Padlet boards

Participants at EX:CHANGE 2026 were invited to contribute to several Padlet boards during the conference. Three of the boards were directly linked to the main themes (engaging with clients, entrepreneurship, and ethical practice) and there was a further general reflections board.

This report brings together the content of those boards, organised by theme, to give a single record of what was recorded.

The material is drawn directly from what participants wrote. Some topics generated more content that others; the balance of contributions across the boards is represented accurately.

Ethical practice

This was the most heavily used set of boards, spanning both a short opening-question board and a longer table-by-table board. The content is grouped by sub-topic below rather than by table, since similar points recurred across several tables.

What ethics means to delegates

In response to the opening question ("what does ethics mean to you as a language professional?"), delegates most often described ethics in terms of:

  • Honesty, integrity and doing the right thing
  • Accuracy and faithfulness to the source text
  • Confidentiality
  • Fair pay for good work
  • Professionalism and maintaining high standards
  • Transparency with clients and colleagues
  • Being honest about the limits of one's own expertise, and declining work outside it
  • Considering the wider impact of the profession's work on people and the planet

A smaller number of delegates linked ethics explicitly to sustainability of the profession as a whole, or to the environmental impact of AI and data centres.

AI: accountability, transparency and control
  • A recurring question was who benefits from AI use, who is held accountable when it goes wrong, and how honest AI providers are about what they are selling.
  • Delegates discussed the pressure to use AI even when a client has not asked for it, particularly under time pressure — described by some as "bending the rules".
  • Several delegates raised concerns about the origins of AI training data, describing it as built without compensation to the original creators of the text.
  • One delegate compared post-editing work to being a "reverse centaur": professionals are given full accountability for catching every AI error, regardless of the quality of the AI output, rather than AI genuinely assisting the human.
  • Delegates noted a loss of control paired with maximum responsibility, and suggested a shift toward humans being "in the driving seat" rather than simply "in the loop".
  • A question was raised about whether translators or translator associations should consider building their own tools, rather than relying on tools built by others.
  • It was noted that the French and Spanish translation sectors have published statements against AI, and that a "slow translation manifesto" was seen by some delegates as a step in the right direction.
Professional duty and difficult decisions
  • Several delegates returned to the principle that a translator's primary duty is to the client, and that professionals should decline work they cannot accept on ethical grounds (for example, in defence or fields the delegate is not equipped for), rather than complete it and stay silent.
  • Delegates discussed whether it is ethical to work into a second language, noting that this is increasingly common and, in the view of some, increasingly accepted.
  • The question of whether to tell a new client that AI is not used in their work was raised, without a settled answer.
  • Some delegates linked ethical strain to freelance working conditions specifically: an individual freelancer carries a heavier mental load in trying to "do the right thing" than someone working inside an organisation with dedicated compliance functions.
Sustainability, fairness and the profession's future
  • Delegates drew a parallel with the closure of the UK coal mining industry, suggesting that AI's impact on the translation profession could be similarly disruptive if the transition is not well managed, and expressed concern that government policy currently favours rapid AI adoption.
  • Questions were raised about whether it remains ethical to train or encourage new entrants into the profession, given the pressure on job opportunities.
  • Some delegates questioned whether ethics is something only better-resourced professionals can afford, noting that translators who cannot afford conference attendance may also be less able to afford acting ethically.
  • Rates and unfair competition were raised, alongside a comment that the profession "is not a charity".
  • Delegates discussed carbon offsetting and whether AI use is always less sustainable than the alternative, noting that this may depend on the specific comparison being made (for example, digital tools versus paper-based alternatives, or travelling to an assignment versus using remote technology).
Sector-specific and vulnerable-context dilemmas
  • Delegates discussed the use of untrained or volunteer interpreters by NGOs in crisis and conflict settings, weighing the benefit of expanded access to language support against the lack of quality control and unclear scalability.
  • Concerns were raised about the safety of interpreters working in conflict zones, with a link shared to Red T, an organisation supporting interpreters and translators in high-risk settings.
  • In publicly funded settings such as court interpreting, delegates felt AI is not yet good enough (citing issues such as transcription hallucinations), and discussed the value of complaints in driving service improvements, alongside a concern that government bodies may push for AI-only provision without a human in the loop.
A comparison was raised between the ethics of directing humanitarian budgets toward human translation versus other priorities such as global health programmes, without a clear resolution.
Entrepreneurship and business development

Engagement with this board was uneven: several tables left the structured questions (key takeaway, one small action, participants) blank, while others contributed substantive points. The following reflects what was actually posted.

Business models and growth ideas
  • If given £100,000 to invest, suggestions included coaching, a website, attending conferences and networking events, and hiring a business development manager.
  • Other ideas included turning a hobby into a specialism, and forming joint ventures with specialists in other industries (where one partner brings clients and the other brings suppliers).
  • Delegates discussed joining chambers of commerce in source-language countries as a way of extending networks.
Pitching and positioning
  • Several delegates focused on refining their pitch: one group summarised this as working on the "hook, pitch, problem and solution, market, evidence and ask", aiming to deliver it within 60 seconds.
  • A cross-cutting idea (echoed on other boards too) was to lead with curiosity rather than a sales pitch — for example, asking a prospective client "how do you think I could help you?" rather than opening with "this is how I can help you".
  • Delegates discussed finding a niche using the formula: "I do [this] for [these people] to [solve this problem they have]."
Risk and resilience
  • One delegate noted that working out an acceptable financial or time loss in advance gives the freedom to take on something that feels risky.
  • A related action point was to work out how much can be afforded and what the individual wants their business to do for their life, rather than pursuing growth without a clear personal goal.
  • Delegates discussed reframing failure as testing, and reflecting afterwards on what could be improved, rather than treating it as simple success or failure.
Networking and visibility
  • LinkedIn was raised as valuable for keeping up with a field, identifying opportunities for in-person meetings, and strengthening business relationships; delegates also noted the value of making a language combination visible at the top of a profile.
  • One delegate stressed the importance of collaborating with colleagues rather than working in isolation.
Engaging with clients

Contributions on this board were relatively light compared with the ethics board, but several consistent themes emerged.

Trust and professional value
  • Building trust with clients depends partly on how professionals respond when things go wrong: delegates emphasised being constructive and honest rather than defensive.
  • Several posts raised scepticism about AI-related statistics and claims, noting that data quality and sample validity should be questioned rather than accepted at face value.
  • A recurring point was that AI does not solve problems on its own, and does not deal well with context; people, not tools, are responsible for outcomes.
  • Delegates felt that ethical, constructive behaviour builds client trust more effectively than technical claims.
Selling ourselves and building relationships
  • One table noted a shared discomfort with the idea of "selling ourselves", and asked whether the focus should instead be on building relationships.
  • Delegates discussed whether to describe themselves as translators, transcreators, or language consultants, concluding that the right term is often sector-specific — technical, scientific and legal clients tend to trust "translator", while arts, literary and music clients may respond better to "transcreator".
Structural and industry-level questions
  • Some delegates discussed a possible shift in the role of language service providers (LSPs), questioning whether the collapse of the middle market and clients seeking direct relationships with translators could reduce the need for LSPs.
  • One group proposed an ITI quality seal for clients as a way of signalling trustworthy provision.
  • Pressures on clients were discussed, including limited understanding of procurement processes, mismatches in budget, timing and expectations, and (for agencies) pressure from both client and supplier sides.
  • Delegates said that effective collaboration requires "a seat at the table" to understand client challenges, but that clients are often reluctant to invest the extra effort this requires, so professionals need to demonstrate that the investment pays for itself.
  • A concern was raised about professional solidarity: that a freelancer-heavy profession with such a low public profile represents a failure to advocate collectively for the sector.
  • Trust was described as difficult to establish in the absence of formal gatekeeping on qualifications in the UK, and as depending on trust between colleagues as well as between client and freelancer.
  • Delegates suggested that engaging constructively with AI — including offering AI-related expertise as part of a service, rather than shutting down the conversation — was preferable to avoiding the topic.
Other comments
  • One table felt the conference had an opportunity to "take back AI": the argument being that quality is now a given, and the real value lies in solving client problems.
  • Delegates noted a widening gap between high-volume and higher-end translation work, and observed that other national associations (ATC, Asetrad) are engaging with senior management in client organisations to advocate for professional translation, since these are the people who control budgets. Delegates felt ITI and others should do more of this, including with NGOs.
  • Public service interpreting was noted as poorly paid across Europe, which delegates linked to public sentiment about refugees; professional associations were seen as having a public relations role in positioning translation and interpreting as more than a cost centre.
General reflections

This board captured personal reflections structured around three prompts: a new connection made, something that changed the delegate's thinking, and a new commitment for their work or business.

Connections made
  • Several delegates highlighted connections with international associations, particularly Asetrad (the Spanish association), whose members described being inspired by ITI and keen to apply ideas from the conference in Spain.
  • Multiple delegates valued meeting in person people they had previously only known through video calls or social media.
  • The RAF Intelligence recruitment team and AIT (an international association) were both present and noted making connections with the ITI community.
Shifts in thinking
  • A "hat, haircut, tattoo" framework for reframing failure as a form of testing, and for assessing risk more generally, was mentioned by multiple delegates as a genuinely new way of thinking.
  • Several delegates reflected on the idea that the profession is not entitled to "a seat at the table" and must actively demonstrate value to clients.
  • More than one delegate reframed "AI" as standing for "authenticity and integrity" rather than "artificial intelligence", and linked this to the idea that human trust is what distinguishes professional translators from machine alternatives.
  • Delegates noted a shift from viewing adaptation as passive to seeing it as an opportunity to actively shape the profession's narrative.
  • Membership of professional associations, and associations speaking up on these issues, was raised as part of the answer to some of these dilemmas.
Commitments made
  • Business development commitments included working on personal pitches and elevator pitches, setting up more personal or niche websites, and reaching out regularly to existing and dormant clients.
  • Communication-focused commitments included being more open about what makes each professional distinctive online, and opening prospect conversations with sincere, specific praise rather than a generic approach.
  • Several delegates committed to seeking opportunities to speak at industry conferences outside the language sector, to raise client awareness of the value of professional input.
  • There was a request for an AI policy statement from ITI.

This report was compiled using Claude Sonnet 5.