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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.

Professional Etiquette to Lower Your Stress and Improve Work-Life Balance

By The Savvy Newcomer | August 6, 2025
Professional Etiquette to Lower Your Stress and Improve Work-Life Balance

What people are looking for in a career is undergoing a massive shift in our culture. Younger professionals tend to prioritize mental health and often want the ability to arrange their schedule to make time for life commitments outside of their professional endeavors—such as pursuing other jobs or embracing family responsibilities. In fact, according to Upwork, “Gen Z is abandoning conventional 9-to-5 corporate jobs for more diverse, flexible careers in freelancing.” Similarly, Kate Palmer, an employment services director at Peninsula UK, states that “Generation Z are known to place more importance on flexibility, work-life balance, and personal well-being, and, therefore,…

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This Will Never Happen to Me! – Freelance Lessons From Last Year’s Serious Accident

By The Savvy Newcomer | June 27, 2023
This Will Never Happen to Me

This post was originally published on Polka Dot Translations. It is reposted with permission.  Last Friday marked one year since I was in a serious bicycle accident. That evening, I left home to go for a Zumba class only to return nine days later, with a massive, painful wound on my belly and a piece of small intestine missing. Dangerous…

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What to Do When You Don’t Get Paid

By The Savvy Newcomer | June 13, 2023
What to Do When You Don't Get Paid

This post was originally published on The Translation Guy. It is reposted with permission. Got a Client Who Didn’t Pay You and Now They Won’t Answer Your Emails? What Are Your Options? A few years ago, I was a freelance translator translating mainly from English and Spanish into Portuguese. I quite enjoyed the freedom of working from home (pyjamas) and…

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How to Make a Better Clientscape

By The Savvy Newcomer | May 2, 2023
How to Make a Better Clientscape

Title explanation: If a landscape is the land around you, your friendscape is what you see when you look out at your friends, and your clientscape is what you see, as a freelancer, when you look at the array of your clients. Remember, the way we see ourselves is in the mirror of the people around us… if you don’t…

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Your Guide to a 5-Star Email Signature

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 25, 2023
Your Guide to a 5-Star Email Signature

This post was originally published on LION Translation Academy. It is reposted with permission. If you want to break into the premium market, a quality email signature can go a long way (provided that you’re also a terrific translator, of course!). Yet so many translators opt for a generic Hotmail address and an email signature containing nothing more than their…

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Savvy Diversification Series – The Role of the Genealogical Translator

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 23, 2023
The Role of the Genealogical Translator

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…

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Freelance Translator’s Client Reference List: Why and How and When

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 23, 2023
Freelance Translator’s Client Reference List: Why & How & When

This post was originally published on Gabriela Kouahla’s LinkedIn timeline. It is reposted with permission. The client reference list of a freelance translator is very important when it comes to potential clients (direct/companies) or job application for a new translation agency. It allows you to provide (another) proof of your experience and also to ensure a potential client or company/agency…

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8 T&I Events in Europe that Deserve to Be on Your 2023 Calendar

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 23, 2023
8 T&I Events in Europe that Deserve to Be on Your 2023 Calendar

Here are some lesser-known industry conferences with the potential to boost your networking and marketing efforts! Fall: It’s Time for Flagship Industry Events While summer temperatures are still hanging around in many areas of the country, the fall conference season is now in full swing. If you’re like me, the crisp autumnal air and colorful leaves are harbingers for the…

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Being a Freelancer and Being a Parent: Postcards From the Other Side

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 11, 2023
Being a Freelancer and Being a Parent- Postcards From the Other Side

This post was originally published on Training for Translators. It is reposted with permission.  My Freelance Origin Story When someone asks me how long I’ve been a freelancer, it’s not a difficult number for me to calculate, even as a non-numbers person, because my freelance business is the same age as my daughter. I’ve been freelancing since October 2002, which…

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ChatGPT for Translators: How to Use the Tool to Work More Efficiently?

By The Savvy Newcomer | March 28, 2023
ChatGPT for translators: how to use the tool to work more efficiently?

This post was originally published on Medium. It is reposted with permission. Test it before you reject it. That’s my approach when it comes to new technology. And that’s what I did when the ChatGPT frenzy began. Two months ago I embarked on a new testing journey and, to my surprise, I quickly joined the ChatGPT’s fan club. Now I…

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