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…
From the Next Level team: Do you remember the first few years of your career in the language industry? Was it smooth sailing, or did you sometimes wish for someone who could give you advice and point you in a new direction? If you’ve ever wanted or had someone to help you find your footing, consider doing the same for…
The following is a translation of the post “Traduction: Que faire de toutes ces langues que vous parlez?” (you can read the original via the hyperlink) by Matilda Gascon Delqueux from the blog Master TSM Lille, translated by our very own Kevin L. Hull. Without further ado, here is the translation. Many of us know languages besides those we studied…
The summer before I entered fourth grade, I was invited to join a special summer program at a local community college. I had the opportunity to choose two classes from a range of offerings and, for reasons I no longer remember, I chose drama and touch typing. The drama class never did me much good; I learned mainly that I…
This post was originally published on Bruce Johnston’s blog. It is reposted with permission. I thought today I would go over an example of the research I would do before talking to a prospect. Here are the steps I take: I will check their company page to see how it matches up with their website and to review all their…
Buddies Welcome Newbies: Starting #ATA63 Off on the Right Foot We’re so excited to welcome you to ATA63 in sunny Los Angeles! This year will be ATA’s first fully in-person conference since Palm Springs, and we can wait to see everyone. If you’ve already attended other in-person conferences this year or if this is your first one, navigating this new…
About a week from the time this post appears, the ATA 63rd Annual Conference will be in full swing. Like always, attendees will have opportunities to network with colleagues and potential clients, browse in the Exhibit Hall, exchange dictionaries, exercise, meet candidates for the Board of Directors, and of course, learn as much as they can in just three days.…
If you are a language major considering your next steps, you’ve come to the right place! The translation and interpreting field is growing rapidly, and ATA is the largest association of its kind in the world. Whether you’re looking to become a successful solopreneur, interpret for the president of the United States, or work at a medical clinic in your…
This post is a reblog, originally published on Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo’s blog. It is reposted with permission from the author. Testimonials are a great way to enrich your online marketing. Customers often read product reviews and testimonials before they make an important purchase. I heard someone say recently that other people’s words are 15 times more valuable than our own when…
The Savvy Newcomer team has been taking stock of the past year and finding that one key priority for many freelance translators and interpreters has been diversification. Offering multiple services in different sectors or to different clients can help steady us when storms come. Diversification can help us hedge against hard times. With this in mind, we’ve invited a series…
We send résumés out all the time, in response to direct requests and in hopes of getting work. Résumés (or “CVs” for European clients) can be a vexing topic – but they don’t have to be. The Basics Let’s start with what you should include: Your name Your language combination Your contact details Your skills Your relevant experience The technology…