When asked why they failed at freelancing, many former freelancers say that they simply couldn't deal with the unstructured nature of the freelance day and ended up working out/watching TV/cleaning the closets etc. instead of working. Succeeding as a freelancer (translator or any other freelance … [Read more...] about Getting things done
IBM's new English>Arabic translation device
Here is an interesting article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on IBM's new English>Arabic translation software and hardware, with an interesting comment from ATA public relations guru Kevin Hendzel. I actually found the most disturbing part of the article to be the statistic that of 1,000 … [Read more...] about IBM's new English>Arabic translation device
It's not just Facebook…
Here's a post from the blog of Canadian communications consultant Deborah Zanke, dealing with poorly done translations at 5-star resorts in Cuba (which are understandably popular with Canadians at this time of year). She poses the question of whether these translations should be criticized if the … [Read more...] about It's not just Facebook…
The 9 out of 10 factor
A few years ago, I wrote an article for NewsForge about Linux consultants, and in the course of researching the article, I interviewed Sean Reifschneider, the founder of Colorado-based Linux consultancy tummy.com ltd.. When I asked Sean to compare working for someone else with working for himself, … [Read more...] about The 9 out of 10 factor
Freelance translation FAQ, part 1
I love to read lists of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on topics that interest me, so I thought that I would periodically post some freelance translation FAQs. The questions are based on my experience and opinions and those of translators I've worked with and taught. Feel free to add your own … [Read more...] about Freelance translation FAQ, part 1