Letters to the Editor
Spider Marketing: How to Get Clients to Come to You | Simon Berrill
I enjoyed the article, and I think I鈥檓 a successful spider! I鈥檝e been in business for 26 years providing English/Spanish translation and interpreting services. The majority of these reliable clients have come from referrals, as stated in the article. I鈥檓 not one to keep up with Facebook or Twitter, but I have a large network of contacts on LinkedIn and love my profession.
鈥擩ackie Metivier I Cary, NC
Thank you for a very enlightening article. I don鈥檛 have a personal website (although I鈥檓 on a number of directories as well as LinkedIn). But after reading your article, I鈥檓 seriously considering setting (a professional) one up. Thanks!
鈥擯aula Gille Loubier I Greendale, WI
Excellent article, Simon! This is the first time I鈥檝e ever seen anyone mention the benefits of 鈥渘etworking鈥 with colleagues, although I would argue that it鈥檚 more like socializing than anything (lucky for us). But I agree that referrals from colleagues are one of the primary ways to get new clients. It鈥檚 quite possibly the main reason why translator associations exist! Thanks for spreading the word.
鈥擭atalie Pavey I New Brunswick, Canada
Why Ergonomics Matters to Professional Translators | Sharon O鈥橞rien and
Maureen Ehrensberger-Dow
Very well researched and presented article. Ergonomics is a favorite topic of mine, which is why I gave a presentation on this area at ATA鈥檚 55th Annual Conference in 2014 (鈥淵our Body, Your Most Neglected Tool: Ergonomics for Translators鈥). I was pleased to see a lot of interest from attendees, but also sad to hear many stories of preventable problems.
In my years working first as an occupational therapist and now as an interpreter/translator, I鈥檓 always surprised to see how people set up their work spaces and how little thought is given to the importance of preventing injury or fatigue. People seem to gravitate to this or that 鈥渕iracle鈥 product while not seeing the big picture: no matter how ideal your work station, it鈥檚 not meant to be used for hours at a time. Also, there is no one solution that will work for every person. We need to incorporate movement and positional change. Thanks again for your article!
鈥擨rene Radillo I Tucson, AZ