We are delighted that so many of you enjoyed our event last weekend, where translator and interpreter members of the ITI Spanish Network gathered for our first in-person social ‘up north’ in a long while. Naturally, this called for plenty of celebratory food, culture – and sangria!

Manchester has no end of culture to enjoy, but we narrowed it down to a handful of venues, enjoyed over a couple of hours before lunch. We met at the neo-Gothic John Rylands Library late morning for a tour organised and guided by our Treasurer Rosa Baranda. The library holds one of the world’s richest and most unique collections of rare books and manuscripts, dating as far back as the 1500s, and more importantly, the oldest working Victorian toilets in Manchester!

From there, some of us wandered into the Manchester Art Gallery while others succumbed to mulled wine in the world-famous Christmas market. This was followed by lunch in true Spanish style. Our outgoing Events Coordinator Aida Ferrer put our fuzzy heads to the test with a festive quiz focused on quite obscure facts from around the Ibero-American world. The prizes – turrón and rioja – were ultimately shared between four impressively knowledgeable and informed linguists. Yet another reminder that human translators remain indispensable!

A huge thank you to our committee members Lisa Agostini, Rosa Baranda, Sarah Cutts, Aida Ferrer and Sofía Mulia; to former committee members Trinidad Clares and Pilar Gáñez; and to network members Juliet C., Elisa Cristóbal González, Judith McInally, Kirsty Olivant and Mª Mercedes Pacheco Ruiz for travelling from all your various corners to meet, chat, eat, drink and put your bilingual brilliance into action. We look forward to doing it all again in 2026!