By Irene Stoel
It is important for a translator to stay up to date with not only the languages one works with, but also translation trends in general. Attending ATA’s annual conference is of course an excellent way to stay in the loop (you can register for ATA66 in Boston now!), but there are many other interesting events.
The list below is just a small sample of events that are organized in the Netherlands / Belgium (geared towards the Dutch language) as well as around the world. Please note that I do not have any knowledge about whether or not these would be approved for Continuing Education points by the ATA nor do I have personal experience with these organizations. Mentioning these conferences is not an endorsement.
Events about the Dutch language:
- Colloquium Neerlandicum
Wereldcongres van de Internationale Neerlandistiek
Takes place every three years
August 25 to 29, 2025 in Brussels - Landelijk Symposium (Organized by Huus van de Taol and the Stichting Nederlandse Dialecten
“Podium veur de streektaol”
October 2, 2025 in Emmen - Taalfeest
Organized by Onze Taal, de lage landen and VRT.
This year’s theme is feelings/emotions: How do we express feelings in language? Do words have emotional value? What is the connection between language and emotions?
October 11, 2025 in Utrecht - Congres Levende Talen
This year’s theme: Talen voor kansen, kansen voor talen!
Annual event
November 14, 2025 in Ede - Literaire Vertaaldagen
Organized by Nederlands Letterenfonds (Dutch Foundation for Literature)
Annual event held over two days.
This year’s event took place earlier this month in Amsterdam.
Outlier:
- Pennsylvania Dutch Day
July 19, 2025 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
I am aware that Pennsylvania Dutch is NOT close to Dutch (and has more similarities with German and Yiddish), but it might be of interest to someone who likes to know more about it.
You can read more about Pennsylvania Dutch in this article published by the German Language Division.
General Translation Events:
- FIT 2025
Organized by the International Federation of Translators
Annual Conference
This year the conference is taking place from September 4 to 6, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland - The Evolving Linguist Conference
September 6, 2025 in New Brunswick, New Jersey
Organized by the Delaware Valley Translators Association, the Spanish and Portuguese Language Divisions and the New York Circle of Translators - Together
Annual conference organized by the European Language Industry Association
This year’s conference was held in Barcelona, Spain in February. - GALA Conference
Organized by the Globalization and Localization Association
This year’s event was held in Montreal, Canada in April.
Next year will be April 12 to 14, 2026 in Berlin, Germany - BP Translation Conference
Annual event
This year’s conference took place in Krakow, Poland in May.
Next year will be April 20 to 22, 2026 in Avignon, France