When we heard that the GALA (Globalization and Localization Association) conference was going to be held in Istanbul this year, I have to admit we were very excited! Istanbul is a wonderful city that bridges Europe and Asia and offers the visitor a sense spectacular of smells, tastes, culture and architecture. The beautiful Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), Ayasofya and Topkapi Palace offer great insight into a society that is rich in cultural history, and the shopping around Taksim square and the Bazaars (Grand bazaar and Spice Bazaar) is fun for all.
Aside from the cultural attractions which is driving a booming tourism industry, Turkey’s industry structure has changed a lot in the last 15 years. The economy has been growing steadily since 2001 and its export market has taken a shift from a focus on textiles to increased production in the automotive, construction, and electronics industries. Turkey’s exports to Iraq have also seen a major increase, reaching $10.8 billion in 2012.
Unsurprisingly, Turkey’s translation industry has also developed considerably over the last few years – and today Istanbul is home to a growing community of LSPs (Language Service Providers) including the following:
Urban Translation – Urban Translations is a full service agency that prides itself on quality and excellence. The company launched in Turkey in 2006 and opened a second office in Barcelona, Spain in 2010. They mainly work with Turkish, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Turkic languages, Spanish, Catalan, Galician.
Dragoman – Dragoman is a translation technology powerhouse, whose progressive approach to translation and localization has built them strong foothold in the market. Dragoman group has three business units: Interpretation, Translation and Language Training.
Loc.PRO – Loc.PRO provides complete translation and localization services in Turkish, Arabic and Greek including linguistic (translation, localization and terminology management), testing and DTP services.
Apart from Turkish vendors, the GALA conference was of course packed with language professionals from all over the world, many of whom contributed to the conference by giving expert presentations and live product demos. The conference schedule can be viewed here>>>
One of the highlights of the event was the conference welcome and keynote address by Fikret Orman, President of Beşiktaş J.K. – who spoke to a room full of football jersey clad language professionals about the Turkish team’s story:
The conference was a huge success and a great opportunity to discuss language topics, generate ideas, meet new friends and touch base with old.
The team at KantanMT are looking forward to Seville already – will we see you there?
For more information about KantanMT please go to www.kantanmt.com
Really nice post Tony, those who missed Istanbul surely will want to head to Sevilla!