Here is an interesting post from the blog "Working Languages" about the EU's shortage of qualified into-English interpreters. The EU blames the candidates' poor English skills, characterized by overuse of the word "like," while the blogger argues that a larger culprit is the lack of financial … [Read more...] about Like, not enough into-English interpreters?
Translation-targeted resumes: pitfalls and best practices
What with the U.S. economy on a downward slide and the euro continuing its climb above U.S. $1.50, many translators are marketing these days. Following are some tips on writing a translation-targeted résumé that will pass muster with potential clients. Let's start with the obvious but often … [Read more...] about Translation-targeted resumes: pitfalls and best practices
Translation memory discounts: yes, no, maybe?
The issue of translation memory discounts, whereby a translator charges a lower rate for words that appear as repetitions or fuzzy matches in a translation environment/CAT/TM tool, is a contentious one. On the one hand, a client might reasonably argue that changing "press the green button" to "press … [Read more...] about Translation memory discounts: yes, no, maybe?
Tips for promoting your freelance services
Michelle Vranizan Rafter's blog, WordCount, has an excellent post about ways to promote your freelance writing, most of which are applicable to translation as well. When it comes to things like blogs, e-newsletters, podcasts and even websites, part of the appeal for translators is that the market … [Read more...] about Tips for promoting your freelance services
Why we love our specializations
Over at Yndigo, Glenn Cain has a wonderful post entitled Make mine plain, about, among other things, the push for plain language in legal writing and the resulting effect on legal translators. As I read this post, I found myself thinking, "but I love legalese," and I'm actually not kidding here. To … [Read more...] about Why we love our specializations