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 …
quality
… have their price. I know, there are not a few colleagues who have tooted in this horn many times before, yet it cannot be stressed often enough: Good translations are not cheap. And if they are cheap, you should seriously question whether they truly are good. And that’s not even factoring in the turnaround time factor. (I’d like to point out, that “cheap” here does not mean “for peanuts”!) …
I came across an excellent article on prices and costs over at Ferris Translations this week, and I wanted to share it with you: Dumping costs? What?!? Posted on February 10, 2014 by Michael Ferris Within the language industry, like any industry, there are also translators and language service providers that offer dumping prices. What are dumping prices? These are prices that are considered “unfair” to the competition because …
As my workload has still not lightened very much yet, here’s an article by the fabulous Nataly Kelly published last summer by The Huffington Post. The world of translation can be a confusing place, especially if you’re the one doing the buying on behalf of your company. Many purchasers of translation services feel like you might when you take your car to the mechanic. How do you really …
Als freiberuflicher Übersetzer passiert es einem immer wieder: die Anfrage nach einer kostenlosen Übersetzung. Wie man am besten darauf reagiert? Hier ist eine tolle und wirklich hilfreiche Graphik: Sollte ich kostenlos arbeiten? As a freelance translator it happens again and again: the request for a free translation. How to best react to it? Here’s a really helpful chart: Should I work for free?
After my confession a few weeks ago – and receiving some quite encouraging responses from you, thanks again so much! –, I have received one larger and a few small jobs, but still nothing steady, the way it used to be before “the slump”. I also had the opportunity to speak with one of my agency clients about the slow start of my business year. It was quite enlightening …
I debated with myself whether to write this post or not. To ‘fess up or not to ‘fess up… Is it professional or not to talk about this? Will this hurt the way (potential) clients see me? Might it maybe even help? And finally: Don’t most freelancers have these times at some point in their careers? In the end I decided to do it: I confess. I confess that …
Seen here I know, I’m not the first one to write about this, but in my opinion we cannot stress it enough, especially to customers! And hopefully, this will also help you sort the good from the bad, meaning: help you find the customers worth keeping, because they understand how quality, deadlines and price interact, and that good quality has its price and takes time. Have any of you …
The great BDÜ video comparing the translations of a real flesh-and-blood translator with the results by Google Translate I wrote about here is now also available in English:
Here’s a good write-up on a situation most of us are familiar with, also called The Favor! You’re sitting at home (or at work) slaving over a translation when out of the blue you receive a call/email/text message* (delete where appropriate) from a colleague/friend/acquaintance* (delete where appropriate) who you have not heard from for quite some time. The message usually begins in similar fashion regardless of whether it is …
Wie gut ist Google Translate wirklich? Vor Kurzem hat der BDÜ es einmal ausprobiert: Ein “echter” Übersetzer aus Fleisch und Blut im Vergleich mit der v.a. unter Laien so hoch gelobten maschinellen Übersetzung. Das Ergebnis? Sehen Sie selbst…
Since I’m on a mini-vacation again this week, here’s an excerpt from an excellent post from the myGengo blog on how to judge the quality of a translation: Before submitting Prior to submitting your text to be translated, make sure you give the translator proper context. In addition to giving a brief summary detailing what the intentions for the translation are, also be sure to guide the translator on …
Am 6. und 7. Juli fand in Nürnberg die START-Messe statt, eine Messe für Gründer, bei der sowohl neue Firmen als auch unterstützende Unternehmen dabei waren. Als Vertreter des BDÜ LV Bayern, waren wir, die Regionalgruppe Nürnberg/Fürth/Erlangen/Bamberg, an beiden Tagen vor Ort. Wir hatten einen kleinen Stand gleich neben der Aktionsbühne, auf der viele interessante Vorträge und Podiumsdiskussionen stattfanden, unter anderem auch ein hervorragender Vortrag von Vorstandsmitglied Isabelle Hofmann …
This is the summary of an excellent article by English to Swedish translator Tess Whitty she had written on the key advantages professional translators offer their clients. Tess is a member of the Swedish Association for Professional Translators and the American Translators Association, where she serves on the committee in charge of setting up the ATA certification program for English into Swedish translators. She also has a well-respected blog …
