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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…
German Immersion Strategies for Expatriates and Other Deutsch-Fans
By Marion Rhodes Being aware of linguistic trends is crucial for translators. To avoid language atrophy, those of us who have traded our native home country for a foreign country home need to find ways to continually immerse ourselves in our mother tongue. A German expatriate myself, I have to make a conscious effort to keep up with the evolution…
What is a Certified Translation?
By Caitilin Walsh Reblogged from The ATA Compass blog with permission from the author In the United States a certified translation consists of the following three parts: 1) The source-language (original) text 2) The target-language (translated) text 3) A statement signed by the translator or translation company representative, with his or her signature notarized by a Notary Public, attesting that the…
A Slammin’ Good Time at #ata57
For all our camaraderie, we translators rarely have the opportunity to get a glimpse of each other’s work. But at this year’s ATA conference, two translators will display their efforts for all the world to see. Watch French-to-English translators Jenn Mercer and Andie Ho go head-to-head in a Translation Slam at the American Translators Conference in San Francisco on Saturday,…
5 Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Freelance Translator Web Copy
by David Friedman Imagine you are your own ideal client and you stumble across your translation website. Would you be able to find out everything you need to know from the website quickly and easily? Are the benefits clear enough to answer questions like, “What’s in it for me?” or, “What makes this translator different from all the other translators…
Death by a Thousand Cuts
By Juan Lizama Reblogged from the Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters blog with permission from the author It is not the complex syntax, long sentences or technical passages that dash the hopes of most candidates seeking to pass the American Translators Association (ATA) certification exam. According to ATA exam graders Holly Mikkelson and Paul Coltrin, it is the many…
What to ask your client before starting a translation
By Oleg Semerikov (@TranslatFamily) Reblogged from the Translators Family blog with permission from the author (incl. the image) Every translation job is different – that goes without saying. Every client has their own set of requirements, and every job presents its own unique challenges. What can translators do to ensure a project goes smoothly from start to finish? Well, one of…
The Routledge Handbook of Interpreting: A Multifaceted Resource
By Helen Eby One of my resources is The Routledge Handbook of Interpreting, edited by Holly Mikkelson and Renée Jourdenais. Its twenty-seven chapters cover a remarkably broad spectrum of topics relating to interpreting, with the following sections: historical perspectives, modes of interpreting, interpreting settings, and issues and debates. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field, sometimes two,…
Entering the Big Game
How I started out only working for direct clients in my target language country, Sweden Background I decided to study to be a translator because I wanted the freedom of being self-employed along with the opportunity to do work I am passionate about. I also enjoy helping people from different cultures and backgrounds communicate with each other, so working with…
Multilingual profiles on LinkedIn
By Catherine Christaki (@LinguaGreca) LinkedIn was launched in 2003 and is currently the third most popular social network in terms of unique monthly visitors, right behind Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn is the world’s largest online professional network with more than 400 million members in over 200 countries and territories. More than half of all B2B companies are finding customers through…
Review of the ALC 2015 Industry Survey©
By Helen Eby Reblogged from the ATA Interpreters Division blog with permission from the author (incl. the image) Founded in 2002, the Association of Language Companies (ALC) is a US-based trade association representing businesses that provide translation, interpretation, localization, and other language services. Its goal is to deliver timely information to its members to generate more sales, increase profits, and raise awareness…