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.
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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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…
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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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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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This post was originally published on Ana Lis Salotti Translations. It is reposted with permission. Do you know what a CORPUS is? Have you ever used a corpus before in your translation career? Have you ever felt stuck with a simple phrase in your source language and can’t find an equivalent that runs as smoothly as your original? If you…
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This post was originally published on A Translator Thinking Outside the Box. It is reposted with permission. December’s always been a crazy month for me. Work pours in ahead of the Holiday Season, the house and the pool get more crowded and noisy than usual with my two teenage boys out of school, not to mention preparations for Christmas’ Eve,…
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Most translators I know also work as editors. There seems to be an industry assumption that translators do both by default. This makes sense, of course: the translator-turned-editor knows the source and target languages and is also an excellent reader and writer. However, revising one’s own work is different from revising someone else’s. And without training or clear expectations for…
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This post was originally published on the 15 Minute Freelancer Podcast. It is republished with permission. Tell me, is there any better feeling as a freelancer than getting that little ping in your inbox from someone saying they need someone who provides your services, and they heard from someone else that you were the number one person to ask? I…
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The Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) is planning a series of events for students on soft skills. The second event is May 20th and focuses on interviewing and CV prep. Standout as a Job Candidate Are you ready for a career in the language industry? Students and new professionals are invited to learn how to create a compelling CV and…
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A lot of us first became interested in translation because we wanted to translate books, or more specifically, novels. Even if we ended up specializing in marketing, insurance, or patent translation, we never quite gave up that literary dream. The thing is, if you don’t already have a track record as a literary translator, the chances of a publisher emailing…
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ATA launched its new Back to Business Basics webinar series in September 2020. These webinars focus on a small, practical piece of business advice for translators and interpreters at different stages of their careers. The series quickly became popular: there are usually a few hundred people attending each live session. Members can access these webinars free of charge, and non-members can purchase each…
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