Translating matters

Delivering good translations on time but finding it hard to retain your customers? Find out why! Translators often assume that quality, cost and turnaround time are what make companies want to work with them again and again. Of course this triad plays a role, but there will always be someone able to work just as fast as you, someone cheaper than you or someone who has an eye for detail to match yours. If this is the case, how can you ensure your customers choose to keep working with you and are not tempted to work with your competition? Easy – make sure you focus on how you talk to your customers, as building REAL-ationships fosters lasting collaboration. Earlier this week I had an enlightening discussion with one of my customers, who revealed that her main struggle when working with freelance translators, and something that is often overlooked, is….COMMUNICATION! She revealed that the following bad practices would make her less likely to continue working with freelance translators

Need a text translated but don't have a clue what your translator is talking about?  Here is a list of terms we commonly use in the profession that might help you communicate with us! Term Meaning A language A translator’s first language (or mother tongue). B language A language that a translator can speak and write almost as well as their first language (well enough to translate into as well as out of). Many translators prefer to only translate into their A language. C language A language the translator can understand and read well enough to translate into their A or B language but cannot speak or write well enough to translate into. Desktop Publishing (DTP) The use of software for document layout and construction. A translator will often charge more for time spent on DTP. Editing Revising the target text to improve the flow and quality.

The aviation industry is full of abbreviations. Here are just some of them! How many did you already know? Abbreviation Definition A/C Aircraft B/C Business Class CCOM Cabin Crew Operating Manual DFDRS Digital Flight Data Recorder System EASA European Aviation Safety Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration GHS Ground Handling/Servicing HMI Human Machine Interface IATA International Air Transport Association JAA Joint Aviation Authorities KPI Key Performance Indicator L/G Landing gear MOE Maintenance Organisation Exposition NEO New Engine Option OAT Outside Air Temperature PF Pilot Flying QRH Quick Reference Handbook RTO Reje

In mid-March, Spain entered a strict lockdown with very little warning. Realising I would have to once again work from home, I was filled with a feeling of dread. Didn’t I hate working from home in the past? Didn’t I pay for a desk in a coworking space so as to see other human beings? Would I stop bothering to get dressed? Would I snack all day and gain lots of weight? I quickly calmed myself down and prepared to get on with two weeks (or so we thought then) of being stuck inside my flat in Barcelona. The beginning of the lockdown went by fairly quickly, I had a tremendous amount of work and this distracted me rather well. The next part was a little harder, facing the reality that this lockdown would last a lot longer than two weeks, and work completely drying up. Freelancing is fairly “feast or famine” at times, but this has really been exaggerated during the lockdown. Yet, somewhat out of character, when work went quiet I didn’t mind, and even found a lot of positive things t