I receive a lot of inquiries from people who would like to become translators, and most of these e-mails have something to do with finding those first few elusive translation clients. If you ask 100 translators how they got started in the business, you'll probably get at least 50 different answers. … [Read more...] about Finding your first translation clients
A helpful post on translation client ratings
About Translation's most recent post is an excellent summary of translation client rating services. These forums, which are either e-mail lists or websites, can help both beginning and established translators determine whether a translation client is a reliable payer. Definitely worth a visit! … [Read more...] about A helpful post on translation client ratings
A helpful post on text-to-speech (TTS) tools
Naomi de Moraes just posted some excellent introductory information on text-to-speech (TTS) tools on the blog of the ATA Language Technology Division. Most translators are familiar with speech-to-text tools such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, which allow you to dictate your translations. … [Read more...] about A helpful post on text-to-speech (TTS) tools
Why I use open source software
Since I launched my freelance business in 2002, I have used free and open source software almost exclusively. This model has worked very well for me, and I think that it's enabled me to work better, faster and more affordably than if I had used the proprietary software equivalents. There are some … [Read more...] about Why I use open source software
Freelance success-a case in point
Speaking of the go-getter spirit, I'm hard-pressed to think of a better example than Omar Postigo-Martell, who owns and operates Well Translated, a Spanish<>English agency here in Colorado. I first met Omar at a talk I gave over the summer at the University of Denver's translation certificate … [Read more...] about Freelance success-a case in point