Most of know someone who is adept in speaking more than one language, in some cases we may be fortunate enough to know someone who speaks several and may even be considered a ‘polyglot’. Fluency in multiple languages is always an impressive skill and one which most of us would love to acquire if we could. Some may have been born into a bi-lingual household, or maybe spoke one language at home and another outside in the local community.
Author: Eve Pattison
Poor translation: the result of not proofreading
Have you ever read a document, be it a newspaper story, a web page description or an advertisement, and thought to yourself, “boy, this could really have done with some editing!” or worse, “wow, this is a really poor translation!”? It happens more often than you think, and most of the time, it is not so much a bad translation as the result of the writer not proof-reading their text before they publish it.
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Top Ten Translator Resources
All freelance translators have at some time experienced that feeling of sitting at a computer, staring at a text, fingers hovering the keyboard ready to work… but your mind is blank. But don’t worry, there are plenty of resources out there to help you out with that blank screen!
Subtitle your Corporate Videos
In the past, marketing was understood to mean placing adverts newspapers, magazines, radio/tv, on billboards or flyers. In the past few decades things have changed radically, and the company that wishes to compete on today’s market must be digitally literate. If they want to continue or expand into the international market, that means using all of the new technologies and social media to their advantage.
Tourism translation, quality makes the difference!
At the risk of stating the obvious, most of us know what a challenge it can be travelling or merely being in places where our native language is not spoken. The feeling this inspires could best be summed up as being a ‘fish out of water’, flapping around uselessly as we try to get out point across, in much the same way as said fish! It is not only us non-foreign language speakers that go through this uncomfortable experience, but of course all those non-English speakers that we come into contact with, whether they be friends (or potential friends), business contacts or those poor souls charged with making our holiday a fun experience.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Translation platform
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Translator Contracts
- Is it necessary for me to sign the contract?
Yes, this contract is a requirement. If you are unable to sign the contract for whatever reason then unfortunately we will not be able to work together.
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Resources for Translators
All freelance translators have at some time experienced that feeling of sitting at a computer, staring at a text, fingers hovering the keyboard ready to work… but your mind is blank. But don’t worry, there are plenty of resources out there to help you out with that blank screen!
Using an Interpreter: the key to success at trade fairs and international conferences
Just imagine the scene: Your company has rented a space at an important international trade fair, sent you and a colleague there at great expense, set up a beautiful stand, prepared all the publicity material and samples that you could possibly need… and there you stand, at the last second, struggling with your schoolboy German, and realising that you have forgotten the one thing that could really have made a difference: a professional interpreter.
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A translator’s Solitude… Or, the Loneliness of the Long-Distance Freelance Translator
A freelance translator sounds like the ideal job when you’re commuting to work in rush hour traffic on a cold, rainy morning, and the thought of being able to get up whenever you want, eat and drink at your desk without anyone complaining, and above all, work in your pyjamas(!) sounds very appealing. However, is being a freelance translator really all it’s cracked up to be, or does the solitude of the long-distance translator drive you crazy in the end?
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