From Translatorland to the Real World: Why It’s Time for Linguists to Get Out More

For decades, translators have called for better “client education.” Yet most outreach efforts remain firmly inside the bubble—aimed not at decision-makers, but at fellow linguists or perceived powerbrokers well down the food chain.

As AI eats away at the middle of the market, that inward gaze is costing us dearly. This keynote calls out the increasingly circular economy of Translatorland: a closed loop where income, content, and validation circulate among translators, intermediaries and academics—while the real action happens elsewhere. The result? Missed opportunities, misdirected energy, and a growing disconnect from the clients and domains that value high-level human expertise (or would do if they understood the benefits).

Drawing on the speaker’s first-hand experience with translator-led events that actually reached outside the profession, this talk will show what real-world engagement looks like, why it works, and how we can replicate it.

Because the future won’t be won with ever more webinars about impostor syndrome or LinkedIn posts read only by other linguists, however earnest and passionate. It will be built by linguists who specialize, think critically, and make themselves visible where real decisions (and budgets) are made.

And we most definitely do have something vital to offer. But no one’s going to notice if we only ever talk to each other.

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Chris Durban creció en el norte del estado de Nueva York (EE. UU.) y estudió lenguas modernas en Montreal antes de trasladarse a Francia, donde se especializó en lenguas y estudios empresariales en la Universidad de París. Tras varios años como traductora interna en un banco de París, inició su carrera como profesional independiente. Con más de cuatro décadas de experiencia, colabora con grandes corporaciones y pymes en Francia y otros países, principalmente en estrategia empresarial, relaciones con inversionistas y comunicación financiera. Ha recibido, entre otros, el Caravelle Florence-Herbulot de la SFT en 2020 y la medalla Alexander Gode, el galardón más prestigioso de la ATA, en 2001. Es cofundadora y coorganizadora de la UETF y de los encuentros “Translate in”, dirigida a traductores interesados en mejorar sus capacidades y destrezas.