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LK Team Day Spring 2018

After something of a hiatus, the first LK Team Day of 2018 came around on 16 March: the weather phenomenon known as the Beast from the East had scuppered the original plans for the end of February by dumping snow all over the UK and making transport in Manchester a perilous activity! Fortunately, by the time mid-March rolled around, the temperatures had returned to levels that were much more in line with expectations for early spring, and the LK Team was able to gather in the office for a day of CPD with a packed agenda.

Louise Killeen, our Director, kicked off the proceedings with an in-depth presentation on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – a subject that’s on everybody’s lips at the moment. This new piece of legislation comes into force on 25 May and will supersede the 1995 Data Protection Directive. For businesses, it will mean adopting stricter practices when it comes to handling personal data and being more acutely aware of the conditions in which data is legally permitted to be stored and processed. Like many companies, LKT is taking steps now to ensure full compliance by the May deadline, and Louise brought the team up to speed on the action plan developed with this in mind, as well as familiarising everyone with terms such as “controller”, “processor” and “consent”.

Remaining on the subject of in-house business practices, Louise’s session then went on to discuss a revised process for tracking and archiving the jobs that LKT completes. This will make more use of the in-house server system and cut down on the number of manual tasks that need to be done. The server system has been in place for several months now and has already streamlined several of the team’s processes, so this new approach was considered a welcome move.

Next on the agenda was a session on the Translator Academy programme, with Lead Translator Siobhan Gorrie moderating the discussion. Developed in-house, the Translator Academy is a training programme for new translators that uses feedback and mentoring to help participants improve their skills and make them a fully-fledged member of the team. Recently, the team recognised that the programme could be rolled out to freelancers as well as in-house employees, and the purpose of this session was to discuss how exactly this process would work, as well as any areas of the programme that could be honed or improved. Keen interest has already been expressed in the programme, and the team is looking forward to welcoming its first external participant soon!

After a pizza lunch – now a traditional feature of LK Team Days! – the day closed with a lively discussion on top tips for technical translators, led by Senior Translator Jenny Pettet. Thanks to the wide range of perspectives that the team has – from relatively new recruits to those with more than a decade in the industry – everyone had something different to contribute, and it wasn’t long before a whole list of tips had been pulled together. To see them, check out our follow-up blog post!

LK Team Days are always a fantastic way for the team to clock up CPD and have an in-depth discussion about its current practices, and this latest one was no different. We’re already looking forward to the next round!