Our friend Jill Sommer sent us a note that the paper of record, the New York Times, just published an article about the fact that LinkedIn recently sent an e-mail to thousands of translators, essentially asking if they would help translate LinkedIn for free. This has been covered very widely in translation blogs and forums, and we certainly support the majority's viewpoint that professional translation services should not be available for free. It's disappointing to see that a major player like LinkedIn fails to take our profession...
Marketing Tip of the Week
One of our favorite marketing ideas of the year did not start out as one. When we bought a new laptop for Judy, we quickly realized that while it was a great deal ($499), it had a very glossy black surface, which nicely showed every fingerprint. Why the surface can't be matte is beyond us, but we digress. In an effort to solve the fingerprint-issue, we consulted our IT guru, technology guardian angel, and general genius,...
It's a Scam: Daimond Translations
Unfortunately, scams are becoming more and more prevalent in our industry. This morning, we received the following from a Gmail address; which lead us to hit the delete button immediately. However, we were curious and googled the sender's company name, and sure enough, there were widespread reports of scams.
We currently need German to Spanish Translators.If you"re interested
to work with us please contact us by e-mail as soon as possible.
Thanks
Donald
DAIMOND TRANSLATIONS
e-mail:daimondtrans@gmail.com
P:6462916552
F:1-414-345-2346If...
Good News: Optimism in the Industry
We would like to share some economic data that we received from the folks at GALA (Globalization and Localization Association). They recently completed their third quarterly survey among their members, and have sent us the results. While the realities of these challenging economic times have affected all of us in one way or another, it is nice to hear that the outlook is generally quite positive. Here are some highlights from the study:
A full 78 percent of respondents said they had been impacted by the downturn in the last...
The Password Keeper: Free and Open Source Software
Not too long ago, it was still relatively simple to remember all your passwords for use online. These days, this is becoming increasingly more difficult. Between computer access data, multiple e-mail addresses, social profiles, Internet banking, postings everywhere from Craigs List to Proz.com — not to forget our PizzaHut password and all our blogging access data, we certainly can’t keep up. You don’t have to be an IT expert to know that you probably shouldn’t be using your dog’s name as a password for every account and keep...
Seller Sets the Price
In almost all professional transactions (we are not talking about Morrocan spice markets or Mexican tianguis here), the seller sets the price, and it's a fact that contributes to the relatively smooth operation of the economy. In our business, the buyer frequently tries to set the price by saying: "Our budget for this translation project is $20o," to which we suggest a polite reply along the lines of "Thank you for that information. My price is XYZ."
Our friend Amybeth Hale, who pens the excellent Research Goddess blog, just...
Translation and the Catskills
Through our colleague Corinne McKay we just heard about a fantastic workshop that she is helping organize in the Catskills this August. It's mainly geared towards French<->English translators, but all other languages are welcome as well. The conference will be held August 21-23 in Maplecrest, NY (roughly three hours north of NYC). The main focus of the event will be writing skills in the target language and how freelance translators can succeed in their field. The line-up of presenters is top-notch and includes Chris Durban,...
Mocking the Spanish Language in Vegas
For many years, I ran the Spanish-language version of a travel website, and one of my (sometimes painful) jobs was reviewing Vegas shows. There really are many more bad shows than good shows in Vegas. After 14 years in town and more than 300 shows, I've seen some really, really bad ones. My least favorite include the ones that play on racial stereotypes while not being funny and that showcase people who don't have much talent. The show I saw this week, Criss Angel Believe at the Luxor falls in all categories.
I will spare you...
Professional Development in Guadalajara, Mexico
The Mexican Translators' Association, the Organización Mexicana de Traductores, recently announced its thirteenth annual conference to be held in gorgeous Guadalajara, Mexico, on November 28 and 29. While their is a strong focus on the Spanish language (in the English combination as well as with other languages), all other combinations are welcome. The conference will feature a solid lineup of speakers and professional development opportunities and will focus on bilingualism, Spanglish, cultural identity and linguistics, as...
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