Thanks to reader Dierk Seeburg for sending the link to these word clouds that compare Obama's inaugural speech to those of Bush, Clinton, Reagan and Lincoln. If you haven't checked out Wordle, it's a very cool language/art/geek tool that generates a word cloud that gives greater importance to … [Read more...] about Word clouds of inaugural addresses
Obama on bilingualism
The inauguration of our 44th president promises to bring many changes to the U.S., and there's reason to hope that better foreign language education will be among them. The statistics on foreign language proficiency in the U.S. are downright dismal; in 2005, the National Association for Bilingual … [Read more...] about Obama on bilingualism
Improving the quality of your translations
If one of your goals for 2009 is to market your translation services to a more discriminating client base, you'll certainly want to step up your marketing efforts. At the same time, it's important to focus on the quality of the product you're offering; don't try to sell a Yugo at Mercedes prices. … [Read more...] about Improving the quality of your translations
Is LinkedIn useful for translators?
Update to this post: Make sure to read the comments for some excellent tips on how to use LinkedIn effectively. This is just a brief request for input: is LinkedIn useful for translators? I set up a LinkedIn profile last year, around the time I started expanding my base of direct clients. Since … [Read more...] about Is LinkedIn useful for translators?
Avoiding beginner's mistakes
Update to this post: Make sure to read the comments for more excellent tips from experienced translators! Today is the first day of the winter session of the online course I teach for beginning translators. It's an occasion that always prompts me to think of the first day I thought of myself as a … [Read more...] about Avoiding beginner's mistakes