One of my behind-the-scenes projects for this year is a series of narrow-topic books for freelance translators. The first one, Finding and Marketing to Translation Agencies, is freshly pressed and available in print, Kindle, and PDF format. I think that many translators feel torn between two realities: agencies are the backbone of many translators’ businesses,
One of my longstanding and favorite clients recently suggested that their translators and editors start using PerfectIt, an editing tool that works within MS Word. After trying it, I found its features very helpful for certain types of translations. This is not an affiliate deal, but I think into-English translators should consider adding PerfectIt to
The fourth quarter is upon us as of today, and along with it, the mad rush that always seems to come at the end of the year. Fourth quarter is nearly always my busiest in terms of work volume–add to that the ATA conference, planning for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, and my daughter’s mountain
This is a guest post by James Quilter. James is a digital consultant for the London-based content marketing agency FirstWord Media. James is an expert in content marketing: using informational content like blog posts, articles, infographics and videos to capture customers’ interest without directly advertising to them. James piqued my interest with a post on
The fall session of my four-week online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator starts next Wednesday (September 6), and is open to beginning translators in any language combination. This course includes self-paced video lessons, eight live question and answer sessions (recordings provided if you can’t attend live), and individual feedback on your weekly homework
Especially if you work with direct clients–although this could definitely work with agencies too–client-specific style sheets are a great way to improve the quality and consistency of your translations, while adding value for your clients. Style sheets are different from glossaries, although they share some of the same features and benefits. If you Google “style
“Your course was a major turning point in my freelance business, where I felt like a professional translator instead of a dabbler.” “The course was fantastic, full of lots of interesting materials and useful tips and tricks on how to move forward with our businesses.” “Simply put, this is one of the finest resources for
As a fan of all things Swiss, I was excited to learn of the recent publication of Tom West’s Trilingual Swiss Law Dictionary. That link will take you to a review on the ATA French Language Division website, and this link will take you to the book’s Amazon page. Tom is an attorney, former ATA
Who’s in the mood for some good news out of Washington? Well, here you go: the American Translators Association’s 58th annual conference, October 25-28 in Washington, DC, is open for registration. This year, we reviewed over 425 proposals to come up with a 175-session program (thank you to everyone who submitted!). The Wednesday before the
This post originally appeared as a newsletter to my mailing list; I’m reprinting it here while taking some time off from blogging this summer! Lots of us have heard the advice that “it’s time to move up in the translation market,” in response to changes in our industry brought about by–among other factors–technology and globalization.
