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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…
Branding Yourself – Create a Professional Portfolio
Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle with permission from the author In today’s business world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make yourself competitive, especially as a translator. More and more freelancers are being added to the market, so what can you do to make yourself stand out in a sea of many? A great place to start your differentiating process is…
Corpus analysis: The Ugly Duckling of Translation
Not long ago, hearing the term “corpus linguistics” made me shriek; after all, it was something that only linguists in academia did, right? So, when I signed up for a course, I was not fully convinced that I would learn something that I could truly put into practice. However, by the end of the course, I had concluded that corpus…
To Ask or Not to Ask: That Is the Question
Reblogged from the blog ClaireCoxTranslations ~ Lines from a linguist, incl. the image, with permission from the author It’s a familiar story: you’ve come to the end of a lengthy translation and there are a couple of points you’re not quite sure about. It might be in-house jargon, or indecipherable acronyms. Or then again the source text might not be…
So You Want to be a Freelance Translator or Interpreter: How is the T&I Industry Laid Out?
How is the T&I industry laid out? As a preface, I can think of numerous times since I began working as a translator that friends and family have come to me with questions about my work. Do I actually have a job? Do people pay me to do it? Who do I work for? The questions are not always this…
Five Steps to Make your Freelance Translator CV Stand Out
During the last three months, I have reviewed hundreds of CVs (or resumes) from freelance translators for a new language group we are targeting at our translation agency, TranslationPartner. Some CVs caught my attention, and others were rejected within 10-20 seconds. To help you out, I have written down some of my notes about why some translators’ CVs were shortlisted…
How Does the ATA Nomination Process Work?
By the ATA Nominating and Leadership Development Committee in February 2015: Dorothee Racette, Connie Prener, Tony Guerra, Susanne van Eyl, Karen Tkaczyk Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle, February 2015, with permission from Dorothee Racette Who creates that slate of candidates that we see every year? How does the nomination process work? May I nominate myself? What are the criteria used…
Why Pairing up Is a Good Idea, Especially for Freelance Translators!
“I’m a freelancer, so other freelancers are my competitors. Especially in my language pair. I should avoid them at all cost!” As a small business owner (because that’s what you are as a freelancer!), it’s very easy to fall into this trap. It does make sense, doesn’t it? Professionals who offer exactly the same services as you are direct competitors…
Pursuing the Translation Dream: What to Know Before the Phone Rings
Have you ever asked yourself if you have what it takes to be a translator? You probably know it takes more than being bilingual, but did you know there is more to it than being a good translator? If you are curious to know what it takes to build a successful translation career, you may be pleased to learn of…
Computerized ATA Certification Exam Option Now Available at Select Sittings
Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle with permission (incl. the image) ATA is now offering a computerized option for taking the certification exam at select sittings. Candidates will now be able to take the exam on their own laptops. Candidates: May use most resources stored on their laptops, including dictionaries and glossaries. May use non-interactive Internet resources, such as online dictionaries and other…
Book review: Manual de traducción inglés-castellano
Translation Handbook – Spanish book review Alert! This is a book review on a book written in Spanish. Therefore, the quotes will be in Spanish! I’ve been having weekly discussions with people who want to become better translators. Some would call this “translation training.” As they ask questions, they drive me to read books. One of the gems I have…