Speakers' portal
Are you delivering a presentation, leading a workshop or sitting on the panel of an open forum at the conference "Interpreting the Future"? This portal contains further information in the form of frequently asked questions on a variety of issues
from A (for advertising)
and R (for registration)
to Z (for zero expenses).
If the answers to your own questions are not given here, please send an e-mail to conference2012@bdue.de.
Conference proceedings
What is the closing date and format for submitting my manuscript for the conference proceedings?
All the presentations are to be published in the conference proceedings. To enable us to publish this document in time for the conference, please submit a written version of your presentation by July 1, 2012. This is the closing date. Contributions not received by July 1, 2012 will not appear in the conference proceedings. We will provide a document template and instructions in good time
Are PowerPoint presentations acceptable for publication in the conference proceedings?
No. PowerPoint slides are, of course, welcome as a means of illuminating and breaking up the presentation's delivery at the conference, but they are not very revealing in themselves. For this reason, they are not generally acceptable for publication in the conference proceedings. Individual PowerPoint slides will be accepted only to illustrate your manuscript.
I am leading a workshop or panel discussion. Can I or should I submit a manuscript for the conference proceedings as well?
It would, of course, be inappropriate to anticipate the substance of a workshop or discussion by publishing an outline in advance. If, on the other hand, you intend to deliver a brief presentation to introduce a workshop, you can submit a short and informative manuscript for publication in the conference proceedings. If a workshop or open forum is to be introduced by several speakers or panel members, we would ask the leader or chairman to coordinate the individual manuscripts and submit them together for publication. The aggregate length of contributions submitted to support a single workshop or open forum must not exceed 20,000 characters (including spaces).
Will my paper be published before the conference?
The publication of the proceedings will coincide with the conference. Before the event, a copy of your manuscript will be seen only by those involved in producing the document itself and, for preparatory purposes, by the interpreters who will be working at the conference.
Conference timetable
When will I be told the date and venue of my presentation or workshop?
We are hoping to send you a provisional schedule, showing the assignment of presentations to the individual sessions and conference rooms, by February 15, 2012.
How much time has been allocated for my presentation/workshop?
As a general rule, presentations should not last longer than 30 minutes. You are welcome to speak for a shorter period, in which case the extra time will be used to extend the discussion between the speakers and the audience at the end of the session. In the interests of compliance with the conference timetable, please understand that we must interrupt presentations that exceed the 30-minute time limit.
Ninety minutes have been set aside for the workshops, seminars and panel discussions. Please make a note in the abstract submission form if you feel that 180 minutes would be more appropriate for the workshop or seminar you suggest. When compiling the compiling the conference schedule, we will try to accommodate your request.
Can I distribute handouts during my workshop?
Yes. Please make your own copies and bring them to the workshop yourself. The organisers are unable to duplicate originals and supply handouts to the workshop venues. Only documents relating to the subject matter of your presentation are to be distributed. The appropriate place for advertising is the exhibition.
Presentation equipment
What equipment will be available at the venue?
All rooms contain the standard equipment required for presentations, comprising a laptop and beamer.
If you intend to show a PowerPoint file during your presentation, please e-mail the file to conference2012@bdue.de by no later than September 1, 2012, so that we have sufficient time to transfer it to the laptop before the conference and thus ensure its smooth delivery.
What if I need additional equipment for my workshop, apart from a laptop and beamer?
If you require additional facilities for your presentation or workshop (e.g. use of your own laptop, internet access, an overhead projector or flip chart etc.), please let us know as soon as possible by sending an e-mail to conference2012@bdue.de.
Registration
If I am delivering a presentation, leading a workshop or sitting on the panel of an open forum, do I have to register for the conference?
Yes. We would ask all those attending the conference, including the speakers, workshop leaders and discussion panel members, to register using the form here on the website. For security reasons, only registered participants will be admitted to the Henry Ford Building during the conference.
What is the closing date for registrations?
Please register as soon as possible after February 15, 2012. Your cooperation will enable us to plan and prepare for the conference much more efficiently. In any event, we would ask you to register by no later than March 15, 2012. After this date, we intend to contact alternative speakers whose presentations have been placed on the conference waiting list.
If I am delivering a presentation, leading a workshop or sitting on the panel of an open forum, do I have to pay the conference fee?
The BDÜ will be granting a free 1-day pass to the speakers for the day of their presentation/workshop, but will not grant an overall exemption from paying the conference fee. Before registration starts, we will provide speakers with a voucher code to be entered in the registration form. Instead of an invoice, the speaker will get a confirmation of his/her free registration for the day of your presentation. If a speaker chooses to register for all three days of the conference, the value of the voucher (= price for a 1-day pass) will be deducted from the total amount invoiced.
During our initial deliberations, we discussed the options of paying speakers, reimbursing travelling expenses and/or generally allowing contributors to attend the entire conference free of charge. We decided against these options for the following reasons:
- Speakers generally also reap personal benefits from contributing to a conference such as this (among other things, in view of the extensive PR that accompanies the event). Their participation enables them to raise their profile in the industry and establish new contacts for their own economic activity. This principle applies, of course, not only to the international conference of the BDÜ. Paying speakers' fees and travelling expenses is not common practice at all among the organisers of similar conferences (including congresses for other self-employed professionals) - presumably for much the same reasons.
- We assume that the speakers and other contributors (at least the overwhelming majority) would wish to attend this showcase event in any case, both in their own interests and because of their close affinity with the community of linguists.
- With a contingent of more than 80 speakers, around 30 conference interpreters and about 30 additional helpers, moreover, the fee for attending the conference would quickly climb to around 500 euros each if contributors were exempted, remunerated and reimbursed for their travelling expenses as a general rule. Such arrangements would put the conference beyond the reach of a large part of its target group, however, and thus prevent it from achieving its goals. The affordable fee we are charging to attend the conference is feasible only if most of the work involved in its preparation and staging is done by volunteers simply for the good of the cause - and to a limited extent perhaps for minor, but non-pecuniary personal reward. Against this background, we trust that the speakers will understand the reasons for our decision and accept our sincere thanks for their contribution to the conference's success.
If you believe that exceptional circumstances warranting an exemption apply, please get in touch with us. We will carefully examine the case for waiving the conference fee. Please send your reasoned request to conference2012@bdue.de. All such inquiries will be properly considered.
If I am delivering a presentation, leading a workshop or sitting on the panel of a panel discussion, will I be paid or have my travelling expenses reimbursed?
No. As a general rule, speakers will not be paid for their contributions or qualify for a travelling expense refund.
