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…
Read MoreRevision and its Kin
by Jonathan Hine If you have been translating professionally for a little while, a project manager (PM) has or will ask you to revise a text that someone has translated. The PM probably will not call it 鈥渞evision.鈥 This is part of our professional practice which has more misnomers than almost anything we do. What is revision? Why isn鈥檛 it…
Read MorePromoting Your Practice in 60 Seconds or Less: Mastering the Elevator Speech
By听Lillian Clementi Reblogged from听ATA Chronicle with permission So I鈥檝e made it to the networking event鈥擨鈥檝e even remembered to bring some business cards鈥攁nd I鈥檓 starting to peek out from behind the potted plant when a friendly stranger makes eye contact and asks, 鈥淪o what do you do?鈥 Or I鈥檝e settled into my seat at a business gathering and suddenly the moderator…
Read MorePromoting Your Practice in 60 Seconds or Less: Mastering the Elevator Speech
By听Lillian Clementi Reblogged from听ATA Chronicle with permission So I鈥檝e made it to the networking event鈥擨鈥檝e even remembered to bring some business cards鈥攁nd I鈥檓 starting to peek out from behind the potted plant when a friendly stranger makes eye contact and asks, 鈥淪o what do you do?鈥 Or I鈥檝e settled into my seat at a business gathering and suddenly the moderator…
Read MoreMy ATA Conference Experience
by Veronica Sardon It has been more than a year since I acted on a very unlikely hunch and reserved a room at the 2014 ATA Conference hotel in Chicago. On the face of it, it did not make a lot of sense. Almost two years into my career as a freelance translator, which I was still doing on the…
Read MoreRamadan: A month of joy, celebration and fasting
By听Hicham Zerhouni For over 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim Calendar, is the holiest time of year. For Muslims, it marks the month when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). During Ramadan Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for 29 or 30 days, depending on the moon sighting of…
Read MoreMinutes from The Savvy Newcomer Logbook
June 15, 2015. After a few months of letting The Savvy Newcomer ship fly the flags of other bloggers, the Captain and Crew had a team meeting to rediscover the world of original content. It had been a few months since they had connected as a team, and thanks to the valiant efforts of Mate Christaki, who had valiantly kept…
Read MoreFeeling lazy? A sure-fire way not to get work
By听Riccardo Schiaffino Reblogged from听About Translation听blog with permission from the author Novice translators often get advice on how to get work and how to successfully conduct their freelance business. Several leading translators, in fact, have published books aimed at less experienced colleagues (among these books, I especially recommend those by Corinne McKay, the Jenner twins and Chris Durban). However, what if…
Read MoreFeeling lazy? A sure-fire way not to get work
By听Riccardo Schiaffino Reblogged from听About Translation听blog with permission from the author Novice translators often get advice on how to get work and how to successfully conduct their freelance business. Several leading translators, in fact, have published books aimed at less experienced colleagues (among these books, I especially recommend those by Corinne McKay, the Jenner twins and Chris Durban). However, what if…
Read More24 Networking Tips that Actually Work
By听James Clear Reblogged from听ATA Chronicle with permission The idea of networking makes many people uncomfortable鈥攐r confused. It is easy to see why. When most people think about networking, it seems insincere at best鈥攁nd selfish at worst. This, of course, is the complete opposite of what networking is supposed to be鈥攆riendly, useful, and genuine. It is easy for most of us…
Read MoreThe Interpreter鈥檚 Voice(s) – 1
By听Brian Harris Reblogged from听Unprofessional Translation听blog with permission from the author (including the image) The other day I was reading a comprehensive manual of interpreter training by a Spanish friend when I came upon a quotation that confirmed something I’ve long suspected. It’s from an article by the late Hildegund B眉hler. She ranks the qualities of a ‘good’ interpretation. Most Expert…
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