10,000 Words for Tomorrow

Thanks to our colleague Jill Timbers, whom I met a few weeks ago at CHICATA, for sending this hilarious video of a friend of hers. Here, multitalented fellow translator Sharon Neeman is performing a song that all translators can identify with. Enjoy! And remember that "I am sorry, I am not available" is a perfectly acceptable answer if a deadline doesn't work for you. ...

Hotel Rooms for ATA Conference Going Fast

The 50th Annual ATA Conference is still many months away (October 28 -31 in New York City), but this year, as opposed to most previous years, hotel rooms are going very quickly. This being New York City, $208 for a room is a bargain, especially at a fantastic hotel like the Marriott Marquis (where rooms are traditionally priced above $400). Even if you are not yet ready to plan for the fall, we'd suggest getting online to reserve your room now (free of charge). The ATA has successfully secured a block of rooms at this price,...

20th Chicago Conference on Translation and Interpretation

As board members of our local and national translation and interpreters associatons, respectively, we know how much of a challenge it is to organize profession-specific events, workshops, meetings, and -- the biggest challenge of all: conferences. When CHICATA chose me, Judy, (via a recommendation from my friend Karin Bauchrowitz, an active CHICATA member), to be one of three guest speakers at their annual conference...

Time-Saving E-mail Signatures

This weekend, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Chicago Area Translators and Interpreters Association (CHICATA) annual translation and interpretation conference in Chicago (more on that in a future post). I included some tips about time management and the fact that your time is the only resource you have. You must use it wisely. What I forgot to mention is that you can program e-mail signature templates to respond to business inquiries that are not even within your approximate range of rates (alternatively, of course, you...

Lower Rates + Pressure: Bad Combination

Many of our colleagues have been receiving e-mails from translation agencies asking them to lower their rates. We don't work with agencies, but our take is that if translation agencies are receiving downward pressure on their rates from their customers, than they haven't built strong enough ties with their customers, hence the price sensitivity. Of course, the tough economic times are a significant contributing factor. If an agency has failed to retain a customer at the current rates, lowering rates is a way to retain the customer...

The Politican, the Firemen, and the Trouble with Language

While we don't frequently post links to videos, this is one that we needed to share with our fellow Spanish-language lovers. The link came courtesy of a professor of Spanish at the University of Vienna's Translation and Interpretation Institute, and we can see how difficult it is to regain your composure after a verbal mishap with a sexual undertone. We are not quite sure who the speaker is, but he's a very affable Spanish politican who appears to have a great sense of humor. No one is more stunned at what he said than he was....

3 Ways to Get PR Coverage: Print Media

One of the most effective advertising strategies -- both in terms of cost and in terms of credibility -- is getting some media coverage. This is, of course, mostly free (excluding your opportunity cost), but the challenge is: how do you get someone in the local (or regional, or national) media to do a feature on you? In these challenging economic times, it is true that print publications are struggling, but editors are usually still looking for local articles that don't require a lot of research. Since staff has decreased,...

Guest Post: Getting a Ph.D. in Translation Studies

By B.J. Epstein I am nearing the end of my time in a doctoral program in translation studies, so I thought I would write a little bit about what it means to get a PhD in the field. In September 2006, I moved from Sweden to Wales in order to study at Swansea University. There are not that many schools yet that offer translation studies; more often, one must study a language or comparative literature. So...