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As language professionals, we have a duty to keep up with training and education in our languages and specializations; with technology, legislation, and other developments important to our field; and with other people, both colleagues and clients. Attending a professional conference is a great way to manage all of these obligations. But conferences, by their very nature, can be big, overwhelming, and difficult to navigate. Simply showing up and hoping for the best is a recipe for exhaustion, failure, and wasting all the money we invested to be there. To really make the most of the conference experience, it helps…
So You Want to be a Freelance Translator or Interpreter: Services and Specialization
What services should I offer? Many translators provide more than just translation services. Since many are self-employed, it can be helpful to offer related services in order to differentiate yourself, serve customers’ needs, and bring in extra income. Here are some of the many ancillary services translators may offer: Bilingual editing: Reviewing another translator’s work by comparing the source and…
Linguist in the Spotlight: An Interview with Maryam Abdi
In this second installment of our “Linguist in the Spotlight” interview series, Maryam Abdi, Somali-English translator and interpreter specializing in law, reminisces about how and why she ultimately chose a career in translation and interpreting (T&I) over law school, the elements of successful entrepreneurship for translators and interpreters, why she encourages new translators to think beyond their passions when it…
Using SlideShare to Embed PowerPoints in a Website
SlideShare is a slide hosting service owned by LinkedIn that allows users to upload presentations, either privately or publicly, to a website. This tool can be used for a variety of applications, including to upload presentations of useful resources for sharing with the public or a select audience, as well as to share sales and advertising information with your target…
Advice for Beginners: Specialization
By Judy Jenner Post reblogged from Translation Times blog with permission by the author, incl. the image Many beginning interpreters oftentimes ask us about specialization and whether it’s essential that they specialize. We get many of these questions from Judy’s students at the Spanish/English translation certificate program at University of San Diego-Extension and from Dagy’s mentees. We thought it might be helpful to…
Local Conferences: The Block Parties of the Language Industry
Are you a member of your local translators and interpreters association? Have you ever attended a local conference? There is no question that a large-scale conference like that of the ATA is worth attending at least once in your career, but conferences of its scope come with a price tag and can require significant travel. Luckily, you do not have…
So You Want to be a Freelance Translator or Interpreter: Starting from Scratch
Starting your freelance translation business from scratch can be a daunting task. Below are a few of the most fundamental questions to ask yourself as you begin to think about building your business. Do I need further training to become a translator? There is no one “right” way to become a translator, but most professionals feel it is important to…
Linguist in the Spotlight: An Interview with Rosario Charo Welle
There is much to be learned from our colleagues, but it can be intimidating to strike up a conversation with the “pros.” For that reason, we at Savvy have done the work for you and are excited to announce our new interview series, “Linguist in the Spotlight,” where we pick the brains of experienced translators and interpreters and bring their…
Book Review: Deconstructing Traditional Notions in Translation Studies
Reblogged from the ATA’s Spanish Language Division blog with permission by the author, incl. the image In order to set the context of what translation is, I will quote the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) description of translation performance: Translation is the process of transferring text from one language into another. It is a complex skill requiring several abilities. The term “translation”…
Buddies Welcome Newbies at ATA58
This year, Buddies Welcome Newbies celebrates its fifth anniversary, and as part of the celebrations, the team is introducing a few new surprises! After its debut in San Antonio in 2013, led by Helen Eby and Jamie Hartz, Buddies Welcome Newbies has grown to become a well-known event right before the Welcome Celebration of the ATA conference. Designed as an…
The Extraordinary Translator and Interpreter: A Mini-Survey from ATA57
In just one week, nearly 2,000 translators and interpreters will convene at ATA’s 58th Annual Conference. Memories of last year’s event abound, and The Savvy Newcomer is pleased to present the results of a mini-survey we conducted at the 57th Annual Conference in San Francisco whose goal was to examine trends in the backgrounds of translators and interpreters, particularly those…