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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…
5 lessons from SLAM! on promoting professionalism in the translation industry
How do you differentiate yourself and earn a living as a freelance translator or interpreter? Arm yourself with huge doses of entrepreneurship, pride and courage. Keep on reading to get more tips and be ready to rock! About SLAM! The Scandinavian Language Associations’ meeting (SLAM!) was held on the 24th of September in Malmö. The theme of the event was…
Always leave the door open for future opportunities
Learning to say no is widely covered in our profession. It is a skill many of us have to work on. It took me a long time to identify my limits and realize that yes can be a huge and attractive trap. There is another aspect of our profession that does not receive as much attention: learning to hear no…
Interview – Robyn Dean on Ethics: Metaphors or Values?
Reblogged from the ATA Interpreters Division blog with permission from the author (incl. the image) In preparation for the ATA conference, Marsel de Souza interviewed Robyn Dean, the Interpreters Division’s guest speaker at the ATA 57th Annual Conference in San Francisco. This interview focuses on the following sessions and much more: Returning to Ethics: A Meta-Ethical Analysis of Community Interpreters’ Codes and Standards of…
Revision: a nlboe and etessanitl srcviee
ATA Conference session T-10, Saturday 10:00-11:00, Garden B If you can read the intended title of this presentation, then you can understand that it is impossible to catch all our own mistakes. As translators, we become as close to the material as the author (some say closer). Our eyes begin to gloss over typos and errors as our brain becomes…
Ensuring Payment – Before, During and After the Project
Session IC-3 at the 2016 ATA Conference – Thursday, 3:30-4:30pm ATA57 will mark the 6th time I have given this presentation at an ATA annual conference, and the ninth time overall. The presentation is based on the knowledge and experience I have gained as a freelance translator working with agencies for more than twenty years and from monitoring payment issues…
Buddies Welcome Newbies at ATA57
by Jamie Hartz If you’re a newbie to the American Translators Association, or to translation or interpreting in general, and you’re thinking of attending the ATA conference in San Francisco this November, then this post is for you – so read on! The Savvy Newcomer Team would like to tell you about an event that was a huge success its…
How to Have a Super First Year in the ATA: Go to Your First ATA Conference
Welcome to the fourth and final article in the series How to Have a Super First Year in the ATA. This time, I’ll be talking about why you should attend your first ATA conference this year, what you can expect and some tips for success. This year’s annual conference, ATA57, will be held in San Francisco, California from November 2-5,…
Quoting a Large Translation Project
By May Fung Danis and Steven Marzuola May Fung Danis and Steven Marzuola each responded to a question about writing a proposal for a large translation project recently on the ATA Business Practices discussion group. We’ve combined our remarks for The Savvy Newcomer blog. First, take a look at the following resources from the ATA: Model translation job contract A…
Anatomy of an ATA Conference
By Jennifer Guernsey Reblogged from the ATA Chronicle (February 2015) with permission from the author After hearing colleagues raise interesting questions regarding ATA’s Annual Conference, I decided it might be helpful to gather and publish information regarding how decisions are made concerning the selection of the conference venue and sessions. David Rumsey, ATA president-elect and conference organizer, kindly agreed…
6 Ways to Foster a Strong Relationship with your Project Manager and Earn More Work
As a freelance translator, some of your projects will come from language service providers (LSPs) as opposed to direct clients. If you attend the ATA Conference, you’ll meet almost as many LSP representatives as fellow translators, looking to hire their next batch of vendors. Many of those representatives will be project managers (PMs). PMs often decide whom to hire for…