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…
Read MoreWhy Pairing up Is a Good Idea, Especially for Freelance Translators!
“I’m a freelancer, so other freelancers are my competitors. Especially in my language pair. I should avoid them at all cost!” As a small business owner (because that’s what you are as a freelancer!), it’s very easy to fall into this trap. It does make sense, doesn’t it? Professionals who offer exactly the same services as you are direct competitors…
Read MorePursuing the Translation Dream: What to Know Before the Phone Rings
Have you ever asked yourself if you have what it takes to be a translator? You probably know it takes more than being bilingual, but did you know there is more to it than being a good translator? If you are curious to know what it takes to build a successful translation career, you may be pleased to learn of…
Read MoreComputerized ATA Certification Exam Option Now Available at Select Sittings
Reblogged from The ATA Chronicle with permission (incl. the image) ATA is now offering a computerized option for taking the certification exam at select sittings. Candidates will now be able to take the exam on their own laptops. Candidates: May use most resources stored on their laptops, including dictionaries and glossaries. May use non-interactive Internet resources, such as online dictionaries and other…
Read MoreBook review: Manual de traducción inglés-castellano
Translation Handbook – Spanish book review Alert! This is a book review on a book written in Spanish. Therefore, the quotes will be in Spanish! I’ve been having weekly discussions with people who want to become better translators. Some would call this “translation training.” As they ask questions, they drive me to read books. One of the gems I have…
Read MoreWhen translation clients ask for favors
Here’s a situation we’ve all probably encountered: clients asking for favors. “Any chance you could quickly translate 25 words?” “Do you have time to look over a couple of sentences in a source document in your language?” “You’re so great with this piece of software; any chance you could take a quick look at a problem we’re having?” A client…
Read MoreThe Savvy Newcomer Resources page
It was a genius who said, “Never memorize something you can look up.” But as any good translator or interpreter knows, you have to know where to look it up as well! In this case, you’re in luck: The Savvy Newcomer has done the work for you with our Resources page. You can find the list, which contains links to…
Read MoreTranslator Competence
Reblogged from Carol’s Adventures in Translation blog with permission from the author (incl. the image) Translators and the need for speed I’m very excited to be writing a guest blog post for Caroline, who I met at the XXXIV Semana do Tradutor in Brazil in September. Caroline indicated that I was free to choose any topic relevant to translators or translation,…
Read MoreResources to Help Ensure Translation Payment
One of the questions that many newer translators ask is “How do I find good clients?” This question is often closely followed by a second: “How do I know they’re good?” To address this topic, specifically regarding scams and non-payment by translation clients, Ted Wozniak recently presented a session at the ATA conference titled “Ensuring Payment Before, During, and After…
Read MoreWhat Happens When Translators Go on Autopilot
Personally, I do not believe specialized human translators who actively use their brains will ever be replaced by machines. But if you put your brain on autopilot and work like a machine, then you could be at risk of becoming some kind of zombie cyborg competing with full-fledged machines! Here are some common problems I have seen in myself and…
Read MoreTranslation Certificate vs. Certification
By Helen Eby and Daniela Guanipa “I have a certificate, therefore I’m certified.” Wrong! So, you completed a certificate in translation from institution XYZ, you were given a nice diploma of completion, and surely, you are now a happily “certified” translator, who can go on and certify translations, list yourself as a certified translator in professional databases, and so on,…
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