London Regional Group: SEO localisation workshop for translators

On 16 September, 20 members of the ITI London Regional Group gathered at the Instituto Cervantes in London - with a further 32 people in attendance online - to listen to an SEO localisation masterclass given by Maria Scheibengraf. An experienced Spanish <> English translator with over ten years of experience running her own SEO business, Maria provided an in-depth overview of the history of search, exploring changes over time, as well as providing a comprehensive overview of search in the age of AI, large language models (LLMs) and social media. 

The session was detailed and wide-ranging; Maria paid particular attention to different types of SEO, especially international and multilingual SEO, both of which are highly relevant to translators. Maria also explored some of the psychological elements of SEO, including cognitive biases, which were particularly useful in the context of translation and SEO. 

Perhaps the most interesting part of the talk was hearing how poor translations of website copy dramatically affect SEO rankings. Google will penalise websites with poor copy, especially if the copy has not been localised properly. This is a clear example of how translators can bring real benefit to businesses with their skills. 

After the talk, many of the attendees headed to The Devereux pub, which will be the location for the next LRG meeting, Board on Tour, on 9 October. Tickets for this event can be booked via Eventbrite.