Training for Translators

Classes for translators and interpreters

Announcements


Corinne McKay

Second edition of "How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator" is here!


I’m excited to announce that the second edition of How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator is officially available on Lulu; it will be available on Amazon and in retail locations in about 6-8 weeks. Thanks to everyone who made the first edition such a success; my vague goal when I published it in 2006 was to sell 500 copies, and it is being sent to a well-deserved retirement with 4,366 copies in print as of today. Note that for the moment, the second edition is available only from Lulu; other sales channels still have the first edition. If you are a translation blogger or a journalist and you would like a review copy of the second edition, please contact me.

So what’s new in the second edition? Well, it’s 206 pages long (as compared with the first edition’s 145 pages) and all of the information from the first edition is fully revised. There’s a completely new chapter on “Your first year as a freelance translator,” another on “Online networking and social media,” separate sections on marketing to agencies and marketing to direct clients and a sneak preview of my next book, a compilation of articles from this blog that will be out later this year. Thanks to everyone who was so supportive during the long and arduous process of taking this book to press. I’m not sure why it took me longer to write the second edition than to write the first, but in any case it’s here!


Corinne McKay

Colorado Translators Association mid-year conference

For the first time in many years, the Colorado Translators Association will be holding a mid-year conference! We have a full program of activities: the main conference on Saturday, May 14 features a full slate of 12 presentations plus lots of networking opportunities, lunch and a closing reception. On Sunday, May 15 we’re offering two Trados training sessions with certified Trados trainer Tuomas Kostiainen and an ATA exam sitting. All of this will take place in the spectacular setting of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesa Lab and Visitor Center in Boulder, Colorado. We even have some nice lodging discounts for our out-of-town colleagues as well! Hope to see some blog readers there.


Corinne McKay

Upcoming session of "Getting started as a freelance translator"

Thoughts on Translation has been on hiatus for Spring Break for the past week, but I’ve been enjoying reading your comments on my previous posts! The next session of my online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator will kick off on Monday, April 11. It’s a six week, self-paced course for people with little or no experience in the freelance translation world. The course tuition ($350 with a $50 discount for ATA members) includes six PDF lessons and individualized feedback from me on all of your homework assignments. By the end of the course, you’ll have a translation-targeted resumé and cover letter, a list of potential clients, a marketing plan and a rates sheet for your translation business. You can read feedback from graduates of the course here. Have a great day!


Corinne McKay

Registration for social media webinar closes tonight

This month’s Speaking of Translation webinar is an introduction to social media for translators. My colleague Eve Bodeux and I will give the business case for using (or not using) Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs, then we’ll give a brief overview of how to get started on each of these platforms. The one-hour session will be broadcast live at noon U.S. Eastern Time this Thursday (February 10) and everyone who registers also receives a link to a full audio and video recording of the webinar to view at your convenience. The cost is $40 and you can find complete information and the registration link here.


Corinne McKay

ATA on NPR

The translation industry scored a very nice mention on All Things Considered tonight, thanks to the sharp ears of Judy Jenner, who is both a translator and interpreter (this becomes important to the story!). Although I love (OK…worship) nearly all things NPR, their reporters have the somewhat aggravating habit of consistently using the expression, “speaking through a translator.” And as those of us in the industry know, part of what we translators love about our jobs is that we don’t have to talk while we’re working, and we leave the speaking to interpreters.

An All Things Considered segment that aired yesterday featured NPR’s national political correspondent Mara Liasson using the aforementioned “speaking through a translator” in reference to visiting Chinese leader Hu Jintao. Our ever-vigilant colleague Judy had had enough, and fired off an e-mail to NPR, pointing out that translators write and interpreters speak, and noting that she, as both a translator and an interpreter, surely knows the difference between the two. This afternoon my phone rang and it was NPR (not an everyday occasion here in my world headquarters!), looking for a quote on the topic and noting that especially because NPR CEO Vivian Schiller is a former Russian interpreter, they really wanted to get this right. It was exciting to be interviewed and I think it’s a good indication for the industry in general…at least the major media outlets want to keep their translators and interpreters straight! Huge thanks to Judy for alerting NPR to this issue in the first place, and to NPR for following up!