The Best Accounts to Follow for Translators New to Twitter

Social media is playing an increasingly important role in how everyone, from translators to truck drivers, access industry information, market their skills, and find potential customers. This is especially true for those of us who are self-employed. One tool that many independent professionals have been leveraging for years is Twitter. I only joined Twitter a …

Make Working with Agencies Work for You

Photo Credit: PexelsTwo great blog posts this past week, one by Corinne McKay over at Thoughts on Translation called Accepting the constraints of the market(s) you’re in and one on the ATA’s Savvy Newcomer blog entitled Tips on Getting and Keeping Agency Clients, inspired me to share my experiences working at and with translation agencies. …

The Great Transcreation Debate

In a previous post, I outlined some of the various types of services that various translation buyers might be looking for, including transcreation. Earlier this week, I shared an article about transcreation written by David García Ruiz of Trust Your Brand that incited some lively debate on Twitter. Most of the debate centered around this …

Translators and Specializations: The Chicken or The Egg?

Whether you have been a translator for decades or are just starting out, having a specialization is critical. Why, you may ask? Simply put, customers want subject-matter experts working on their content. Though it may seem like a good idea to have a laundry list of “specializations” in order to find more work, especially when …

What’s Your “Why?”

Hat man sein warum? des Lebens, so verträgt man sich fast mit jedem wie? “He who has a why to live for can endure almost any how.” –Friedrich Nietzsche Like many of you, I am a translator. I am also a business owner. In fact, all freelance translators, whether we like it or not, are business …

What Are CAT Tools and Why They Should Interest You

Thanks to developments in technology, the translation landscape has changed immensely in the past 20 years. Long gone is the translator working with pen and pad and flipping through paper dictionaries. The modern translator is an IT whiz, deftly analyzing various file types, searching online terminology databases, and even working simultaneously with teams of translators on the …

The Importance of Good Instructions

Even though professional translators are language experts and are often highly specialized, that does not automatically mean that they know exactly what to do 100% of the time. Language can be subjective and sometimes there may be multiple correct answers. As the translation buyer, your instructions will likely be able to provide a wealth of information …