Category: Translation

Marketing Strategies for Freelance Translators and Interpreters

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Industry Tips, Interpretation, Professionalism, Translation

?Understanding languages is a pretty good industry to get into. Globalization has increased the need for translators and interpreters to continue to break down language barriers. As such, it can be one of the most satisfying careers, as interpreters and translators have a direct role in bridging language and culture and breaking down barriers.

The translation services industry is growing rapidly, and the demand for effective translators and interpreters remains large. The industry is expected to increase to $38 billion by next year and $45 billion by 2020. Additionally, employment rates are expected to grow by 29 percent until 2024. Some of these rates will be within freelancing or contract work.  Many who are looking to freelance can benefit from marketing strategies that look at ways of gaining new clients and new contracts.  Making real life connections is key. Below are some marketing strategies geared to those who are in the business of language.

If you can commit to talking to at least three different people about your business everyday, you’ll be likely see some changes within your clients, your contracts, and your income.

Social media certainly has it’s place in the marketing world, as long as you are using it consistently in order to build an audience. However, not all marketing should be done on the computer, and meeting your potential clients where they are is equally as important. Do your research, find out where your ideal clients go to network, learn, and grow their businesses — and go there too!

Having a speech prepared that briefly describes who you are, what you do, and what you can offer is key during moments of networking. Whether impromptu meetings or planned networking events, preparing what you will say can help ensure you communicate the information and message you wish to convey. Remember to keep your tone level, your language positive, and use accessible, precise, and plain language. Be sure to tell them how to find you, whether it’s online or your physical work address, and be sure to do it within one minute so you don’t lose your audience. 

Now that you have met new contacts, a key piece to networking is following up, rather than relying on your potential clients to contact you. Following up quickly is key, within 24 hours is ideal. Ensure you mention meeting them, and offer to meet up again. If you follow up via written form, ensure you use professional language and edit thoroughly!

Referrals are the most effective, and cost-effective, way to generate new business, yet asking for referrals can feel awkward. It is important to know your client, so generally using the clients you have the best relationship with is important. You may need to be professional and direct, or more personal and out-of-the-box. You may offer incentives for referrals, and be sure to thank your clients afterward.

Anyone who freelances what they do can benefit from learning and practicing some marketing and network strategies. Freelance translators and interpreter, by nature, have careers that rely upon and build relationships. In fact, your very job includes building bridges between culture and language and deepening bonds between neighbours. Now that’s a great career. 

Five Ways that Translators are Actually Writers

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Field, Translation

Translation is the act of taking written materials and converting it from one language into a target language. Any language can be translated into another, however, the degree of ease during which this happens can vary with the language chosen. A translator may work freelance, for a translation agency, or even in-house. Regardless of where at translator works, the act of translation is a creative process that is very much like writing. Some translators say that translating is similar to writing but is not the same, as the translators voice must not appear in the text. Others believe the process of translation has inherent creative processes that are similar or the same as the creative processes that occur during writing. Here are five ways in which they are very similar.

Translators are reading the written work for the first time, just as a writer does.

For some translators, the process of reading the book is one of discovery. The story has been written; however, the translator is discovering the written work for the first time. Just as “the writer hadn’t read the book before he wrote it.”, the translator is also discovering the book or written work for the first time, in a way that is separate from the reader. A reader is discovering the work but making no alterations to it.

The authorial voice of the book may shift from the writer’s to the translator’s.

During the process of translation, the voice of the translator may show up, whether it is intended to or not. Many translators work hard to limit their voice from speaking through the words chosen, but their contributions to the new version of the story may stand out. Translators make important decisions on how to convey the story’s meaning through the new language, and in doing so, the story may partially take on the translator’s voice, which creates something a work of art that is even more dynamic.

Translation is a creative process.

Every act of translation is a creative process, just as writing the original is a creative art form. Considering the definition of creativity, translation, then, means something new is formed. Translators read the original piece and make important decisions on what is happening, what to keep within the written work, what can be sacrificed, and what kind of voice to put to the text based on the nuances and cultural elements of the new language.

Translation expresses meaning and beauty.

What makes writing an art form is that both meaning and beauty are expressed to the literary audience. Translators are also faced with the task of communicating the meaning as well as the beauty of expressions, in the same way a writer conveys meaning and beauty through their original words.

Translation adds something to the original.

Some say that a translated version of a written work is very different form the original.  Every word or phrase can be different from the original text, given the complexities of the translated language. This means there will be additions, deletions, but also certain elements may be emphasized, and in this way, the original is built upon.

Translation is a creative process that communicates, shifts, and builds upon the original written piece. Writing and translation together is a marriage of art forms – like a silent, fluid dance between the author and the translator that balances the complexities of two languages in a harmonious way.

How We can Use Feedback for Business Growth

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Field, Industry Tips, Interpretation, Professionalism, Translation

Feedback has always been an effective form of communication used by humans. It has been defined as a response to a person’s behavior that influences whether that behavior will continue or stop. In other words, feedback is information given to us that tells us how we are doing – the good and the bad.

When we receive feedback, the results of that feedback help us to determine if what we are doing is actually helping us work towards a goal. Deliberate feedback is feedback that is used for a specific purpose has many important features.

First, feedback is descriptive in that it based on our observations of another. It is also emotionally revealing. Instead of describing behavior, it may describe the feedback sender’s emotional response. Feedback is also evaluative; it can judge our performance toward our goal. Similarly, feedback can also be used to guide someone toward achieving insight on a particular behavior – this makes it interpretive. Feedback is a necessary tool that is used for personal and professional growth in the translation and interpretation fields.

In sales, marketing, and fields that require gathering potential clients, communication is also highly important for success. More specifically, the importance of a salesperson listening for developing solid relationships that can lead to sales is often stressed. According to some leading researchers in the field of feedback, there are three components to listening in the process of gathering new clients for any business: sensing, evaluating and responding to communication.

Feedback plays a very important role throughout this process. Customers or clients of business people can judge if a we are actively sensing and will likely provide verbal or nonverbal feedback regarding their emotional standpoint here. We are then able to evaluate the incoming feedback. This feedback can be verbal, nonverbal, and can involve anything from the client’s communication skills to their personal style.

In turn, the client or customer will use feedback from the salesperson to determine if they are trustworthy. It is very beneficial for a business person to fine tune these listening skills in order to be deemed more trustworthy. This reciprocal feedback in a buyer/seller relationship will determine the likelihood of a sale being made or a client gained.

In the fields of interpretation and translation, gathering clients is important if you are working for yourself or your own business. As such, it is necessary for us to be both skilled at what we do in our fields AND skilled as business people, in order to gain new clients or new contracts. Using feedback in the process of marketing yourself is essential.

Feedback also helps us determine if the “product” we are producing or selling is in line with the client’s needs. Gathering the feedback of our clients, through sensing, evaluating, and responding can help us determine if we are on the right pathway towards the goal of producing a piece of written translation work or interpreting in the way that is required.

The feedback we give is equally as important, even in our personal relationships. Most of our communication is done through nonverbal language, and we can communicate a lot in this manner. Sometimes we give feedback to others that we don’t intent to give – through facial expressions, body posture, and our stance.

Being aware of our bodies and the feedback we give through them is important for communication, progress toward goals, gathering clients, having positive relationships, among many other things. Feedback is a bidirectional process that influences us personally, as well as directly contributes to our business of gathering clients for interpretation or translation needs.

Creativity Boosting Ideas for Translators

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Field, Industry Tips, Inspiration, Translation

?Translation isn’t always thought of as a creative process. Some view translation as a simple act of moving already created sentences and phrases from one language to another. Translation is actually much more complex. As a translator, you act as a gateway between two languages, as if you are standing along a border, balancing two worlds. It requires an understanding of the complexities involved in not only the original and translated languages, but also an intimate understanding of the two cultures.  Creativity is present, and even necessary, within the process of translation. 

Creativity, when defined as “seeing the intersection of seemingly unrelated topics and combining them into something new” (Brian Clark), nearly perfectly defines the life of a translator.  Another definition that perhaps fits even snugger proposes that creativity is “starting with nothing and ending up with something. Interpreting something you saw or experienced and processing it so it comes out different than how it went in” (Henry Rollins).  Both of these definitions fully ?capture the role and scope of translation. 

Creativity is sparked in many different areas of the brain. It requires heavy use of the prefrontal cortex, an area responsible for higher level thinking, logic, and cognitive flexibility. However, depending on the type of tasking and creativity you are engaging in will indicate which area will be used. For translators, Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are more likely to be used in the creative process. Armed with knowledge on the neurobiology of creativity has given researchers and other professionals tools to cultivate it.   

 How to cultivate creativity? 

 1.      Increasing Curiosity 

Curiosity often leads to creativity. Like a developing child that has an innate drive to curiously explore his or her world and creatively provide input back to his or her environment, so too do adults have these needs.  By borrowing the wonder of a child, we can use your five senses to explore the world in curiosity, feel the need to creatively input into our world, and thus grow our creativity.  

 2.      Setting a creative mood 

You can alter your environment to boost creativity. What we take in through our senses can be soothing, energizing, and can change our moods.  It is worth experimenting with different sights, smells, textures, audio or music, and tastes to see what engages your brain into action. Remember, though, what works for one individual may not work for someone else, and this will require you to experiment with different environments, sensory tools, etc, in order to figure out what works for you.  

 3.      Titrating Creativity 

Going back and forth from the opposite forces of creativity and disengagement can lead to a boost in creative moments and decrease moments of stagnation. Further, a longer and more serious disengagement like sleep has been shown to boost our ability to find insight – that is, the sudden gain of knowledge or spark of idea, which are the offspring of creativity. 

 4.      Collaboration and Gathering Feedback 

Creativity can be sparked when we bounce ideas off one another, because sometimes we are too close to an issue or problem to be able to step back and find a new creative path.  Asking for help and advice from friends, peers, and people from your personal network that you trust and respect can provide valuable input to start the creative process. Every person has a unique skill set, experience, and knowledge. A fresh outside perspective can spark some new, creative thinking, particularly when ideas are stuck. 

 5.      Do Something Different, Do Something Fun, or Do Nothing at All 

Finally, when we are stuck and creativity is no longer flowing, it can help to change things up, step out of your professional role, or simply do nothing, Sometimes unplugging your mind rather than actively engaging it can give your mind the break and the rest that it needs. Sometimes the best ideas are born from spontaneous insights rather than active thinking processes.   

Creativity lives within interpretation. The transformative aspect of translation requires it. When creativity stagnates, there are research-supported ways to boost it. Not just for painters and authors of children’s books, creativity is found in all of us, and often in heavy doses in translators.  

The Top Bloggers for Translators to Follow

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Community, Field, Inspiration, Translation

The blogging world contains a wealth of information. The subject content is endless, and there is no shortage of writers who are passionate about different topics. Bloggers spend time researching and writing articles for all of us to read and learn from. Like anything found on the internet, it’s difficult to know which blogs are credible, and what information can be trusted.

When it comes to translation, there are many blogs out there. No matter what kind of translation information you seek, you are likely to find a translation blog written about it. So we scoured the blogs and found the top 10 you may be interested to read.

Transblawg

As the name says, this is a blog that focuses on translation, in a humorous and entertaining way. Perusing the numerous articles written, you can find a lot about German to English translation, as well as German culture, in addition to some information on Spanish, French, and English languages and cultures. Transblawg offers some very good advice for translators, and even offers up a bit for writers. With new content updated frequently, Transblag tops the list of many translation blogger’s top 5 translation bloggers!

About Translation

This blogger writes on everything translation: from beginner tips on using CAT tools to professional development options for the more seasoned translator. This blog is updated regularly, the writing clear and engaging. Check the About Translation blog for practical tips and engaging writing.

Naked Translations

This blog is primarily geared towards English to French and French to English translations. The content, however, can be used by any translator. There are many different writers and guest bloggers, making the content fresh with different perspectives for all translators to uncover.

Translator Fun

Translation information that is infused with humor throughout is always fun! This site is dedicated to translation humor. Day to day work can become dull and perhaps at times, even boring, but this blog can liven things up with hilarity. Take a break, read some translation humor, as you continue on with your important translation work.

Thoughts on Translation

For those who want tips and tricks for how to get work done efficiently, this blogger really does put their thoughts on-screen. Filled with ways to achieve that sought after work-life balance for a translator, with topics including things ranging from time management to finding new clients, it’s a very useful blog for both the new and seasoned translator.

Translation Times

Like a newspaper, this blog is an easy-to-navigate site with professional level writing. It mainly focuses on translation in French, German, Spanish, and English. Not only are the topics more on the professional and business side of things, the various topics that the blog focuses on are easily searchable, making it a great site to use.  You can find information on software, workshops and conferences, book reviews, and even job opportunities.

There’s Something About Translation

There really is something about translation that connects us and also keeps many of us wanting to learn and engage more and more. This blogger tends to focus on speed and production, and provides many articles geared toward this. This writer keeps on top of translation news and conferences, and provides information highly useful to all parts of this industry.

Between Translations

An excellent blog to peruse between translation assignments, this writer helps translators learn more about helpful translation tools, resources, and professional development.

The Translator’s Teacup

This blog is geared towards the beginner translator. The writer describes problems that new translators commonly face, like rate negotiation, underpayment, choosing the right software and equipment, and other ways that a translator can fill up their teacup.

Diary of a Mad Patent Translator

A blog with an interesting title, lots of serious content and some not-so-crazy musings. The writer provides tips for translators, including content written on multilingualism, accepting payments and giving discounts, and professional development.

Whether you are seeking a professional resource or taking a break from translation to keep your mind fresh, reading a translation blog is a great way to get new information, gather tips or advice on experiences that are common to most translators, and even find some humor to infuse into your work day.