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Ruth Simpson

METM24 in rhyme


One day in October, they gathered together,

Translators and editors, braving wet weather.

The name Mediterranean, the rain more like Britain,

A plan had been made; the abstracts all written.

 






Carcassonne was the place for the premier French MET,

The home of fine cheeses, wine and baguettes.

They kicked off with drinks among friends old and new,

And the programme got started the next day at two.



But not until Off-METM began in the morning,

With Occitan classes and guided walking,

Then workshops and grammar, to go the extra mile,

Mind-mapping, wine-tasting, theory and style.



They finished the day with yoga and editing,

Then broke into groups for dinner and drinking.

The rain kept on coming, so with no more night walk,

They went to bed early or stayed up to talk.

 



Friday brought workshops on food and statistics,

Retreats, more grammar, subtitling, linguistics.

As this is France, it was lunchtime again,

Singers made music, presentations began.

 









The programme was packed and in three different places,

On CAT tools and history, AI invading their spaces,

With maps and MedComms and working in teams,

They soon broke for coffee, browsing more themes.

 


The two keynote speakers received endless praise,

First David Bellos, remembering the days

When translators were owners of their written works,

Some got fair payment and other great perks.

 



The second was Julia who captured them all,

With her musings on writing and her heartfelt call

For clear academia, no soulless templates.

Even corporate translators thought she was great.

 


With sessions on writing, botany and knitting,

Career-move prospects and two-way snippetting,

They all raised their game, controlled and persuaded,

Then came back together, through the GA they made it!

 


The event was successful, the plan had succeeded,

Support was unanimous and all Council leaders  

Announced their role shifts with some now retiring.

A few tears were shed then soon all were smiling

 



When news broke that next year they’d go back to Spain.

And so it ended, and then dinner came.

The food was delicious: desserts, starters and mains.

They ate, drank and danced after the choir’s refrains.

 



With smiles all round after a happy few days,

This one translator has tried to find ways

To express just how much she loves taking part,

And can’t wait for next year, her hand on her heart.


Ruth Simpson

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