Taking Clients to Lunch

Today we get to write about two of our favorite things: lunch and clients. This post is based on an idea by our colleague Anabella Tidona, a court-certified interpreter in California. We've often written about the fact that it's a good idea and a nice business gesture to take current or potential clients to lunch to take the relationship to the next level, even if you don't get any immediate projects out of this small investment ...

Clients of the Month

This month, we'd like to anonymously take our hats off to three lovely clients. We are truly lucky to have such amazing clients, and every month, we are floored by their kind words and swift actions. World's fastest payer. Judy invoiced a customer via e-mail for a small project at 10:42 a.m., and payment was received at 10:45 via PayPal. This must be some sort of world record.  Lovely note. Dagy translated a...

A Day in the Life of a Busy Translator/Interpreter

We frequently receive questions about how we organize our days and how exactly we get everything done. The truth is that we don't always accomplish what we set out to do, but we give it the good old college try. We have one very serious rule that we always abide by: we never miss a deadline, ever. Anything else that doesn't have a deadline is less important, and as you will see, some things simply don't get done. Judy...

The Judge and the Uncertified Interpreter

Today's feel-good story comes from a rural Nevada court, where Judy witnessed the following: I was interpreting for a witness during a short trial at this particular court, and before my witness took the witness stand, I quietly waited, seated behind the prosecution and the defense. After a few minutes and because of references made by all parties, it became evident to me that the victim in this case, who was seated...

Read This: Thoughts on Translation

It's time for our very first book review of the year, dear readers! Full disclosure: the author, veteran translator and industry insider (and ATA board member), Corinne McKay, is a dear friend of ours and kindly sent us review copies of her book, Thoughts on Translation. However, we are still very much able to give you an honest evaluation of her work. Let's cut to the chase: it's a great read. Read on for Judy's review...

Theater Meets Professional Development

You think interpreting is scary? Try live theater. When you’ve been in business 10+ years, you have probably attended dozens of professional development events – or you should! We believe that honing your existing skills and adding new ones on a continuous basis is key to any entrepreneur’s success. The Austrian writer Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach used to say that those who stop trying to be better stop being good....