tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80914928229766649942024-03-12T21:50:20.255-07:00Translating mattersLucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-73728007544693957202020-07-20T08:50:00.001-07:002020-07-21T02:10:42.896-07:00How to Stand Out from the Translation Crowd<p class="MsoNormal">To be a good translator, as a <b>bare minimum</b>, you need
to:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Master your source (foreign) language(s),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Be a great writer in your target (native) language,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Have a translation qualification <b>or</b> exceptional
foreign language skills <i>and</i> industry experience,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Have in-depth knowledge of the culture of your source and
target languages,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Deliver your work on time,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Have a Quality Assurance process in place,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Set rates that reflect the quality of the work you
produce,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- etc.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, to go from being someone who knows how to translate
to being a thriving freelance translator, you should also consider the
following:<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1. </span></span>Find your niche</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As a qualified generalist, you can almost certainly find
work with big agencies, but they usually only agree to pay low-to-average rates
and have you working under mediocre conditions (quick turn-around times, volume
discounts, degressive pricing with CAT tools, etc.). If you really specialise in
a subject area (preferably in something you are passionate about), you can
target specialised agencies and direct customers, who will recognise you not
only as a translator, but as an expert in your field. The more specific the
field the better. Remember, as a specialist, you can still take on general translations
from your customers, but as a generalist you will not be able to offer the
services of a specialised expert and command the corresponding rates. There are
various ways to specialise and a whole plethora of specialist areas, which I
will cover in another post.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Identify your customers</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you specialise, you will already be narrowing down the
pool of your best target customers. At this point you really need to do your
research to find out who they are (age, gender, location, interests, etc.) so as
to make it easier to speak their lingo. This doesn’t just mean speaking their
language; it means speaking to them and translating for them in their preferred
register and style and using their industry-specific terms. For example, you
may not want to communicate with a 50-year-old lecturer at a French university
requiring the translation of an academic article in the same way you would with
a 23-year-old yoga teacher needing her website localised. When you really take
the time to identify your customers and speak to them in the language they use,
you are in a better position to market yourself to potential new customers and one step closer to creating a REALationship with existing customers, thus
increasing the likelihood of repeat custom, provided, of course, that you do a
great job.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";"> </span></span></span>Mind your business</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Regardless of where you are in your freelance career, you
need to know the current condition of your business if you want to nurture and
develop it, meaning you need to set time aside to track and analyse how you are
doing. When you monitor your exact income and expenditure, know how you divide
your time and are aware of who your customers are and where you would like to
go next with your business, you will be able to set yourself specific goals
(financial, performance, customer-related, and so on) and determine how you will
be able to achieve these goals via concrete, achievable steps. For example, let’s
say you want to add one new direct customer per month to your base. To do so,
you need to first do your research to find out who the best potential customers
are and spend a certain amount of time every week reaching them via your
preferred method (trade conferences, direct marketing, inbound marketing,
content creation, etc.). You also need to monitor your progress to make sure
you are on track to reaching your goals. To grow your business, you need to be
organised, analytical and consistent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Provide great customer service</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is important when working with agencies and <b>vital</b>
when working with direct customers. You need to be able to support your
customers throughout the whole translation project. This requires great
communication skills (politeness and good manners are a must), the ability to
stay calm in the event of unforeseen issues and the capability to demonstrate
your language-service competency at all times (for example, pointing out when
something is not culturally appropriate for target-language readers, reporting source-text errors so that the customer does not publish a source text with
mistakes, etc.). You also need to be willing to respond to customer feedback
after delivery and make changes or check the text in the final copy to be
published to make sure no errors were introduced in the design process. This
kind of service is not going to be cost-effective if you are charging a low-end
per-word rate, so make sure you incorporate these steps into your rate and
communicate that to your customer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";"> </span></span></span>Think critically</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If there is something that does not make sense to you, don’t
just take your best guess. Send the customer your query. Show the research you
have done and offer the solutions you have found. From
personal experience working in the aerospace industry, sometimes no amount of
research brings you to the right term. For example, if an engineer has made up a
word for a tool based on its appearance, without asking the engineer in question, you
would never find what you were looking for as the tool does not really exist under
that name. If, for example, you notice a figure that you are pretty sure is
wrong and you know what it should be, point it out. Don’t just change it though
– you wouldn’t want to introduce an error. Always check via email, not over the
phone. As one colleague used to repeat... “cover your ass”. Contrary to what you
might think, asking customers questions does not make you appear incompetent.
It shows you are thorough and able to think critically.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";"> </span></span></span>Know your limits</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is much better to make conservative promises and
over-deliver than to make huge promises and under-deliver. Therefore, don’t
accept deadlines that are too short, or you will end up delivering work that is
not up to your usual quality or delivering late. Also, don’t accept work in a
specialist area that you know nothing about. Not only will you end up spending
far too much time researching every term you don’t know, you are likely to
deliver a translation that does not meet the customer’s expectations. Honesty
is the best policy. If you don’t have time, say so. If you don’t feel
comfortable with the text, tell the customer and perhaps recommend a peer who
is specialised in that area.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";"> </span></span></span>Have your work peer-reviewed</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is a good idea to have a trusted peer check your work
before sending it off to a direct customer (agencies usually have in-house teams
checking your work — don’t be afraid to ask for feedback). As well as making
extra certain that you have not missed an error in your translation, colleagues
might have a nice turn of phrase or added subject expertise to make your translation
even better. However, only work with a colleague who is specialised in your
area, otherwise you may have to waste time rejecting changes and answering unnecessary
queries.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Never stop learning</h3><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whether you opt for Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
in the form of training in your specialist area or in marketing or business development
in general, it really is worth investing some of your time to learning and growing.
You may be a top-notch translator with a great business plan, but if you don’t
take the time to work on your skills and your business, you may end up staying
in your comfort zone, and your comfort zone is often the place where you become
complacent. To avoid this, attend conferences, webinars, take online courses,
and so on. There is always something to learn and often there are great free
online resources and events. For example, I recently attended the online Financial
Success Summit for Translators, where I picked up a lot of knowledge that I am
sure will help me take my business forward.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph">Remember, you are not just a freelance translator, you are a
business owner, a customer-services department, a marketing department, a
credit controller, and the list goes on. To thrive in this industry, you not
only have to be able to translate, you have to have a unique selling point, a
business mindset and you need to regularly remind yourself that the only way is
up.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDzsWWhHaV07m1OhAFyJYQYQw9rIXZbAVBe1pLxjmSSHriVfHco8ldeWQ9nCBYqsOE8_OsDCTXwjFam0kQUSNL-jwtSrP3dfC7wiJhaCydhrQR7d8Qpf9eJ8LXQHftNnP6YAX0rMswWEe/s1024/WhatsApp+Image+2020-07-20+at+17.35.20.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDzsWWhHaV07m1OhAFyJYQYQw9rIXZbAVBe1pLxjmSSHriVfHco8ldeWQ9nCBYqsOE8_OsDCTXwjFam0kQUSNL-jwtSrP3dfC7wiJhaCydhrQR7d8Qpf9eJ8LXQHftNnP6YAX0rMswWEe/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-07-20+at+17.35.20.jpeg" /></a></div><p class="MsoListParagraph"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><br />Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-1865914058543849772020-06-18T03:38:00.002-07:002020-06-19T04:23:01.199-07:00How NOT to be a Pest on Professional Networks<p class="MsoNormal">Recently I have been developing my LinkedIn presence. In
general, it has been a pleasant experience. I have learnt a lot about inbound
marketing, generated more traffic to my website and made some very interesting
professional contacts, both translators and professionals in the aerospace
industry.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">HOWEVER, I have also received a number of inappropriate
messages from several people (mainly of the opposite sex, it has to be said) who clearly haven’t
worked out the difference between a professional networking website and a
dating/social networking website.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To date, my response has been to politely remind
these people that I use LinkedIn and my Facebook business page for professional
purposes only.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, I consider myself a fairly tolerant person and believe
that people should be given the possibility to learn and grow. I have therefore
written this dummy’s guide to separate the kind of communication that is
appropriate for professional networking from communication that is best kept
for dating/social networking sites or that should not be used at all. These are
based on messages I have actually received either on LinkedIn or my Facebook business
page in the past couple of weeks. For any pests out there, don't worry, I'm not going to name and shame.<o:p></o:p></p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Communication received<o:p></o:p></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Suitable for professional sites<o:p></o:p></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Better kept for dating sites</b><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Are you married?<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<font color="#ff0000" face="wingdings">❌</font>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<font color="#70ad47" face="wingdings">✅</font>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">It was nice to meet you at the conference. <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #70ad47; font-family: wingdings;">✅</span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: red; font-family: wingdings;">❌</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I would love to meet you, I’m not looking for anything professional<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: red; font-family: wingdings;">❌</span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #70ad47; font-family: wingdings;">✅</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I was impressed with your profile and would like to connect with you
professionally<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #70ad47; font-family: wingdings;">✅</span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: red; font-family: wingdings;">❌</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Where are you from?<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: red; font-family: wingdings;">❌</span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #70ad47; font-family: wingdings;">✅</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Hey! You blocked me on another network but I found you here! How are
you?<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: red; font-family: wingdings;">❌</span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: red; font-family: wingdings;">❌</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I’d love to find out more about your business and hopefully we can
work together in the future<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.25pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #70ad47; font-family: wingdings;">✅</span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 150.3pt;" valign="top" width="200">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: red; font-family: wingdings;">❌</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do you have any more examples of inappropriate communication
on professional networking sites? How do you deal with it?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZRA20I9IT5nJivr9WBZe1tE5PbaSp4Fl0GBy-TwIRXDCwLDxK9y-d20nsaWMOKKtoLQo3D1kx4zAdSMDvdWKcndoLF0REIPQ1Dt9v-wmM_ozdL2dWRYjx1hjVE7HviyzvOAdB-Og-bjg/s1024/Rainy+glasses.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="809" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZRA20I9IT5nJivr9WBZe1tE5PbaSp4Fl0GBy-TwIRXDCwLDxK9y-d20nsaWMOKKtoLQo3D1kx4zAdSMDvdWKcndoLF0REIPQ1Dt9v-wmM_ozdL2dWRYjx1hjVE7HviyzvOAdB-Og-bjg/s320/Rainy+glasses.jpeg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br />Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-8519901620135929382020-05-28T06:40:00.004-07:002020-05-29T02:54:01.094-07:00How NOT to Lose Customers<h3 style="text-align: left;">Delivering good translations on time but finding it hard to
retain your customers? Find out why!</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgat7rmJpP2sYMleEqwhA_fmXBXigTBtIKL2NWf5PmriHY1lvNf4NgmXcEPzOl6P2l_5lnbg8KY6NpldpwlIbA44kUNOuDfXkYNoo9NwjJXCVq9r20EgxRFFHjZ2roa0QutqY1GS3bxvjU6/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgat7rmJpP2sYMleEqwhA_fmXBXigTBtIKL2NWf5PmriHY1lvNf4NgmXcEPzOl6P2l_5lnbg8KY6NpldpwlIbA44kUNOuDfXkYNoo9NwjJXCVq9r20EgxRFFHjZ2roa0QutqY1GS3bxvjU6/" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>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.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She revealed that the following bad practices would make her
less likely to continue working with freelance translators:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>1.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Not reading instructions<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">If customers provide a translator with
clear instructions (e.g. character limits, reference materials, glossaries,
etc.), they expect the translator to actually use them!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>2.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Not asking questions<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">Customers would much rather take the time
to answer your questions than for you to deliver something you are unsure
about. Don’t be afraid to lose face, you actually appear far more professional
if you raise doubts, as this shows you care about the
translation you are delivering (and is much better than guessing and getting it
wrong). It is also a good idea to ask where the document is to be published, as
this may change the tone of your translation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>3.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Not reporting issues<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">If you are struggling with an aspect of
your source text (formatting, lots of abbreviations, more
transcreation required than you anticipated, etc.), let your customer know. Solutions can
often be found but, once again, you need to COMMUNICATE!!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>4.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Not passing on information<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">If you have spotted an error in the source
text and simply corrected it, for example, although your translation will be
correct, the original may still be published when it contains an error.
Customers appreciate you pointing out mistakes in their documents (with tact,
obviously), so that all published versions are correct. Do not take it for
granted that your customers will spot every inconsistency in their texts – they
are humans too and humans miss things!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>5.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Having bad manners/not using common sense<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">As I already mentioned, customers are
humans and they understand that LIFE HAPPENS. Your child is sick and you are
going to miss a deadline? Completely understandable. Telling your customer this
when you are already three hours late? No so much.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>6.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Bad attitude<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">Some translators refuse to work with
agencies (or language service providers). This is a matter of personal
preference. However, if you do work with agencies don’t assume they are all out
to exploit you because some translators have told you they have had bad
experiences with some agencies. Check in with your project managers. Don’t
ignore their emails after you have delivered. Ask them for help. Many project
managers actually trained as translators and are more than happy to help you
with your research when you are stuck on a tricky term, for example.
Translators just don’t often think (or dare) to ask.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>7.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Refusal to work with CAT tools<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">Customers do not expect you to have
experience working with <i>every</i> CAT tool on the market, but they do expect
you not to flat out refuse to work with <i>any</i> CAT tool. Often they will be
happy to show you how one works if they like your work. A couple of hours spent learning how to use a CAT tool may result in much more work with a customer
in the long run.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span><span>8.<span style="font: 7pt "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Poor time management<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">Make sure you don’t take on more than you can
chew. If you have to rush a job because you have taken on too much, you are
more likely to make mistakes and your customer is sure to notice. It is much
better to say no to a job or ask for an extension if you know you will struggle
to deliver on time than to deliver something not up to your usual standards.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To create REAL-ationships and retain your customers, be:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">INQUISITIVE (ask those questions),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">DEDICATED (point out mistakes in source texts and answer
queries further to delivering),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">TRANSPARENT (let your customers know if you are experiencing
personal issues, people are generally compassionate when you communicate),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">HONEST (if you prefer not to work with a specific CAT tool
or on a specific project, let your customer know your reasons - maybe they will
put you on another project or allow you to use your CAT tool of choice),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ORGANISED (don’t take on more work than you can handle – you
are not a machine),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">PROFESSIONAL (communicate politely and use your common
sense),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">OPEN (if a customer asks you to try something new
(post-editing, a different CAT tool, etc.), don’t just refuse flat out. You can
always offer to try a small project for them and then if you really don’t like
it, explain your reasons for preferring not to take on these projects in the
future),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">FLEXIBLE (the notion of quality includes customer
expectations. If a certain style or specific terminology is preferred and the
customer informs you, make sure you take this into account and you don’t impose
your preferences – it is their product at the end of the day).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most importantly, remember your customers are REAL people,
not just a response at the end of an email. I hope these tips will help you
create REAL-ationships to ensure your customers keep working with you in the
future.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-38434513186397741222020-05-26T07:21:00.000-07:002020-05-26T07:21:06.931-07:00Terms used by Translators<h3 style="text-align: left;">Need a text translated but don't have a clue what your translator is talking about? </h3><p class="MsoNormal">Here is a list of terms
we commonly use in the profession that might help you communicate with us! <o:p></o:p></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Term<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Meaning<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A language<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A translator’s first language (or mother tongue).<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">B language<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">C language<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">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.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Desktop Publishing (DTP)<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The use of software for document layout and construction. A
translator will often charge more for time spent on DTP.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Editing<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Revising the target text to improve the flow and quality.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Freelance translator<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A self-employed translator, who may work for translation agencies
and/or direct customers. A freelance translator usually has a specialisation
and language pair(s).<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Glossary<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A monolingual or bilingual list of terms specific to a customer,
project or subject. A vital tool for professional translators.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Homonym<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and/or pronunciation,
but different meanings.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Interpreter<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Someone who translates speech orally or into sign language, as opposed
to a translator, who translates texts.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Jargon<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Specific words used by a profession or customer that are difficult
for other people to understand (e.g. legal jargon).<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Keystroke<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A single press of a key on a keyboard. May be used as a measure of
line or page length when defining the size of a translation job. A keystroke
includes all visible characters in addition to spaces and line
breaks/paragraph marks.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Language pair<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A source language for translation and its corresponding target
language.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Machine translation<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Automated software that translates a source text into a target text
with no human involvement. Rarely of high quality without human revision.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Native speaker<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Someone who has spoken a particular language from early childhood, rather
than learning It as a foreign language.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Online revision<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Changes made to a translation while the translator is still
translating (also known as “in-draft” revision).<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Post editing<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Rectifying and improving the style of a machine-translated text.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Quality Assurance (QA)<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A process to guarantee the quality of a translation (usually includes
revision and editing).<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Revision<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Corrections made by a person other than the translator, comparing the
source text with the target text.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Source text<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The text you start with, from which the translator translates.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Target text<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The text you end with, produced by the translator.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">User-generated translation<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Also known as community translation, usually refers to unofficial
translation of different types of written or multimedia texts by fans.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Voice-over<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Commentary in a film or broadcast, not accompanied by the image of
the narrator. Voice-over services are sometimes offered by translators. There
are two parts to voice-over services in translation. These include translation
of the script (taking timings into account) and recording of the narrative (by
a translator with specialist training or an actor).<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Word count<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The total number of words in a translation. Translators will often
provide a quote based on this word count.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">eXtensible Markup Language (XML)<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 225.4pt;" valign="top" width="301">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Text format used to share data on the web. Not all translators are comfortable
translating XML files, and may charge you more for the service.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRSxYpxTJfHEDQ_aGt422FMhyHisxcTnljCtcwXh9Iq1YjzPHMScrJplwa8NgFh_BrPqXCckjhj2vA2gzwvdq9NkIa-3bb1dJdehbhjaMOXOHqGW5EuVUxw4tjX0TiL3IBerG-jIi917N/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRSxYpxTJfHEDQ_aGt422FMhyHisxcTnljCtcwXh9Iq1YjzPHMScrJplwa8NgFh_BrPqXCckjhj2vA2gzwvdq9NkIa-3bb1dJdehbhjaMOXOHqGW5EuVUxw4tjX0TiL3IBerG-jIi917N/" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-14509400968652179312020-05-25T06:50:00.003-07:002020-05-25T07:02:02.690-07:00A-Z of Aviation Abbreviations<br />
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The aviation industry is full of abbreviations. Here are just some of them! How many did you already know?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Abbreviation<o:p></o:p></div>
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Definition<o:p></o:p></div>
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A/C<o:p></o:p></div>
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Aircraft<o:p></o:p></div>
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B/C<o:p></o:p></div>
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Business Class<o:p></o:p></div>
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CCOM<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cabin Crew Operating Manual<o:p></o:p></div>
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DFDRS<o:p></o:p></div>
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Digital Flight Data Recorder System<o:p></o:p></div>
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EASA<o:p></o:p></div>
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European Aviation Safety Agency<o:p></o:p></div>
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FAA<o:p></o:p></div>
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Federal Aviation Administration<o:p></o:p></div>
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GHS<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ground Handling/Servicing<o:p></o:p></div>
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HMI<o:p></o:p></div>
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Human Machine Interface<o:p></o:p></div>
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IATA<o:p></o:p></div>
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International Air Transport Association<o:p></o:p></div>
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JAA<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joint Aviation Authorities<o:p></o:p></div>
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KPI<o:p></o:p></div>
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Key Performance Indicator<o:p></o:p></div>
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L/G<o:p></o:p></div>
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Landing gear<o:p></o:p></div>
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MOE<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maintenance Organisation Exposition<o:p></o:p></div>
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NEO<o:p></o:p></div>
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New Engine Option<o:p></o:p></div>
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OAT<o:p></o:p></div>
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Outside Air Temperature<o:p></o:p></div>
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PF<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pilot Flying<o:p></o:p></div>
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QRH<o:p></o:p></div>
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Quick Reference Handbook<o:p></o:p></div>
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RTO<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rejected Take-Off<o:p></o:p></div>
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SOI<o:p></o:p></div>
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Standard Operating Instructions<o:p></o:p></div>
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TCAS<o:p></o:p></div>
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Traffic Collision Avoidance System<o:p></o:p></div>
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U/S<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unserviceable<o:p></o:p></div>
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VFR<o:p></o:p></div>
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Visual Flight Rules<o:p></o:p></div>
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WBM<o:p></o:p></div>
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Weight and Balance Manual<o:p></o:p></div>
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XNG<o:p></o:p></div>
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Crossing<o:p></o:p></div>
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Y/C<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yankee Class (tourist class)<o:p></o:p></div>
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ZSA<o:p></o:p></div>
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Zonal Safety Analysis<o:p></o:p></div>
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</tbody></table>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihemq6KJKYxSltFhPMVkn5zIEyDST2MfmqzFUCqOF_Vb5WMooyq_9BNSxE_spUXwB99iu2EEaVnaKyjz80khi3s7oBXdmVGh8gjt6SoI3BG9VSfS6SwXI157oj8WIKIq37a9TNMyd3hwkW/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihemq6KJKYxSltFhPMVkn5zIEyDST2MfmqzFUCqOF_Vb5WMooyq_9BNSxE_spUXwB99iu2EEaVnaKyjz80khi3s7oBXdmVGh8gjt6SoI3BG9VSfS6SwXI157oj8WIKIq37a9TNMyd3hwkW/" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-67818908494133319862020-05-18T06:39:00.003-07:002020-05-25T07:30:41.944-07:00Staycation<br />
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?
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">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 to do whilst stuck at home with so much time on my hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Usually, if my workflow decreases, I contact my customers or
do some marketing to reach out to new ones. This time though, I decided to take
a staycation (I was lucky enough to be able to do this as I had to cancel a
holiday to see my sister in New Zealand and I knew I wouldn’t be spending money
on clothes, eating/drinking out, coffees, entertainment, travelling, etc).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought I’d share some of the positive things I have
done/learnt during this staycation. I will present them in list form, because during
the lockdown, for some reason, I have become rather fond of lists:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I have rediscovered my love for reading. Usually
after a full day of translation the last thing I want to do is read, I’d rather
be doing something active like dancing or working out by the beach. The lockdown
has reminded me of my true bookworm nature, and I’m loving it. My favourite
read so far has been the Maddadam trilogy by Margaret Atwood, check it out if
you are into speculative fiction – although be warned, there are some eery
parallels to our current situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I have been managing to remain fairly active, alternating
between workouts, dance classes and yoga before we were allowed out and now
taking some morning jogs and a walk or cycle every evening (incidentally, in
trying to avoid the Barcelona crowds, I have discovered lots of lovely little
backstreets and some amazing street art).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I have connected more with the people who are
most important to me (via Whatsapp, Zoom, etc.) and also reconnected with people
I had been meaning to contact for ages. I think that before the lockdown, many
of us were finding ourselves so wrapped up in our busy lives, that it was easy
to neglect this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I have been cooking a lot of delicious meals, and
haven’t really missed being able to eat out. I’ve also discovered new ways of
eating that I feel suit my body better. I am no longer eating the traditional
three meals a day, but only when I am actually hungry. I have been learning
more about nutrition and finding alternatives to the early lockdown comfort
foods. I have even tried a one-day watermelon cleanse (which I would totally
recommend to anyone whose health permits it, as it is much easier than fasting
- feel free to ask me about it if you are interested).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->My house is a lot tidier than usual, as I don’t
have to rush out in the mornings or get home late in the evenings. Also, I have
time to spread the cleaning out over the week rather than having to do it all at
the weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Now that we are allowed outside, I make full use
of this freedom to enjoy the fresh air every single day without fail. Being a
country girl, I found it hard to be inside a flat in the city with no garden
for so long, so now I am out discovering new green spaces I previously didn’t
know existed in my area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I have started an online course on the science
of well-being on Coursera. There are so many wonderful free resources out
there, I can’t believe I wasn’t taking the time to learn new things before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I have been listening to a lot of music,
discovering and rediscovering bands and artists I love. I really do think music
is good for the soul and it has helped me remain calm throughout this extraordinary
situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I have managed to take part in social activities
such as dance classes, writing group meetings and pub quizzes on Zoom, helping
me feel connected to the outside world and reminding me that we really are lucky
to live in an age where the internet makes this kind of communication possible,
without which we would surely feel much more isolated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To stop myself giving in to lethargy, I have
discovered the joy of list-writing to organise my time on a weekly basis and
create some sort of routine. It is so satisfying to scratch an item off the
to-do list!!</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
What are your experiences of the lockdown? Have you also had extended periods of free time to fill? I’d love to hear about what you have been up to and am open to suggestions for new activities! Take care and stay safe!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtX1g0fvN5EwtKrPrAYKPXw57GhTs4xrHySLIgY5HYRX_79imBFYVEiZzGWljF3ET2Pfc50XRATJnGkdiQTYZ2ame8a_tIvVpJgWKNsD1bGFC1yt_mXr5nVNoozeke2r_XKrN0y1NFYRZ/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtX1g0fvN5EwtKrPrAYKPXw57GhTs4xrHySLIgY5HYRX_79imBFYVEiZzGWljF3ET2Pfc50XRATJnGkdiQTYZ2ame8a_tIvVpJgWKNsD1bGFC1yt_mXr5nVNoozeke2r_XKrN0y1NFYRZ/" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-50404655777031405292020-03-05T04:32:00.001-08:002020-05-25T07:29:33.321-07:00Visible Women<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, I started reading “Invisible Women: Data Bias in a
World Designed for Men” by Caroline Criado Perez. If you haven’t read it, I
suggest you get your hands on a copy (whether you are a man or a woman), as it really
is an informative read. Although many of us are well aware of the concept of male
privilege, this book is a real eye-opener, providing fascinating statistics and
examples on how it really is a world designed <i>by</i> men <i>for</i> men. It
is not an attack on men, it merely shows the extent to which women (often
unintentionally, through lack of historical consideration in data used in areas
from public transport to city planning and bathrooms) are so much less visible
than their male counterparts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With this in mind, and encouraged by a fantastic female
translator/musician I met at the MET (Mediterranean Editors and Translators) conference
in 2018, I decided it was time to be brave and to try and have my voice heard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Translation is a profession that attracts a high number of
women (I don’t have statistics, but from attending various professional
conferences, it is clear to see that the vast majority of participants are female).
However, despite this, at every event I have attended, many of the
presentations are given by middle-aged, white men. This is not an attack
against these men, many of them are esteemed colleagues and have much to share,
but it did make me start questioning why the voices of successful (young) women
are not showcased as much. I don’t imagine the organisers would favour male
contributions, so what else could be behind this? Could it be that we do not
put ourselves forward enough? Could it be a lack of confidence, and a feeling
of invisibility in this man’s world? Nothing has physically stopped me from
applying to participate in a translation conference, but as a woman in her
thirties, I suppose I felt like I may not be taken seriously. This made me
realise that women will not become more visible unless we, as well as men, endeavour
to bring about change.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therefore, recently, I put forward a proposal to give a
presentation at a professional conference in October 2020. For the past two
years I have been tempted to talk about technical translation (which, according
to Jody Bryne in her book “Technical Translation Usability Strategies for
Translating Technical Documentation”, accounts for 90% of global translation
output but is subject to very little academic study, unlike literary translation,
which is rather a niche area comparatively). It is a topic I have a lot to say
about, with 10 years of industry experience, and I think it deserves more air
time (just like women)!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will find out whether I have been selected later in the
year, but for now I can sleep well knowing that I have at least made some
effort to add another female voice to the professional chorus.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLxiA2gD1BwTHglcXJmbVypL8oepPpm0YhlG552pDFv7e1Q7bqsdJuATPY5PgioSpDzPngYpJXsT0tTblYPzo8OZVIOq_R463XAAg7881W_66O8P4ZhM-bdNcHP6OKWQqAlaORTa2v8vf/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3872" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLxiA2gD1BwTHglcXJmbVypL8oepPpm0YhlG552pDFv7e1Q7bqsdJuATPY5PgioSpDzPngYpJXsT0tTblYPzo8OZVIOq_R463XAAg7881W_66O8P4ZhM-bdNcHP6OKWQqAlaORTa2v8vf/s320/111_0400.JPG" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>
<br />Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-2719689702484028922018-10-12T03:18:00.001-07:002020-05-25T07:23:09.575-07:00LOST FOR TRANSLATION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last week I attended the 2018 Mediterranean Translators and Editors Meeting (METM18). It was set in the beautiful Catalan city of Girona - conveniently only a stone's throw away from Barcelona, where I am based. As well as taking part in a practical workshop led by Laura Bennett* and learning a wealth of information from presentations by fellow translators and editors, METM18 was a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow colleagues based in the Mediterranean region and beyond.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When talking to other translators, I was struck by how hard it was to get a straight answer to the simple question: "Where are you from?" </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, before you jump to conclusions, I'm not saying that translators are a shifty or reserved bunch. To the contrary, most answers were fascinating and reassuringly resembled how I usually (sometimes uncomfortably) respond: "I was born in Country A, studied in Country B, moved to Country C for work and am currently living in Country D". </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It felt great to be in an environment where I didn't have to justify my nomadic lifestyle. Indeed, I realised that it is simply part and parcel of the job. If so many of us have moved around so much, it is surely because translation is not merely an academic exercise. Some translators have never lived abroad and are successful, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, for many of us, to integrate the cultural aspects of a language into our work, we have to have spent a significant amount of time in the country(ies) where the language is spoken. Therefore, the more languages a translator has under his/her belt, in all likelihood, the more places he/she will have called (or will still call) home.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, dear colleagues, the next time your family/friends ask you when you'll finally settle down, lift your chin up high and proudly explain that to do your job well, you need to be a global citizen. Keep roaming, keep exploring, keep learning. To grow, just as a flower needs to be watered, a translator needs to be regularly immersed in his/her working language(s). Go on, keep getting lost for the good of your profession!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2M9Fp5npesbU-kj-kUVseM8VAVgz5ith01S5awNEAKSs9nT4ivtChvVL9OkEbF3BP7rB2aI0j7TKVc-npYMKAkgxbGt7x3chMtnC0U-9LejdSDxHFTwh4Vba9yjiCz4uIgf37bRXK2d4n/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2M9Fp5npesbU-kj-kUVseM8VAVgz5ith01S5awNEAKSs9nT4ivtChvVL9OkEbF3BP7rB2aI0j7TKVc-npYMKAkgxbGt7x3chMtnC0U-9LejdSDxHFTwh4Vba9yjiCz4uIgf37bRXK2d4n/" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
*Translating for the Art World</div>
<br />
</div>
Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-29089094463816161762018-06-19T03:27:00.000-07:002018-06-19T03:27:56.836-07:00<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Location, Location, Location</span></h2>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<h3>
Or how to create
REALationships AND nurture your target language</h3>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the first two years working as a freelance translator, my
company was based in the UK and I was translating exclusively from French into
English, mainly for customers in the aerospace sector. Previous to this, I worked
as an in-house translator for several years in Toulouse, France (the
headquarters of Airbus, hence my specialisation).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although in Toulouse I worked alongside other English
speakers, one of the aspects I noticed about spending a vast amount of time
speaking a source (foreign) language or even speaking your target language with
other people who master both languages as well as you do, is the effect on the
quality of your target language (the language you translate into, namely your
native language, or mother tongue). By quality, I do not mean that you suddenly
start to make grammatical errors or use the wrong terminology. However, over
time, it becomes increasingly difficult to find natural-sounding ways of expressing
certain ideas. Sometimes I would not even notice that certain phrases sounded
stilted, as they were what a specific customer preferred, and both myself and
my colleagues had grown accustomed to a certain way of expressing ideas. After
some time, I practically stopped questioning whether there were better ways of
expressing the same idea in English. I grew aware that my English was becoming somewhat
restricted. I initially believed that a trip back to the UK a couple of times a
year was enough to remedy this, and it did help to some extent. Yet, after a
few months of actually living back in the country of my target language, I
realised just how much better my translations were starting to sound. I
therefore now strongly believe that translators really need to make a conscious
effort to regularly converse with people who do not speak their source language(s),
to nurture their target language so as to produce translations that sound
natural and retain a native-level richness of expression.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnJYMaOqLZ4Jg1U2_SwPqayNoc134jcTpEBNtH-BvKIWiYgJuI1_9heMDCrjMxcl22CuTd-eBz8c5TgjnTsvlXPfO99LBSVHIhfWnq3LAuAzwwZJeiH04J-bugex4nuzS9_Qjhb-linfI/s1600/IMG_3509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnJYMaOqLZ4Jg1U2_SwPqayNoc134jcTpEBNtH-BvKIWiYgJuI1_9heMDCrjMxcl22CuTd-eBz8c5TgjnTsvlXPfO99LBSVHIhfWnq3LAuAzwwZJeiH04J-bugex4nuzS9_Qjhb-linfI/s320/IMG_3509.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_748415599"></span><span id="goog_748415600"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In terms of finding customers in the UK, luckily for me, this
was not too difficult because I had just returned after seven years of living and
working in France and had made a lot of contacts during this time. However,
when I wanted to add to my base of customers, to market to direct customers for
example, I found that it was hard to make new contacts when not in my customers’
country. I hate the idea of cold calling, and find that the work put into
preparing to market in this kind of way is not cost-effective, as it is
difficult to ascertain just when a customer needs you, and even harder to
convince them to choose you from a range of translators with the same language
combination and specialism. People tend to want to work with people after all; it
is vital not to just make contacts, but to create REALationships. I have found
that most of my work over time has come from customers who either knew me or
heard about me from people who have worked with me in the past. I did go to
France on a couple of occasions to attend trade shows and I met some potential customers,
but found that this was a rather expensive way of generating not very much
work. As I had never lived in France whilst working as a freelancer, I wrongly
assumed that attracting new customers was always going to be a challenge. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I moved to Spain.<br />
<br />
Initially I moved to Barcelona in order to improve my Spanish,
with the long-term aim of adding it as a working language. I already had my customers
in France, and operating from Spain did not affect this. I was, however, more
conscious this time that I should continue spending time with other English-speakers
here, as well as reading English books and watching English films to ensure
that my target language did not suffer as my Spanish improved, which had
started to happen in France. I still have to speak to my French customers on a
regular basis and I work with the language almost daily, so I am not too
worried about my French. However taking this new approach has meant that my
English still feels as natural as the day I left the UK. Quality of target
language does not, therefore, have to be an issue when you live outside of the
country, as long as you are aware that you need to keep practising your target
language as you improve your source language skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a few months of living in Spain, a few of my French
customers asked me whether I could take on some Spanish to English translations
for them. After some initial hesitation and self-doubt about whether or not my
Spanish was good enough yet, I bit the bullet and both myself and my customers
were pleased with the outcome (see previous post). However, this work did not
really reflect the fact that I was living in Spain, as it was still coming from
my customers in France.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RhYli2cCoGY6p7J_OnjV_7a4n3PRp_TyvRK7u2DyCao9MSaQIFxX8UBVqoLUb9GxvcKfCY-bzyX4EkwtrBd0BTAW9Kf-6rTbu2Dzv3Wbpl6WeLcMoRzfyf4jEKrirnZvOG5gM4-YZmlg/s1600/IMG_5548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RhYli2cCoGY6p7J_OnjV_7a4n3PRp_TyvRK7u2DyCao9MSaQIFxX8UBVqoLUb9GxvcKfCY-bzyX4EkwtrBd0BTAW9Kf-6rTbu2Dzv3Wbpl6WeLcMoRzfyf4jEKrirnZvOG5gM4-YZmlg/s320/IMG_5548.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
As I became more confident with working with Spanish, I
decided that it might be nice to try and find some local customers to work
with. One of the things I have found very helpful here is working in a coworking
space. Not only does it beat the boredom and solitude of working from home, but
it helps create REALationships in a natural way, which are much more likely to
generate work than reaching out to total strangers. I also find that the energy
you put into making something work is often rewarded. Initially because I wanted
to feel at home in my new location, I started joining local translator events
and also joined some local Facebook groups for women, totally unrelated to
translation. Now, despite only having lived here for less than a year, without
having to make anywhere near as much effort as I did when trying to target
people I did not know in France from the UK, here in Spain I have picked up a
few new direct customers from other translators, co-workers and even contacts I
have met socialising. I have also been put in contact with more potential customers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I fully intend to make the most of my time in Spain to keep
building REALationships that may lead to working relationships. For this
reason, I also joined the Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET)
association and I will be attending their annual conference in Girona in
October, hoping to meet new people and learn from my peers. I also intend to
constantly keep nurturing my native language, as it is clearly part of a
translator’s CPD to ensure we are up-to-date as regards evolutions and trends
in our target language, as it is not only a service we provide but the product
we are ultimately selling.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stay tuned for news on the MET meeting in October!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-6193713567292509552018-03-22T09:01:00.000-07:002018-03-22T09:01:48.686-07:00ADDING A NEW LANGUAGE<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been translating exclusively from French to English professionally
since 2011 and, luckily, have rarely been short of work, for which I am eternally
grateful. In part, this is due to the fact that I specialise in the field of aerospace
and engineering, where there is no shortage of texts to be translated.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, with seven years of experience translating a large
quantity of these very technical, but now very familiar documents, I recently
reached a point in my career where I no longer felt challenged. Feeling like I
am learning something new is very important for me in terms of job satisfaction.
Variety is the spice of life, as they say!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therefore, I decided that something needed to change. I
needed to push myself outside of my comfort zone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56PT9alc3h48OWjk18w7fZ3KQ50alJxbfCK_Qxvx30HHndQoYDpkgog0ODpenVm61ITuP_SXrMehw7hFWDMRccyaec08tecOnAWnOxIYUsAIllkiHaT_PvnVg4sdYNLjMmyITHIa8EVy7/s1600/IMG_5835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56PT9alc3h48OWjk18w7fZ3KQ50alJxbfCK_Qxvx30HHndQoYDpkgog0ODpenVm61ITuP_SXrMehw7hFWDMRccyaec08tecOnAWnOxIYUsAIllkiHaT_PvnVg4sdYNLjMmyITHIa8EVy7/s320/IMG_5835.JPG" width="320" /></a>Further to completing my MA (in 2011), I had been learning Spanish rather
sporadically. I have a lot of Hispanic friends and I have taken Spanish lessons
on and off. Although I was able to express myself fairly well in the language
and my comprehension is good, I never had the confidence to use it on a
professional level; it felt so basic compared to my French (I lived in France
for seven years after my studies). I had toyed with the idea of adding Spanish as
a working language for years, but self-doubt always held me back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In September 2017, I decided to take a leap of faith and spend
a few months in Barcelona to brush up my Spanish. I loved my stint as a digital
nomad in Spain so much that when I returned to the UK for the Christmas
holidays I just knew I had to return, and that three months were not enough for
full fluency.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I returned to Barcelona in January and have been
immersing myself in the language ever since – Spanish friends, a housemate from
Ecuador, Spanish books, Spanish films, yoga classes in Spanish – you name it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20qbpMlIbD7ogGomFIGI6SUP-lEb-9WHdE3jAkRlAO5fsVVObgl8kVXH-IyZIgJAHbfI_DTbbb0XQ8_ADZpjsq4Efaly1kcjjdnxuFA_0g-aAq6ABy4ApexTO0rwnV2fy6wA-75cBsfkJ/s1600/6337f2ea-abfe-4ff3-a6dd-96f07a8f11bc.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20qbpMlIbD7ogGomFIGI6SUP-lEb-9WHdE3jAkRlAO5fsVVObgl8kVXH-IyZIgJAHbfI_DTbbb0XQ8_ADZpjsq4Efaly1kcjjdnxuFA_0g-aAq6ABy4ApexTO0rwnV2fy6wA-75cBsfkJ/s320/6337f2ea-abfe-4ff3-a6dd-96f07a8f11bc.JPG" width="240" /></a>Since January, my confidence speaking the language has
greatly improved, having survived the trials and tribulations of real life
(doctor appointments, accountants, residency applications, opening a bank account, and so on).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, this month, after a total of six months in Spain, the
challenge came right up and knocked at my door! One of my regular customers in
France asked me whether I would be interested in revising a large aerospace
project that had already been translated from Spanish to English. Despite my
initial nerves, I decided to accept the job, provided I had a longer deadline,
as I assumed it would take me much longer than a French job. I am so glad I did!
As the project was in my area of specialism, it took a lot less time than I had
bargained for, and was nowhere near as unattainable as I thought. The more
errors I found in the translations, the more my confidence grew, and I realised
that I could have translated the text myself. The customer was happy and I felt
pretty accomplished.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgly4KqU1ENBlw40gsKEshGX3XZbOicitYLVh_HbQuYlmSyPDPRDjkDr289hJeY3MNIXXZjrB32eqATxChftHNLPzNAswN3J2v_SCL3islUjl_9aucOMdh0tkAgsWCDy6H9GPEf0yAxtRr1/s1600/44b2cc81-af69-40c0-9305-de13b535fad8+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1328" data-original-width="747" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgly4KqU1ENBlw40gsKEshGX3XZbOicitYLVh_HbQuYlmSyPDPRDjkDr289hJeY3MNIXXZjrB32eqATxChftHNLPzNAswN3J2v_SCL3islUjl_9aucOMdh0tkAgsWCDy6H9GPEf0yAxtRr1/s320/44b2cc81-af69-40c0-9305-de13b535fad8+%25281%2529.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The same customer came back to me last week and asked me to
take on a Spanish to English translation project and I gladly accepted. Although
I spent slightly longer on it than I would have done with French, everything
went swimmingly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The realisation I had from all of the above is that I could
not continue comparing a passive (or C) language to an active (or B) language I
have been comfortable speaking and writing for years. At some point I had to
stop being a perfectionist and just start doing. Doing made me realise that I
had been far too critical of my language skills and that my Spanish does not
need to be at the same level as my French for me to be able to produce work
that meets my customers’ expectations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If anyone else has any feedback on adding another working
language, feel free to get in touch, I would love to hear your stories!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-15531447179252371842017-11-21T04:01:00.000-08:002017-11-21T04:11:02.063-08:00NOMADIC TRANSLATION<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we approach the end of 2017, I thought I would spare some
time to tell you about a new chapter in my life as a freelance translator.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I absolutely love travelling, but being self-employed, I am
cautious about taking too much unpaid time off work. THEN, I came across the
idea of working as a digital nomad and decided to give it a go. This idea
appealed to me as it provides the opportunity to keep running a business, but
from any location in the world. As most of our work is sent via email, this
lifestyle is completely feasible for freelance translators. What can I say? I
haven’t looked back since!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I chose to start with a stint in Barcelona for three months –
and with recent current affairs, what a time to be here! Arriving in the city was
half the fun! I packed my computer and some clothes into my car, then went on a
road trip through France, visiting some friends on the way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6EEg6irhzKkMgaCuAj1p-hQHhrGITk_1SB1Ow4u2M4jiZnQCCoFFUnNlI3W2-xRf00f7PPNF44DloVHEZ_TvkQJKudt4_H6twg2UkQOj-TiAkFvDzWP6bTm9nJzKQHbk4p1kkwN6diNI/s1600/IMG_3938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6EEg6irhzKkMgaCuAj1p-hQHhrGITk_1SB1Ow4u2M4jiZnQCCoFFUnNlI3W2-xRf00f7PPNF44DloVHEZ_TvkQJKudt4_H6twg2UkQOj-TiAkFvDzWP6bTm9nJzKQHbk4p1kkwN6diNI/s1600/IMG_3938.JPG" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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I arrived here in mid-September. The first few weeks were quite
a challenge, working from my flat, looking for ways to meet people and trying
to get by with my rusty Spanish in a predominantly Catalan-speaking city.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDqGTpH-xMZPxXdkC5_iA1TGAMXfJ0YfQKk3_9_DTSBzjjcgFO1mETEZ5xLWEF-BjdEekQ1X3qS4tD1C50PGYuXIJl_BjguD1TbJbaVDRIH0hxinZM6TQcYfVc6V5f3u_8QiS4fdxcq3F/s1600/IMG_4048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDqGTpH-xMZPxXdkC5_iA1TGAMXfJ0YfQKk3_9_DTSBzjjcgFO1mETEZ5xLWEF-BjdEekQ1X3qS4tD1C50PGYuXIJl_BjguD1TbJbaVDRIH0hxinZM6TQcYfVc6V5f3u_8QiS4fdxcq3F/s1600/IMG_4048.JPG" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Not being one to avoid a challenge, I went looking for a
yoga class, both to socialise and discover a new activity, and stumbled across
a co-working space in the process. I am a strong believer that when great
opportunities fall into your lap, they are meant to be. Therefore, I signed up
to join the co-working space that day. It was brand new, and I was the first
co-worker, so I have also had the pleasure of seeing the place grow and being a
part of that growth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy44oX1QXML2_YBo8R33jAR3quTiu-CcmsEwuZPbNhwOeNbm0h2zQFAmR7zREEBfwfAd0BIaCYYPUKvLvFaoFL8gPwYjFka9BKdEn3LBPEuBeHtzwokgDHAxKjfe3xl6iyrejQ8swpMHHb/s1600/IMG_4280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy44oX1QXML2_YBo8R33jAR3quTiu-CcmsEwuZPbNhwOeNbm0h2zQFAmR7zREEBfwfAd0BIaCYYPUKvLvFaoFL8gPwYjFka9BKdEn3LBPEuBeHtzwokgDHAxKjfe3xl6iyrejQ8swpMHHb/s320/IMG_4280.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For anyone who is interested, this is my co-working space: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wellco.work">wellco</a>. Next to the office
space, which has a smashing view of Barcelona from the 6<sup>th</sup> floor of
a renovated industrial building in Poblenou, is a studio that offers various
classes related to well-being (including my yoga class).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtirDeRCbY3jXsIm2Zxl7j_lXYlgyxNiiWFlvlbk_PBU1_h5wJVFcNOTsZ97HoZQOKs2LmtiXv0nuCu91U-cfVnfbrRIkuWchrOLvO0CuR_FTj1Dx5T9m_zTh1D5FSy9gugwaqnj4vdoRk/s1600/IMG_4807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtirDeRCbY3jXsIm2Zxl7j_lXYlgyxNiiWFlvlbk_PBU1_h5wJVFcNOTsZ97HoZQOKs2LmtiXv0nuCu91U-cfVnfbrRIkuWchrOLvO0CuR_FTj1Dx5T9m_zTh1D5FSy9gugwaqnj4vdoRk/s1600/IMG_4807.JPG" /></a></div>
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The first part of this adventure is almost over, as I plan
to return to the UK for some time at Christmas. However, I have fallen in love
with Barcelona and have had some exciting news about the prospect of an upcoming
project here in March, so I plan to return to the city as a nomad in 2018.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This journey has also enabled me to significantly improve my
Spanish. It has reminded me about how much I love learning new languages and
discovering new cultures and has also taught me never to become too comfortable
with my established routine. For me, this change has paved the way to both
personal and professional growth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have any other translators out there tried this kind of
digital nomad lifestyle? It would be great to hear about your experiences if
you have! I would love to publish a series on your experiences in different
locations! Feel free to send me an email <a href="mailto:lucy@translatingmatters.co.uk">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and wish you all
the best for the coming year!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-11437328315026481292016-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:002016-03-25T09:29:51.062-07:00BUILDING AN ONLINE PRESENCE<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently
celebrated one year as a freelance translator (hurrah!).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIlEf27AxrX33YQNtwA4Fp4cAZpsl9DuXNOaGt1hbHzVxKPk3XsU0A6oK60U_dIGBw7MAnZkEMZVzwtyO8sXFghpLwAaugoHVhPfah-fjvQHFfPSlvtlaWZqVLT842_umzuk3dV_f4O4X/s1600/birthday+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIlEf27AxrX33YQNtwA4Fp4cAZpsl9DuXNOaGt1hbHzVxKPk3XsU0A6oK60U_dIGBw7MAnZkEMZVzwtyO8sXFghpLwAaugoHVhPfah-fjvQHFfPSlvtlaWZqVLT842_umzuk3dV_f4O4X/s200/birthday+cake.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the
first six months or so, I worked almost exclusively with agency customers (for
whom I completed an application process). Recently, I have also been working
with some direct customers (who I mainly found through contacts and
recommendations).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My work
flow has gradually become very healthy (by mid-February, I already had orders
taking me through to the end of March). I even find myself regularly having to
turn down work with my agency customers due to a lack of availability. However,
I decided that as my company is maturing, so should my online presence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are
two main reasons for this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. To have
a more professional image,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. To
attract more customers searching for the services I provide, by being more
visible on the web.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With this
in mind, I recently took the following steps:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition
to this blog, I already have a (very basic) website,
which I plan to develop over the coming months. I have been meaning to set
time aside to do this for a while, and thanks to a very busy March, now is the
time I can really afford to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">I have also
been making an effort to connect with more people on Twitter and follow
subjects and causes related to modern languages, and translation in particular.
In doing so, I have learnt a great deal, discovered interesting blogs and
networked with more people in my industry. A fellow translator, Eric Hansson (@erik_hansson),</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB">recently
created the #xl8promote hashtag as an initiative to promote professional
translators. If any of you would like to take part, send him a direct message
and get your name tweeted!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">I also
recently wrote a guest post that was published on Nikki Graham’s blog, in her
series on Translation MAs: </span><a href="http://nikkigrahamtranix.com/2016/03/11/the-benefits-of-an-ma-in-translation/"><span lang="EN-GB">http://nikkigrahamtranix.com/2016/03/11/the-benefits-of-an-ma-in-translation/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">. Hopefully this will help people
understand the importance of education and training in our profession and
provide potential translators with information on the courses available.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To round it
all off, I have just created a Facebook page for my business (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/translatingmatters">https://www.facebook.com/translatingmatters</a>).
I am hoping this will direct more traffic to my blog and website.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If any of
you have any hints/tips/experiences to share related to building an online
presence, feel free to comment at the end of this post!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy
Easter!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-67636248700926229202016-02-03T06:10:00.000-08:002016-02-03T06:11:51.690-08:00LONG OVERDUE!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Firstly I’d
like to wish my fellow translators a belated happy new year, and apologise for
my absence from the blogosphere these past few months - the end of 2015 was
very busy for me, with plenty of work coming in after the summer period. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As this
blog is dedicated to sharing my experiences as a (relative) new-comer to the
world of freelancing, here are some of the things I have been up to over the
past few months and the lessons I have learnt. Hopefully these lessons may be of use to other
translators who are new to freelancing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"><b>Continuing Professional Development</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you work for yourself, it is easy to get comfortable when the jobs start coming in and you
are invoicing a decent amount every month. However, in my opinion, it is
important to keep learning and add new strings to your bow! Personally, I find that sitting at a desk all
day translating can sometimes be a little solitary, so I decided to invest in
my company (and myself) by attending training organised by a translation
company. In late October, I went to an introductory one-day workshop on
voiceover work in London. This full day of training was beneficial to me on
many levels – the content was interesting, the trainer had many connections in
the industry, the course meant leaving my home and talking to people and I was able to meet other translators and network. I am planning to attend the
second part of this course in April, before attempting to put this training to
use. I have already told some of my agency customers about this training, and they
have expressed an interest! So go on, go out, meet new people, learn something new and show people reading your CV that you are constantly looking to pick up new
skills! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">Word of
Mouth</span></b> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my last
blog post I mentioned that I had just picked up my first direct client. Since
then I have been working for another two direct clients and have been in
discussions with respect to potential work with a few more. I would like to say that
this was down to my hard marketing efforts, but that would be untrue. In fact,
the last few months were so busy that I didn’t have the chance to work on
contacting new leads as I had planned. The new clients I picked up actually found me though
contacts of mine (former colleagues and former contacts from my teaching days)
who recommended my services. Although I do intend to put more feelers out for direct clients this
year, my experience goes to show that it is important to network, stay in touch
with people and generally do a good job so people will remember you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that I
have been freelancing for almost a year, and have determined that I can pay my
rent, feed myself and go out and enjoy life, my next step will be to make some
time to grow my business and expand my customer base. Watch this space!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-72319585885740738492015-08-31T02:34:00.000-07:002015-08-31T02:34:32.575-07:00WORKING WITH AGENCIES<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have now
been working as a freelance translator for over 5 months.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently I
started working with my first direct client and I intend to start marketing to
more direct clients from now on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, as
a newcomer to freelancing (after more than 3 years working as an in-house
translator), my first few months have mostly been spent working with agencies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
advantage to working with agencies is that they find the work for you. This is
great for generating an initial regular income. You can then build your
translation businesses on this base.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main
disadvantage to working with agencies is that, as for any industry when you are
working through an intermediary, the agency will take their cut. This means
that your rates for agencies will usually be lower than your rates for direct
clients.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been
very lucky in finding agencies that treat me well and provide me with plenty of
work in my specialist areas (aerospace and engineering). I have also been able
to gain experience in other fields, because my best agencies revise my work and
provide feedback.
This provides a safety net for gaining experience in subjects that are slightly
outside my specialist area.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based on my
experience working with agencies, here is some advice:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Concentrate
on building a good relationship with your project managers (PMs). As for
anybody, PMs generally enjoy working with people they like. PMs are more likely
to want to work with you again if you create a good rapport and prove yourself
to be friendly, as well as skilled and reliable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Do not
take on too much work. If you have already established a relationship with an
agency, turning down work now and again because you are fully booked is not the
end of the world. In fact, it shows that you are doing well and have other
customers. If you take on too many projects because you are afraid of turning
down work, you will just end up missing deadlines, which does not do wonders for
your professional credibility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Do not
let agencies bully you into lowering your rates. They will try and it is
tempting to accept lower rates in the beginning when you just want the work to
come in. If you do start out with low rates, it is very difficult to subsequently raise
them with agencies. It is hard to determine acceptable rates at the start of
your freelance career, as it can be a bit of a taboo subject between translators.
However, from experience, if you find yourself inundated with work, you should
be asking for a higher rate. I eventually managed to negotiate better rates
from my lowest paying agencies, but if you find yourself in this position, your
best bet is to keep marketing until you find agencies that pay better, and
gradually replace the low payers with high payers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Remember
that you are a supplier, not an employee. If agencies start asking you to do
extra work for free (glossary building, DTP, etc.), do not be afraid to put
your foot down and remind them that time is money for you. If extra work is
involved, you should be paid for it. You are not on a salary! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. If you
are contacted by a new agency, check that they are legitimate before accepting
any work from them. One way to do this is by checking the Proz blueboard to see
if there are any complaints from other translators. There is always an element
of risk working as a freelancer, but this way you are less likely to get stung!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Agency
work is not for everyone, but it should not be shunned, as it can help set in
train your career as a freelancer.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZbHo6NYuLDlE0Z-hggaPRWjE3sHauv-M4vyyvSQHbQGHgLnLjPAzGYjobVhcjV4fZ-IHNsvl-E_t3pgwuu4RM7UyzMEVsq8tENI7XuMSnqFFb8BxZOog9PV3KleEkrpb0uOt5lapjZwl/s1600/DSCN2278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZbHo6NYuLDlE0Z-hggaPRWjE3sHauv-M4vyyvSQHbQGHgLnLjPAzGYjobVhcjV4fZ-IHNsvl-E_t3pgwuu4RM7UyzMEVsq8tENI7XuMSnqFFb8BxZOog9PV3KleEkrpb0uOt5lapjZwl/s320/DSCN2278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-41611962330543044252015-07-05T08:40:00.000-07:002015-07-05T08:45:40.300-07:00TESTING TIMES!<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Test Translations - Yes or No?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a relative
newcomer to the world of freelance translation (having previously worked as an
in-house translator for several years), I find myself increasingly using social
media to keep on top of current trends in my industry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
particularly like the “Things Translators Never Say” group on facebook.
Although it takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the issues freelance
translators and interpreters face on a daily basis, it does provide valuable
insight into industry practices that are/are not acceptable. I would certainly
recommend this group to other new freelancers, as there is a lot of anecdotal
evidence of common issues, with real-life solutions from experienced people in
the profession.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One subject
that seems to crop up fairly regularly in online translation fora is whether or
not to complete <b><span style="color: #ea9999;">test translations</span></b>.
Some freelance translators are willing to, whilst others vehemently oppose these
tests in principle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personally,
I do not have a major issue with completing test translations, provided that no
abusive practice is involved. A lot of
people claim to be translators, and tests enable customers to be selective with
respect to the translators they choose to work with. In my humble opinion,
customers who ask for such tests often genuinely want to check that translators
<i>are</i> specialised in the areas they
claim to be. In any case, test translations should not pose a problem if a
translator has the necessary qualifications and/or is really specialised in certain
areas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, I
fully appreciate the argument that you would not ask professionals from other
areas (lawyers, for example) to prove their competence before hiring their
services. Usually qualifications and experience suffice. Test translations do
take up a lot of time, are not usually paid and do not always provide a new
source of income.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">To find a middle ground, my advice would be as
follows:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Ask the customer if they are willing to pay.
Customers who are genuinely interested in hiring your services quite often are –
but if you don’t ask you won’t get!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Only accept tests in your specialist area. Good
customers will often ask if you are comfortable with the context. Do not lie –
there is no point wasting time over a test you find to be completely outside of
your comfort zone. You run the risk of failing the test and wasting your time
in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Do not accept tests longer than 200-300
words if you do accept to complete a test for free. You do not want to be
spending hours on unpaid work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Set your own deadlines. One customer asked
me to complete a timed test on a specific day. When I refused, saying that I
give priority to current customers and complete tests when I find the time, the
customer was actually pleased that I gave this much consideration to my
customers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deciding whether or not you want to go down
this route can be testing in its own right. Setting your own standards is
important for this kind of issue. Take advice from people with more experience,
but remember – it’s your business and your rules. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-73598891999842837392015-05-19T02:27:00.000-07:002015-05-19T02:27:59.823-07:00GETTING INTO THE SWING OF THINGS<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Going solo</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I am now into my third month of freelancing, so I thought
I would share how I found making the transition from in-house translation to
working from home. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: FR;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">Working alone!</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The hardest thing I found about freelancing was no longer being able to go for a quick coffee with colleagues. Don’t get
me wrong, the freedom of being your own boss is great, but working alone every
day can start to feel a bit lonely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Luckily, there are a lot of networking opportunities out there –
it is definitely worth joining local groups and associations to meet other
translators in your area. Here are some of the best networking opportunities I
have found so far:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Powwows on Proz</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Professional
translator associations, such as the CIoL and the ITI, and their local branches.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Social media
groups (Things Translators Never Say on Facebook is a good one).</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">Not having to leave the house to go to work!</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This is definitely one of the perks of freelancing (no more early
morning commutes and being able to work in whatever outfit – or pair of PJs – you like).
However, I have found that not having to leave the house makes me feel very
sedentary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">My solution to this has been to to take up as many new sports and
hobbies as possible. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">I've</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> started jogging in the local park and have even begun Salsa classes! </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px;">Freelancing has been great for me in this respect.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">Multi-tasking</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As an in-house translator, my company gave me work, set
my deadlines, and paid my wages. As a freelancer, I am now in charge of my own
time/project management, marketing, accounting and customer services. This can be
fairly overwhelming in the first few months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I am still getting to grips with it all, but I have found organisation and information to be the key to success. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBGSzu1u3lU4fGaPW-aoomoWERrWRL8rR7yfCoukFqm_Y8ZGaGI4ZTb_QjAYv0GucJksdsvJ864IDO_qO1VRTY9R42ELeB2k764p5llUnh9hK-IGogrrdWcIJ0bOD0QhRjNDnmqq7ystZ/s1600/DSCN2264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBGSzu1u3lU4fGaPW-aoomoWERrWRL8rR7yfCoukFqm_Y8ZGaGI4ZTb_QjAYv0GucJksdsvJ864IDO_qO1VRTY9R42ELeB2k764p5llUnh9hK-IGogrrdWcIJ0bOD0QhRjNDnmqq7ystZ/s320/DSCN2264.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Overall, I would say that the transition has been challenging yet rewarding. It's not all plain sailing and I'm still learning the ropes. However, as they say - practice makes perfect! </span></div>
Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091492822976664994.post-70592766185799632182015-04-03T09:20:00.000-07:002015-04-03T09:27:57.064-07:00THE LIFE OF A FREELANCE TRANSLATOR<b style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">TRANSLATING MATTERS</b><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My name is Lucy O'Shea, and I have recently made the transition from in-house to freelance translation. Having completed my first month of working from home, I thought I'd share a few things I have learnt. Hopefully my experience will be of use to other people thinking of taking the leap and going freelance!</span><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Lesson No. 1: </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do your research!</b> Start thinking of your business plan and read up on how to work as a freelance translator. There are loads of brilliant</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> blogs and books available! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This book by Corinne McKay is very helpful (even if it is based on the American market): </span><a data-trk="link" href="https://lnkd.in/bJUavMt" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #008cc9; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://lnkd.in/bJUavMt</a><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Lesson No. 2: </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Use "aggressive" marketing techniques.</b> You may be the best translator around, but nobody will know that if you don't put yourself out there. It takes time to establish your client base, and not every direct customer or agency will need your services. Contact as many potential customers as you can whilst you have the time in the early stages of your freelance venture. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Lesson No. 3: </b><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stand out from the crowd! </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have worked in another profession before you started translating, or you have gained a specialism through experience, let your customers know! Give customers a reason to choose you over other translators offering similar services.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Lesson No. 4: </b><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be honest! </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't lie about being specialised in a specific area if you are not. This will make sure that you avoid the unnecessary stress of trying to deal with a subject you are not comfortable with, and ensure you deliver quality work to your customers. </span><br />
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<b style="color: #e06666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Lesson No. 5:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqM9sTcL8smaIKWWsYCJFbs4YPtekB1twNb-lBSvYTU38f3R1YS3uTNjyKQxQVLavPNUqFKdVXwXXp4eoFsObdydTEqmXTgeZauy1lw0aG8hDQO60wZl9ekjDWtFoRWNXqbB_D0F-p9jY3/s1600/DSCN2086+-+Copie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqM9sTcL8smaIKWWsYCJFbs4YPtekB1twNb-lBSvYTU38f3R1YS3uTNjyKQxQVLavPNUqFKdVXwXXp4eoFsObdydTEqmXTgeZauy1lw0aG8hDQO60wZl9ekjDWtFoRWNXqbB_D0F-p9jY3/s1600/DSCN2086+-+Copie.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chill out! </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rome wasn't built in a day! It may take time to have all your time occupied by freelance work. Use any time between your translations to perform tasks that will be of benefit to you later: contact potential customers, create an invoice template and establish a way to keep on top of the financial side of things. If not, you'll be kicking yourself when the work does come in and you have to work crazy hours to keep on top of things you could have dealt with earlier.</span><br />
<br />Lucy O'Sheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08794270584519974091noreply@blogger.com2