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Presentation for translators who are starting up with tips and suggestions on things to consider.Presented at the Cardiff University Lifelong Learning Centre on the 3rd December
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Starting up as a translator
Th 10 t i t t d i iThe 10 most important decisionsin the life of a new translatorin the life of a new translator
Trinidad Clares Flores MA MITI MCIL NRPSI
QualificationsQ
Which qualifications?Which qualifications?
MA Translation Studies (Cardiff University)MA Translation with Language TechnologyMA Translation with Language Technology (Swansea University)
O li MA T l i (B i l U i i )Online: MA Translation (Bristol University)
Diploma in Translation (Chartered Institute of Li i t )Linguists)
Which qualifications?Which qualifications?Highlights MA Translation MA Translation with MA Translation
Studies (Cardiff) Language Tech. (Swansea) (Bristol)
Classroom/distance Classroom Classroom Distance
Languages All FIGS, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Welsh, Chinese
FIGS, Czech, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese
Translation practice All Languages Advanced Translation module Applied TranslationTranslation practice All Languages Translation Class
Advanced Translation module Applied Translationmodule
CAT tools Introduction to SDL Trados & Dejà Vù (4 h
Language Technology (SDL Trados) (22 h)
Computer‐Aided TranslationTrados & Dejà Vù (4 h
each)Trados) (22 h) Translation
Specialisedmodules
Literary TranslationScientific & Technical
Language Technology: (DéjàVu Star Transit Passolo
Introduction to specialised translationmodules Scientific & Technical
Medical & Pharmac.Politics & LawBusiness & Admon
Vu, Star Transit, Passolo, Systran)Terminology Management, Interpreting, Placement
specialised translation (legal, literary, commercial, social sciences, science and
SubtitlingTranslation in the Arts
technology)
In‐house or freelance
In houseIn‐house
Advantages Disadvantages‐Stability ‐Less freedom‐Stability ‐Less freedom‐Peers ‐Lower earnings‐Career progression ‐Less controlMore support More hierarchy‐More support ‐More hierarchy‐More guidance ‐̏Office politics”
FreelanceFreelance
Advantages Disadvantages‐More freedom ‐Lack of stability‐More freedom ‐Lack of stability‐Higher earnings ‐Isolation‐Higher control ‐No peersMore flexibility More expenses‐More flexibility ‐More expenses‐Can work anywhere ‐Need more discipline
Questions to ask yourselfQuestions to ask yourself
Do I consider myself a business person?Do I like working on my own? (“Jelly” days)Do I like working on my own? ( Jelly days)Do I mind having to do my own sales, marketing, i i i d di l llinvoicing and credit control as well as my own translation work?
Am I technically self‐sufficient?C I ith th t i t f th f tCan I cope with the uncertainty of the feast v. famine scenario?
ITI Survey ResultsITI Survey Results
h ki d f ?What kind of an entrepreneur are you?‘Inevitable’ entrepreneur: 8%p‘Natural’ entrepreneur: 20%‘Enforced’ entrepreneur: 5%Enforced entrepreneur: 5%‘Accidental’ entrepreneur: 18%‘I don’t see myself as an entrepreneur at all – I’m just a professional’: 49%j p
“Weathering the storms and broadening our horizons”, Janet Frasier and Mi h l G ld ITI C f 2011Michael Gold, ITI Conference 2011
If you want to start a freelance careerIf you want to start a freelance career
a) Take out a loan (help from partner/family)a) Take out a loan (help from partner/family)b) Work part‐timec) Don’t leave your job until you have enough of
a workloadd) Don’t expect your business to take off
t i htstraight away
Professional Associations
Professional AssociationsProfessional Associations
h h ld j i ?Why should I join one?• Training/CPDg• Peer support• Know what’s happening• Know what s happening• Networking• Get work• Other services: credit‐check legal adviceOther services: credit check, legal advice, discounted products and services
Which one?Which one?
ITI CIOLEntry requirements Qualifications,
exam/sample of work, experience
Qualifications, experience
experience
Member categories Qualified, Associate, PCI, Student, Corporate
Fellow, Member, Associate,Student
Specific groups Regional, Language, Subject
Translation, interpreting, language
F t l t O i t ti CFor new translators Orientation CourseProfessional Support Group
Training Translation Workshop Translation Division events
Fora LinkedIn, website LinkedIn, own Yahoo groupFora LinkedIn, website LinkedIn, own Yahoo group for trans, int.
Access to Credit Safe Yes No
PI Insurance Yes Yes
Self‐certification seals Yes No
Which equipment?q p
Equipment: hardwareEquipment: hardware
DesktopLaptopLaptopNotebookTablet
Equipment: hardwareEquipment: hardware
PriceComfortComfortFeaturesPortability
Hardware tipsHardware tips
Spend as much as necessary, you won’t regret itgGet an extended guarantee, it can be a life saversaverIf you only work on a laptop, get a good size screen (at least 16 inches)
Hardware tipsHardware tips
Make sure the keyboard is a full‐size one or a buy a separate oney p
Hardware tipsHardware tips
Appropriate desk and chair (better with footrest))Home Broadband & mobile Internet connectionconnectionQuiet area used exclusively for workGood All‐in‐one printer/copier/scanner/fax machinemachine
SoftwareSoftware
or
Check out Valeria Aliperta’s article on the latest ITI Bulletin on all things Apple!latest ITI Bulletin on all things Apple!
Windows v Mac for CAT ToolsWindows v. Mac for CAT Tools
• CAT tools available for Mac OS X:– Wordfast Pro
VMW P ll l D kt /B t C• VMWare or Parallels Desktop/Boot Camp:– MemoQ (fully supported)– Déjà Vu (not supported)– SDL Trados Studio 2011 (Windows Office versionSDL Trados Studio 2011 (Windows Office version needed for preview option)
S ftSoftware• Microsoft Office•CAT tool•Terminology processing tools (Xbench, Multiterm)Terminology processing tools (Xbench, Multiterm)•DTP program (Adobe Acrobat)Oth t l i i OCR (Abb Fi R d )•Other tools: unzipping, OCR (Abby Fine Reader), Search (S&R, Google Desktop)•Cloud storage software (Dropbox, Box.net, iCloud, etc.)•Dictionaries (Routledge technical, Oxford bilingual and monolingual)•Dragon Naturally SpeakingDragon Naturally Speaking•Instant Messaging program (Skype, MSN, etc.)
Apps for iPadApps for iPad
What about CAT tools?
CAT Tools: Friend or Foe?CAT Tools: Friend or Foe?
Advantages:‐Higher consistency and quality of the translationg y q y‐No need to repeat work: all translations are storedHigher productivity‐Higher productivity‐Allows you to work in more formats
Disadvantages:‐Can slow you down if not comfortableCan slow you down if not comfortable‐Lower rates if working with agencies
CAT Tools: which one to buyCAT Tools: which one to buy
What should I take into account:• What my clients requestWhat my clients request• Features (standard file formats: .sdlxliff, TM,
l d ibili i h )glossary and compatibility with .ttx)• Learning curveg• Availability of resources• Price
FeaturesComparison
SDL TradosStudio Starter
SDL T Studio Freelance
MemoQ Déjà Vu X2 Prof.
WordfastPro
TM size 5000 units Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited 1,000,000
Multiple TMs No Yes Yes Yes (5) Yes
Multiple glossaries No Yes Yes Yes (5) Yes
Create project No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Real‐time preview Yes Yes Yes Yes (.rtf) Yes
Machine Translation Yes 3 MT engines Google MT Plug‐in
GoogleTranslate
AutomatedPlug in Translate
Term extraction SDL MultitermExtract 2011*
SDL MultitermExtract 2011*
Yes BuildLexicon
? Manual
Statistics No Yes Yes Yes YesStatistics No Yes Yes Yes Yes
PDF files Support Yes Yes No No Yes
Autopropagate Yes Yes Yes Yes YesAutopropagate Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Price €99/year €845 €620 €690 €350
Alignment tool Yes Yes Integrated Yes Integrated
File formats Sdlxliff, ttx, itd,inx, icml, xml, pdf, resx, xtg
Sdlxliff, ttx, itd,inx, icml, xml, pdf, resx, xtg
Xliff, .ttx, .inx, .mif,.xml, .pdf
sdlxliff, .ttx, .xml, .inx…
.inx, .pdf, .mf,
.ttx
Translation Memories Survey 2006Translation Memories Survey 2006
Imperial College London:‐Around 80% translation professionals use TMAround 80% translation professionals use TM‐Most‐widely used tool: TRADOS (51% + 24%)‐Highest rating: Déjà Vu‐Less than 2% of respondents used MemoQLess than 2% of respondents used MemoQ
http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.imperial.ac.uk%2Fportal%2Fpls%2Fportallive%2Fdocs%2F1%2F7307707.PDF&date=2009‐09‐18
CAT Tools: types of matchesCAT Tools: types of matches
• New words• Low fuzzy matches (up to 84%)• High fuzzy matches (85‐99%)• 100% matches• 100% matches• Repetitions
• 101% /Perfect matches/ICE matches (context)• “Internal matches”• “Leveraged” wordsLeveraged words• Post‐editing
Should I specialise?p
Absolutely!Absolutely!
‐Key to professional sector‐Less competitionLess competition‐Higher rates‐Increase your professional self‐esteem
Industrial v professional sectorIndustrial v. professional sector
I d t i l P f i lIndustrial Professional‐Fast turnaround ‐Highly specialised‐High volumes ‐Professional profile‐Low rates ‐Direct contact‐Intensive use of technology ‐Technology as aid‐Imposed conditions ‐Negotiated conditions‐Translators as commodity ‐Translator as valued‐Impersonal mass offers partnerp p‐Translators bear exchange ‐Translator as linguisticrate costs “consultant”rate costs consultant
Examples of industrial sectorExamples of industrial sector• http://nopeanuts wordpress com/resistance/llorens/http://nopeanuts.wordpress.com/resistance/llorens/: charge for using their own tool “Translation Workspace”Workspace
“ ” d b• “Requests” to reduce your rates by 5%
• No payment for 100% matches and repetitions
• http://nopeanuts.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/mega‐mills/
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are looking for a long term commitment with a freelance for our different projects, b d t l ti diti / f di di t i ti i t t ti ibased on translation, editing/proofreading, audio transcription, interpretation, voice cover, copyright, DTP etc.
Current project details:p jLanguage: Italian>EnglishSubject: TechDeadline: November 30th, by 5:00PM GMT+1
Volume / Length: 10 000 words (It is a part of a project of 100 000 words)Rate: 0.035 EUR/word, please consider the amount of work.We need partial deliveries every day.p y yTRADOS is required.Target lang. should be your native one. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOWMUCH CAN YOU TAKE.
Would appreciate if you could send us some details about your work as it follows:1. A link to proz profile (for easy tracking)2. Your CV3. Indicate the rates you operate for:• Translation• Editing / Proofreading4 Contact information (phone numbers hours to be contacted) required4. Contact information (phone numbers, hours to be contacted) required.Let us know if further collaboration is possible.Best regards,
How?How?
St d i f d i h bj t• Studying for a degree in your chosen subject• Attending short specialised courses• Watching webinars:
– 6th December ‐ Getting Started with Telephone I t tiInterpreting
– 1st February – Specialising in Medical Translation9th F b Ch i t f T l t– 9th February – Chemistry for Translators
• Reading journals and related literatureV l i k i i li d bj• Volunteering to work in your specialised subject (NGOs, charities, etc.)
How much should I charge?charge?
The $64,000 question!
Types of workTypes of workDo we know what we are talking about?Do we know what we are talking about?
o TranslationP f di /R i i / i i /Editio Proofreading/Reviewing/revising/Editing
o Transcription/Voice‐overo Transcreationo DTPoo LocalisationTestingo Testing
o Interpreting (consecutive, simultaneous, whispered, )telephone, etc.)
Types of chargesTypes of charges• Rate per word/thousand wordsp /• Rate per character, cartella, etc.• Hourly rate• Hourly rate
• Proofreading/reviewing/editing*• Special jobs: localisation (translation+resizing), testing, transcription, etc.
• Minimum chargeg• Weekend and urgent work
When deciding your rate, take intoaccount..
!• Taxes!• Expensesp• Holiday pay• Sick pay• Sick pay• Pension contributions• CPD• Slack timeSlack time• Admin time
How do I calculate my rate?How do I calculate my rate?Daily outputDaily output
2000‐2500 words/day2500 words/8 hours = 312,50 words/h
Hourly rateHourly rateTo earn £20 per hour: (equivalent to £28,800/year)
Word rate£20/312,5 words = £0,064 per word/£64/1000 w£20/312,5 words £0,064 per word/£64/1000 w£30/312,5 words = £0,096 per word/£96/1000 w
CalcProCalcPro
• http://www.asetrad.org/pdfs/CalPro_v1.3_(EN‐GB).xls
• To help us determine how much we need to charge depending on how much we want tocharge depending on how much we want to earn
Other information to help usOther information to help us
• Bear in mind language combination, specialised field, countryp y
• Check rates published by professional associations (i e recent survey by ITI/CIoL)associations (i.e. recent survey by ITI/CIoL)
• Most importantly… talk to other experienced translators
Should I give volume discounts?Should I give volume discounts?
Author: Alejandro Moreno Ramos (http://mox ingenierotraductor com/p/author html)(http://mox.ingenierotraductor.com/p/author.html)
Is competing on price good?Is competing on price good?
I’m a novice I should charge lessI m a novice, I should charge lessIf you accept a lower rate, the client won’t pay the y p , p y
higher rate of experienced translators and everybody will losey y
Once set it’s very difficult to increase your rate withOnce set, it s very difficult to increase your rate with an existing client
Novice translator + reviewer = same quality as i d t l texperienced translatorhttp://nopeanuts.wordpress.com/
How do I promote myselfp y
How do I promote myself?How do I promote myself?
f i l i i1. Professional associations2. Translators’ fora3. Translators’ directories4 Social media4. Social media5. Powwows or other translators’
hgatherings6. Training and other eventsg7. Specialist fora and events
2 Translators’ Fora2. Translators Fora
P f i l A i ti T N t ( l CI L• Professional Associations: TransNet (general CIoLforum for translators), InterpNet, etc.
• Technical fora TW users WF Pro dejavu I• Technical fora: TW_users, WF_Pro, dejavu_I, memoQ
• Language specific: Traducción en España• Language‐specific: Traducción en España, Apuntes, Asetrad, SpanNet (ITI)
• Specialised: iJurado PS interpreters Wales• Specialised: iJurado, PS_interpreters_Wales, Medtrad
• Jobs adverts: Jobs‐translators tr‐jobs InfotradJobs adverts: Jobs translators, tr jobs, Infotrad• Payment: http://www.paymentpractices.net
3 Translators’ directories3. Translators directories
• www.Proz.com• www.aquarius.netwww.aquarius.net• www.translatorscafe.com• www.trally.com• www translatorsbase comwww.translatorsbase.com• www.traduguide.com• www.bewords.com, www.mytranslation.com, www.bookinterpreter.com,
www.interpretersportal.com,
Advantages DisadvantagesJob offers Strong competitionExposure “Cattle market” approachBlue Board Low quality offersPowwows Pay per servicesPowwows Pay‐per‐servicesKudoZ Limited ability to commentTranslators forums Commercial company profits from p y p
translatorsTraining events Perpetuates translator as “commodity”G b P l f li i iGroup buys Perpetuates culture of clients setting prices
4 Social Media4. Social Media
• #l8 #i10n, #ITItranslators, #ITIconf, #IntJC
• ITI, CIoL, Freelance Translators & Interpreters N k T l i i b d iNetwork, Translation agencies bad practices, Translation Professionals
• Aiic interpreters AsetradAiic interpreters, Asetrad • Blogs, own website
LinkedInLinkedIn
There’s something about translationThere s something about translation
A Pragmatic Eye (Charlie Bavington)A Pragmatic Eye (Charlie Bavington)
Translation Times: Judy & Dagmar JennerTranslation Times: Judy & Dagmar Jenner
5. Powwows and translatorsgatherings
77
6 Training and other events6. Training and other events10th D b C t t T i l d L d Ci il10th December: Contract Terminology and Law, and Civil Liability by Lexacom English Law Courses, London10th December: Translating Business Film material, Aston g ,University, Birmingham (ITI)21st January: NWTN Boost your Business Day, Manchester (business planning marketing sales negotiation and(business planning, marketing, sales negotiation and assertiveness) (ITI)24th January: webinar “Choosing your market” (ITI via y g y (eCPD Ltd.)13th February: LRG Pricing WorkshopF bi “Q lit CPD b d t”Free webinar: “Quality CPD on a budget”http://www.ecpdwebinars.co.uk/cpd_on_a_budget.html
7 Specialist fora and events7. Specialist fora and events
• Chambers of commerce• Trade fairsTrade fairs• Professional Associations• Conferences & professional events
How to break the vicious circleHow to break the vicious circle
No workNo No workexperience
Test: to do them or not to do them?do them?
TestsTests
Reasons to do them:Prove your knowledgey gProve you can follow instructionsProve your technical skillsProve your technical skills
X Reasons not do them:X A sample can show my workX The client is just following bureocratic processX The client is just following bureocratic processX I have qualifications and experience
TestsTests
Should they be paid?If very specific requirements from existing clienty p q gIf required by a specific timeframeUnusually long (more than 300 words)Unusually long (more than 300 words)
X We consider them a marketing toolX We are confident that they will lead to paid worky p
Where to look for help?p
Where to look for helpWhere to look for help
• ITI’s Orientation Course• Books published by experienced translatorsBooks published by experienced translators• Fora• Translators’ blogs• ColleaguesColleagues• Webinars
Books
h i l i i
Books
The Entrepreneurial Linguist(Judy and Dagmar Jenner)
(Chris Durbam)
WebinarsWebinars
– “Quality CPD on a budget” (http://www.ecpdwebinars.co.uk/cpd_on_a_budget.html)
“A l i f j b ff i f l ”– “Applying for job offers: top tips for translators”(http://ecpdwebinars.blogspot.com/2011/11/applying‐for‐job‐offers‐top‐tips‐for html?spref=tw)offers‐top‐tips‐for.html?spref=tw)
Other resourcesOther resources
• Fire Ant and Woker Bee http://translationjournal.net/journal/56fawb.htmp j j
Th T l ’ T l B• The Translator’s Tool Box: A computer primer for translatorshttp://www.internationalwriters.com/toolbox/
What to do if I don’t have work?work?
Feast v FamineFeast v. Famine‐Update/improve your CV
d /i b i ( )‐Update/improve your website (or create one)‐Update your social media sites‐Learn more features of CAT tools‐Get more software and learn to use itGet more software and learn to use it‐Learn more about a subject you are interested in (it could be a new specialised field)could be a new specialised field)
‐Learn/improve another language‐Send your CV to existing clients‐Send your CV to new targeted clientsy g‐Catch up on translators’ directories, fora and blogs
And enjoy yourself!And enjoy yourself!
[email protected]@trinidadclares.comSkype: tclares
Twitter: trini.clares