This link deserves its own post: over at Musings from an Overworked Translator, Jill Sommer has an incredibly useful post on job-hunting advice for beginning translators. Jill offers some great tips, and there are yet more ideas in the comments. Definitely give it a look!
Archive for the ‘Getting started as a translator’ Category
Must-read: advice for new translators
Posted in Getting started as a translator, Links, Marketing on January 11, 2012 | 3 Comments »
My favorite mistake
Posted in Freelancing, Getting started as a translator, Productivity, Professional development on January 9, 2012 | 13 Comments »
No, not the Sheryl Crow song, the Newsweek/Daily Beast Column. Maybe I just love reading about other people’s mistakes, but the last-page “My Favorite Mistake” essay is my favorite part of the redesigned Newsweek. Written by famous people of various flavors, these columns just reinforce the fact that whether it’s Madeleine Albright wearing her “three [...]
Upcoming session of “Getting Started as a Freelance Translator”
Posted in Announcements, Getting started as a translator, Professional development on November 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
The next session of my 6-week online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator starts on Monday and I still have a few spots left. This is a ground-up course for people with little or no translation experience; we cover topics such as writing a translation-targeted resumé and cover letter, finding and retaining well-paying clients, [...]
Upcoming ATA webinar
Posted in Announcements, Getting started as a translator, Professional associations on November 2, 2010 | 3 Comments »
I’ll be posting a wrapup of last week’s ATA conference soon; in short, it was fantastic. Enlightening sessions, enlightened colleagues and that unmistakable Colorado energy. I feel like the French sessions get better every year, and every year I come away with a long list of new ideas to improve my translations and my business [...]
Audio interview: getting started as a freelance translator
Posted in Getting started as a translator, Interviews on November 4, 2009 | 2 Comments »
While I’m formulating a few posts on the recent ATA conference in New York, here’s an interview that I’ve been meaning to post for a while. Colorado-based Portuguese translator, interpreter and voiceover talent Cris Silva (who has the distinction of being Colorado’s only ATA-certified English to Portuguese translator) recently interviewed me about getting started as [...]
Reader question: developing translation specializations
Posted in Getting started as a translator on August 31, 2009 | 5 Comments »
To start the week off, here’s a great question that I received from reader Dorota Krysinska. She asks: “…could you explain in your blog how it happened that you started specializing in legal, corporate communications and public health/international development translations? Did you have any background in these fields? I have been wondering how someone like [...]
How long does it take?
Posted in Getting started as a translator on March 6, 2009 | 13 Comments »
Many beginning translators are (understandably!) very concerned about how long it will take them to establish a viable business. For obvious reasons, including differences in the demand for certain language combinations, variations in different people’s business and people skills, etc., it’s hard to give hard and fast figures on how long it takes to get [...]
Very part-time freelancing
Posted in Freelancing, Getting started as a translator, Marketing on February 10, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Most beginning translators I talk to have similar goals for their nascent freelance businesses; they currently have a full-time job and they want to start freelancing part time, then gradually ramp up to full time freelancing as their work volume increases. Lately, I’ve come across a few beginning freelancers who have a different goal: they [...]
The basics of cold contacting
Posted in Getting started as a translator, Marketing on July 10, 2008 | 3 Comments »
For beginning and experienced translators alike, there is often no way around the need to cold contact potential clients. Beginners need to find those crucial first few clients, and those of us who are established in the industry may want to look for better-paying work, work with direct clients or work in a new specialization. [...]
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Corinne McKay is an ATA-certified French to English translator specializing in international development, law and non-fiction books. She launched Thoughts on Translation in February, 2008 as a way to connect and share ideas with freelance translators around the world.
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