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.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, many translators and interpreters are asking themselves: Is there still a place for me? The answer is a resounding yes, but it comes with an important caveat. The future of translation and interpretation belongs to those who can do what machines cannot, that is, bring cultural competence, empathy, and context to language. At least, thus far. Cultural competence has always been at the heart of effective communication. It enables professionals to interpret meaning beyond words, including humor, idioms, tone, and intention within specific cultural frameworks. While AI can process vast amounts of…
The 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…
8 Skills you Must Have to Succeed as a Freelance Translator鈥攁nd How to Get Them
By听Tess Whitty Reblogged from Marketing Tips for Translators blog with permission from the author (including the image) Having been a freelance translator for over 10 years, I can definitely say it is my dream job. I love what I do. However, when I started researching a career as a freelance translator in 2002, I did not know much about the…
15 tips on how to increase your chances when contacting translation companies
By听Riccardo Schiaffino Reblogged from听About Translation blog听with permission from the author Our tiny translation company does not advertise for translators, since we do most work internally or with the help of a small group of trusted colleagues. Yet, every day I receive on average a dozen messages from translators offering their services for various language combinations. Unfortunately, most of these messages…
11 tips for new freelance translators on the hunt for their first assignments
By听Nicole Y. Adams Reblogged from听NYA Communications听blog听with permission from the author (including the image) A while ago a new colleague on a translators鈥 forum asked for advice on how to secure those all-important first assignments and set up shop as a freelance translator. I think we鈥檝e all been there when we started out and know how frustrating it can be to…
Our 鈥淢other Tongue鈥: Keeping it Fresh in a Foreign Land
By Helen Eby Estemed friends, It seems to make much time that I don鈥檛 write to you.鈥擱am贸n, in 鈥淩am贸n Writes,鈥 an Argentine column published by the Buenos Aires Herald every two weeks, as a humorous take on Argentine Spanglish. Ram贸n had trouble saying such simple things as 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long time since I鈥檝e written to you.鈥 Today, we laugh…
How do translators showcase their talent to translation agencies?
By听Gwenydd Jones Reblogged from The Translator’s Studio blog with permission from the author (including the image) Last week, Letraduct authored a post about one of the problems that your target customer (the translation agency) has, which is lack of time and desire to read lengthy cover letters, CVs and translation portfolios. The advice was clear: be a translator that makes…
Adventures with Direct Clients鈥擯art One
By David Friedman I have always wanted to work with direct clients, since the early stages of my translation career. I would like to tell you the story of what has so far been my most exciting direct client adventure, to show that these kinds of things actually happen in the real world if you play your cards right. You…
Reading the small print
By听Jo Rourke Reblogged from听Silver Tongue Translations blog听with permission from the author (including the images) I鈥檓 not entirely sure what happened. I鈥檓 usually pretty pernickety on details so I don鈥檛 know how it all got past me. Nevertheless,听I am now the proud owner of an almost entirely redundant freephone business number, along with a phone and internet bill which will, over…
The ATA Mentoring Program through the eyes of a mentor-mentee pair
With the deadline to apply for the ATA Mentoring Program for 2015 fast approaching this week鈥擬arch 7, to be more precise鈥攚e thought this would be a great opportunity to showcase this hidden gem available to ATA members. But instead of providing a scholarly piece singing the wonders of this program, we found a mentor-mentee pair who was willing to share…
The Ins and Outs of Term Validation
By听Patricia Brenes Reblogged from听In My Own Terms with permission from the author (including the images) Every step in term processing during the preparation of glossaries or updating of termbases is important, but probably the one that will save you the most time is term validation. How and when it鈥檚 done is key to achieve cost-effective/efficient validation. What is term validation?…