One of the issues with which beginning translators most frequently struggle is specializing: what to specialize in, how to decide what to specialize in, what the most/least requested specializations are, how important it is to specialize, etc. While there aren't too many hard and fast rules when it … [Read more...] about Some thoughts on translation specializations
The basics of cold contacting
For beginning and experienced translators alike, there is often no way around the need to cold contact potential clients. Beginners need to find those crucial first few clients, and those of us who are established in the industry may want to look for better-paying work, work with direct clients or … [Read more...] about The basics of cold contacting
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
Gabe Bokor's blog post "Specialist or Generalist" gives some excellent insights into the fact that translators need to be both specialists and generalists. Gabe gives the example of a medical translator who also needs to be familiar with electronic instrumentation, or an environmental translation … [Read more...] about A little bit of this, a little bit of that
Translating into non-standardized languages
The Google Alert for "translation" was all abuzz today with the controversy over translating the Bible into Jamaican patois. Here's hoping that the Bible Society of the West Indies reads Translation: Getting it Right before forging ahead with the project, which it estimates will take 12 years and … [Read more...] about Translating into non-standardized languages
Skype wish list
Skype is a fantastic tool, especially for those of us who remember the days of $100+ phone bills for calls to other countries. I like to keep Skype running while I'm working, so that if I want to ask a colleague a quick question, I can easily see if the person is online and send a chat message. … [Read more...] about Skype wish list