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.
Starting your career as a freelance translator or interpreter is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming. Beyond your linguistic skills, you鈥檙e stepping into the world of independent contracting: contracts, marketing, professional development, taxes, technology, and more. It鈥檚 not always intuitive at first, but the good news is that you can build a successful business with a strong foundation. Here鈥檚 a guide from A to Z covering the essentials every new freelance translator and interpreter should know: A 鈥 Agreements Never begin work without a signed agreement. Contracts clarify deadlines, rates, payment terms, confidentiality, and expectations, and they protect both…
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There is much to be learned from our colleagues, but it can be intimidating to strike up a conversation with the 鈥減ros.鈥 For that reason, we at Savvy have done the work for you in our Linguist in the Spotlight interview series, where we pick the brains of experienced translators and interpreters and bring their stories right to your screen.…
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This post was originally published on Polka Dot Translations. It is reposted with permission.听 Last Friday marked one year since I was in a serious bicycle accident. That evening, I left home to go for a Zumba class only to return nine days later, with a massive, painful wound on my belly and a piece of small intestine missing. Dangerous…
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This post was originally published on The Translation Guy. It is reposted with permission. Got a Client Who Didn鈥檛 Pay You and Now They Won鈥檛 Answer Your Emails? What Are Your Options? A few years ago, I was a freelance translator translating mainly from English and Spanish into Portuguese. I quite enjoyed the freedom of working from home (pyjamas) and…
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Title explanation: If a landscape is the land around you, your friendscape is what you see when you look out at your friends, and your clientscape is what you see, as a freelancer, when you look at the array of your clients. Remember, the way we see ourselves is in the mirror of the people around us鈥 if you don鈥檛…
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This post was originally published on LION Translation Academy. It is reposted with permission. If you want to break into the premium market, a quality email signature can go a long way (provided that you鈥檙e also a terrific translator, of course!). Yet so many translators opt for a generic Hotmail address and an email signature containing nothing more than their…
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The Savvy Newcomer team has been taking stock of the past year and finding that one key priority for many freelance translators and interpreters has been diversification. Offering multiple services in different sectors or to different clients can help steady us when storms come. Diversification can help us hedge against hard times. With this in mind, we’ve invited a series…
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This post was originally published on Gabriela Kouahla’s LinkedIn timeline. It is reposted with permission. The client reference list of a freelance translator is very important when it comes to potential clients (direct/companies) or job application for a new translation agency. It allows you to provide (another) proof of your experience and also to ensure a potential client or company/agency…
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Here are some lesser-known industry conferences with the potential to boost your networking and marketing efforts! Fall: It鈥檚 Time for Flagship Industry Events While summer temperatures are still hanging around in many areas of the country, the fall conference season is now in full swing. If you鈥檙e like me, the crisp autumnal air and colorful leaves are harbingers for the…
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There is much to be learned from our colleagues, but it can be intimidating to strike up a conversation with the 鈥減ros.鈥 For that reason, we at Savvy have done the work for you in our Linguist in the Spotlight interview series, where we pick the brains of experienced translators and interpreters and bring their stories right to your screen.…
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This post was originally published on Training for Translators. It is reposted with permission.听 My Freelance Origin Story When someone asks me how long I鈥檝e been a freelancer, it鈥檚 not a difficult number for me to calculate, even as a non-numbers person, because my freelance business is the same age as my daughter. I鈥檝e been freelancing since October 2002, which…
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