Training for Translators

Classes for translators and interpreters

online translation course


Corinne McKay

Getting Started as a Freelance Translator- starts September 23

The next session of my four-week online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator starts on September 23, and I have five spots left. If you’re attending November’s ATA conference, this session is a good opportunity to get your freelance plan in place before then!

The course is open to beginning translators in any language combination, and everyone gets individual feedback from me on four assignments: your resume and cover letter, marketing plan, rates and billable hours sheet and online presence. We also do a one-hour question and answer conference call every week (recording provided if you can’t attend the live calls) and everyone receives free copies of my books How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator and Thoughts on Translation.

Registration is $350, with a $50 discount for ATA members. A recent participant commented that, “Although I have been a full-time freelancer for over 10 years now, Corinne’s “Getting Started as a Translator” course greatly helped me by requiring me to rewrite my resume and cover letter, create a solid marketing plan, rethink my rates, and improve my online presence. It was an excellent opportunity to fill in some of the gaps that had been limiting the growth of my business. Corinne’s individualized advice on targeting direct clients and developing my specialties has given me new hope for my business.”

Hope to see some of you there! Visit my website for the full course description or to register.


Corinne McKay

Upcoming sessions of my online courses

If you’re looking to get a jump on your business goals for 2015, I have sessions of my online courses–Getting Started as a Freelance Translator for beginners and Beyond the Basics of Freelancing for experienced translators–coming up in January and February. Getting Started begins on January 7, and Beyond the Basics on February 18.

Each class lasts four weeks and is fully online and at your own pace; every student gets individual feedback from me on four assignments (for example your resumé or professional profile, marketing plan, billable hours and rates sheet, online presence, etc.) and we do four question-and-answer conference calls–you can attend live or listen to recordings. As part of the Beyond the Basics course, every student also gets an hour of individual consulting time with me, and students in both classes receive free copies of my books How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator and Thoughts on Translation.
Registration for either class is US $350, with a $50 discount for ATA members.

I’m flattered that two graduates of Beyond the Basics of Freelancing have recently written online reviews of the course; you can read Nelia Fahloun’s review in the ITI ScotNet newsletter or Elizabeth Garrison’s review on Tranix Translations’ blog. Another graduate commented, “The course is part overview of the industry, part specialized workshop focusing on a particular aspect of the job, and in very large part individualized coaching. Neither in my undergraduate classes in education nor in some of the more practical classes I took as part of my MA in English (including the course connected to my assistantship as a writing consultant) did I ever experience one course that delivered as much precise and helpful information as this course.”

Hope to see some of you in these sessions!


Corinne McKay

Beyond the Basics of Freelancing: starts November 12

The next session of my online course Beyond the Basics of Freelancing starts on November 12, and I have five spots open. This course is for mid-career freelancers who have established businesses, but want to earn more money, work with higher-quality agencies or direct clients, develop a clearer financial plan for their businesses and get more enjoyment out of their work (why not?). The course is four weeks long and entirely online, and registration is $350, with a $50 discount for ATA members. The registration fee includes four weekly lessons, individual feedback from me on each assignment that you submit, a weekly one-hour question and answer conference call for the whole class, and a one-hour individual conference call for you after the class ends.

Here’s a comment from a recent participant in this course, “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.”

To read more or to register, hop on over to my website.


Corinne McKay

Getting Started as a Freelance Translator- starts September 24

The next session of my online course for beginning translators, Getting Started as a Freelance Translator, starts on September 24, and there are currently three spots left. This is a four-week course for translators in any language combination; we focus on four targeted assignments (your resume and cover letter, marketing plan, rates and billable hours sheet and online presence), and every week we also do a one-hour question and answer conference call. Every student receives copies of my books How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator and Thoughts on Translation.

A recent participant in the course commented, “Neither in my undergraduate classes in education nor in some of the more practical classes I took as part of my MA in English (including the course connected to my assistantship as a writing consultant) did I ever experience one course that delivered as much precise and helpful information as this course.” If you’d like to join us, registration is US $325, with a $50 discount for ATA members. Visit my website for a full description or to register! And if you’re a more experienced translator looking for a nudge toward your business goals, registration is also open (same page) for the next session of Beyond the Basics of Freelancing, beginning November 12.


Corinne McKay

Beyond the Basics of Freelancing: FULL

Update: the May 14 session of Beyond the Basics is now full. Registration is open for the August 20 session (same links as below)

The next session of my online course Beyond the Basics of Freelancing starts next Wednesday (May 14) and I have four spots left. The course lasts four weeks and is for established freelance translators who want to work with higher-quality agencies and with direct clients. Everyone gets individualized feedback from me on four homework assignments: the current state of your business; marketing to the clients you want rather than taking the work that falls in the inbox;  money matters (rates and income) and creating a plan to move your business forward. In addition, everyone gets a one-hour individual consulting call with me, and we do four one-hour question and answer conference calls with the whole group. The last session went quite well, with this feedback from a student:

This course boosted my confidence immensely in terms of how to look for work and it gave me a sense of direction and of what I need to do in order to find long-term success as a freelance translator. Before, I felt as though I was reaching around in the dark and this course has really clarified the “how-to” business aspects for me.

Registration is $325, with a $50 discount for members of the American Translators Association. Read the full description or register on my website, and you can also read about/register for my beginner-level class, Getting Started as a Freelance Translator, which starts on June 18 (seven spots left in that session).