Do you really network? A journey from Swansea to Manchester

Last month I was in the ASETRAD conference that took place in Cordoba, Spain, and it was ok. I had fun and people were nice. However, from a business perspective, it was completely useless.

If you are a newbie, as I am, it won’t be easy to meet a fellow translator and become his/her first professional choice for future projects. Why? This translator may know colleagues for 10 or 15 years; when he/she needs help, I doubt you will come to his/her mind as the first option.

Yesterday I was in an e-commerce networking event in Manchester. It was great all around: amazing venue, delicious food and free full license bar for all the assistants. In addition, I picked up some useful tips from the speakers and made very good connections.

E-commerce retailers are aware of the importance of having a multi-currency and multilingual website, even though some of them still do not have it. This is where I come in.

My advice: do not limit yourself to translation conferences and events.

I also had great fun in the low cost youth hostel I spent the night in. This reminds me that I am still young!