Are you a self-injuring translator? March 29, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings.5 comments
One of my colleagues posted this to one of my listservs, and I thought it was well-worth sharing with the rest of you. The post is entitled “Toxic Translation: A Twelve-Step Program for Self-Injuring Translators.” We need to keep reminding ourselves that the only behavior we can truly change is our own. My favorite quote from the post is “Translation rates are dropping because translators accept low rates. If you want rates to stop descending, you must take your finger off the elevator button.” If you are unhappy with the way an agency is treating you, you need to stand up for yourself and ask for what you want. And if the agency isn’t able or willing to give you what you want, you need to have the courage to walk away – and most importantly let them know why! If more of us walk away we will be in a better position in the long run. There are good and bad agencies out there. Let’s encourage the good ones and run from the bad ones. We need to stick together. United we stand, divided we fall!
Interesting reads for today March 22, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings, Translation.1 comment so far
Fabio, a German-Portuguese translator based in Bonn, Germany (well, Rheinbach), published a great little review of MemoQ with screenshots on his blog this morning. If you are curious about MemoQ you might want to check it out.
I was aghast to read that students in the Manalapan-Englishtown, New Jersey elementary schools will learn Spanish from a computer next year instead of being instructed by a foreign language professional to save money. This is not a good trend at all. I can’t imagine school administrators trying to outsource teaching mathematics from a computer or videotape. Why do they think this will be a good idea? Teachers are there to answer questions and make sure students are pronouncing things properly. No computer will be able to do that!
And finally, Price for Profit and Sanity is a good article about the “good, fast cheap – pick two” mantra. As the author explains, small business owners should quote services using ‘good, fast or cheap’ matrix. In our case, every customer wants a “high quality” translation “to be completed in a very short time (because they failed to plan ahead) for very little money (because they failed to establish adequate budgets).” In reality we can only reasonably offer two out three. It is a very interesting article.
Trying to decide about the 51st ATA conference February 16, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in ATA, Random musings.7 comments
Hi everyone,
Maybe some of you can help me decide what to do about the 51st ATA conference. I toyed with the idea of sitting this one out (mainly because I would like to enjoy ONE Halloween with my nieces before they are too old to trick or treat), but knowing how much I enjoy them and how beneficial they are I am most likely going to attend this year in Denver. I am now trying to decide whether I should present and whether I should submit a proposal for a preconference seminar or one-hour session and what I should present on. Most of you regular readers are familiar with the things I am passionate about – including getting started as a freelance translator, proper formatting in Word, word counts, PDFs and OCR, Internet privacy, ergonomics and work-life balance. Many of you have probably attended one or more of my sessions over the past 8 years. So I ask you, dear readers, what would you like to see me present? Would you like Corinne and I to present our preconference seminar on How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator again? Would you like a preconference seminar on PDFs and OCR? Would you like me to present an hour session on how to set tabs and format documents in Word to look like the source text? Do you have another idea I haven’t even considered? I would love to hear from all of you in the comments. The deadline is March 8th, so I need to make a decision soon. Thanks for your help!
Back in the land of the living – I mean overworked February 4, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings.12 comments
Sorry for the radio silence in the last month or so. I wish I could say it was due to being overworked, but alas it was due to being underworked. Since I wasn’t at my computer as often I didn’t have as much opportunity (or desire) to blog on life. My prediction for December and January was indeed correct, and it was pretty slow. Not to mention the fact that I had some problems getting customers to pay my invoices. At one point I had $4,000 in outstanding OVERDUE invoices (some overdue by 53 days, some by just a couple). A girl’s got to pay her rent, eat and pay the dog groomer, so I was glad I had a bit of a financial cushion to tap into. I now have to work hard to replenish that cushion. That really did a number on my mood though, so I wasn’t my usual chipper self, which in turn influenced my desire to blog.
Luckily all my customers have now paid their overdue invoices, and I am once again fairly solvent. Hint: it helps to tell customers you will be turning the invoice over to a bill collector in a couple days if they don’t pay. I was amazed at how quickly the checkbook finally opened up! The trick is to mean it and not be threatening. Just be firm and business-like. And mean it. I had a bill collector lined up.
Also, business has picked up again, and I am back in the swing of life as an overworked translator. I am housesitting and dogsitting for a friend at the moment, which brings a whole other set of problems with it. I lugged my work computer with me and am connected through my friend’s router. For some reason I can receive e-mail, but am unable to send e-mail from my mail program. I am forced to keep my ISP’s Webmailer open to send e-mail. I hope to have that fixed in a day or so. I was contacted by a new client this morning with a job request, and they sent me a Geheimhaltungsvereinbarung (Non-Disclosure Agreement). Since I don’t have a printer here I ended up inserting my digital signature and converting the Word file into a PDF.
Life is full of challenges and workarounds. We just need to be calm enough to come up with the solutions.
Johnny Depp is not dead January 25, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings, Translation.add a comment
Rumors were flying today that Johnny Depp had died, and it turns out it is all due to a Dutch mistranslation. An article in Dutch reported how much Depp hated the paparazzi and the media, and the article was mistranslated, leading the media to believe that the very much alive actor was dead. With the Interwebs being as it is (every day it seems like there is a mistaken report of a celebrity death… Jeff Goldblum, Jon Heder, Eminem, Britney Spearks, etc.), some anonymous “source” also apparently dug up an old article from 2004 that reported he had been in a car crash in France, and the media went into a frenzy. No, Johnny Depp is not dead. He was just voted the Sexiest Man Alive. There’s a BIG difference.
You hear these stupid celebrity death rumors all the time, but this time it is because of a mistranslation and that makes it worthy to talk about here on my blog 🙂
Haiti relief efforts could use help of interpreters and translators January 14, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings.36 comments
Please note: I am just a freelance German-English translator with a blog. I am not looking for volunteers or organizing a team of volunteers!! The organizations specified below are. Please contact them directly.
From Haitivolunteer.org:
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD: The Red Cross looking for Kreyol-English translators to volunteer for 1 month. Must be able to get to Miami no later than Monday (tomorrow). Will be traveling and living on Navy medical ship. Contact jumaanedwilliams@gmail.com IMMEDIATELY!!! They want US citizens or Green Card holders.
Area of Expertise:
Language
Skill Needed:
Kreyol-English translator
Update: Doctors without Borders no longer needs any translation services. This blog is not set up to facilitate connections between my readers and relief groups. I am merely posting information. My language is German, so this is outside my field of expertise. Feel free to contact any of the groups listed below and post any other groups you may know about in the comments.
Numerous calls for aid are spreading around the world after Haiti’s devastating earthquake. They could use translators and interpreters to aid in the relief efforts. Many ATA members are stepping up and offering to help. Giovanna Lester sent the following e-mail to the ATA Medical Division today:
*IMIA Haiti Relief Efforts*
As many of you know, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti yesterday after 5 p.m. The news coming from Haiti is that this is a very serious earthquake and has wreaked havoc and devastation on the region. We know that millions of people in the region will be affected.
Many IMIA members and their patients have family in Haiti. Our thoughts are with them, the Haitian community and the people of Haiti. If you or your patients need information on relatives in Haiti, the US government has set up a hotline at 1-888-407-4747.
The IMIA Provider Outreach Committee is reaching out to international relief organizations to determine if there is an appropriate way or ways in which we can be most helpful as a trade association resource to the people of Haiti in their hour of greatest need. As we learn more, we will share the information on our web site. In the meantime, some of you have asked what else you can do. Please consider assisting one of the relief organizations below who are working now in Haiti. All these organizations are in dire need of medical interpreters and many of them offer lodging and a travel stipend for professionals willing to do field work. Please inquire and let us know if you are interested in doing immediate field work in Haiti.
They are not just in need of Haitian interpreters, but also primarily in need of Mandarin and Cantonese, Portuguese and French, among others, as these are primary the languages of the relief service providers.
– International Medical Corps:– Direct Relief International:– World Vision:– International Relief Teams: http://www.irteams.org/index.htm– Yéle Haiti: http://www.yele.org/– American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/– Operation USA: http://www.opusa.org/– CARE: http://www.care.org/– Catholic Relief Services: http://crs.org/– World Food Programme: http://www.wfp.org/– World Concern: http://www.worldconcern.org/disasters/haiti-flooding.htm– Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org/?WT.mc_id=1109_hp_logo– UNICEF USA: http://www.unicefusa.org/– Mercy Corps: http://www.mercycorps.org/– Operation Blessing International:– Shelterbox: https://alliance14.challiance.org/– Americares: http://www.americares.org/whatwedo/emergency/– Operation USA: http://www.opusa.org/– Doctors Without Borders: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/
McDonald’s coming soon to Checkpoint Charlie January 13, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in German culture, Random musings.2 comments
Expatica is reporting today that McDonald’s is planning on building a restaurant in Berlin at Checkpoint Charlie, “completing the landmark’s 20-year transformation from Cold War front line to money-making tourist hotspot.” Checkpoint Charlie was the main border crossing for foreigners between West and East Berlin. I myself had the privilege of crossing through it, although my very first border crossing was at Friedrichstraße. For the love of all that is holy and good, I think building a McDonald’s at the historic location is a TERRIBLE idea. McDonald’s symbolizes capitalism, and I understand what they are trying to do, but Checkpoint Charlie is more than just a tribute to capitalism. I would be interested to hear what some of you Berlin residents think about this idea.
As Expatica explains:
The 120-seater restaurant will be opposite the Mauermuseum dedicated to the Berlin Wall that used to divide the city, and hopes to be selling its burgers, fries and other products from mid-2010, a spokeswoman said.
The 600-square-metre (6,500-square-feet) restaurant, on the site of where Soviet and US tanks famously faced off in 1961, is a “top location,” the Bild daily cited the American fast food giant as saying.
My memories of Checkpoint Charlie have absolutely nothing to do with McDonald’s. I hope the German authorities deny the request!
How do you handle health insurance? December 21, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings.6 comments
The Urban Muse, which is an excellent blog for freelance, self-employed writers, had a post about a month ago in which she asked her readers How do you handle health insurance. This seems to be a common question in our field as well.
As Susan so aptly puts it:
Health coverage has come up in the news a lot lately, and it’s a very touchy topic, especially for freelancers. I’m curious how other self-employed folks handle this issue. Do you take your chances and go without? Rely on a spouse or domestic partner for health coverage? Join a union and buy it through them? Perhaps your tips will be useful to another freelancer, so leave a comment and let us know.
As for me, I have a health insurance plan through Golden Rule. I recently switched to the Network Option to cut $100 a month off my monthly payment. I have a large ($2500) deductible and a health savings account that I try to pay a hundred bucks a month into until I accumulate $2500. I’m a little under halfway there at the moment. I also rarely go to the doctor, and I have yet to see a general practitioner since I moved back to the States. I also exercise regularly and try to stay healthy. That said, if I met a man with a good health insurance plan I would marry him in a heartbeat ;-).
I don’t want this to become a forum to debate health care reform. I thought it might be helpful to those just breaking into the business to see how other translators insure themselves.
End of the year musings December 10, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings.1 comment so far
I’m sure most of you also read Corinne McKay’s blog, Thoughts on Translation, but just in case you don’t (and if you don’t you should!), you should check out her latest post on her End of the year to-do list for translators. She has lots of good suggestions, and I am actually thinking of implementing some of them now while I am prepping my holiday card list.
I always send out holiday cards around this time to all the clients with whom I have worked throughout the last year – and a couple that I want to remind that I am still here and available. I decided to edit my list down drastically this year, but I still have 28 cards going overseas to clients and friends in Europe. I took advantage of having a lull today and took my laptop to one of my favorite breakfast restaurants to bang out my annual Christmas letter. I drank coffee, enjoyed a nice Cajun omelet, and reflected on the past year as I composed the letter. I don’t send the Christmas letter to my clients, but since I send out all the cards at once I have a set pattern I follow. I write the letter, drop it off at Office Max to be printed on holiday paper, buy stamps at the post office, print off labels based on my Microsoft Access database (which I have been maintaining throughout the year), and then stuff the envelopes and mail the cards off. It’s a nice feeling to have the big stuff done now. I should have it all done by this time tomorrow and can then concentrate on a proofreading job and any translation jobs that may come in in the next few weeks.
I plan on reviewing my clients like Corinne suggests. I have a feeling the balance will have shifted. My biggest client is most likely no longer my biggest client, but that is okay. I think now my revenue is probably balanced more evenly over several clients, and that is much more healthy. They still send me work, but not as much as in the past because they lost a big client this year who decided to hire someone in-house. There is always some attrition every year, so this isn’t all that surprising. This just proves how important it is to constantly market yourself. I found two new clients this year who have almost made up for the shortfall, and I just acquired two more this week – both through recommendations from fellow translators.
I also plan on either having my Aeron chair repaired or buying a new one before the end of the year. My lower back was tender during my massage yesterday, and I attribute that to the broken pneumatics in my chair. I am not sitting in the chair properly at the moment, and that is not a good idea ergonomically speaking. Corinne suggests any big purchases be made by the end of the year, and that is valuable advice. I bought a new sound card this afternoon at Office Max as well, so I’ll be installing that later tonight. Remember, any purchases for your office are tax-deductible – and that includes software and computer hardware.
January always tends to be a little slow while companies are starting back up after the holidays and reviewing and drafting their budgets, so I am preparing mentally for that – and if necessary I can use the financial cushion I have built up over the year. Hopefully the new clients and my existing clients will start contacting me with work by then. If not, I have some books I have been meaning to read and I might even get around to setting up my T-Mobile Dash to check my e-mail on the go…
Happy Thanksgiving! November 26, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings.4 comments
To all of my readers who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you’re enjoying some time with friends and family members. I am doing some proofreading this morning, but will be heading to my parents’ house this afternoon for some spinach-artichoke dip and a cheese board (my contribution), turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, assorted vegetables (whatever my mother makes it will be delicious), salad, cranberry dressing, stuffing and gluten-free pumpkin pie.
Here are a few of the things I’m thankful for this year:
* My family and friends. You make my life rich.
* My health
* My clients, most of whom pay on time (some even early – I love them from the bottom of my heart!) and all of whom contact me with interesting jobs
* The fact that I have a job I enjoy that allows me to work from home (in my slippers) and can support me and my champagne tastes :-).
* The typing class I took in high school, because that skill supported me through graduate school and allows me to translate quickly and accurately.
* The opportunities I’ve had to travel to and live in other countries and expand my horizons
* My blog readers and Twitter followers who simultaneously inspire me and keep me on my toes
* The German Language Division
* My cozy little apartment and the backyard
* The fact that I know where my next meal is coming from
* Having heat coming from the vents and fresh water running through the taps
* My wonderful neighbors. I feel safe knowing you are nearby.
* Meetup.com because I have met some really wonderful friends through Meetup, and it gets me out of the house meeting more people and experiencing all the good food and fun events Cleveland has to offer.
* My dog Lily, who is always thrilled to see me walk through the door and is there for a cuddle when I need one
For a good story of a Thanksgiving spent overseas, I highly recommend clicking here and reading one of my favorite local Cleveland blogger’s tale of her Thanksgiving in Italy. She’s a very powerful writer. I remember preparing a four-course meal (corn and oyster chowder, turkey, spinach linguini with cauliflower, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean gremolata, cornbread, salad, apple pie and pumpkin pie) for eight people in my tiny one-bedroom (perhaps 200 square foot?) apartment in Germany one year – in a kitchen that was big enough to allow me just to turn around in. We broke my bed that day too I believe.
What are you most thankful for? Or do you have a story about celebrating Thanksgiving in a different country? I’d love to hear about it!
Musings from an overworked translator 