Have you ever wished there was a way to avoid sending inquiries to translators and interpreters who for whatever reason are not available when you need them? Wouldn’t it be nice to see in a simple overview the dates someone is not available to interpret or out of the office (and thus unable to work on translations)? Well, guess what? On my website, there is such an overview. Yes, …
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Before there were languages in my life, there was music – which in itself is a language as well, as I’m well aware. So I guess taking the step from a universal language to specific ones was not such a big one after all. But I never forgot my first language, in fact, I never left it; I merely shifted priorities around regarding what is part of my professional …
Being a translator also means that you have to proofread text. Usually your own, before you send it to the client, but sometimes also those of other translators. (To clarify, I’m talking about text that has been translated where you have both source and target texts, not any other kind of proofreading, editing or whatever else it is called.) I have colleagues who print out everything, correct things with …
Poem for the Winter Solstice One morning you raise the east window blinds and there is the sun, hunched on the horizon, doing its best to break free, shunting aside a few clouds as it hoists itself in readiness to skate a frigid rink of sky, firing that cloud layer with deceptive warmth, an intense roseate glow. This is winter morning, you say to yourself, but then you realize …
I’m sure you’ve heard this one before: How does a freelancer define “weekend”? Two working days till Monday. Found here Wishing you a real weekend with time to relax and do some fun stuff – I know I will!
… that there is all sorts of useful information regarding translation and interpretation on the website of the German Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators, BDÜ? Seeing as how I am currently on the road quite a lot helping people communicate, I thought I’d share what the site says about interpreting: Interpreters Conveying texts orally from a source language to a target language Interpreting is the oral transfer of spoken …
Ever had to communicate with non-native English speakers? Here’s a little something to brighten your weekend… The following is a telephone exchange between a hotel guest and room service at a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and published in the Far East Economic Review: Room Service (RS): “Morrin. Roon sirbees.” Guest (G): “Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service.” RS: “Rye..Roon sirbees..morrin! Jewish to oddor sunteen??” G: “Uh..yes..I’d like some …
Oh, the difficulties of translating non-technical texts, such as marketing material or literature! If you’ve never had to deal with this particular challenge, here’s a video using the example of Harry Potter to show just how creative translators have to be. Enjoy! (And kudoz to the awesome translators and their sometimes truly cool solutions!)
Since last year, it’s official, thanks to the UN. Here’s what they have to say about this day: International Translation Day is meant as an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security. Transposition of a literary or scientific work, including technical work, from one …
Well, summer is officially over: School here in Bavaria started back up last Monday (yes, teachers have to be in school already on Monday), and what a start it was?! This year, I have one two-period class in addition to my other classes to teach, which also means that I have to go to school three days now instead of two, plus I get to be the class teacher for …
… to grease the brain at the end of summer. Found on theinterpretersfriend.org. These puzzles are words that are spatially arranged to make a pun. For example, 1. man _____ board which is, man overboard (man over board). Try the puzzles below. All answers are at the end of this piece. (Don’t peek!) 2. stand _____ i 3. /r/e/a/d/i/n/g/ 4. r road a d 5. …
The other day, I received one of the best compliments (in my mind) a freelancer can get: “I really admire you, because you do all these things for yourself outside of work, and instead of it stressing you, it seems to make you more relaxed. You really have this whole work-life balance thing figured out, haven’t you?” “All these things” are various activities involving physical movement (I don’t like to …
Well, yesterday was a first for me: I don’t think I’ve ever before been hired, did the assignment and then got paid all within three hours. Usually, the customers call or write several weeks in advance to hire me as an interpreter for their appointment at the register office, not least also because getting said appointment is usually not possible on short notice and has to be coordinated with all …
Saw this in the latest MultiLingual issue and just had to share it: (c) MultiLingual 2018/07, page 2 I hope, your progress isn’t quite as convoluted… 😉 Have a great weekend!
Although this webinar Jost held for the Ukrainian Translation Industry Conference is already five years old, it is still incredibly relevant and surprisingly up-to-date. Enjoy!
On Wednesday night, a momentous occasion took place in the lovely “Die Villa” restaurant in Weiden – the founding meeting of a new BDÜ regional group in Bavaria. Two of my students (Carolin Schiml, who finished last year, and Adriana Hirsch, who is in the middle of her examinations) found it exhausting always having to drive the long way to the nearest BDÜ groups in either Regensburg or Bayreuth/Hof, so …
Well, May 25 has come and gone, and to be honest, I didn’t really notice, since I was on vacation at the time. Risky, you might say, to be away during that time (and I didn’t return until a week later, too?!), but when I had planned this trip back in February, the GDPR was the furthest thing on my mind. Thanks to two very hard-working individuals, I had gotten …
With the rise of MT and AI, the voices proclaiming the end of human translation and interpretation are getting louder. And if you look at all the headlines and the hype taking place surrounding DeepL & Co it certainly can seem that way. But is it really true? The Tech-Savvy Interpreter (aka Prof. Barry Slaughter Olsen) took a very close look at one of the new devices that are supposedly …
While reading a very informative article about machine translation and whether and how to use it by Alan K. Melby (you can read it here), I was excited to read his very accurate description of the problem that often exists between translation customer and translator when it comes to terminology. He writes: There is a widespread and dangerous myth that translation is a black box with one input and one …
It’s coming, it’s been coming for a while now, but in recent weeks, it has really come to the fore in discussions everywhere and on all channels – you really can’t get around it, especially in the freelancing part of the language industry. I know I have had my fill of it, and yet I need to still deal with it more, because, well the law is the law and …
If you ever wondered how simultaneous interpretation works, here’s a great TEDEd lesson on the subject – enjoy!
I apologize for not writing anything original today, but this week has been just so full, I barely had time to catch up with the mandatory reading for my own work, let alone think of something for you to read… So this podcast from the Marketing tips for translators website by Tess Whitty is actually crazily perfect, as it talks about how to get more stuff done in less time …
As you know, I also teach, and one of “my” subjects also involves translation tools or CAT tools. The main point of using them is to reuse already translated text (usually divided into segments). This serves not only to save time, but also helps consistency and supports quality. This week, I was talking with another teacher (who does general translation with the students), and she told me that she just …
The video about the freeze mob on Hieronymus day last year, which the Baden-Württemberg section of the BDÜ had organized and carried out in Mannheim is online! And it really is great! Thanks so much, guys!
As I have recently updated my prices, I have also thought about publishing my price lists on my website. I haven’t, so there’s no need to rush on over to www.a-z-translations.com although I do appreciate traffic there, of course. 🙂 But the thought does pop up now and then, especially when I visit colleagues’ or agency’s websites who do actually give figures. I am torn about this topic, and I …
In case you’re not subscribed to the Slator newsletter or never pop onto their website – it’s really worth it, including for freelancers. There is always something interesting about what’s happening in the language industry, as well as great articles with tips and helpful links. The most recent newsletter had an article about the ‘Translator Scammers Directory’ (TSD) website and included some great links (e.g. a document on how to …
Anyone working with words, be it as a writer, a teacher, a translator, or similar, knows exactly what I mean. No matter how many times you look over and read through something, there is bound to be a typo hidden somewhere in that text, and it’s not even a matter of how long it is – even single-sentence tasks can hide them quite well from the author’s eye. I’m not …
