SOUTH BAY CHEER

BY DAGMAR DOLATSCHKO

Agency Member Peritus Precision Translations, Inc. hosted the first Peninsula NCTA Happy Hour at its office at the Port of Redwood City on a brisk February 4, 2009. Though the skies outside were already dark at six, the mood inside was light-hearted and friendly, with the evening lights sparkling on the Bay right outside the office windows, adding an extra dash of warmth. Amidst the well-appointed and finely decorated atmosphere of the Peritus offices, Dagmar Dolatschko and her staff members provided thirsty Happy Hour visitors with an enticing array of wine, cheese and other snacks. It was by far the best attended Happy Hour in the NCTA history, with 25 attendees!
Renate Chestnut, Brigitte Keen-Matthei, and others mentioned that it was a nice idea to have a Happy Hour hosted in a “quiet” environment, without a lot of background noise. This way, you could actually hear each other and have a meaningful conversation. Topics ranged from the impact of the economy on our industry and the various coping strategies, to the marvels and monstrosities of machine translation. For the Peritus staff, and especially Dagmar, it was a great joy to at last meet some of our translators in person—many of whom they have known for years.
A big thank you goes to Elisa Rossi for organizing the event and to Peritus staff members—including our newest addition, Stafford Hemmer, also an NCTA Board member. The consensus at the end of the event was: “Let’s do it again soon!” Peritus owner, and NCTA treasurer, Dagmar Dolatschko, agreed to host another Peninsula happy hour in the fall later this year. DD