Review of UTICamp 2020 or How the Ukrainian Translation Industry Conference took me by surprise

Finally, my first on-site translation conference this year! This conference was also unique due to its uncommon location in a pine forest (a campsite outside of Dnipro in Ukraine) and its cozy family feel (participants could bring their families along as well). 

It surprised me more than any other event of its type. 

We had evenings around the campfire, accompanied by music from guitars and violins, and some specially written songs about our industry. We could also enjoy romantic trips by motorboat from the campsite back to our hotel under the starry night sky, and a tranquil forest where we could lounge around on a bean bag chair or swing in a hammock while listening to the enlightening presentations. Not to mention the invigorating river where we could go for a quick dip during the coffee breaks. And on top of all that, we were surrounded by so many wonderful and intelligent people, with friendly and attentive hosts, and some excellent keynote speakers.

This was also my first conference where I could easily combine family and work. There was a kids’ program every day so parents could enjoy the lectures and networking sessions while their children could play, swim, and take part in all the many activities prepared by the animation team.

The entertainment that was provided for both children and adults alike was excellent. We had different shows every evening where the conference participants could display their various talents, and it turned out that some of my colleagues had amazing voices or were incredibly skilled musicians. I also decided to show off a long-forgotten talent from my youth by dancing to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean in the dubstep style which I have recently started mastering. 

We were also treated to electrifying performances from a professional singer and an instrumental band from Dnipro.

Fortunately, the outdoor format of the event allowed us to adhere to the lockdown requirements but still talk to lots of interesting people face-to-face.

For those who were unable to attend the conference on-site, there was also the opportunity to watch all the presentations and performances online for free. These recordings are now available on YouTube. This was another unique feature of this event, like many other translation conferences this year have been available only online but not been free (except for the conferences organised by Smartcat).

Read the full review of the conference on my blog.