Yesterday they rolled up the red carpet and carted away the security stations at the XVIII Word Congress of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) in Shanghai, China. The first-ever-in Asia FIT conference drew over 1,500 delegates from 70 countries. Most were practicing translators and interpreters, but there was also a large smattering of academics and a big contingent of translation agencies. Here are a few highlights from the conference:

• Introductions. Chinese and Shanghai city government officials introduced the conference in Chinese, with simultaneous interpretation into English and French. Each extolled the virtues of translation and its importance to China’s future as an economic power. FIT’s president, Peter Krawutschke, noted that the Chinese organizers had to compete with major political and geological events to pull off the conference. He also implored delegates to work under FIT, which he characterized as the only international organization focused on process, standards, learning, and other aspects of language.
• Keynotes. China’s former ambassador to France, Wu Jianmin, spoke in both French and English about the importance of respect for others, using that as a springboard to tackle topics such as the switch from Atlantic- to Pacific-centrism, the long history of China as a non-colonizing power, and what he characterized as the West’s misleading discussions of human rights. He cited the late advent of women’s suffrage and minority voting in the United States. He was followed by Yohannes Mengesha, an assistant secretary-general of the United Nations described as the “big boss of the UN’s interpreters.” He spoke about the importance of translators and interpreters in the diplomatic process. Among the issues he raised was the classic cost versus quality trade-off.
• Security. With the Beijing Olympics only days away, Chinese officials ratcheted the threat level up to 11. Both the conference hotel and the connected convention center sported airport-style X-ray machines and metal detectors. To prevent potential translator-terrorists from making their way from the conference area to the exhibitors’ area or even to the restrooms, security staff ushered delegates to the exit for another passage through the security gauntlet. The X-ray machine operators followed the lead of their airline colleagues, asking anyone with water bottles in their shoulder bags to take a swig – further exacerbating the bathroom security door issue.
• Sponsorships. The exclusive translation sponsor, Yuanpei, reportedly paid over half a million U.S. dollars for this privilege. The conference also attracted more than a dozen Congress Partners, and more than 25 partners. The sponsor list included a few non-language companies such as Casio, Shanghai Airlines, and the conference hotel, but most were translation and interpreting companies. It will be a real breakthrough for language conferences when more companies that benefit sign up as sponsors rather than rely on language service providers to foot the bill.
• Topics. The advice to speakers concluded with, “Please avoid discussing non-academic topics during your presentation.” Being the philistines that we are, we focused on the business aspects of the industry and the importance of the “salary continuation program” in our presentation on the localization maturity model. We also found that the great wall between translation and localization remains in China – practitioners of the two disciplines don’t talk to each other. The Translation Association of China plans to raise the profile of both translation and localization with future all-Chinese conferences.
• Presenters. A wide range of professional language workers and academics shared their knowledge. Included in their number were familiar faces from the virtual World Tour of Language Conferences such as the ATA’s Jiri Stejskal,  Brigham Young University’s Alan Melby, the International Medical Interpreters Association’s Izabel Arocha, MITRE’s Jennifer deKamp, and Syntes’ Beatriz Bonnet.

At the end of every conference, we always ask “was it worth it?” FIT in Shanghai generated some good energy and learning. However, we wonder – as always – how much more power there would be if the many competing language conferences could put aside their differences and competing agendas to stage a mega-conference that would draw thousands of delegates from a broader range of the demand and supply sides of the market. Speaking of getting together, church bells across Shanghai have been ringing since early morning as thousands of Chinese couples tie the matrimonial knot on 08-08–08, a most auspicious day for getting married – and being born and opening the Olympics, for that matter.