At last year's American Translators Association conference in San Francisco, I overheard a few conversations about how the translation industry would be affected if translators started billing by the hour rather than by the word. In some cases and for some jobs, translators do bill by the hour, but … [Read more...] about Paid by the word or paid by the hour?
Freelancing
The art of saying no
Recently, several newly established freelance translators have asked me about how and when to say no to clients who are offering translation projects. It's a delicate topic, since as freelancers we need to accept work in order to stay in business, but we also need to decline work in order to … [Read more...] about The art of saying no
Which English?
Rumor, or should we say rumour, has it that many (or at least more than usual) translators on this side of the Atlantic are being approached to translate into what we commonly refer to here as U.K. English. I would guess that this has more to do with the falling U.S. dollar and weakening U.S. … [Read more...] about Which English?
Strategies for sustaining a freelance business
Michelle Vranizan Rafter's blog has a great post entitled "Freelancers' Strategies for Prospering in Bad Times." Although my sense is that most translators are not feeling the hit of the economic downturn, this post has some very useful information for growing your freelance business under any … [Read more...] about Strategies for sustaining a freelance business
Euro vs euros: why translators need each other
Every once in a while, I get a glimpse of some of the ways in which translators (and probably other obsessive "word people" too!) are different from the rest of the population, and thus why we need to stick together. Earlier this week, a French translation listserve that I belong to engaged in a … [Read more...] about Euro vs euros: why translators need each other