I’ve often referred to Chris Durban as “the Michael Jordan of freelance translators,” given her numerous and varied contributions to our industry. And check this out: Chris is coming to speak in Chicago, the town where Michael Jordan made his mark! OK, enough of the basketball comparisons: if you’re going to be in or can travel to Chicago on Saturday, May 4, you can attend CHICATA’s annual conference, which is a day-long workshop with Chris. She’ll be presenting three different topics; Working the Room, Plotting a Path and Taking Charge, and Corporate Communications for Translators. Definitely not to be missed if you’re in the Chicago area. And if you’re going to be in the Boulder, Colorado area on that same day, come join us at the Colorado Translators Association mid-year conference!
Man, if I weren’t already registered for the CTA conference, I would fly to Chicago for the weekend to hear Chris!
I attended the CHICATA conference and am now a Chris Durban fan. Of all the “how to” conferences I’ve attended, urging me to ramp up everything from my software, my use of social media, my website, my elevator speech, my business card and product literature, to the fiber in my diet (snack on more blogs), Chris’ message spoke to the heart of why I’m a linguist in the first place: the love of words and an elegant turn of phrase. Let us never forget that translation is an art. Thank you, Chris!
Thanks Deborah! Great, to hear, and I agree: Chris is the person who taught me that one way to move up in the market is to be a better translator. It seems obvious, but as you said, I think that sometimes we focus so much on marketing and branding that we forget about the actual skills of the job!