Continuing education is essential for all professionals, including interpreters and translators. It's even in the Standards of Practice, and of course required if you are certified or otherwise credentialed. I love learning and cannot stop. This past week alone, I enrolled in two courses through EdX, registered for the NCIHC Annual Membership Meeting, signed up for a live event about patient engagement, and listened to several podcasts on biology and technological advances in medicine.
I love learning so much I make sure all my students know the importance of continuing their work once they complete a basic training as medical interpreters or translators. I also organize conferences and professional meetings because of this deeply held commitment to help others learn, grow, and network in a professional setting.
But because I cannot answer the question in this blog post with "because of love," I've put together some concrete reasons why I believe everyone should attend professional conferences.
Here is the first reason (four more to come):
