Translating Europe Forum 2025

1. 5 Nov 2025, 08:30 - 18:00 (CET)

   DAY 1, WEDNESDAY
2. 08:30 - 09:20 (CET)

   Registration & welcome coffee
3. 09:20 - 09:25 (CET)

   Opening of ClearLanguage@TEF

   Anna HOLMÉN and Miha ŽLIČAR (DG Translation) 

4. 09:25 - 09:40 (CET)

   Opening speech

   Valeria DARÒ (Director, DG Translation)  

5. 09:40 - 10:20 (CET)

   Keynote – clear language, clearer futures: bridging communities through standards and strategy

   • Lodewijk VAN NOORT (President, Plain Language Association International – PLAIN) and Julie CLEMENT (President, Clarity International) 

   Julie Clement (legal expert) and Lodewijk van Noort (strategic communication advisor) open the conference with a joint keynote on the transformative power of plain language. From different professional backgrounds, they share a common mission: making language accessible to all. 

   Julie explores how plain legal language promotes justice, how ISO standards support clarity, and how design and empathy can reshape legal communication. 

   Lodewijk highlights plain language as a global inclusion tool, the strategic role of ISO principles, and how real-world examples show the impact of user-centered communication. 

   The keynote concludes with a joint discussion. 

6. 10:20 - 11:10 (CET)

   Building consensus around clear language and editing (panel discussion)

   Moderator: 

   • Mark PRESCOTT (DG Translation) 

   Panellists: 

   • Jeroen ASPESLAGH (DG Translation)
   • Angelika VAASA (European Parliament)
   • Shauna DOHERTY (European Council)
   • Neil JAMES (International Plain Language Federation)  

   Expert panellists from the EU institutions and the International Plain Language Federation will share their experiences in building clear language communities across organisations. They'll discuss the role of the ISO standard for plain language in aligning practices and how AI could impact the profile of drafters and editors.  

7. 11:10 - 11:30 (CET)

   Comfort break
8. 11:30 - 12:30 (CET)

   Breakout discussion 1 (live-streamed)

   AI services for clear language  

   Moderator: 

   • Marina Dudenhoefer (DG Translation)

   Speakers: 

   • Helen DOBBY (DG Translation)
   • Hester BENEDICTUS (developer of Lees Simpel app)  

   This session will demonstrate state-of-the-art AI tools that facilitate drafting and translation and summarise document content. Helen Dobby from DG Translation's AI-based services team will share insights into the tools being developed at the European Commission to support the EU’s ‘easy-to-read’ standards. She will be joined by Hester Benedictus, a political scientist whose team designed an award-winning app that helps people with low literacy skills to read complex government letters.  

9. 11:30 - 12:30 (CET)

   Breakout discussion 2 (in Mansholt room, recorded)

   Clear language and the media 

   Moderator:

   • Ingrida ROGAL (DG Translation)

   Speakers:  

   • Stefan DE KEERSMAECKER (Director Citizens Communication, European Commission)
   • Michelle WAITZMAN (Plain Language Association International – PLAIN) 

   If you want the media to share your news with the public accurately and quickly, use clear language. It will greatly increase your chances of success! In this session, learn how to create better press material from an experienced former spokesperson and TV producer. 

10. 11:30 - 12:30 (CET)

    Breakout discussion 3 (in Jenkins room, recorded)

    Economic and social policy: the cost of not being clear 

    Moderator: 

    • Linh DO (Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission) 

    Speakers: 

    • Ingrid HAUSSTEINER (Austrian National Bank, European Central Bank)
    • Martin O’BRIEN (European Economic and Social Committee) 

    When economic and social policies are hard to understand, society pays the price. This session will discuss the consequences of unclear communication and the importance of putting the needs of non-experts first. Join us to discover practical ways to champion clear, inclusive policy writing. 

11. 12:45 - 13:15 (CET)

    Harvesting session from breakout discussions: moderators present summaries and conclusions
12. 13:15 - 14:30 (CET)

    Networking lunch
13. 13:45 - 14:30 (CET)

    Registration for participants arriving for the afternoon session
14. 14:30 - 14:45 (CET)

    Opening of the Translating Europe Forum 2025 by the event hosts and opening speech

    • Event hosts: Anna HOLMÉN and Miha ŽLIČAR (DG Translation)
    • Speech: Valeria DARÒ (Director, DG Translation)

     

15. 14:50 - 15:35 (CET)

    Keynote #1

    • Ana GUERBEROF (University of Groningen) 

    What is the relationship between quality and creativity in translation practice? What is the added value of professional translations that readers and viewers can engage with and enjoy? And more importantly, what is the creative process in translation? Can machines emulate this process?  

    To explore these questions, Ana Guerberof will present her research on creativity in translation, carried out within 2 EU-funded projects over the last 5 years.  

16. 15:35 - 16:40 (CET)

    Scene-setting panel - what is quality in translation?

    • Panel chair: Oleksander BONDARENKO (Language Industry Expert Group)
    • Beate KUHL (Language Industry Expert Group)
    • Tomáš SVOBODA (European Master’s in Translation Board)
    • Jesús SAYOLS (Amnesty International)
    • Giulia TARDITI (Language Industry Expert Group)
    • Alan MELBY (International Federation of Translators – FIT) 

    Most of us recognise quality intuitively: “You know it when you see it.” Yet defining translation quality is far from simple. It’s a matter of how we balance accuracy, usability and purpose, and involves every stage of the process: before, during and after translation.  

    What can be done to ensure the best possible outcome? What are the constraints? When is a translation genuinely good – and when is it merely good enough? Good enough – for what, and for whom?  

    In 2025 these questions have never been more relevant. For some, quality still means fidelity to the source, while for others it means fitness for purpose or user satisfaction. As human expertise increasingly interacts with AI-driven tools, the very concept of ‘quality’ is being redefined across academia, industry and institutions.  

    This opening panel invites participants to explore that evolving landscape – from ISO standards and institutional practices to post-editing and generative AI. We will ask not only how we define quality today, but what is truly at stake when it falls short in today’s interconnected world. 

17. 16:35 - 16:50 (CET)

    Comfort break
18. 16:50 - 17:45 (CET)

    Terminology: the hidden driver of quality (panel discussion)

    • Panel chair: Lucio BAGNULO (Language Industry Expert Group)
    • Maria RZEWUSKA-WALIGÓRA (DG Translation)
    • Jourik CIESIELSKI (language technology expert)
    • Cristina VALENTINI (Head of Terminology Unit, World Intellectual Property Organisation)  

    What does quality in translation really mean? Often seen as subjective and difficult to measure, quality still rests on one of the few objective, visible building blocks: terminology. 

    When neglected, the cracks are immediate – inconsistent outputs, erosion of trust, jeopardised legal certainty and weakened brand identity. 

    Terminology management has never truly been about producing glossaries. It is, and has always been, data infrastructure at the core of multilingual and AI-supported workflows, shaping clarity for institutions, industry and technology alike. 

    This raises an essential question: how can terminology continue to safeguard quality in an environment of constant change, shifting practices and new tools? 

    This panel brings together institutional, industry and technology leaders to uncover terminology’s evolving role – from workflow integration to client perceptions, from quality assurance in outsourcing to the challenges of integrating new technologies. 

    Beyond exploring these dimensions, the discussion will highlight why emerging professionals should embrace terminology and data skills as part of their future identity. 

19. 17:45 - 18:00 (CET)

    EMT present your thesis award

    • presented by Christos ELLINIDES (Director-General for Translation, European Commission)  
20. 6 Nov 2025, 09:00 - 18:00 (CET)

    DAY 2, THURSDAY
21. 09:00 - 10:00 (CET)

    Conference registration for in-person participants and welcome coffee
22. 09:30 - 09:35 (CET)

    Opening of day 2 by the event hosts

    • Anna HOLMÉN and Miha ŽLIČAR (DG Translation) 
23. 09:35 - 10:30 (CET)

    Keynote #2

    • Bruno HERRMANN (LT-Innovate)  

    Elevating translation quality with tech-driven effectiveness and human value creation  

    Language quality has never been more critical in the AI age. Language effectiveness is at the core of multilingual content, products and services resonating with humans.  

    In short, the role of language professionals is challenged by tech-driven transformation and, at the same time, augmented by the need to balance automation with human intelligence.  

    Capturing and measuring quality matters. Putting it into perspective and action to demonstrate its value is equally crucial. It requires connecting people, process and technology ‘dots’ effectively so that no missing ‘dot’ impacts the quality and effectiveness, and therefore the value, of the work produced and delivered by language professionals. 

    Taking the big picture of language management into account paves the way to opportunities to elevate and celebrate quality, expanding language expertise beyond traditional and siloed roles. 

      

24. 10:30 - 11:10 (CET)

    Standards and quality

    • Ingemar STRANDVIK (DG Translation)
    • Alan MELBY (International Federation of Translators – FIT)
    • Eva Maria TILLMANN (Head of Quality Management, oneword)
    • Christopher KURZ (Head of Translation Management, ENERCON)  

    This session featuring global experts on quality in translation will provide an overview of the newest developments in the domain of translation-related standards. Are standards still useful in today’s increasingly AI-driven environment? Come and gain insights into standards-based strategies for maintaining high quality in a rapidly evolving landscape.  

25. 11:10 - 11:30 (CET)

    Comfort break
26. 11:30 - 12:30 (CET)

    Training the trainers – wherever they may be

    • Panel chair: Will NOONAN (Université Bourgogne Europe)
    • Nicolas FROELIGER (Université Paris Cité)
    • Katell HERNÁNDEZ-MORIN (Université Rennes 2)
    • Dorota PAWLAK (localisation and AI trainer)
    • Oleksandr BONDARENKO (Language Industry Expert Group)  

    In these fast-changing times, improving the quality of training is of paramount importance if we want to future-proof the profession.  

    This means not only strengthening and regularly updating translators’ (and trainee translators’, and translator trainers’) competences, but also coming up with innovative ideas and methods to better arm all actors in the field.  

    At the moment, this is being done both inside translator training programmes (including those in the European Master’s in Translation network), mainly through initial training, and within the profession, with an emphasis on lifelong learning.  

    One thing seems certain: trainers, language service providers and other stakeholders have all taken an interest in this question and have begun to develop a variety of innovative responses.  

27. 12:30 - 14:15 (CET)

    Networking lunch
28. 14:15 - 15:00 (CET)

    TEF-TALK: Should I stay or should I go (now)?

    • Dr Änne TROESTER (dubbing scriptwriter)  

    15-minute talk followed by 30-minute Q&A 

    Änne Troester is an award-winning dubbing scriptwriter. As her job is highly creative, it is not at risk (yet). But as co-chair of the German dubbing association Synchronverband, she can feel the effects of AI in her field in the shape of an increased sense of paralysis and insecurity in the industry, and of colleagues contemplating leaving the profession.  

    In her TEF talk, she looks at the magic of dubbing, contemplates the current role of AI in her industry and ways AI could be used to help dubbing professionals, and shares her thoughts about the future of our profession. Come, listen and discuss. 

29. 15:05 - 16:05 (CET)

    TEF-TALK: Code & Prejudice

    • Marina PANTCHEVA (Director of Linguistic AI Services, RWS)  

    Marina Pantcheva will trace the origin of AI bias and explain the technical foundations for how it emerges in large language models. She will outline key types of bias and illustrate their presence through real-world examples, addressing ways to combat and catch them.  

    The talk balances educational content with inspiring perspectives, practical recommendations and strategic calls to action.  

30. 16:05 - 16:25 (CET)

    Comfort break
31. 16:25 - 17:25 (CET)

    Industry meeting academia: enterprise-grade localisation 101. Future cornerstone of the translation curricula? (panel discussion)

    • Panel chair: Diego CRESCERI (Language Industry Expert Group)
    • Balázs KIS (Language Industry Expert Group)
    • Michael FARREL (IULM University, Milan)
    • Francesco LAURENTI (IULM University, Milan)  

    Quality in translation today goes beyond linguistic output. The translation process involves many often-invisible steps, where high standards are equally important, though measured differently. Language professionals therefore need a project-centric approach to translation automation that addresses specific quality requirements.  

    The panel will present preliminary insights from a 1-month pilot course at IULM University in Milan, where students have been exploring and comparing different automation strategies against each other and against specific quality criteria. It will also deal with the work on quality done within a Train the Trainer working group.  

    The course concludes immediately after this Forum, so the findings presented are part of an evolving process. 

32. 17:30 - 18:00 (CET)

    The end users have their say

    • Tina SHORTLAND (audiovisual translator, Audiovisual Translators Europe – Council member)  

    Short demo of a newly set-up Norwegian portal that allows viewers to report faulty or low-quality subtitles. Several hundred complaints have already arrived, and the idea has been replicated in Sweden, with Portugal and France seriously interested in following suit.  

    With more countries joining, there will be more data on quality to be analysed – telling us more about how the end user perceives quality. This will become more important as we get more and more ‘good enough’ and ‘fit for purpose’ translation without properly examining how fit for purpose it really is.  

33. 7 Nov 2025, 08:30 - 17:00 (CET)

    DAY 3, FRIDAY
34. 08:30 - 09:15 (CET)

    Networking coffee
35. 09:15 - 09:30 (CET)

    Opening of day 3
36. 09:20 - 10:00 (CET)

    What’s cooking in DG translation

    • Cristian BRAŞOVEANU (DG Translation)
    • Anna HOLMÉN (DG Translation)  

    Anna Holmén interviews Cristian Braşoveanu on DG Translation’s AI services, on large language models and on the European Language Data Space. 

37. 10:00 - 11:00 (CET)

    High-level discussion – all in one: how to evaluate the quality of AI-generated content

    • Panel chair:  Ingemar STRANDVIK (DG Translation)
    • Agustín DA FIENO DELUCCHI (Director of Globalisation, AI and Data Science, Microsoft)
    • Kateřina GAŠOVÁ (Global Quality Solutions Strategist, Argos Multilingual)
    • Pavel SOUKENÍK (Head of Global Solutions, Acolad)  

    The speakers will explore challenges to the current approaches available to evaluate the quality of AI-generated content.  

    Today, we witness multimodal technologies heavily involved in target content delivery, whereas the quality evaluation framework hasn’t yet been adapted. We’ll unveil and demonstrate a newly developed framework for evaluating multimodal and AI-generated content.  

    The discussion will explore the integration of text, images, audio and interactivity, emphasising the holistic nature of this novel approach to ensuring high standards of relevance, accuracy, user engagement and cultural sensitivity.  

    Examples of the new evaluation framework will help illustrate and explain these holistic principles, along with specific evaluation cases – with the aim of inspiring the audience when it comes to designing and performing actual measurements.  

38. 11:00 - 11:15 (CET)

    Comfort break
39. 11:15 - 12:00 (CET)

    Translation as infrastructure: getting it right to safeguard trust, inclusion and impact

    • Panel chair: Lucio BAGNULO (Language Industry Expert Group)
    • Adriana INCHAUSTI (Oxfam)
    • Laura DE OLIVEIRA (Translations Lead, Save the Children International)
    • Kaline DE OLIVEIRA FERNANDES (Language Technical Coordinator, Tearfund)  

    Translation in the humanitarian and human rights fields is more than a technical step: it is the foundation of trust, access and impact.  

    Reliable translations ensure that vital information reaches people in their own language, strengthening advocacy, safeguarding rights and supporting life-saving decisions. But when accuracy fails, the consequences can be serious: from reputational damage to legal risks or even putting lives at risk.  

    This session explores how quality and reliability in translation shape real-world outcomes, how mistranslations or skipped checks can cause harm, and how technology can support inclusion – while also highlighting where it still falls short.  

    Speakers will share experiences and lessons learned, offering the audience actionable insights on why translation matters and what is at stake when it is overlooked. 

40. 12:00 - 12:45 (CET)

    Youth panel – the present and future of the industry by professionals under 35

    • Panel chair: Janiça HACKENBUCHNER (PhD researcher on gender bias in machine translation)
    • Cormac MACGABHNA (German Bundessprachenamt)
    • Afroditi GIOVANI (Dataforce)
    • Caroline MÜLLER (working student, ipoque) 

    What does quality mean to the panellists? How do they rate their training? What is their experience with clients? Where do they see themselves in 10 years? 

41. 12:45 - 13:00 (CET)

    Closing remarks

    • Christos ELLINIDES (Director-General for Translation, European Commission)   
42. 13:00 - 14:30 (CET)

    Networking lunch
43. 14:00 - 17:00 (CET)

    Newcomers’ Fair (online only)
44. 14:00 (CET)

    Opening of the fair

    • Riikka HIETAKORPI (DG Translation)  
45. 14:10 - 15:00 (CET)

    Keynote: Linguists in the late 2020s: mindset and skills for success

    • Daniel ŠEBESTA (Prague Linguistics) 

    Daniel Šebesta will analyse the challenges aspiring translators face when building a client base and establishing their reputation in 2025, from competition with instantaneous, free technology tools to evolving client expectations about quality and speed.  

    Just as importantly, he will spotlight often overlooked opportunities – emerging new language services, serving clients of the future, specialisation strategies, value-based pricing, and working alongside AI rather than against it.  

46. 15:00 - 15:15 (CET)

    Virtual coffee break
47. 15:15 - 16:00 (CET)

    Breakout sessions #1

    WELCOME, PLAYER 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO VIDEO GAME LOCALISATION 

    • Tamara TIRJÁK and Marián KABÁT  

    Ready to press Start on your localisation career? In this session, Tamara Tirják and Marián Kabát share their distinct perspectives on what makes video game localisation such an exciting – and evolving – quest for translators. Together, they’ll explore how newcomers can level up their skills, what challenges and opportunities await them in this field, and what sets game localisation apart from other industries. 

    Whether you dream of working behind the scenes of blockbuster titles or researching the next generation of localisation tech, you’ll leave inspired to unlock your own path in this dynamic and passionate field. 

    BETWEEN TRANSLATION AND COPYWRITING: THE TRANSCREATION OF GLOBAL ADVERTISEMENTS 

    • Claudia BENETELLO 

    What does it take to make a global advertising campaign resonate with a local market? It takes transcreation, a hybrid practice and service that sits halfway between translation and copywriting.  

    In this session, you’ll see how transcreation differs from translation, learning about the multi-dimensional skillset it requires and the multi-stage workflow it follows. 

48. 16:00 - 16:15 (CET)

    Virtual coffee break
49. Show 43 more items
50. 16:15 - 17:00 (CET)

    Breakout sessions #2

    FROM TEXT TO TECH: A TRANSLATOR’S LEAP INTO THE TRANSLATION TECHNOLOGY WORLD 

    • Randy SCANSANI 

    This session explores the skills translators need to thrive in AI and translation technology, the value of coding skills and how to acquire them, and the career paths open to those moving from traditional translation into tech-driven roles.  

    LINKEDIN CONFIDENCE: MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS WITHOUT THE "ICK" OF SELLING  

    • Kelsey FRICK 

    In this session, you'll learn about the basics of using LinkedIn to market your translation services, build your personal brand and find new clients – all without that icky feeling of traditional sales. Come away feeling confident and ready to create content that converts.  

Practical information