Musings from an overworked translator
featuring musings about my life and the translation industry
Welcome! Willkommen! Zdravstvuyte!
I am a full-time German to English translator. This blog is my creative outlet to share my knowledge and random musings. Despite the title of my blog, I am generally available for translation work – even if there might be a delay of a few days. You can contact me at gertoeng AT jill-sommer.com.
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Essential Musings
- Advice for a new translator on job hunting/
- E-mail etiquette 101
- Business cards and resumes
- Taking criticism like a man and applying it to T&I
- Organization is key – part 1
- Organization is key – part 2
- Spreading the love
- Can you certify my translation?
- I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Job Tracking System
- E-mail Marketing for Translators
Blogroll (German Culture)
Blogroll (Translation)
- About Translation
- Adventures in freelance translation
- Always greener: Notes from an American on the other side
- ¿Se Habla English?
- Essential Project Management
- False friends, bad translation, Denglisch
- fidus interpres
- In-House Translators – A Dying Breed
- Internet Marketing for Translators
- Lonely Translations
- Marketing Translation
- Mox’s blog (featuring great translation-related cartoons)
- Naked Translations
- Separated by a common language
- The End of ProZ as We Know It
- The Greener Word
- The Joys of Localization
- The Masked Translator
- The Translator's Teacup
- There’s Something About Translation
- Thoughts on Translation
- Tips for Translators
- Transblawg
- Translate This!
- Translating Berlin
- Translating is an art
- Translation and Ethics
- Translation Journal blog
- Translation Times
- Translation Tribulations
- Translator Power
- Translator’s Blog
- Twisted Tongues
- wéb-tränslatiôns
- Wor(l)d-Weary Translator
- yndigo: Translation insights and incites
Personal favorites
Translation Sites
Top Posts
- Transferring money with Wise (formerly Transferwise)
- Lionbridge does it again...
- Electronic dictionaries vs. bound dictionaries
- Wanted by the FBI: Employees
- TGIF: How to Fake French
- List of Nuremberg interpreters?
- (Almost) Wordless Wednesday
- My background
- Addendum to Trados just keeps drivin' 'em away
- Scam warning
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Recent Posts
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Musings from an overworked translator 
This happened to me in Germany many years ago. This American kept coming into the place where I worked and insisted on speaking German with me, convinced I was a German. I’m an American. After a bit we would always switch back to English. One day when he was leaving he turned and said to me – and I’m not making this up – “Your English has really improved since you first started working here.”
A picture is worth more than a thousand words.