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… in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes Ben Franklin, in a letter written in 1789 How can we prepare to get through the storms of life? My mother-in-law, my husband and my mom died in the last six years. While I was deeply saddened by this, I still had to take care of most administrative issues for them and keep looking to the future. I wanted to have work and clients after this was over. As freelancers, our clients disappear when we disappear. How did I keep clients through these crises? Years…
So You Want to be a Freelance Translator or Interpreter: Starting from Scratch
Starting your freelance translation business from scratch can be a daunting task. Below are a few of the most fundamental questions to ask yourself as you begin to think about building your business. Do I need further training to become a translator? There is no one “right” way to become a translator, but most professionals feel it is important to…
Linguist in the Spotlight: An Interview with Rosario Charo Welle
There is much to be learned from our colleagues, but it can be intimidating to strike up a conversation with the “pros.” For that reason, we at Savvy have done the work for you and are excited to announce our new interview series, “Linguist in the Spotlight,” where we pick the brains of experienced translators and interpreters and bring their…
Book Review: Deconstructing Traditional Notions in Translation Studies
Reblogged from the ATA’s Spanish Language Division blog with permission by the author, incl. the image In order to set the context of what translation is, I will quote the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) description of translation performance: Translation is the process of transferring text from one language into another. It is a complex skill requiring several abilities. The term “translation”…
Buddies Welcome Newbies at ATA58
This year, Buddies Welcome Newbies celebrates its fifth anniversary, and as part of the celebrations, the team is introducing a few new surprises! After its debut in San Antonio in 2013, led by Helen Eby and Jamie Hartz, Buddies Welcome Newbies has grown to become a well-known event right before the Welcome Celebration of the ATA conference. Designed as an…
The Extraordinary Translator and Interpreter: A Mini-Survey from ATA57
In just one week, nearly 2,000 translators and interpreters will convene at ATA’s 58th Annual Conference. Memories of last year’s event abound, and The Savvy Newcomer is pleased to present the results of a mini-survey we conducted at the 57th Annual Conference in San Francisco whose goal was to examine trends in the backgrounds of translators and interpreters, particularly those…
Preparing a Translation for Submission to the United States Government
Written by Helen Eby in collaboration with Jamie Hartz Many documents that are submitted to U.S. Government agencies must be submitted along with a statement indicating that the translator is skilled to perform their task. This can be called a translator’s statement, statement of accuracy, certification, translator’s declaration, etc. I’ll call it a “translator’s statement” here as I dive into…
Summary of the ATA Translation and Interpreting Services Survey
Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle with permission, incl. the image The fifth edition of the ATA Translation and Interpreting Services Survey serves as a practical tool, revealing general trends in the translation and interpreting industry. The recently released fifth edition of the ATA Translation and Interpreting Services Survey is an invaluable benchmarking tool for nearly everyone in or affiliated with the…
9 Things You Can Do Today to Get the Most out of ATA58
This October, some 2,000 language professionals will swarm the Hilton in Washington DC for the 58th Annual ATA Conference. They will push through crowds of people to find the next packed presentation room, will sit in a sea of unfamiliar faces, will spend their entire waking day taking in new information and trying desperately to remember the name of the…
Why Pairing up Is a Good Idea for Freelance Translators! Part 2
In part 1 of this post, I explained three major benefits of working together with other translators. Quick recap: you need two people to produce the quality customers require, you’ll have more capacity and you’ll be able to offer more services. That is only half the story though: there are three other major benefits: Two Professionals Are Much More…
Questions to Ask Before You Accept a Translation Project
It is impossible to anticipate every issue or question that may arise during the course of a translation project, but one thing you can do to be prepared before you get started is ask a lot of questions. Below are a number of questions you should keep in mind each time you receive a new project request (especially from a…