Whatever route our journey towards freelance translation or interpreting has taken, the chances are that along the way, there have been a few key figures who’ve helped us, and pointed us in a certain direction. A parent, perhaps, a boss, or a mentor within the profession. In the case of Daniel Coria in his late teens in Buenos Aires, that role was played by an inspirational English teacher, who not only spotted his classwork but actively encouraged him towards a career in translation, putting him in touch with contacts of hers in the local industry. And the rest, as they say, is his story.

Andrew Morris

Back in our schooldays, our teachers would tut-tut if we ever used the expression “very unique”. “Unique” is an absolute, they’d say, with no degrees of relativity. Well, having spent an hour in the delightful company of Ana Laila Hagen, I beg to differ. “Very unique” is the perfect way to describe her…

Andrew Morris

In our younger years, our dreams of what we’ll do when we grow up can vary wildly. Firefighter? Astronaut? Sports star? Or perhaps increasingly these days, the most common aspiration is merely to be famous…

Now picture a young Bart Roelands growing up in the southern region of the Netherlands, not far from Eindhoven, feasting on TV series featuring famous lawyers such as Perry Mason or Matlock, and planning to follow in their footsteps, valiantly convincing judges with the sheer force of their arguments. Or alternatively reading One Hercule Poirot novel after another (in English, if you please), being transfixed by David Suchet’s definitive onscreen performances, and harbouring hopes of one day being a great detective.

Andrew Morris

Some translators are born into cosmopolitan, international households. Others have linguistic aptitude in their genes because of a long family history of learning and speaking foreign tongues, along with copious amounts of travel and exposure throughout their childhood and adolescence… and still others appear out of nowhere, landing like alien beings in a family with neither an interest in nor a history of languages, inexplicably showing up with the language gene. And not only that, but going on to make a living out of it.

Andrew Morris

ProZ.com and other translation workplaces have been created based on the premise that translators will be willing to cooperate if given the appropriate tools and opportunities. At ProZ.com, there are several areas where you can establish relationships with colleagues and potential clients and share experiences:

Mike Donlin

For some of us it’s the first magical encounter with an exotic culture on a childhood holiday, or an (imaginary) love affair with a faraway star singing in a foreign language, but for the young Simon Barnes, it was the quiet presence at home of his father’s French and German books that provided the first gateway to a new world. There can’t have been many shelves lined with such books in the small Leicestershire town of Market Bosworth (the scene of a defining battle in a civil war that marked England’s history), but then again his father had started out as a French and German teacher, before leaving to work for Rolls Royce.

Andrew Morris

Like a trail of breadcrumbs in a fairytale, we can trace Elke Fehling’s love for languages all the way back through the decades. Her mother, who had been an au pair, was keen for her daughters to learn to speak other languages, so she encouraged them to watch Sesame Street from a young age (in English with German subtitles, which the 4-year-old Elke couldn’t read). Along with family trips to Italy and Spain, that early exposure sowed the seeds and inspired a sense of the magical properties of foreign languages.

Andrew Morris

In some ways, Jonathan Downie’s journey to the prominent position he now occupies within the interpreting industry occurred against the odds. Being born on a working-class council housing estate in the West of Scotland to a father who worked on the country’s railways, and a mother who took on various jobs over the years, didn’t exactly point straight to a degree, a Master’s, a doctorate, and a career in languages, with extensive research work and the publishing of two acclaimed books along the way.

Andrew Morris

The 2021 year-end membership campaign, Stay safe, ended last week. (What? You missed it? Send me a line and we'll figure something out). After three full weeks of intense work, sixteen staff members involved, and great conversations with new and returning members, the largest community of language professionals just got bigger. Thank you, members, once again for your support!

Lucía Leszinsky

Do you tip your hairdresser, taxi driver, lawn mower, or any other small business owner? Most likely, the answer is yes because it has been a cultural expectation to tip these individuals for providing a service. Now that we live in a digital world, do you extend the same courtesy to those providing services behind the screen? 

Mike Donlin

Another fantastic virtual event, dedicated to celebrating 2021’s edition of Giving Tuesday Day at ProZ.com, took place from November 30^th- December 2^nd. It featured over 7 hours of free content, a networking session, and giveaways.

Helen Shepelenko

As a freelancer, you are likely booked out with year-end projects and your own personal events, but maybe it is time to add one more thing to your to-do list -  holiday cards.

Mike Donlin

Are you a freelancer looking for fun and functional gift ideas to share with loved ones this holiday season? When you work from home, there are a number of gifts you can ask for that will aid your freelancing career and make the holiday extra fun! This blog post includes a few favorite categories and ideas to share with you. 

Mike Donlin

When Donika Nasto was growing up in rural Albania, chewing gum was a scarce luxury, and you could only sink your teeth into an orange at New Year. The only bread available tasted so bad it needed toasting to be palatable. And the clothes you wore were likely to be hand-me-downs from older cousins…

Andrew Morris

In the age of digital nomadism, upping sticks and seeking out a new place to live, along with all the novel experiences that go with it, is an option open to all. But perhaps as translators, armed with our language gifts and proven cultural adaptability, we are particularly well-suited to such a choice. We can look at a map, stick a pin in it, and pretty much decide where we want to make our new home. Which is exactly what Emilie Himeur did one fine day. As a French native speaker working from English, she indulged a deeply felt longing to live by the sea, coupled with a need for some sunshine, a beautiful language and a quality approach to life (not to mention an economic context less challenging than those of France or England) … and decided on Genoa.

Andrew Morris