ALC 2009 Conference in Austin Texas

This was my first (of many I hope) ALC conferences.

Given the enormous amount of information that we have been given its difficult to summarize to under a million words, but here are my key learning points.

1. Use Technology. The use of technology in the language industry is vital to improve margins and improve customer service. Many providers attended the conference (most notably an excellent presentation from Alain Chamsi).
2. Understand the supply chain. Language translation is just one step of a much larger process… how is the content created and how will the service be consumed (by the end user. What can we do to help this process.
3. Network. Lots of ideas and knowledge can be exchanged and discussed in the group. Its a great group of people with a collective experience of thousands of hours in our industry.
4. $12 billion. If the industry is worth this amount of money, who is doing all the work?
5. 170 interactions. Our average client will have 170 interactions a day, our cost proposal being just one of them. Make sure this process is managed, developed and improved. Am I still on your radar?
6. Growth. The demand for our services is still growing, and there are plenty of opportunities out there.
7. Austin Tx is an AWESOME town!

Thanks to all ALC staff, excellent job – see you in Miami!