Training for Translators

Classes for translators and interpreters

Announcements


Corinne McKay

Happy Swiss National Day

Although the thought of a traditional bonfire isn’t particularly appealing when it’s supposed to be 98 degrees, Joyeux Premier Août to all the Swiss out there! As an honorary Swiss (being the wife, daughter-in-law and now mother of Swiss citizens!), one of the things I love about Switzerland is how old everything is, as when people talk about their “old” houses having been built in the 1600s rather than in 1945. The first of August, Switzerland’s National Day is similar; it was first mentioned in the Swiss Federal Charter written in 1291.

This month’s issue of Swiss Review featured photos of Swiss people celebrating National Day throughout the world, with lots of red and white. If you’re lucky enough to be celebrating in Switzerland, enjoy it!


Corinne McKay

"How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator" in Denver on May 10

On Saturday, May 10 in Denver, my colleague Eve Bodeux and I will be presenting a half-day seminar on “How to Succeed
as a Freelance Translator.” It is a nuts and bolts session that
applies to any language combination and focuses on developing a
marketing plan, finding and keeping well-paying translation clients,
writing a translation-targeted resume, cover letter and business
cards, and more. Registration is $75 for the general public and $50 for full-time students and includes a free copy of my book “How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator.”

You can read the full seminar description and register
here


Corinne McKay

A new header image

WordPress’ MistyLook theme makes it very easy to change your header image, here is a new one from iStock. This is called “Way to Everest,” by iStock member “weareadventurers.” It reminds me of one of my favorite places (Nepal) and also that sometimes, translation feels a little like climbing Everest!


Corinne McKay

A bestseller of sorts

Lulu, the print-on-demand service that I use to publish my book, is a fun place to visit. I like to think of it as Amazon’s slightly nutty cousin, the weird but cool one who eats the cranberry sauce right out of the bowl at Thanksgiving. Ever since I published my book in the summer of 2006, I’ve made a habit of browsing Lulu’s top 100 sellers, which cover an amusing range of topics from IT to self help to crafts to dating and everything in between. However, I’ll admit that I was, well, ecstatic to see that as of this morning, the humble How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator has broken into the Lulu top 100 at #95, and is in the top 10 for Business and Economics books.

I say this not so much to toot my own horn as to say that successful self-publishing using print on demand is possible, and the market is wide open. If every translator out there has at least one book lurking inside her/him, think what all of us could be reading!


Corinne McKay

This blog's banner photo

I’ve received several e-mails from people asking about the banner photo on this blog. I purchased it from iStockphoto, and the photographer is Hanoded Photography. Those of you who have traveled in the Himalaya will recognize this as a Buddhist Mani stone, bearing the inscription “Om mani padme hum,” often translated as “Hail to the jewel in the heart of the lotus” (but also translated as many other things, and often deliberately not translated at all). The photographer’s description of this photo is “A Mani stone (prayer stone, inscribed with the Buddhist mantra: ‘om mani padme hum’) in the Bumthang Valley in Bhutan.” Hanoded Photography has a large collection of beautiful photos on iStock, I purchased this one because it reminds me of one of my favorite places, Nepal.