The grandeur of ancient history as a backdrop to mid-career learning adds a certain dignity to the concepts we grapple with, seek to redefine and thereafter implement in our daily work. This was why I had been looking forward to going to Tarragona to this, my second METM, the annual conference of Mediterranean Editors &... Continue Reading →
Watching in delight
Guest post: 3 mistakes in 3 important areas that may be costing you business -. I am watching in delight as yet another young, motivated translator ups the game for the rest of us. Kasia Pranke certainly seems to be making the most of some of the best advice around. This is wonderful to see.... Continue Reading →
What your translation business deserves
I spent yesterday, and the evening before, interacting with fellow translators in real life and attending a workshop presented by Daniela Zambrini and coordinated by organiser supreme, Paula Ribeiro. The cost of the workshop itself was the least expensive part of my trip, thanks to the generosity of people who believe in sharing knowledge -... Continue Reading →
The translation that wasn’t
In my world, words on boxes have to make sense.
Decisions
Sources of Joy - Days 96 and 97 Perhaps I have been unduly influenced by a curious blend, inter alia∗, of pop psychology, New Age thinking and French literary trends c. 1920–1960. Today's events on my little planet revolved around the theme of choice, something I expounded upon at length for about a decade straddling... Continue Reading →
Lead kindly Light
Sources of Joy - Day 35 There is a well-known hymn: Lead kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom; Lead Thou me on! The tune of the hymn linked here is not the one I know, but beautiful, anyhow. Just as beautiful is the very recently published collaborative effort of freelance translators giving voice to their own... Continue Reading →
Rethinking Facebook
Private and Personal I freely admit that up until very recently I answered all translator forum polls regarding Facebook with the comment that I reserve Facebook for friends and family, and use ProZ, LinkedIn and Google+ and, to a certain extent, my blog, for interaction on a professional level. I had this idea that I... Continue Reading →
Industry: Other
I got all excited when today's exercise tidying up my e-mail folders revealed that The Economist Intelligence Unit had sent me a complimentary copy their special report entitled "Industries in 2014". If you haven't clicked away from this page already, let me tell you a story about how this is connected to language in general... Continue Reading →
New typewriter required
There are not too many translators who readily accept scanned copies of documents for translation. Even translators who were touch typists before the introduction of function keys on computer keyboards (such as I) become lazy. We love our computers. We love our CAT tools which obviate the necessity for (a) typing and (b) formatting. These... Continue Reading →
Old translators never die
The cadence of one of my translated sentences yesterday reminded me about the fate of old golfers, and I could not remember whether real men eat quiche or not. If the truth be told, I was not entirely sure if Kisch was involved. That advice about sounding out the word in your head in order... Continue Reading →
That elusive pair of jeans 