It’s nice to see you again

I recently received a visit from one of our freelance translators, a long-time colleague who now lives abroad. While planning her trip to the office, I noticed how I was far from the only one looking forward to seeing her. In anticipation of her arrival, several of my colleagues shifted around their hybrid schedules to ensure that they’d be in the office on the right day, at the right time. After all, a visit from one of our freelancers has become an even rarer and more celebrated occasion in recent years. Even if you don’t do anything more exciting than have a chat over coffee in the office kitchen.

But still, there is something special about those in-person chats – and there always has been. The translation industry is not exactly new to remote working. At Apostroph Germany, we collaborate with hundreds of freelancers and agencies every year. These external partners are our colleagues, without whom it would be impossible for us to do this work. But these colleagues aren’t sitting at a nearby desk or in the next room. In fact, they are often not in the same country – or even on the same continent – as we are. This makes effective communication even more important. And, as we in the translation industry know all too well, communication can be a complicated business.

The benefits of meeting face to face

Talking in person allows for a depth of communication that can be lacking in task-focused emails or phone calls. In person, you can read facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and – perhaps most importantly of all – just exist as two colleagues for a moment, sharing thoughts about the ups and downs of the day, outside of a particular project or the constraints of a pressing deadline. Often, you are then better able to see the other person’s perspective, better able to empathise with them and better able to recognise all that you have in common.

This isn’t to say, of course, that you can’t achieve this remotely, too. Everyone at Apostroph Germany who communicates with our external partners puts thought and energy into the quality of that communication. And we also appreciate how well this works in both directions. My visiting colleague is one of our top freelance translators because she consistently strives to see the perspectives of the project managers coordinating her projects, even when separated from them by thousands of miles. So, of course, it can – and must – be done.

Networking and connecting

But still, we cherish the opportunities we do have to meet face to face and are excited to be back at industry events, especially as more of them can take place in person once again. Apostroph Germany is an active member of various industry associations. These include the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), the European Language Industry Association (Elia), and the German association Qualitätssprachendienste Deutschlands e. V. (QSD), which is in turn a part of the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC) and networked with the German translators’ and interpreters’ association Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer e. V. (BDÜ). We also have a strong local network in northern Germany that includes organisations such as the Hamburg School of Ideas e. V., where my colleagues will hold a lecture on gender and language next year.

The most recent date on our calendar was the Nordic Translation Industry Forum, where we connected with colleagues new and old from the Nordic and Baltic regions. The promise of new partnerships is always exciting, but revitalising existing partnerships isn’t any less interesting – or productive. During her visit to the office, my freelance colleague and I were able to talk about a whole list of topics faster than we could finish our lattes.

Having the opportunity to meet, network and connect with our freelancers – whether in the office or at events put on by these associations and others – is truly a highlight of the collaborative work we do at Apostroph Germany. Even if it’s just for a quick chat over coffee.