Thoughts On Translation

Which language is “the best”?

April 8, 2013 by Corinne McKay

I am often asked this question, in various forms:

I want to become a translator/interpreter: which language should I study?
Which language is the most in-demand for translation and interpreting?
What is the best language for a translator or interpreter to know?

The answer, like the answer to many freelance-related questions, is a resounding it depends. I’ll give you my thoughts here, then please chime in with yours (so that I can use them to answer this question the next time it comes up!).

To me, “in-demand” and “best” are two different things. For example in the U.S., the most in-demand language in general terms is undoubtedly Spanish. It’s the second most commonly spoken language in the United States, after English (insert one of my favorite factoids, that the U.S. has no official language!). But when people ask about the “best” language, I usually assume that they’re talking about a balance between demand and income potential, even when they don’t phrase it that way. And in terms of income potential, Spanish translators face a lot of challenges, starting with heavy competition from in-country translators in Latin America whose cost of living is often much lower, and who are in the same time zone as U.S. clients. In addition, because there are so many Spanish speakers in the U.S., true professional translators and interpreters often come up against the “anyone can do it” mindset held by some would-be translators and interpreters and even some clients. So, despite the very high demand for Spanish in the U.S., it’s probably not the language that I would encourage someone to learn if they’re starting from scratch.

I think that every language has its pros and cons. For example I think that for U.S.-based translators, French and German are appealing because there’s a good balance between work volume and rates, and because U.S.-based translators have some financial advantages (generally lower cost of living, and the fact that we don’t charge VAT). Also, the U.S. time zone is an advantage, as European clients can send work at the end of the day their time, to be returned the next morning. However, the European business culture is very relationship-based, and it can be hard to find and retain direct clients in Europe unless you can go there with some frequency.

In terms of critical need, I think that Middle Eastern and Asian languages are certainly the winners. Also, I think that Japanese to English is one of the highest, if not the highest-paid language combination in most market surveys. But my sense is that for some of these language combinations, there is a lot of competition from translators who are not native speakers of English but who translate into English anyway, even if they shouldn’t. Also, these cultures are much less similar to American culture than European culture is, and it is probably more difficult for translators who grew up in the U.S. to “fit in” in China or Saudi Arabia than it is in Spain or Switzerland.

Then there’s personal affinity: I love the sound of Italian and Portuguese. I’m such a nerd that sometimes I listen to Italian or Portuguese news on the radio (via TuneIn) even though I can’t understand it at all. Biking through the Dolomites last summer was one of the best vacations of my life: I just love Italy! If I were going strictly for income potential, I’d probably go for Japanese, but I really struggle with character-based languages–for example when my husband and I traveled to Nepal, I had a relatively easy time with the spoken language but couldn’t read anything, while he was the opposite.

Anyway, enough rambling thoughts on the merits of various languages! Readers, what do you think? A high school student e-mails you and asks “What language should I study?” and you respond…

Posted in Freelancing, Getting started as a translator, Languages, Reader questions | 47 Comments »

Upcoming professional development opportunities

April 4, 2013 by Corinne McKay

If you’re looking to brush up your translation skills, here are a few upcoming opportunities to take a look at:

Right here in Colorado, the annual Colorado Translators Association mid-year conference is coming up on May 4 and 5. As in past years it will be held in the stunning setting of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, and the day is packed with sessions on a variety of topics. I’ll be presenting “Time Management for Freelancers” and also signing copies of my new book!
The summer conference for premium-market English<> French translators that Chris Durban launched in 2008 will continue this year at Translate in Quebec City. If you work with English and French and you’re looking to move up in the translation world, this conference is not to be missed: August 29-31 in Quebec City.
ASTTI, the Swiss translators association, will be hosting this year’s Financial Translation Summer School in Spiez, Switzerland. Last year’s edition was in Paris and I attended it and was very impressed. Although I do almost no financial translation, it was tremendously educational as the speakers were top-notch experts in their financial and economic fields. July 3-5, on the shores of Lake Thun!
And finally, the next session of my online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator starts on May 8 and is open for registration. This is a four-week class for beginning translators who want to launch and run a successful freelance business, and experienced translators who want to improve their businesses are also welcome. Registration is $305, with a $50 discount for ATA members.

Posted in Announcements, Professional development, Translation industry news | 3 Comments »

Unplugging: why and how

April 2, 2013 by Corinne McKay

I’m a big believer in taking at least one unplugged vacation per year: no computer, no work phone. I think that it’s important for a few reasons. Such as:

Work gets a lot of my undivided attention when I’m not on vacation, and my family needs and deserves some undivided attention too.
The mental break always helps me feel invigorated about my current work, and always gives me new perspectives on my work-related goals for the future.
It keeps me from developing an inflated sense of my own importance. If I start to feel that my clients really cannot live without me for a week, I’m the one with the problem.
It forces me to plan financially for the time off; I use my business savings account to pay myself for the time that I take off work.
I recognize that my energy, enthusiasm, creativity and probably other qualities are not infinitely renewable. I could work 50 hours a week, 51 weeks a year, but I don’t think that my current productivity level would last long. Everyone does what works for them, and for me, about 30 hours a week, 46 weeks a year is what’s sustainable.

Unplugged vacations might not be the norm these days, but even people who are actually important (as opposed to those of us who only fancy ourselves as important) think they’re worth considering. Here’s an interesting article in Harvard Business Review, which discusses the advantages of completely unplugging versus plugging in at scheduled times. And this article on CareerCast argues that unplugged vacations not only don’t hurt your career prospects, they actually help them.

So, now that you’re convinced (!), how do you do this? First, you pick a vacation destination that helps you, or even forces you, to unplug. As in, you don’t go to New York City and tell yourself that you’ll just leave your cell phone in the hotel room. You do something like go mountain bike camping in Utah, where there’s no cell reception anyway. Then, you find at least one trusted colleague who is available while you’re away. You send a pre-emptive e-mail to all of your clients and to the colleagues who regularly refer work to you, and you say something like:

Dear clients and colleagues: my office will be closed for vacation from X until Y, and I will not have access to e-mail or phone messages during this time. For urgent translations, please contact my trusted colleague (insert name and contact information). Otherwise I will respond to you as soon as possible when I return.

Note that if you truly want to unplug, you do not say that clients can call your cell phone if they need to reach you urgently. Nor do you leave them totally hanging and unable to get an urgent translation completed if they need one. You let them know that you are checking out completely, and you tell them who to contact while you’re away.

Finally, you put on your e-mail auto-responder and change your outgoing voicemail message, with something similar to the e-mail above. You clearly state that you are unavailable, and you provide a referral right there in the auto-response.

Then you go; you just do it. Put the office in the rear view mirror and enjoy your vacation. While you’re away, spend a little time making your peace with the fact that you may miss some work. You may even miss a really awesome project that you would have gladly interrupted the vacation for, had you known about it. That’s the reality of a week off the grid, but it’s a small price to pay for the renewed energy and enthusiasm you’ll have when you return. Because while you’re away, you’ll have a moment like this, and all of the missed work will be worth it!

Posted in Freelancing, Money, Productivity, Professional development | 21 Comments »

Speaking of Translation recording is online

March 21, 2013 by Corinne McKay

If you missed yesterday’s Speaking of Translation conference call on freelance sabbaticals abroad, the recording is now on our website. You don’t need to download anything to listen! Eve Bodeux, Tess Whitty and I all offered tips for taking your freelance business on the road: how to deal with your phones, mail, banking, taxes and family, and how to use your trip as a professional development and marketing opportunity. Happy listening!

Posted in Announcements, Freelancing, Professional development | Leave a Comment »

Speaking of Translation call: freelance sabbaticals abroad

March 19, 2013 by Corinne McKay

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20 at 12 noon New York time, Eve Bodeux and I will be putting on our Speaking of Translation hats for a free conference call. Visit our Speaking of Translation website for details on how to connect to the live call; and of course we’ll post a recording on our Listen page afterward!

This call is part II of our series on taking your freelance business abroad. We all know that location-independence is one of the big pluses of being a freelancer, but how do we actually capitalize on it? We’ll spend about half an hour talking about Eve’s five-month stay in France, my two-month stay in Switzerland and Italy, and we’ll check in with Tess Whitty, who is currently spending a year in Sweden. You never know what topics might make their way into a Speaking of Translation call, but we’re planning to discuss logistics (dealing with your phones, mail and money), business issues (using your trip as a professional development and marketing opportunity) and how to integrate your family into your overseas experience (if they insist on coming!).

We’re expecting the call to last about 30 minutes and we do not use it to sell or promote anything; just an opportunity for a fun discussion! Join us if you can, and I’ll let you know when the recording is online.

Posted in Announcements, Freelancing, Professional development | Leave a Comment »

Why do some freelance translators fail?

March 12, 2013 by Corinne McKay

I’m not a great “tough love” advice-dispenser, but I’m going to give it a try. I work with a lot of beginning translators in my online course (shameless self-promo: the next session starts on April 3 and there are four spots left!). When I follow up with students over the months and years after they finish the course, or when I talk to beginning/aspiring translators in general, some of them have “made it” as freelancers and some of them haven’t. In thinking about advice for translation newcomers and translation students, I’ve unscientifically identified a few pitfalls that can cause serious problems for people who are in the freelance launch phase. I’m sure that readers have great tips and anecdotes too…so feel free to add them!

Expecting too much return from too little marketing effort. I get a lot of inquiries from beginning freelancers who are “very discouraged because they’ve applied to over 30 translation companies and received no work.” I know I’ve said this a few (hundred) times before, but here it is again: during my first year as a freelancer, I applied to over 400 translation companies. Then, I sent every single company that responded positively a hand-written note with a business card, thanking them for their response and letting them know that I looked forward to working with them in the future.
Expecting the startup phase to be shorter than it is. I think that six months is the bare minimum that anyone can expect–two months to look for work, two months to do the work and two months to get paid. A year is probably more realistic, and I think that most freelancers reach “cruising speed” after about three years.
Having weak language skills. As often stated by Chris Durban, author of The Prosperous Translator, it’s hard to develop the linguistic and cultural competence that a translator needs, without spending at least a year in your source language country/ies. And don’t hang out with speakers of your target language the whole time you’re there!
Not putting yourself out there. I get it: you’re not good with strangers, you don’t want creepy exes finding your address online, and so forth. But the simple truth of freelancing is that people cannot hire you if they cannot find you. They can’t refer work to you if they don’t know who you are. So whether it’s in person or online, or preferably both, you have to come out of hiding.
Getting stuck on the low rate treadmill. This is a tough one. Most beginning translators don’t set out to be underpaid, but working is better than not working, and you have to start somewhere if you want to break in to the industry. Many beginning freelancers tell themselves that in a few months or years, they’ll trade up to better-paying clients. But if you’re translating 10 hours a day just to pay the bills, it’s hard to find that time, so you’re more likely to stick with the low-paying bird in the hand.
Remaining in denial about how much work it is to be self-employed. A wise self-employed person once said that being an entrepreneur means working 60 hours a week for yourself so that you don’t have to work 40 hours a week for someone else. I’m a firm believer in avoiding perpetual overtime, but the essence of this statement is true. I recently gave a talk on self-publishing, after which many of the attendees commented that the idea sounded intriguing, but “like a lot of work.” Um…yeah! It is a lot of work, but I’m more interested in putting that work into my own project than into lining a traditional publisher’s pockets. The same is true of being a freelancer. It’s a lot of work! Did we mention that it’s a lot of work? But the ability to make your own decisions and take responsibility for your own future makes it worth it.

Wise readers, over to you! Why do you think some beginning translators don’t make it?

Posted in Freelancing, Getting started as a translator, Productivity, Professional development, Translation quality, Working from home | 53 Comments »