The Savvy Newcomer aims to serve newcomers to the translation and interpreting professions by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed content on a weekly basis. We strive to provide you with the answers to the many questions you face as a new or aspiring translator or interpreter.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, many translators and interpreters are asking themselves: Is there still a place for me? The answer is a resounding yes, but it comes with an important caveat. The future of translation and interpretation belongs to those who can do what machines cannot, that is, bring cultural competence, empathy, and context to language. At least, thus far. Cultural competence has always been at the heart of effective communication. It enables professionals to interpret meaning beyond words, including humor, idioms, tone, and intention within specific cultural frameworks. While AI can process vast amounts of…
Get out the vote 2019
ATA members should vote! We get the leaders we vote for. ATA is fortunate to have an all-volunteer Board of Directors that dedicate their time and energy to directing and bettering our organization. These directors and other specific positions are elected at an annual meeting of voting members during the annual conference each year. In September, ATA always gives voters…
How to Set a Budget for Your Freelance Business
This post was originally published on the Thoughts On Translation blog. It is reposted with permission from the author. Setting a budget for your freelance business is important, because: -Many freelancers have no idea how much they need to earn in order to achieve the same level of financial security as someone with a traditional job. -As a freelancer, you…
Stumbling on the Vocabulary of National Life (Part Two)
by Joseph P. Mazza This post is part two of a two-part series by Joe Mazza. Read last week’s post here (you won’t regret it): Stumbling on the Vocabulary of National Life (Part One). Having survived the surly eviction from a Latino grocery store, I decided long ago to pursue the vocabulary of national life on less dangerous turf—namely around…
The Benefits of Mentoring
Photo Credit: Pexels This post was originally published on the Ben Translates blog. It is reposted with permission from the author. This week, I was informed that I have been selected as one of 30 mentees for the 2017-2018 class of the American Translators Association mentoring program. I am delighted to have been chosen for this opportunity and look forward to…
Stumbling on the Vocabulary of National Life (Part One)
by Joseph P. Mazza I envy those who take up foreign languages spoken in a single country. Sure, there may be regional varieties within that country and émigré communities too. Yet these happy colleagues have the institutions and lifeways of only one country to tackle. Japanese linguists will be the first to dispute how easy this really is! Having been…
Mea culpa. Meteduras de pata reales de traductores e intérpretes
This post was originally published on the En la luna de Babel blog. It is reposted with permission from the author. Leemos, nos documentamos, seguimos consejos y aconsejamos, pero siempre hay algo que se nos escapa. ¿Un error de tecleo? Incontables, a veces tengo los dedos de mantequilla y algunas palabras se me resisten. ¿Meteduras de pata al traducir? Pues…
How To Use Facebook To Promote Translator Services
I believe a freelance translator’s first and easiest step to creating online visibility is to set up a business page on Facebook. There are a number of reasons for this: Facebook is free; it gives you a huge opportunity to reach a lot of people; search engines index Facebook pages, therefore people can find your translation services through Google search…
Translation Commons: A Community for Language Professionals
Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle, with permission Translation Commons is a nonprofit, volunteer-based online community designed to facilitate collaboration among diverse sectors and stakeholders of the language industry and encourage transparency, trust, and free knowledge sharing. It was established with the idea that translated data and memories truly belong to the translators who create them and that they should be…
Mental Health in Freelance Translation: Imposter Syndrome
“Maybe just another run through, just to be safe.” I had already checked that .srt file around 16 times in the past couple of hours and it still didn’t feel like enough. It was the first subtitle I had ever made, following a subtitling workshop at an agency, a test that determined whether or not I would enter their base of…
My Personal Style Guide for the ATA Translation Exam into Spanish
This post was originally published on the Gaucha Translations blog. It is reposted with permission from the author. Based on the comments from a failed exam. I am writing this to help others not fail the same way! Include necessary clarifying information to reduce ambiguity. (register former inmates/registrar para votar a los que habían sido…) (spread the word to thousands……