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ACT NOW: Rights of self-employed EU, Swiss, and Turkish citizens in UK under threat
ACT NOW: Rights of self-employed EU, Swiss, and Turkish citizens under threat UPDATE: The Third Delegated Legislation Committee met on Monday 21 October 2019 upstairs in the House of
Free price calculation spreadsheets for translators
As some of you may know, I have quite a bee in my bonnet about proper pricing and strategic positioning when it comes to freelance translation. Pricing is complicated, and I could
Lingorate: the latest identity theft scam to target translators?
Here’s what I’ve discovered about a possible identity scam, the latest in a string of such scams to target translators. I never received the email, but a familiar colleague posted in The
Webinar Series: The Hydrated Translator
I've been inspired by all the wonderful, skills-focused CPD around lately and decided it's time for me, too, to throw my hat into the ring. Today I am really excited to let
How and who to help
Today I am inspired by a post by in The League of Extraordinary Translators, where a colleague asked what to say to qualified people who have never translated who have come to
12 traps newbie translators fall into (Part 2/3)
First off, let me give my apologies for my long absence. You can read more about my long break – my journey, my reasons, and my promise – here. It’s a full-length post,
The long break – my journey, my reasons, my promise
It’s been a while… I was thinking of writing an introductory post to the next post on my blog that would explain my absence and all that’s been going on in my
12 traps newbie translators fall into (Part 1/3)
When I was just starting out, I fell into a lot of traps. I was taken advantage of, manipulated, ripped off and kept under the thumb. So many traps! But I am
Top 10 trade show travel essentials
Business travel essentials for trade shows, conferences and similar events. Get the most out of your trip!
Translation isn’t getting cheaper
Everyone seems to be finding new ways to make translation cheaper while at the same time promising good results. Not possible. It's time to tear apart some of the myths of "quality" in the bulk translation market and show that professional translation is most definitely not getting cheaper.
Becoming a Qualified Member of the ITI
I recently became a Qualified Member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. This has coincided with a time of great change: the existing associate category is being replaced by more specific categories. Now is a great time to upgrade to MITI or AITI, or join the ITI for the first time. Read on for an explanation of the changes, my experience of the process and Q&A with the ITI's Elizabeth Dickson.
Translator Games
What games do you play when translating a badly written source text? What about when proofreading a badly done translation? These are the games I play. Please share yours!
The Horrors of Proofreading: Top ten into English translation errors
The Horrors of Proofreading continues: From full snouts, to criss-crossing the Atlantic, to chauvinistic pronoun choice: my 10 "favourite" mistakes in into English translations with the usual understanding commentary. Enjoy!
The Horrors of Proofreading: Top ten German to English translation errors
From §ection to Imprint, a list of my "favourite" 10 common mistakes in German to English translation with some less-than-understanding commentary. Enjoy!
Tech Tip: Compare two Excel documents without an add-on
A method to resolve the challenge of the lack of an in-built compare documents feature in Microsoft Excel (or track changes in previous versions), as well as an update on where I have been the past few months.
Building the Universal Translator: a translator’s perspective
Science-fiction almost unanimously takes one vision of our future universe for granted: that all peoples shall be able to communicate with one another. The technology enabling this is generally known as the "Universal Translator": enabling interaction, profitable trade agreements, peaceful resolution of conflicts and cross-cultural understanding. The writer discusses how likely such a technology is.
The Great Crados Conspiracy
Hello readers. Today I thought I would share my contribution to a humorous must for any translator: “MOX: Illustrated Guide to Freelance Translation”. It is filled with Alejandro Moreno-Ramos' hilarious translation-related cartoons,
Tech Tip: Two methods to draw attention to your old posts
This post details two handy methods of drawing attention to old blog posts - a Twitter-related plugin for Wordpress and an interesting application of a random signatures add-on for Mozilla Thunderbird.
One year of the Translator’s Teacup: a review with Analytics and the best of the rest
2011: A year in review, with Google Analytics of the best of the Translator's Teacup in 2011, as well as a review of some of the best posts from around the web.
What makes a good, successful and happy translator: PART 3
Final part of a set on how to be a good, successful and happy translator. In this final part, I will offer tips on what makes a happy translator and how you can achieve a good work-life balance.
What makes a good, successful and happy translator: PART 2
Second part of a set on how to be a good, successful and happy translator. In this part, I will tell you what makes a successful translator and how you can improve. Part 3 is coming soon.