The Savvy Linguist serves a worldwide community of translators and interpreters who are looking for practical solutions to everyday problems, ideas for growing their business, and support as they achieve their career goals. With high-quality, peer-reviewed content, you will find the answers to the questions you face as an innovative language professional.
We have published the ATA Savvy Newcomer since 2013 and ATA Next Level since 2021. Each blog has made unique and helpful contributions to our members. Savvy Newcomer was founded to help translators avoid the “school of hard knocks” that many of us went through. It has been helpful to new and experienced translators alike as we published articles on a variety of topics. Over the years, the blog team found that newcomers to the profession, our intended audience, were not necessarily a large majority of our readers. We were reaching a worldwide community of translators and interpreters who were…
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…
More is Not Better When It Comes to Your T&I Client List
This post was originally published on Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo’s blog. It is reposted with permission from the author. Everyone wants to grow their client list. After all, who wouldn’t, right? It’s part of being a business owner, no matter if you are a freelancer or if you manage several people who work for you. It’s good to always have more…
Attending Your Clients’ Conferences
Have you ever been told, “go where your clients go,” “meet your clients face-to-face,” or “attend an industry event”? Have you been interested, but not sure where to start? Attending your potential clients’ conferences can be very rewarding: you learn new terminology, get familiar with the industry, meet potential clients, and promote your services. The list goes on! However, conferences…