The Savvy Newcomer aims to serve newcomers to the translation and interpreting professions by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed content on a weekly basis. We strive to provide you with the answers to the many questions you face as a new or aspiring translator or interpreter.
Many language professionals start out doing their work “on the side” of whatever else they are doing in life. When people find out you are bilingual, you may be asked to do some volunteer interpreting to help out a friend, family member, or someone in need, or you may agree or be expected to do the occasional translation—and maybe even get paid for it. Volunteering and doing small side jobs are great ways to gain experience and improve your skills as a translator or interpreter. But in order to be a professional—whether you plan on doing this work part-time or…
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One of the biggest problems for people entering the translation profession is a lack of hands-on, street level business experience. Many don’t understand the value of their time, and they may have no clue how to price their work — in fact, many beginners feel embarrassed and greedy when they ask to be paid respectably for what they do. Negotiating…
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This post originally appeared on the blog In My Own Terms and it is republished with permission. The following list is a result of collaboration by participants of Lancaster’s recent MOOC on Corpus Linguistics. This is a selection of the links that I considered more relevant for those who might want to start exploring this field. If you want to…
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This year’s Buddies Welcome Newbies features not only a new format but also a new experience. Read on to learn more about how to make the most of ATA’s 61st Annual Conference and how to prepare for our kick-off event. Event details: Wednesday, October 21 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm EDT We’re already loving that we don’t have to study…
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This post originally appeared on sciword and it is republished with permission. I was reading one of Kevin Lossner’s blog posts from 2010, titled “No Monkeys!”. He gives 12 pieces of advice—a twelve-step program, as he calls it—for those getting started in the translation business. All of it is great advice and I think everyone should follow it, newbie or…
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One of the main reasons we encourage students to join ATA is to take advantage of the wellspring of knowledge surrounding best practices—the kind that make working for yourself a smooth ride rather than one riddled with potholes. Over the years, I have assembled a collection of ATA materials that I share with students and mentees alike. Because when we…
Read MoreThree Lessons: Humility, Collaboration, Perseverance
This post originally appeared on Word Prisms and it is republished with permission. All three – in that order – hold the key to becoming a world-class translator. An interviewer, who was also a writer, once asked me how many words I’d translated before I published my first translated book for the American Institute of Physics. I imagined he expected an…
Read MoreInternational Translation Day: It Wouldn’t be Possible without Translators and Interpreters!
2020 has been a year of changes and “new normals” but one thing hasn’t changed: translators and interpreters still power the world’s communications. ATA wants to celebrate International Translation Day this year by reminding the world just how critical translators and interpreters really are. Have you ever wondered how your smartphone went from an idea in an engineer’s mind to…
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This post originally appeared on Just Translate It and it is republished with permission. Searching for a balance between creativity and routine As an old school Star Wars fan, I can safely say now: “All is well that ends.” The 42-year legendary saga ended in phews and negative remarks. For me, it’s a reminder that we should not try to…
Read MoreFreelance Finance: Setting Rates
Here at The Savvy Newcomer we understand that it can be intimidating to talk about money. It’s often a sticky subject, but we feel it couldn’t be more important to address as small business owners. One major component of succeeding as a freelance translator or interpreter is managing your finances well. If you don’t master your money, your translation career…
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This post originally appeared on Gaucha Translations and it is republished with permission. Interpreting is a professional field. What was once done by whoever was bilingual now has an established certification process. There are less and less reasons to work with unvetted providers. This timeline tells the story on the West Coast, where I live. I am from Oregon, where…
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