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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…
How Does the ATA Nomination Process Work?
By the ATA Nominating and Leadership Development Committee in February 2015: Dorothee Racette, Connie Prener, Tony Guerra, Susanne van Eyl, Karen Tkaczyk Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle, February 2015, with permission from Dorothee Racette Who creates that slate of candidates that we see every year? How does the nomination process work? May I nominate myself? What are the criteria used…
Why Pairing up Is a Good Idea, Especially for Freelance Translators!
“I’m a freelancer, so other freelancers are my competitors. Especially in my language pair. I should avoid them at all cost!” As a small business owner (because that’s what you are as a freelancer!), it’s very easy to fall into this trap. It does make sense, doesn’t it? Professionals who offer exactly the same services as you are direct competitors…
Pursuing the Translation Dream: What to Know Before the Phone Rings
Have you ever asked yourself if you have what it takes to be a translator? You probably know it takes more than being bilingual, but did you know there is more to it than being a good translator? If you are curious to know what it takes to build a successful translation career, you may be pleased to learn of…
Computerized ATA Certification Exam Option Now Available at Select Sittings
Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle with permission (incl. the image) ATA is now offering a computerized option for taking the certification exam at select sittings. Candidates will now be able to take the exam on their own laptops. Candidates: May use most resources stored on their laptops, including dictionaries and glossaries. May use non-interactive Internet resources, such as online dictionaries and other…
Book review: Manual de traducción inglés-castellano
Translation Handbook – Spanish book review Alert! This is a book review on a book written in Spanish. Therefore, the quotes will be in Spanish! I’ve been having weekly discussions with people who want to become better translators. Some would call this “translation training.” As they ask questions, they drive me to read books. One of the gems I have…
When translation clients ask for favors
Here’s a situation we’ve all probably encountered: clients asking for favors. “Any chance you could quickly translate 25 words?” “Do you have time to look over a couple of sentences in a source document in your language?” “You’re so great with this piece of software; any chance you could take a quick look at a problem we’re having?” A client…
The Savvy Newcomer Resources page
It was a genius who said, “Never memorize something you can look up.” But as any good translator or interpreter knows, you have to know where to look it up as well! In this case, you’re in luck: The Savvy Newcomer has done the work for you with our Resources page. You can find the list, which contains links to…
Translator Competence
Reblogged from Carol’s Adventures in Translation blog with permission from the author (incl. the image) Translators and the need for speed I’m very excited to be writing a guest blog post for Caroline, who I met at the XXXIV Semana do Tradutor in Brazil in September. Caroline indicated that I was free to choose any topic relevant to translators or translation,…
Resources to Help Ensure Translation Payment
One of the questions that many newer translators ask is “How do I find good clients?” This question is often closely followed by a second: “How do I know they’re good?” To address this topic, specifically regarding scams and non-payment by translation clients, Ted Wozniak recently presented a session at the ATA conference titled “Ensuring Payment Before, During, and After…
What Happens When Translators Go on Autopilot
Personally, I do not believe specialized human translators who actively use their brains will ever be replaced by machines. But if you put your brain on autopilot and work like a machine, then you could be at risk of becoming some kind of zombie cyborg competing with full-fledged machines! Here are some common problems I have seen in myself and…