Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
Recently I had the good fortune of reading this wonderful book called Internet Freelancing: Practical Guide for Translators written by Oleg Rudavin. It’s not only insightful but also quite entertaining. Internet Freelancing gives a very clear overview of the issues faced by most freelance translators working internationally. While reading the book I got the strong feeling that it was written by someone with a driver’s point of view. The fact is Oleg Rudavin is a survivor of brutal competition faced by someone working with a language pair that is characterized by super-competitive pricing. And it was quite inspiring to witness (although second-hand) the way Rudavin not only survived but also achieved success while learning from experience and using his wits.
The book is written in a first-person narrative and it mentions many examples taken from real life which provide it with credibility. Rudavin touches upon many issues ranging from translation rates to the complications associated with international banking. Freelance translators living outside US and Western Europe would find this book not only highly educative but also a critical business survival guide. Reading Internet Freelancing: Practical Guide for Translators is like having a wise mentor or trainer who guides you through optimizing your business strategies. Get a copy and read it from cover-to-cover, then start again moving slowly this time using it more as a reference.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
Most professional translators at the beginning of their careers take whatever work comes their way. This means a newbie might do a medical translation today and maybe a marketing translation tomorrow and so on. He or she might not be comfortable in any one, or both the areas but cannot do anything about it because refusing a translation job is not an option when you don’t have a reliable and established client base.
The above is obviously not an ideal situation because no one is an expert in a variety of areas and the lack of expertise while producing a translation can return to haunt the translator in future. The documents would contain errors like incorrect usage of technical terminology and misunderstanding of concepts.
All of the above create a demand for specializing in translation areas. Pick up a field which you are comfortable with and ready to do translation work, study about it to gain a substantial understanding which would help you smoothly translate related documents. Keep a track of the developments in that particular field so that your knowledge does not become obsolete.
Along with specializing in one or more fields, it is also important to have a reasonaby good idea about other fields. You cannot survive by being an expert in medical translation and knowing absolutely nothing about chemistry, electronics and other areas which might overlap with medicine.
So along with specializing in your given areas make it a point to develop solid general knowledge of other areas as well, especially the new developments. The whole thing sounds tough but once you get into the groove the drive would be smooth, and what’s more you will make an ace translator.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
Yesterday we had a pleasant coincidence at Tomedes. Believers of New Age philosophy might eagerly describe it as “Law of Attraction” or “Synchronicity”. We added a new pair of languages to our already burgeoning repertoire of language translation services at Tomedes. The service in question was Bulgarian to English translation, and we had already got some highly qualified professional Bulgarian translation experts registered with us.
The pleasant surprise was that within a few minutes of going online with the Bulgarian to English translation service we got a request for a Bulgarian to English email translation. The client was a Bulgarian businessman with business interests in America.
As is our usual practice, we delivered the completed translation in a very short time. The client was impressed by our irresistible combination of quality, delivery time and low cost and sent in another set of emails with the comment “I am going to keep you guys busy” – as translated from Bulgarian to English by one of our professional Bulgarian translation providers.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
I take my client briefings very seriously, irrespective of the fact whether its an old client or a new one. Okay, old or regular ones don’t take much time because I am more or less aware of their language translation requirements due to our past work together. But that’s not the case with new clients.
Translation subjects can be same but that does not give me the reason to treat them all equally. Clients have their own unique requirements from each project. It is important to nail those requirements if you would like to satisfy your clients. So how do you go about it?
I suggest developing your own questionnaire. Indulge in some free thinking associated with the kind of things you should know about a project before you start working on it. First write down as many questions as they come to your mind. You can do the editing later.
Once you’ve collected a large number of questions and feel you are done with it, you can set about cutting the list down to a manageable length. Now projects and clients are all different from one another so you might not need to ask every question from each client who comes to you. You have to create your own strategy based upon the requirement of individual translation projects.
I would suggest keeping copies of the questionnaire on your work station and a few other places where you can have a look at it every now and then. Soon enough you would have built a solid mental checklist which you can refer to whenever you face a new translation project and ensure optimal briefing sessions.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
As a professional translator you must have noticed that some translators seem to get a lot of work from professional translation agencies while some with the similar skills, level of expertise and track record never seem to get a satisfactory flow of work. Why does this happen?
Let’s assume that the language translator who is dissatisfied with the amount of work he/she is getting has not had any negative experience with the translation agency such as poor feedback, a tiff with someone at the agency etc. Moreover the translation agency has been getting a satisfying load of orders. So basically there’s no apparent reason for our professional translation services provider for not getting regular language translation work.
In such cases as above, I have frequently noticed that work usually goes to professional translators who are regularly in touch with the agencies. They call up translation agencies, email them and if they live somewhere close to the translation agency’s office, they also drop by sometimes. Such actions act as reminders to the translation agency’s management that ‘this particular translator exists and is eager to work’.
Just keeping in touch with your translation agency won’t be of optimal help. You should also take other proactive measures which positively develops your relation with your translation agency. This means recommending other suitable translators for jobs that you are unable to do. This will make the agencies’ work easier, as well as provide work to a fellow translator. The outcome would be that at least a few translators recommended by you would also refer work to you. Translation agencies would contact you more often because they believe that even if you are not able to do a translation job you would direct them to a suitable professional translation services provider.
In addition, to the above you should try to develop a network of professional translators and make it a point to stay in touch and interact regularly. Also keep track of what is happening in the translation industry, especially of any major short term or long term trends, laws etc.
Once you make the above suggestions a part of your life you will surely notice a positive difference in the inflow of language translation jobs. All the best!
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
Whether you are a beginner in the field of language translation or a veteran, you must have surely been asked for test translations. The issue of test transaltion is viewed a little differently by beginner s and veterans. Where beginners are eager to please so that they can build a good client base, veterans might not want to let go off prospective clients who demand free test translations before they award a paid assignment.
The American Translators Association’s Code of Professional Conduct and Business Practices states that buyers of language translations should not ask for free work, but at the same time it does not say that language translation professionals cannot provide them on their own.
Quite obviously this is a classic Catch-22 situation with no full-proof situation. The best responses, depending upon specific individual situations would be either you refuse to do test translations completely, or maybe make your mind about it after understanding the prospects of the actual assignment . I think it is allright to provide a free test translation if a lucrative project is at stake.
If you are a beginner or doing test translations fairly regularly, then I would recommend the following strategies –
- Limit your translations to a fixed number of words.
- Provide test transations, but include it later in your charges for the actual assignment.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
I don’t know how to react to this bit of knowledge which has been gnawing at my mind for the last few days. Finding no way out I have decided to share it with you dear reader. Well the thing is that though the effects of recession has been bad everywhere, thankfully our translation industry has not been hit that badly. It’s quite surprising, but a sizeable number of translation jobs have been generated due to the recession!
Yes its true, with the recession continuing to take its toll, increasing numbers of non-English speaking immigrants are losing their homes to foreclosure listings. Now a lot of these homeowners are not fluent in the English language, which has spurred mortgage banks to hire the services of translation agencies in order to keep the channels of communication clear. Even people facing foreclosure have hired the services of professional translators who would help them translate their grievances, appeals and complaints for the official authorities. This has led to a substantial rise in profits for quite a few translation companies even during the recession. If you find that surprising, think about this – about one in every 5 citizens of the country speaks in a language other than English.
However, since professional translators are human beings first, there has been a growing problem of emotional stress among those who are working in foreclosure listings translations. This is because of the continuous exposure to the misfortunes of fellow citizens, many of who are from their native countries.
Let’s hope that this unfortunate situation ends quickly, and the language translation industry continues to rise and grow along with every other industry.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
Hello dear reader, this post might appear to be something right out of your childhood moral science classes, but trust me for I have been in the translation industry for many years- the principles mentioned below work! Moreover, how do you think the world has come so far? Certainly not by dishonest means, dishonest efforts may prove to be a shortcut to good business, but you better be good enough in the first place to keep getting good business. Working with a few solid principles would ensure that you win the trust of your clients and they keep coming back to you, as well as refer new clients. My personal checklist follows-
- Be a master of your advertised language pair(s). The learning process never stops, so even if you think you are a master, keep working on your languages in a disciplined fashion to ensure that you remain an expert.
- Take translation projects in fields you are knowledgeable about. If you get an English to French translation project involving a medical journal, and you are a Professional English to French translator but don’t know anything about medicine, don’t take the project. Don’t take up anything that lies outside the area of your expertise.
- Protect your client’s interests – As a professional language translation services provider. I have frequently come across information that the client would prefer to keep secret. And that is what I do for my clients. No questions asked. Of course this does not cover protecting illegal activities! So always review every project in detail before taking it up, and make sure you avoid shady clients.
- Clarify all matter related to the translation project, right at the beginning. This includes your side as well your client’s. The elements include the language translation project requirements, format, delivery time, charges, payment modes and conditions, among others.
- Never over-promise, nor under-deliver. Whether it is doing translation work that does not lie within the area of your expertise, or taking up much more than you can deliver in the promised time or within established quality requirements.
Just a few pointers and you needn’t be a saint to fulfill them 
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
Babylon is getting into professional translation and looking for translators.
Have a look at their application email :
Dear Translators,
Babylon is a world leading provider of software solutions to the translation and dictionary industry, with more than 65 million unique visitors a year and a user base exceeding 50 million desktop installations. Babylon is expanding its service suite by fostering HUMAN TRANSLATION SERVICES on its LingoZ website
These days we are building a database of translators that are willing to accept translation jobs from the Babylon-LingoZ network.
In case you are interested to join our translators community, please fill in the following form.
As soon as we review your application, we will get back to you providing you with further details such as service and payment terms.
Be assured that the data collected in this form will not be used for any other purpose than building our team of freelancers and will in no way be shared with third parties.
With best regards,
Dr. Ursula Ron
Translators Team Manager
Babylon Ltd. / LingoZ
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
Use the coupon code "Tomedes10" !
Let me begin by telling you that I am not a Chinese translator and I don’t intend to become one in future. The Chinese language is simply not my cup of tea! It is probably for folks residing in the higher rungs of the translation ladder. But one of the advantages of being in the language translation industry is that one gets to know so many interesting aspects of various languages.
The other day I was sitting in the neighborhood café with a friend who specializes in English to Chinese translations. We were exchanging notes about various clients when he told me about a certain client who wanted documents translated into Cantonese and Mandarin. I was like, “did you say Cantonese and Mandarin, I thought they were the same!” “That’s what most people think.” He smiled “but they are a little far from the truth.”
He told me that most non-Chinese speakers think that Chinese is a single language; this is because they are not aware of the local variations. In fact it is not unusual to find confused language translation customers. There are times when customers who are looking for Chinese translations are stumped when asked whether they want it in Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese.
In fact both of them - Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese are considerably different from each other, and translation between them also requires fine skills. This is because Simplified Chinese was developed much after Traditional Chinese in order to encourage people to learn writing. The complex characters of Traditional Chinese were modified to make them simpler; moreover some of the characters used in Traditional Chinese were altogether removed from Simple Chinese as they were deemed to be very complex. In this way, over a period of many years the two systems of writing became significantly different from each other. Thus complicating the life of Chinese language translation experts ;-)
