations helpful. They have helped me focus with greater clarity on areas in which I can make substantial improvements. I am not referring to the act of translating, nor to the excellence strived for in every assignment I accept. I am talking about all the other aspects which serve to support the core translation activity.

At the pre-conference dinner held on Friday night at which derogatory remarks about the coffee-flavoured flan pudding were made in Portuguese amid gales of laughter, someone asked me if this was my first conference to which I replied that it was. Oh, said the asker, you are a ProZ conference virgin! Still chuckling about that one, I have to say.

The other question I was asked quite often was whether I enjoyed meeting other translators. The answer is an unequivocal yes – every single one – and immensely!

I shall be writing a guest blog in the next couple of days on what I found so inspiring about apples and fruits of the forest wrapped in batter. More about that to come.

In the meantime, I have to dash to put my non-virginal self into a taxi to attend a one-day post-conference workshop I signed up for – just as soon as I have had my breakfast in this delightful five-star hotel.

Allison

P.S. As expected, the wine is rather good.