Training for Translators

Classes for translators and interpreters

classes for translators


Corinne McKay

January coaching group: three spots left

In response to requests from a few former students, I’m going to be offering a one-month intensive coaching and accountability group in January. The group is limited to 10 people and three spots are still open.

This group ($530/$515 for ATA members) is for freelancers who want one-on-one mentoring (everyone will get two one-hour phone sessions with me), plus the structure of a group for accountability. You’ll pick a business goal–find one new direct client, find better agency clients, start a client-facing blog, etc. Then you’ll pick daily steps that you’re going to take toward that goal, and you’ll have to log in every single weekday and report on what you did. We’ll also do eight live question and answer sessions for the whole group, and I’ll send you a daily e-mail with marketing tips. Various students had asked about this option over the years (“I know what I need to do, I just have to sit down and force myself to do it”), so I think this group will be a good start to 2017 if you have some new goals in mind.

Here’s the full description and registration form if you’d like to join us!


Corinne McKay

Getting Started as a Freelance Translator- starts November 14

I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the week to attend the 57th annual ATA conference.  In the meantime, my next online course, Getting Started as a Freelance Translator is open for registration. I’ve been running this class since about 2006, and a participant in the most recent session commented, “I truly enjoyed Corinne’s class for beginners in the business of freelance translation and especially appreciated her individual feedback. Her practical advice was invaluable and helped improve my confidence and clarify my goals. Getting Started as a Freelance Translator was well worth the investment, and I hope to take other classes with Corinne in the future.”

The course registration fee is $355 ($15 discount for ATA members). This includes 12 online videos that teach you the foundations of running a freelance translation business, 20 daily tasks to get you working on your own foundations, individual feedback on four homework assignments (resume/cover letter, marketing plan, rates/billable hours sheet, and online presence), eight live question and answer sessions with recordings provided if you can’t attend, and a private Google Group for class discussions. Note that this is the last session at this price, and the registration will go up to $380 in January.

I hope to see some of you there (and at the ATA conference!). If you’re a more experienced translator, you might be interested in my other upcoming options. Those are Beyond the Basics of Freelancing (plenty of spots left), or a new four-week accountability and coaching group that I’m starting in January (three spots left, so sign up soon if you’re interested).


Corinne McKay

A new look, and a special offer!

As you can see, Thoughts on Translation has a whole new look! After eight years of blogging and nearly 700 posts, I decided it was time to give the site a long-overdue update (huge thanks to my web designer Guy Greenbaum), and I’m very happy with the transition. All of the past content (including all of your comments!) is still here at the same URLs as always, and I look forward to many more years of lively discussions.

I’m particularly excited that the new site includes a home for my online courses, so that you can browse all of them in one place and register right there (instead of hopping back and forth from this site to my client-facing site and back again…). I currently have four classes open for registration (Getting Started as a Freelance Translator, Beyond the Basics of Freelancing, Marketing to Direct Clients and Breaking Into the Book Translation Market), and as a site launch special, you can use the coupon code 10Today to save 10% off any class (or classes!) if you register today, Friday June 24. Additionally, if you are an ATA member, enter coupon code ATA to receive the ATA member rate (you can enter both coupons if you’re an ATA member).

On the courses page, just click on the tile for any course to expand it and read the description and start dates. A student who just completed my Getting Started course commented “I truly enjoyed Corinne’s class for beginners in the business of freelance translation and especially appreciated her individual feedback. Her practical advice was invaluable and helped improve my confidence and clarify my goals. Getting Started as a Freelance Translator was well worth the investment, and I hope to take other classes with Corinne in the future.” I hope to see some of you in the summer and fall sessions!


Corinne McKay

Winter/Spring online courses: new format and offerings

I’m excited to announce that, subsequent to the survey that I did about a month ago, I’ve reshaped my online course offerings and the winter/spring classes are now open for registration. I’ll be offering four classes in more of a coaching group format, and instead of one major homework assignment every week, I’ll be splitting the work up into 20 “tasks of the day” (one every weekday for the four-week session) and we’ll discuss the tasks in an online discussion group (Don’t worry: not Facebook! Survey says 25% of translators will not do an online course that requires Facebook!).

Over the past two years or so, my online course sessions have continued to fill up, but fewer people have completed the weekly homework assignments, although they still reported that they got a lot out of the class. So, I’m reworking the course material into smaller chunks, and including more ways for participants to interact with each other. The coaching groups will still be limited to 10 people, still include a weekly live question and answer conference call, and still include lots of personal attention!

Here’s what’s in store for the winter/spring session. Early bird rates ($290; $15 discount for ATA members) apply through December 15, and each class runs for four weeks:

  • Getting Started as a Freelance Translator (beginning/new translators only): January 11
  • Beyond the Basics of Freelancing (experienced/established translators only): February 22
  • Marketing to Translation Agencies (all levels): March 14
  • Marketing to Direct Clients (all levels, but must have some experience in the industry): April 11

To read more about any of the courses or fill out the application form, hop on over to my website.


Corinne McKay

Beyond the Basics of Freelancing: starts August 19

The next session of my online course Beyond the Basics of Freelancing starts on August 19, and I have several spots available. This is a four-week online course for experienced translators who want to earn more money, work with higher-quality agencies and/or direct clients, focus their specializations or get more enjoyment out of their work.

Everyone in the class receives individualized feedback from me on four homework assignments (your resume/professional profile and cover letter, marketing plan, rate sheet and online presence) and we do four question and answer conference calls for the whole group, plus an hour-long individual consulting call for each student. It’s a great class if you need a nudge to reach your business goals in the second half of this year.

A recent participant commented that, “Though I was more or less satisfied with my business, it had plateaued and I wasn’t sure how to up my game. Corinne’s class was exactly what I needed. She asked questions that forced me to focus on the most important aspects of my business and acted as a sounding board for marketing ideas. I especially appreciated that the class included ample opportunity to ask specific questions about nearly anything. I learned a great deal from Corinne and from the other students and came away from the class with a concrete plan and timeline for the next 6-12 months to take my business to the next level.”

Registration is $350, with a $50 discount for ATA members. You can read the full course description or register on my website.