Things have been rather quiet on the blog lately. I’ve been catching up on my reading and, frankly, just enjoying the sunshine. One book in particular has had me snorting drinks out of my nose and guffawing in waiting rooms. Highly recommended! The cultural differences hidden behind mere words I’m talking about a new book […]
Time for a change Why do some people resist change even if they aren’t happy with the status quo? I’m not even talking about major life changes, just small-scale tweaks here and there to make life a little easier. Change can be scary and it might involve heavy lifting. That’s a given. But if implementing […]
Which criteria do clients go by? The age-old question: Why do some clients settle for a mediocre translation just to save some money? Or maybe that’s wrong question. How about: Why do clients keep buying mediocre translations when there are so many excellent translators waiting to work their magic? Last year, I was called by […]
The low public opinion of the work language professionals do can be jarring at times. Some of us translators and copywriters have made it a mission to demystify our profession and show clients how much expertise and thought goes into crafting with words. But that doesn’t mean that people won’t still feel compelled to press […]
As I announced in my New Year’s post, I gave a presentation for my local business network this week. Our networking group meets up every two weeks for breakfast, businessy chit chat and the occasional presentation. I am the one and only translator there. We kick off each meeting with a round of introductions and […]
Every now and then clients do something that gives me a welcome little jolt, preventing me from getting too set in my ways. Is there such a thing as routine client correspondence? Clients who send me several smaller jobs usually get a monthly invoice instead of several individual invoices. January is coming to an end, […]
The fabled in-country translators “We only work with translators who are native speakers and live in the country you want to connect with!” That is a standard line often found on translation agency websites or in how-tos for choosing the right translator. Buzzwords such as “in-country” or “in-market” are usually lurking close by. In most […]
The one that got away Not every potential client turns into an actual one and that’s fine. Sometimes we find out why a job didn’t happen and sometimes we are left wondering. Was it the price, the proposed delivery date or something else altogether? Recently I was contacted by a potential client in need of […]
Punctuation..?, User design This summer I received a review copy of the lovely booklet Punctuation..?, published by User design in the UK. December is almost upon us and because I’m based in Germany I will skip Thanksgiving and go directly into Christmas mode. Here is a short review of a book that might be a […]
Subject-matter expertise is essential, but so are writing skills. As a way of breaking out of old writing routines, I like trying out new approaches and seeing what sticks. Here are a few resources I have looked at lately that all had new aspects to offer. Creative aspects of writing Julia Cameron, Morning Pages: Start […]