I spend a lot of time explaining the merits of agencies to translators who work with direct clients, and explaining the merits of direct clients to translators who work with agencies. So, I thought I'd offer my explanation to the whole translation blogosphere and solicit your thoughts! Here we … [Read more...] about Agencies and direct clients: not better or worse, just different
Choosing your translation specializations
About 11 years ago, I went on my first informational interview with a translation company. The project manager's first question, "What are your languages?" was one that I expected. Her second question, "And what are your specializations?" caught me completely off guard. Specializations?? You mean … [Read more...] about Choosing your translation specializations
ATA54 wrapup
Well, it's Friday already, and it's taken me the whole week to recover from last week's ATA conference in San Antonio! Here are some thoughts on this year's conference, and feel free to add your own in the comments! I love pretty much every ATA conference, and this year was no exception. With … [Read more...] about ATA54 wrapup
Translation tool interoperability: your input needed!
As the Chair of ATA's Translation and Computers committee, I meet over lunch at the ATA conference with the translation software vendors who are exhibiting at the conference. It's a good chance to talk about issues in the industry; last year I asked for readers' input on what you'd like to tell the … [Read more...] about Translation tool interoperability: your input needed!
What is "the right rate" for your translation services?
After "How do I find some clients?," I think that the most common question I get from beginning (and for that matter, experienced) translators is "How much should I charge?" My sense is that most people want an answer like "If you work for agencies, charge 16 cents. If you work for direct clients, … [Read more...] about What is "the right rate" for your translation services?