F.A.Q.

BP17: Frequently asked questions

I need some practical information on arrival, etc.

Please download our pdf guide to your mobile – you will find it useful.

How much does the conference cost?

Conference tickets start at 139€ + VAT, allowing you to attend the short talks on Friday, 5 May.  This type of ticket covers catering all day, including dinner.  This price is valid until the current batch of 60 one-day passes is sold out (55 tickets left as of 29 January);  or at the latest until 24 March.

There’s a 33% discount for students.

Tickets are normally available until 28 April, so please register by that day.  All items will carry a 15% surcharge after that, and registration closes completely at midnight on 1 May.

For a more detailed description of the options available, as well as for prices of fringe events such as masterclasses, dinners, day trips, and walking tours, check out the information under the Schedule tab.

For all conference packages explore the website, especially our webshop.

Do I have to pay VAT?

If you buy your ticket as a company or a sole proprietorship, you don’t have to pay VAT.  During the shopping process please select ‘I pay as… business’.   When you’re based in the European Union (outside Hungary), please provide a valid VAT number. This will be checked against the EU’s VIES database.

Make sure you enter your VAT number with the two letters denoting your country, without a space between the letters and the numbers (i.e. in this format:  AB12345678).

If you live outside the EU and you buy your tickets as a business, the VAT number is not checked.

A 27% VAT is charged in all other cases: (i) you’re based in the EU and pay as an individual (without a VAT number); (ii) you’re based outside the EU and pay as an individual; (iii) you’re based in Hungary as a business (in which case you can claim back the VAT); (iv) you’re based in Hungary as an individual or you’re “alanyi áfamentes” (in which case you can’t claim back the VAT amount).

Do I get an INVOICE for my payment?

Yes.  Invoices for payments by credit card and PayPal will be generated automatically from the system.  If you choose to pay by wire transfer, the invoice will be issued after confirming your funds on our bank account.  In both cases, invoices will be issued and sent by e-mail as .pdf files.

All fringe events are listed on the invoice as conference items. (e.g. a dinner could be listed as ‘BP17 Translation Conference – Module D4’.)  This will make your accountant happy, as you’ll be able to write these off as conference expenses.

How do I register for BP17?

Open the Shop page and select your items. These are grouped in a logical order: conference passes first, followed by dinners, masterclasses, etc.

After completing each step of the shopping process, you’ll get an automated response with additional information. As soon as your payment arrives, you’re registered for BP17.

You may find our shopping guide helpful.

Can you help me with the shopping process?

There’s a handy Shopping guide that explains the entire process in full detail.

I’d like to take the ATA exam. How do I register?

Please apply and pay for the exam directly at ATA.

Which airlines offer the best flight routes to Budapest?

Budapest is connected to over a 100 destinations worldwide, although most of these are within Europe.  Hungary no longer has a national carrier, but it well served by a number of low-cost airlines, most notably Wizzair and Ryanair, as well a wide range of other carriers.

Wikipedia has a full list of cities with direct flight routes to Budapest, including the airlines that serve these routes.

Wizzair offers a 20% discount on all routes on a regular basis, usually once a month.  Whenever we know about such an offer, we post it on the conference’s Facebook event page.

How do I book a room in the conference hotel?

Download the conference hotel’s booking form from the Budapest > Accommodation tab.

I need a Schengen visa.  Can you help me with an invitation letter?

Hungary’s immigration policy is constantly changing, and not necessarily for the better.

I, as conference organizer, can easily issue an ‘unofficial’ invitation letter.  This is a simple A/4 size pdf sent to you an e-mail attachment, stating that you registered for the conference, you attend the event for professional purposes, etc., complete with a scanned stamp and my signature.  For this I need your essential details (full name, birth date, registered address, passport number, passport expiry date). Also, get a confirmed booking from the conference hotel. To do this, fill in the booking form (Budapest > Accommodation tab), and send it to the hotel. They will send you a confirmation.  You’ll need to provide your card details, but your card won’t be charged until your arrival. (If you don’t get the visa for any reason, you can always cancel this booking.)

Next, with these documents (‘unofficial’ invitation letter + hotel’s confirmation) apply for a visa at the nearest Hungarian embassy or consulate.  For many countries this should be enough to get a visa. (Disclaimer:  as a conference organizer I have no control over the visa policy of any embassy or consulate.)

If they require an ‘official’ invitation letter, it makes things a bit more complicated (and more costly). For such an official invitation letter, I, as conference organizer, need to fill in a form of the Hungarian Immigration Authority, and get their approval in person.  This involves a fee, plus my time of visiting the office in person (at the opposite end of town).  To get their approval / countersign, they run some background checks on the person intending to enter Hungary.  Once I have the countersigned official invitation letter, I need to send it by registered mail to the applicant’s postal address. Together with this document, and the hotel’s confirmation (see above), you need to apply for a visa at the local embassy / consulate. The catch is that even this official invitation letter does not guarantee a visa.

What I can do as a conference organizer is that in case you are not granted visa for any reason, you’ll get a full refund of your conference purchase (ticket to the conference and any additional fringe events). Please note that the administration fee to get the official invitation letter cannot be refunded.

How do I reach conference attendees with my message?

You’re welcome to advertise in the conference magazine.  All BP17 attendees will get a printed copy, plus an e-book version will be available to 700+ more translators.  Ads start from 150€ (quarter page).

If you place at least a half-page ad, your ad will also be shown on 10 TV screens in the coffee break areas on Friday at the cinema.

Simply select the desired option in the webshop, then we can take it from there.

If you wish to be an exhibitor or sponsor, contact us.

Can I publish an article in the conference magazine?

Absolutely. This year the conference booklet will also include articles on, well, the business and practice of freelance translation. All BP17 attendees will get a printed copy, plus an e-book version will be available to 700+ more translators.

Read more about the conference magazine here (publishing, advertising, signing up for the e-book).

I’m more of an interpreter, can I still join?  

Of course.  Many of our previous and returning attendees do more interpreting than translation. Takeaways from our business sessions can easily be applied to interpreters as well.  Most importantly, the unique BP conference atmosphere is shared by all language professionals.

At BP17 some of the sessions will specifically cater to interpreters’ needs.

Can I invite other translators?  

Sure you can! While a large number of BP attendees know each other from previous events, all of them started out not knowing anybody else.  BP conferences lay a strong emphasis on building lasting relationships, both professional and personal.

You’re more than welcome to invite your colleagues.   A good way of doing is using the Share button on our Facebook event, or you can simply tell them about the event.   In fact, BP conferences have a very good word of mouth; attendees of previous events often recommend us to their colleagues.

There’s even a financial motivation to register in pairs.  If at least two people register on a single invoice, each of you will get a 15€ discount off the price of a two-day pass. There’s no such discount for one-day passes.

I don’t know anybody among the attendees. How will I fit in?

The BP conference crowd is very open and ready to welcome any colleagues.  Translators and interpreters have always been regarded as weirdos by outsiders – but at BP we’re all insiders, all speaking the same language. Registered attendees will have little profiles on this website, together with their photos, short bios, and a few links to their professional pages – you can start networking even before the conference starts.

Conference breaks are the best times to forge new relationships.  Feel free to talk to anyone – that’s the very reason we come together.

Who organizes BP17?

The man behind BP Translation Conferences is freelance translator Csaba Bán.  He is assisted by an IT guru, a typesetter, an accountant.  You can read more about the BP story here.

I still have a question that I think others may also have. Can you help me?

Sure.  Drop us a line and shoot.

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