London Book Fair 2017

Around the World in 3 days at the London Book Fair 2017 from Karen Andrews on Vimeo.

Bringing the World Together at the London Book Fair 2017. 

Translators make it possible!

Around the world in 3 days? How is that possible? The London Book Fair offered a chance to visit the world via literature this week at Olympia. It would not have been possible without the work of translators. This was especially apparent during the panel discussion on 'Translating for Writers at Risk'. Translators help them to have a voice, contact with the outside world and often a 'friend' in exile too. The above video just shows a sample of the many 'countries' that it was possible to visit.

Polish Focus and Show App

Polish literature was the main focus of this year's show with a large area devoted to the work of Polish authors, large red and white banners and a special series of talks. There was an excellent app to help everyone navigate their way to stands and events. You could pre-book meetings with publishers and find lots of additional information.

French stand with Polish focus banner in background at LBF17

Visual Campaign Bravery

The first day's talks were extremely popular with standing room only. Visitors were even sitting on the floor to hear the 'Visual Life of Campaigns'. Jack Smyth explained the thinking behind the graphic design of Simon & Schuster's book covers and packshots. His advice could easily be applied outside publishing.

Jack Smyth urged everyone to sell the story not the product. Avoid camouflaging your book on the shelf. Go the opposite way to everyone else. Watch out for the law of diminishing returns. Every campaign has a lifespan. It is important to know when to move away from a campaign that is still working. Be prepared to change your design as everyone starts to copy you. Be more subtle or be more brave. A confident publisher is not afraid to leave information out. An element of mystery forces the reader to engage and seek the missing information.

Pop-up Events

Jon Slack described the success of pop-up and immersive events to attract new audiences. Appeal to the culturally curious who would not normally attend a standard book signing. Think thematically and creatively. Find ways to keep ticket prices low and you will attract new people with different and overlapping interests. 

Latvia in 3D

I recalled the Simon & Schuster design policy later in the show. My attention was captured by book covers on the Latvian stand. They had raised surfaces. The publisher had used 3D printing to produce them. They offered postcards and fridge magnets in the same format. It worked. The Latvian book covers stood out as different among all the books on display at Olympia.

Translators as Publicists

'How to Think Like a Publicist' stressed how publishers need translators to work collaboratively with them to promote translated works. The role of translator can now encompass:

• Making videos about translated extracts
• Social Media
• Interpreting for the author in conversation at publicity events
• Translation of selected pieces for use as future features

Society of Authors

The Society of Authors ran another excellent talk. I really appreciated their sound advice both during the presentation and more specifically on a potential project during a visit to their stand. Their free advice and undoubted expertise merits the membership fee.

Society of Authors' talk at the London Book Fair 2017

SFEP Guides

The Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SFEP) produce a series of handy guides that are available both in print and online. They were also helpful in answering my queries.

RA21

'Authentication and the Holy Grail' was the intriguing title of 3 presentations hosted by the Copyright Clearance Centre. RA21 stands for 'Resource Access in the 21st Century'. 

Eefke Smit presenting on RA21 at London Book Fair 2017

The 'Holy Grail' refers to the desire to get rid of multiple sign-ins and passwords when accessing content. Today's users want to access content seamlessly whether on or off campus, in a hotel, or on the move using multiple devices. STM, NISO and URA are currently cooperating on pilot schemes for secure, seamless authentication. They are also mindful of the new concept of privacy that will come into force with GDPR in 2018.

Just a snapshot of the 3-day London Book Fair. There is so much more to see and hear. The London Book Fair will focus on the Baltic countries in 2018.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English technical and marketing translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

Biometrics 2015

The Biometrics 2015 Conference and free exhibition will take place from 13-15 October in London. The conference's subtitle is Secure Identity Solutions Now! This clearly conveys the topical and urgent nature of secure identity management today.

The 3-day conference will discuss issues and applications relating to:

·      ID management in the digital world

·      Law enforcement, forensics and military applications

·      Borders and travel

·      Developing economies

·      Mobility and payments

The event is organised by the scientific, medical and technical publishers Elsevier in partnership with the Biometrics Institute.

Biometrics 2014

I attended Biometrics 2014 at the QEII Centre in Westminster. Biometrics is an ideal domain for Anglicity's translation and copywriting services. It intersects my financial background, specialisation in technological innovation and keen interest in human rights' issues.

Secure border controls and identity authentication in the banking world are of even greater concern in 2015 than in 2014. Following Biometrics 2014, I was invited to attend Biometrics in Banking at Citibank on 24 October 2014. The European Association for Biometrics organised that event with Financial Fraud Action UK. 

Developments in biometrics were initially driven by the US military and Homeland Security. Technologies developed for national security purposes cannot simply be transferred to the banking world. Banks have to strike the right balance between security, respect for privacy and serving their customers.

Mobile and Contactless Payments

In the past year, I have become a big fan of the ease of online payments using my laptop, mobile or iPad. I am very used to Oyster card or contactless payments on the London Underground and buses.

I have just read the latest revelations from whistleblower Edward Snowden on how GCHQ can track and access your mobile remotely.  At a UKTI event at London's City Hall, I was introduced to the company that produces TFL's real-time maps of commuter movements. They assured me that all data is anonymised. It is hard not to wonder what fraudsters might do in future - or can possibly do already.

Fraud

I have had two fairly recent experiences of fraud on my personal bank account. On the first occasion, I was impressed by how quickly my bank called my mobile to advise me of the attempted fraud. I had only just reached the store's exit following a purchase. A lost debit or credit card is easily replaced and any losses are covered. 

The second fraudulent transaction took place online. I spotted the problem and advised my bank. Amounts were debited from my account in the Netherlands. A series of debits hit my account. Although my losses were covered, the incident was more alarming and took more time to rectify.

Password Alternatives

I would welcome alternatives to reduce the number of passwords that I need to remember. Banks have to find an alternative or combination of alternatives that the public will accept. Just today, I overheard a conversation in which a customer did not wish to give her credit card details over the phone while travelling.

Different age groups have different expectations. All customers want convenience without any security worries.

The loss of biometric data would be even alarming than either of my two experiences above.

Range of Technologies
At Biometrics 2014, I was amazed at the range of technologies in use or in development. Last year I saw or heard about the following biometrics:

·      Fingerprint

·      Palm

·      Hand

·      Vein pattern

·      Face recognition

·      Voice recognition

·      Iris

·      Behavioural

·      Real-time signature recognition

·      Gesture recognition

·      2-factor

·      Multimodal

I am looking forward to an update from the experts at Biometrics 2015.

To discuss your communication requirements, email karen@anglicity.com

1984 in 2015

Back in the early 1980s, my Latin teacher urged our class to hurry up and read George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Half jesting, half warning. Orwell's nightmare was a matter of years away. I got on and read the book pdq*.

Fast forward 30+ years: my reading of 1984 is a dim memory. A Time Out Magazine promotion brought me to the Playhouse Theatre for the new adaptation by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan. The ticket price was an appropriate £19.84. 

In retrospect, I wish I hadn't gone. This was a bewildering, unnerving and harrowing production. And yet, as Dr Paolo Gerbaudo of King's College London wrote in the play's programme:

"We have become the consenting surveilled, people who by accepting the system of Internet communication and its "free" economy have ended up unwittingly accepting the surveillance of state security agencies."

The time sequence becomes increasingly confusing. What is a real time event? What is a portrayal of Winston's memory or madness? 

The events are more unsettling than my teenage memories of the novel. Was that due to the adaptation? My youthful understanding? Or simply that drama is more vivid than my own imagined world in reading? Could it be because 2015 more closely resembles Orwell's 1984 than my memory of that time?

1984 turned out to be one of the best years of my life. It included the second half of my year abroad - a year at Nancy University in the East of France. A year that informed and shaped my thinking far more than I realised at the time. It intrigued me to contrast news reports from both sides of the Channel.

In 1984, Winston rewrites history according to the state's current allies. People become "unpersons" under his direction - as later happens to him. It turns out that he and Julia are under surveillance even in bed. No privacy at all.

During the torture scene, I was glad that I was perched high up in the gods**, unable to see the full stage. I couldn't bear to look. And yet, I remember how just before Christmas 2014, the US Senate report confirmed torture.

And I remember my old Latin teacher's warning about the need to be aware before the unthinkable happens...

*pdq = pretty dammed quick
** the gods

Big Data with UKTI in France

UKTI event at the Residence of the British Ambassador in Paris

On 19^th March, I attended a very informative event at the Residence of the British Ambassador in Paris entitled:

 "How Big Data and Analytics are Energising Economic Growth - Accelerating Innovation, Building Trust, Powering Performance".

UKTI's Lyon-based team planned the programme to explore the business, social and technical challenges created by Big Data and analytics.

Sir Peter Ricketts, the British Ambassador to France, opened the day's proceedings and underlined how both Britain and France are at the forefront in the field.

The day comprised of 4 panel discussions in the morning and a series of roundtables in the afternoon. The event was very successfully chaired by David Reed of DataIQ and involved a well-selected blend of knowledgeable UK and French panel speakers and roundtable hosts.

The 4V's

In his introduction, David Reed referred to the 4V's of Big Data:

·      Velocity

·      Volume

·      Variety

·      Veracity

He stressed the pace of change and the importance of unlocking the value in data. Unstructured data is of no value whatsoever. We need to work out how to structure it. A new skillset will be required.

Female caution

There were many knowledgeable female panellists. It was generally the women who raised the main notes of caution and ethics in this new Big Data "gold rush".

The event covered so much ground that it is impossible to do the subject justice in a single blog. My main takeaways are summarised below:

1. Infrastructure will be key

Structuring huge amounts of data will be power-hungry. 

2. Doubts over ability of mature cities to expand

Global Switch datacenters commented that most mature cities are struggling with ageing infrastructures. No additional capacity in London; tough situation in Paris. You need a window of 3-5 years to get a reliable new electricity supply. (Major financial centres cannot afford to lose even a day's trading or want to risk resorting to back-up systems).

3. Structuring data

Data needs to be structured and segmented to unlock value for different demographics, locations and requirements.

4. Right "TechCity" location

Four key factors:

(i) TechCities need to be sited near universities producing graduates with the right skills from data science courses with very current industry relevance.

(ii) Access to local staff with technical know-how (examples of Barcelona, Toulouse and Montpellier given).

(iii) A supportive local Government

(iv) Must meet demanding bandwidth requirements (rural areas should not be excluded. Reverse of UK trend to live in countryside in France).

4. Verifiable identity and privacy

The ability currently exists to identify more than 50% of the world's population. It was suggested that identifying the remaining 50% could be achieved within 5 years. Accessed via worldwide agreements, but dangers and concerns exist over privacy.

5. Consumer at the heart of regulation 

Concern for the consumer needs to be at the heart of regulation. Only the right people should have access to given data. Access rights need careful segmentation.

6. Standards and good governance

Standards are important - ISO/IEC 27001: Information security management.

Significant numbers of organisations are simply not doing enough on security protocols.

7. Data security breaches

US requires that data security breaches are reported within 72 hours. Most companies do not realise that they have been attacked for 200 days. The average cybercriminal only needs one day to succeed. In 69% of cases, a cyberattack is detected by third parties - usually the customer with a fraud on his account.

8. Hacking of health and medical data

Major and powerful pharmaceutical companies are very keen to access data relating to medicines. There is a major concern about the security of medical data. Credit card details can be changed. Medical data cannot be changed if hacked. French example given of hacked blood tests with extortion demands. 

9. Potential role of innovation centres

Example of TUBA in Lyon to capture local ideas. Aim for a bottom-up rather than top-down approach. Success of the Lyon scheme should be unveiled in October 2015.

10. SMEs for innovation

There is concern over private sector involvement in research. Often findings do not make it into the public domain. Innovation needs to happen with SMEs. Is FrenchTech competitive approach one to be copied? Tech clusters already exist around the UK.

What next?

UKTI hopes to build a UK/French collaborative business campaign around the Information Economy. Plans are already afoot in Big Data and IoT. The new Eurostars scheme may offer French and British SMEs opportunities to collaborate.

If you would appreciate help with your technical communications, email karen@anglicity.com or call Karen on +44 (0)20 8581 9369.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

technical writer and 

translator with over

15 years' marketing

experience. Anglicity offers

marketing consultancy and

content marketing with a 

particular focus on innovation.