Thanks to everyone who responded to the time management survey! My Survey Monkey account is now maxed out, so the survey is closed; thank you so much for taking the time to respond. It may be a while until I can share the presentation (potentially after the ATA conference in November) but I’ll give you some of the data shortly. Very interesting stuff!
Announcements
Chris Durban in Chicago on May 4
I’ve often referred to Chris Durban as “the Michael Jordan of freelance translators,” given her numerous and varied contributions to our industry. And check this out: Chris is coming to speak in Chicago, the town where Michael Jordan made his mark! OK, enough of the basketball comparisons: if you’re going to be in or can travel to Chicago on Saturday, May 4, you can attend CHICATA’s annual conference, which is a day-long workshop with Chris. She’ll be presenting three different topics; Working the Room, Plotting a Path and Taking Charge, and Corporate Communications for Translators. Definitely not to be missed if you’re in the Chicago area. And if you’re going to be in the Boulder, Colorado area on that same day, come join us at the Colorado Translators Association mid-year conference!
Upcoming professional development opportunities
If you’re looking to brush up your translation skills, here are a few upcoming opportunities to take a look at:
- Right here in Colorado, the annual Colorado Translators Association mid-year conference is coming up on May 4 and 5. As in past years it will be held in the stunning setting of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, and the day is packed with sessions on a variety of topics. I’ll be presenting “Time Management for Freelancers” and also signing copies of my new book!
- The summer conference for premium-market English<> French translators that Chris Durban launched in 2008 will continue this year at Translate in Quebec City. If you work with English and French and you’re looking to move up in the translation world, this conference is not to be missed: August 29-31 in Quebec City.
- ASTTI, the Swiss translators association, will be hosting this year’s Financial Translation Summer School in Spiez, Switzerland. Last year’s edition was in Paris and I attended it and was very impressed. Although I do almost no financial translation, it was tremendously educational as the speakers were top-notch experts in their financial and economic fields. July 3-5, on the shores of Lake Thun!
- And finally, the next session of my online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator starts on May 8 and is open for registration. This is a four-week class for beginning translators who want to launch and run a successful freelance business, and experienced translators who want to improve their businesses are also welcome. Registration is $305, with a $50 discount for ATA members.
Speaking of Translation recording is online
If you missed yesterday’s Speaking of Translation conference call on freelance sabbaticals abroad, the recording is now on our website. You don’t need to download anything to listen! Eve Bodeux, Tess Whitty and I all offered tips for taking your freelance business on the road: how to deal with your phones, mail, banking, taxes and family, and how to use your trip as a professional development and marketing opportunity. Happy listening!
Speaking of Translation call: freelance sabbaticals abroad
Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20 at 12 noon New York time, Eve Bodeux and I will be putting on our Speaking of Translation hats for a free conference call. Visit our Speaking of Translation website for details on how to connect to the live call; and of course we’ll post a recording on our Listen page afterward!
This call is part II of our series on taking your freelance business abroad. We all know that location-independence is one of the big pluses of being a freelancer, but how do we actually capitalize on it? We’ll spend about half an hour talking about Eve’s five-month stay in France, my two-month stay in Switzerland and Italy, and we’ll check in with Tess Whitty, who is currently spending a year in Sweden. You never know what topics might make their way into a Speaking of Translation call, but we’re planning to discuss logistics (dealing with your phones, mail and money), business issues (using your trip as a professional development and marketing opportunity) and how to integrate your family into your overseas experience (if they insist on coming!).
We’re expecting the call to last about 30 minutes and we do not use it to sell or promote anything; just an opportunity for a fun discussion! Join us if you can, and I’ll let you know when the recording is online.