The Savvy Newcomer aims to serve newcomers to the translation and interpreting professions by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed content on a weekly basis. We strive to provide you with the answers to the many questions you face as a new or aspiring translator or interpreter.
This post was originally published on ORH Translations. It is reposted with permission. Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I was faced with the difficult decision of what to do next. I was frightened, anxious and overwhelmed with the thought of stepping into the big, scary working world. I would say that I was quite naive when I finished my undergraduate studies. I honestly believed that I would be able to get my dream job almost instantly; however, I soon discovered that this wasn’t the case! I reached out to numerous translation agencies and soon realised that my undergraduate degree…
Read More6 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…
Read MoreGerman 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…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MoreA 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,…
Read More5 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…
Read MoreDeath 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…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MoreThe 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,…
Read MoreEntering 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…
Read MoreMultilingual 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…
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