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ATA’s 67th Annual Conference takes place October 28-31, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, and those four days will fly by. The attendees who get the most out of the conference are rarely the ones with the best luck; they’re the ones who did a little homework before boarding the plane. Here are nine things you can do ahead of time so you arrive ready to learn, connect, and enjoy yourself. 1. Order paper business cards now Yes, still. Paper cards remain the fastest way to close a conversation gracefully in a noisy hallway. Order them early enough so…
Freelance Translator Survey 2020
“Interesting & fun to complete”, “Most comprehensive and interesting survey so far”, “Loved it!”, “Very thorough and thought-provoking” are just a few of the comments left by people who completed this survey for translators, a survey that took two months to put together, a survey designed by translators for translators. The idea started to take shape a couple of months…
Free Training: Getting Started as a Freelance Translator
A four-week online course for beginning translators in any language combination, who want to launch and run a successful freelance business. Also for “experienced beginners” whose primary goal is to find more work. Because a lot of people have a lot of time on their hands right now, I’m offering a free session of Getting Started as a Freelance Translator.…
Why You Should Never Offer a “Free Quote” On Your Website (Or Elsewhere)
This post was originally published on Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo’s blog. It is reposted with permission from the author. Whether you’re a seasoned professional translator or a newbie who’s just getting your feet wet, your website should be the place where clients go to find out more about your services and to find out how they can work with you. Not…
Translating for Pharma
What is a translation? A translation is, essentially, a new document for a new audience, since it is written to reflect the meaning of the source document as faithfully as possible in a new language. This new language could express things in different ways, which will be evident if a professional translates the material back to the original language without…
What Makes a Good Agency?
This post was originally published in the July-August 2009 edition of the ITI Bulletin. It is reposted with permission from the author. Herbert Eppel offers advice for ensuring the relationship between freelance translator and client remains harmonious, productive and pleasant for both sides In the 15 years since I started diversifying into translation I have worked with around 100 different…
The American Translators Association (ATA) set up its current mentoring program in 2011, and since then an estimated 240 mentor/mentee pairs have worked together to jointly explore the business side of translation and interpreting. The program has been a big success, so much so that the Mentoring Committee, which is part of ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee, is working to…
Quality Control in Translation: Must-Dos for Success as a Translator
This post was originally published on Translorial. It is reposted with permission from the author. If you are considering starting – or have just started – a career in the translation industry, this article may be for you. Here’s a challenge: if you had to choose a picture to describe the actual process taking place inside your brain when you…
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Scripts to Enhance Translator Productivity
*Note: The instructions found in this post should work on the majority of Windows computers. Apple users, let us know if you come up with your own way of making this work! Recently, my IT guy [husband] set me up with a great new tool. It has made my life as a translator so much more effective that it would…
How to Successfully Tackle Translation Tests
Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle, with permission If approached with the right mindset, translation tests can be a professionally enriching experience for translators. It’s safe to say that most translators don’t consider translation tests to be their favorite part of the job. In fact, it might be the most dreaded part of a translator’s day. But it doesn’t have to…
Public Outreach Presentations: Change Perceptions Outside our Industry
This past fall, Veronika Demichelis and I had the opportunity to speak about translation and interpreting at Rice University. My hope is that in sharing our experience, you will be encouraged to seek out or accept similar opportunities. It’s important to bring greater awareness to the general public about our industry and to educate potential buyers of translation and interpreting…