When sixty business leaders, linguists and technology innovators gathered at Manchester’s People’s History Museum this October, it wasn’t for a conventional conference. The Association of Translation Companies’ THRIVE 2025 Unconference was built around one shared purpose: to explore how language service companies, and the businesses they serve, can grow through collaboration, technology, and genuine human connection.
Manchester, with its history as a city of makers, merchants and global firsts, provided the perfect backdrop. Just as the city’s textile mills once wove the threads of global commerce, today’s language professionals are weaving the digital connections that underpin international trade.
Across two lively days, the ATC’s Chair Corinne Smith from International Translations welcome delegates to the People’s History Museum for workshops, panels and open-floor discussions with one unifying theme: growth through people, purpose, and partnership. Attendees from across the UK and beyond discussed how translation, localisation and multilingual technology are shaping the future of export, innovation and global communication.
Language as an Enabler of Trade
Every exporting business knows that international growth depends on trust, and trust begins with understanding. The language services sector plays a crucial yet often unseen role in building that understanding, helping UK businesses navigate cultural nuances, local regulations and multilingual marketing.
As one delegate put it, “Language isn’t just about words. It’s about making your business feel local wherever it goes.”
Discussions at THRIVE 2025 explored how translation companies increasingly operate as strategic partners in export growth. Whether adapting marketing campaigns for overseas markets, subtitling product launches, or providing real-time interpretation for trade negotiations, language service companies are key to helping British firms communicate confidently with the world.
Technology with a Human Touch
A recurring theme throughout the event was the intersection of people and technology. From AI-assisted translation to automated workflow systems, new tools are transforming how global content is created and delivered. Yet, far from replacing human expertise, technology was seen as a powerful enabler – a way to amplify creativity, consistency, and speed.
Speakers such as Richard Michie from The Marketing Optimist, Ruth Partington from Empower Translate, James Brown from Comtec Translations, and Steve Higgins from TeachMe Series demonstrated how language service companies are already leveraging artificial intelligence to
handle repetitive tasks, freeing professionals to focus on what machines can’t replicate: cultural insight, creativity, and human connection.
“AI doesn’t replace what we do,” one participant said. “It magnifies what we do best.”
Growth as a Shared Mindset
What made THRIVE 2025 distinctive wasn’t just its focus on tools and strategies, but its culture of openness. The unconference format invited attendees to share ideas freely, from client relationship models and project management to marketing and leadership.
Rather than treating “sales” as a department, the discussions reframed growth as everyone’s responsibility. Whether it’s a project manager spotting an opportunity, a linguist proposing a new workflow, or a marketer building a brand story that resonates across cultures, success comes from collective awareness and shared purpose.
That message resonated far beyond the language industry. It’s a philosophy every business community can relate to especially in a city like Manchester, where collaboration and innovation have long gone hand in hand.
A Northern Hub for Global Voices
By hosting THRIVE 2025, Manchester reaffirmed its role as one of the UK’s most dynamic international business hubs, and a city where global ideas meet local energy. Delegates left not only with new strategies and partnerships, but also a tangible legacy: multilingual visitor maps for the People’s History Museum, translated pro bono by ATC member companies The Translation People, thebigword, Peak Translations, and Avocate Legal and Business French Services.
It was a fitting symbol of what the language industry does best, enabling access, inclusion and understanding. And what could have been more fitting than celebrating the people behind the brands at the ATC’s Language Industry Awards, at the iconic PHM.
Looking Ahead
As the ATC community looks to its 50th Anniversary Conference in Glasgow in 2026, the momentum from Manchester continues to build. The conversations sparked at THRIVE 2025 reflect a broader movement across the UK’s business landscape, where export ambition, technological innovation and human insight converge to open new markets and build meaningful connections worldwide.
In an era of AI and automation, Manchester reminded us of something essential: global growth still depends on people who know how to listen, connect and translate more than just words. It depends on those who help businesses, and cities, truly thrive.