As previously written in the article on CPD, taking advantage of opportunities to actively develop your professional skills can only be beneficial. With this in mind, at the end of May this year, I bravely took a step out of my comfort zone and signed myself up to the “Interpreting the Future” conference, organized by the BDÜ and held on 28-30 September at the Freie Universität in Berlin.
This was the first translation conference I had attended and after looking over the conference programme and pondering the various seminars and talks on offer, I was very much looking forward to getting stuck into the weekend. I chose to attend seminars and workshops which focussed on areas I specifically work in or often come into contact with, as well as a lecture on how to market yourself as a translator.
The conference was kicked off with an opening session which included a keynote speech by the German Minister of Education and Research, Professor Annette Schavan. Professor Schavan emphasised the need for and perception of translators and interpreters as communicators of culture, not just as a means of getting from language A to B. Besides this, she also touched on the much debated topic of the expectancy of politicians from different countries to be able to communicate in English, quite rightly commenting that this is not the way forward – how can two people be expected to discuss matters of such importance in a language which neither of them fully master? Translators and interpreters are essential in bridging this gap.
The conference was made up of a number of sessions which covered a wide and diverse spectrum of topics and ensured there was something on offer for everyone. Some were aimed at giving a broader overview of a specific subject area, for example a workshop I attended on mergers and acquisitions. Being an area that is often touched upon in other translations, rather than a field I specifically work in, I had prepared myself in advance by reading around the topic online. This meant that I could go into the workshop with a rough idea of the various types of mergers and acquisitions, and with a basic knowledge of the situations in which M&As take place. The presentation was well-structured; the speaker was extremely knowledgeable; and the information was well-received by all participants, regardless of their experience in the field.
By contrast, another session I attended was a medical seminar, part of which was very much focussed on the translation of one specific document type – the “benefit dossier” or “Nutzendossier” which is provided by a drug’s manufacturer and used to document the benefits of a new drug. This talk was extremely useful in giving a more detailed account of what to expect if asked to translate such a document.
The session that proved to be my personal highlight of the conference was entitled “Marketing for translators and interpreters”. The three speakers each competently addressed a slightly different aspect of marketing and were very open in their talks and subsequent discussions. Practical topics were presented, such as how to make yourself stand out on the market; how to set your prices; how to know what to charge; how to cope when work’s running thin; and how to acquire direct clients. This gave a lot of food for thought in terms of how translators and interpreters (should) see themselves as a brand or a business.
All in all, the conference proved to be very beneficial. Not only did it provide an opportunity to clearly gain a great deal of knowledge, but it also allowed participants to meet other like-minded professionals, exchange experiences, and come away with plenty of thoughts on how to enhance both their translation and business skills.
This was the first translation conference I had attended and after looking over the conference programme and pondering the various seminars and talks on offer, I was very much looking forward to getting stuck into the weekend. I chose to attend seminars and workshops which focussed on areas I specifically work in or often come into contact with, as well as a lecture on how to market yourself as a translator.
The conference was kicked off with an opening session which included a keynote speech by the German Minister of Education and Research, Professor Annette Schavan. Professor Schavan emphasised the need for and perception of translators and interpreters as communicators of culture, not just as a means of getting from language A to B. Besides this, she also touched on the much debated topic of the expectancy of politicians from different countries to be able to communicate in English, quite rightly commenting that this is not the way forward – how can two people be expected to discuss matters of such importance in a language which neither of them fully master? Translators and interpreters are essential in bridging this gap.
The conference was made up of a number of sessions which covered a wide and diverse spectrum of topics and ensured there was something on offer for everyone. Some were aimed at giving a broader overview of a specific subject area, for example a workshop I attended on mergers and acquisitions. Being an area that is often touched upon in other translations, rather than a field I specifically work in, I had prepared myself in advance by reading around the topic online. This meant that I could go into the workshop with a rough idea of the various types of mergers and acquisitions, and with a basic knowledge of the situations in which M&As take place. The presentation was well-structured; the speaker was extremely knowledgeable; and the information was well-received by all participants, regardless of their experience in the field.
By contrast, another session I attended was a medical seminar, part of which was very much focussed on the translation of one specific document type – the “benefit dossier” or “Nutzendossier” which is provided by a drug’s manufacturer and used to document the benefits of a new drug. This talk was extremely useful in giving a more detailed account of what to expect if asked to translate such a document.
The session that proved to be my personal highlight of the conference was entitled “Marketing for translators and interpreters”. The three speakers each competently addressed a slightly different aspect of marketing and were very open in their talks and subsequent discussions. Practical topics were presented, such as how to make yourself stand out on the market; how to set your prices; how to know what to charge; how to cope when work’s running thin; and how to acquire direct clients. This gave a lot of food for thought in terms of how translators and interpreters (should) see themselves as a brand or a business.
All in all, the conference proved to be very beneficial. Not only did it provide an opportunity to clearly gain a great deal of knowledge, but it also allowed participants to meet other like-minded professionals, exchange experiences, and come away with plenty of thoughts on how to enhance both their translation and business skills.
Preparing to attend an industry conference
Read through the conference information
At the very least, you should prepare yourself for a conference by making sure you go over the available material released beforehand, be it a website or emails sent specifically to prepare attendees. Not only will this provide information on the conference content, but will also cover essentials such as what time and where you have to register by, directions to specific buildings, forms of public transport, parking facilities, etc. One thing I found useful in my role a project manager was that the BDÜ had compiled a list of attendees on a password-protected section of their website, which had been set up especially for attendees. This allowed me to meet up with a couple of translators who have spent many years working for my translation office and finally put faces to names!
Research specific topics
Even if you have signed up to “introductory” sessions as I did by signing up to the M&A seminar, you should still ensure that you have a very basic understanding of the topic. With the wealth of quality information available on the internet, there really is no excuse for going into a session completely unprepared. Investing a couple of hours in advance will go a long way to you understanding and following the discussion, thus considerably improving your own knowledge of the topic.
Dress for the occasion
The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” exists for a reason. All too often we let our first impressions influence our perception of people, especially in environments where you might only have a minute or two to speak to colleagues, industry professionals and possible future clients. A couple of speakers mentioned that having a good “elevator pitch” will help you be remembered by others. Similarly, heading to a professional event looking like you’ve been dragged through a bush might not do you any favours!
Business cards
When you’re at the start of your career, you might not have really given much thought to having business cards designed; however, having professional business cards to hand is hugely important and useful when networking and is something that has certainly now been bumped up my own to-do list! Admittedly it has been on there a while, but while you are still “finding yourself” as a translator (figuring out your specialisms, creating your own corporate identity as a service provider) it is very easy to put this off. However, having cards which simply state that you are a translator from X into Y languages, together with a telephone number, email address and website if you have one, will suffice in terms of giving very basic information and is a very easy yet worthwhile way of making yourself more accessible. Note to all – printing your own on supermarket-bought card the night before a conference may be a step in the right direction, but pulling these out of your bag in exchange for professional cards might get a little embarrassing… cutting in straight lines is an acquired skill!
Read through the conference information
At the very least, you should prepare yourself for a conference by making sure you go over the available material released beforehand, be it a website or emails sent specifically to prepare attendees. Not only will this provide information on the conference content, but will also cover essentials such as what time and where you have to register by, directions to specific buildings, forms of public transport, parking facilities, etc. One thing I found useful in my role a project manager was that the BDÜ had compiled a list of attendees on a password-protected section of their website, which had been set up especially for attendees. This allowed me to meet up with a couple of translators who have spent many years working for my translation office and finally put faces to names!
Research specific topics
Even if you have signed up to “introductory” sessions as I did by signing up to the M&A seminar, you should still ensure that you have a very basic understanding of the topic. With the wealth of quality information available on the internet, there really is no excuse for going into a session completely unprepared. Investing a couple of hours in advance will go a long way to you understanding and following the discussion, thus considerably improving your own knowledge of the topic.
Dress for the occasion
The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” exists for a reason. All too often we let our first impressions influence our perception of people, especially in environments where you might only have a minute or two to speak to colleagues, industry professionals and possible future clients. A couple of speakers mentioned that having a good “elevator pitch” will help you be remembered by others. Similarly, heading to a professional event looking like you’ve been dragged through a bush might not do you any favours!
Business cards
When you’re at the start of your career, you might not have really given much thought to having business cards designed; however, having professional business cards to hand is hugely important and useful when networking and is something that has certainly now been bumped up my own to-do list! Admittedly it has been on there a while, but while you are still “finding yourself” as a translator (figuring out your specialisms, creating your own corporate identity as a service provider) it is very easy to put this off. However, having cards which simply state that you are a translator from X into Y languages, together with a telephone number, email address and website if you have one, will suffice in terms of giving very basic information and is a very easy yet worthwhile way of making yourself more accessible. Note to all – printing your own on supermarket-bought card the night before a conference may be a step in the right direction, but pulling these out of your bag in exchange for professional cards might get a little embarrassing… cutting in straight lines is an acquired skill!
Going back over my notepad…
Over the weekend there were definitely a few tips and snippets of information that emerged as recurring themes or were simply good pieces of advice. Here are a few tips I noted down:
Over the weekend there were definitely a few tips and snippets of information that emerged as recurring themes or were simply good pieces of advice. Here are a few tips I noted down:
- If you’re translating a press release, always translate the title last: you’ll have a much better feel for the article and the message it wishes to convey.
- When proofing work, it helps to put the text in a different font and then print it out. This makes it feel like you’re reading a new text, and not the same one for the umpteenth time.
- Develop an “elevator pitch” for when someone asks what you do, you never know if you are speaking to a potential client. Get creative: telling someone you’re a translator from A language into B language specialising in XXX is absolutely fine, but see if you can think of something that will make you stand out from the crowd.
- Keep online profiles polished and updated.
- Speak to clients in their own language.
- Be as passionate about the text/industry as the client. This means doing your homework, reading the same industry news as the client, etc.
- Don’t be a slave to CAT tools. Some texts are more approachable when you see the bigger picture, for example in terms of playing with sentence structure in a complex paragraph. CAT tools can sometimes be more restrictive than helpful.
- Localisation doesn’t just apply to website translation, but could also be applicable to weights and measure, temperature units, names, currencies, and even pictures. Imagine a photo of someone opening their window – does this swing inwards or outwards in the TL culture, and which side is hinged? Getting this wrong could make the text feel more foreign than if pictures relevant to the TL culture were inserted into the TT. Of course these aspects, and many of those mentioned above, should be discussed with the client.
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