In any industry, conferences are educational and inspirational events to attend—not to mention lively and fun. They make it possible for practitioners and industry leaders from around the world to gather and help steer the industry for the coming year. It is particularly important that conferences in the translation and localization industry happen every year: due to its ability to take ideas, solutions and products global, the localization industry has the influence to drive change around the world. However, COVID-19 has made everyone think twice about holding in-person events, so many event hosts have made the switch to online-only experiences. While doing so has some drawbacks—for example, it’s hard to network remotely—there are also benefits, such as the possibility of reaching a much larger audience. Also, online conferences tend to be very affordable: generally from $100 to $250. In this article, we discuss some of the biggest events to look forward to in 2021. LocWorldWide LocWorldWide is arguably the biggest and most respected conference in the translation and localization industry. The organizers switched to an online-only experience this year and LocWorldWide 42 and 43 proved that an online conference could be highly successful. LocWorldWide44 is being planned for June 2021. The focus on LocWorldWide44 will be “Pushing Boundaries”: finding new ways to help the industry move forward with technology and people in mind. The speakers have yet to be chosen, but many industry influencers have applied. It is a great conference if you want to focus on education and networking and understanding the industry as a whole. Tekom-Jahrestagung/TC World Conference The Tekom-Jahrestagung/TC World 2021 is scheduled for mid-November 2021 and it’s specifically tailored to technical communication professionals. The focus of the conference is on networking and on bringing content about technical communication to a larger audience. The conference currently focuses on Germany, Austria and Switzerland. One of the best parts of this conference is the fair, where everyone comes together to meet with influencers in the industry and to build connections. Many companies use it as the opportunity that they need to establish connections with different parts of the industry. There is also the chance to ask industry experts about specific topics to help you direct your business going forward. TCWorld has been focused on improving its online experience over the last few years and has made the transition to an online only conference. NTIF NTIF (the Nordic Translation Industry Forum) is a conference that is run more like a workshop. Language industry representatives from Nordic countries and language services companies from the region gain access to the keynote speaker, as well as other presenters who can guide them through further industry development. Unlike other conferences, NTIF is relatively short at just three hours long. It is a great option for professionals who cannot miss several days of work to attend a conference. Instead, they can visit for an afternoon and still get a lot of value. ELIA Together (at Home) The European Language Industry Association (ELIA) hosted the ELIA Together (At Home) conference in February, which has moved entirely to a digital platform. This conference focuses on the needs of freelancers in the language and translation industry, as well as how they create meaningful relationships with companies. The list of guest speakers is always extensive, focusing on skills that freelancers need to be successful. Any freelancer working in the industry should consider attending the next conference, which will likely be held in February 2022. GALA Connected 2021 The next GALA (Globalization and Localization Association) Connected conference is scheduled for March 23-25, 2021. If you are looking ahead to next year, you can expect the following conference to be held in March of 2022. The conference is for GALA members, as well as professionals in the translation and localization industries. This year’s conference focuses on how digital acceleration is changing the industry. Digital acceleration and the ability of digital tools to make translations faster will continue to be a driving force in the changes across the industry. Learning more about it now will empower companies to make a big difference later. The conference is online and you can choose between accessing everything (including live sessions) or just the live session recordings. ATA62 2021 The American Translators Association is hosting ACA62 October 27-30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It will be a “hybrid event” (in-person and virtual both) and one of the biggest conferences of the year. The conference is all about improving professional skills for individuals such as translators, interpreters, project managers, educators and language company owners. There are many panels and workshops planned that cover a range of topics important to industry professionals. There are more than 150 sessions planned. Professionals can purchase recordings of the current and previous conferences to use as learning modules. TAUS - Massively Multilingual Conference & Expo 2021 The TAUS - Massively Multilingual Conference & Expo is focused on the future of the industry as it relates to new and developing technologies. There is a special interest in technologies like AI and similar major advancements that have the potential to reshape the industry. However, the conference is very exclusive and will only be available for 150 participants. TAUS brings together the executives who make transformative decisions and who manage the people that handle day-to-day localization. Attendees include buyers and owners of global content, global content and language service providers, technology and solution providers, translators, government bodies and NGOs, consultants, academia, analysts and press. It is scheduled for November 1-3, 2021 at the Double-Tree Hilton in San Jose. SDL Connect SDL Connect is a pair of digital conferences that are scheduled for April 4-5, 2021. One conference will be held in North America while the other will be held in Europe. This years’ theme focuses on transformation and development within the industry. The conference is a great opportunity to network, as well as to discuss the future of the industry. It will place a particular focus on how new technologies impact the industry and how companies can leverage that technology to improve their operations. Machine Translation Summit XVIII 2021 Machine Translation Summit XVIII 2021 is a conference for machine translation professionals. The next conference is scheduled for August16-20, 2021. The conference gives MT professionals, students, and teachers a way of sharing their findings on MT with the community. Presenters include writers and researchers in the field with recent discoveries.Conferences Are the Key to Advancing the Industry Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to host in-person events, online-only formats are becoming the norm with great success. While we all miss in-person interactions, there are benefits to going online: for one, the conferences can reach a much larger audience, since people are not constrained by the time and expense of travel when choosing which conferences to attend. Take advantage of these newly online conferences to see how you can be a larger part of the industry and connect with language service providers and fellow localization industry professionals. You’ll see us there. The events and presentations may inspire you to take advantage of all the great resources that the industry provides to grow your business in 2021.