Five top tips for excellence in translation.

1)   Google as much as possible: don’t focus merely on the linguistic aspect, but also verify the content of the text. The client will be delighted to know you’ve actually done your research. Don’t hesitate to point out errors or question the information provided. A good translator takes his time to immerse himself in the subject. Needless to say you should always be subtle when informing the client of inconsistencies. After all, no one likes to be corrected and criticised.

2)   Ask a second translator to proofread your text. I know it may sound time-consuming and it may require additional (financial) resources, but in the long run it pays to have someone – preferably a translator – proofread your texts, at least when you’re dealing with large volumes. Remember that unfortunately very few translation agencies actually proofread all translations, so errors can end up costing you dearly.

3)   Take your time. Sure, the more translations you accept, the more money you make, but don’t overdo it. Ideally, you should finish a translation, close the document and re-read it after half an hour or so (or better even, the following morning). I guarantee you'll find typos and discrepancies you missed the first time around.

4)   Build up a network of translator friends and enlist their help whenever you need it. The world of translation is a tough sector where everyone wants a slice of the cake, but translators do realise they sometimes need each other’s help. Set your pride aside and just ask. Social media – Twitter in particular – has opened up so many possibilities, all just a click away!

5)   Your job is done once you’ve sent your work to the client, unless there are complaints and/or queries on his part. Don’t forget that your way of communicating with the client is just as important as the translation itself. Don’t just write “Here you go”. Show that you’ve put some effort into writing your e-mail. A brief, sloppy message doesn’t leave a good impression.

And of course, be passionate about what you do. I can’t stress this enough. If your heart is not in it, the quality of your work will be affected, so don't accept any assignments just for the sake of it. If you're not good at translating contracts, don't even bother. Focus on your field of expertise.

Au boulot!

Social media & friendship.

 Friends can now be divided into ten distinct categories: 

1) The ones you actually meet on a regular basis, who know your profile picture was photoshopped and you never read books – it just sounds intellectual to add it to your hobbies.
2) The ones who like every single one of your photos, but don’t even know what you look like in real life. They are usually the ones who also like their own photos and statuses. Cringeworthy.
3) The ones who buy eggs from your Facebook farm (or something of the sort), but wouldn’t be able to pick them up if they were real, because they have no idea on which continent you live.

4) The ones who offer you a virtual shoulder to cry on when you’ve gone from Engaged to Single, but are secretly googling the ex hoping he’s free tomorrow night.

5) The ones who pretend not to know you when they see you at the supermarket because you’re only good enough to get their follower count up.

6) The ones who tag you in drunken photos, then tweet them to your boss “by mistake”.

7) The ones who add you as a friend because you’re the third cousin of their best friend’s wife.

8) The ones who send you twenty invitations to play Bouncing Balls, but don’t invite you to their birthday bash.

9) The ones who haven’t seen you in ten years, add you as a friend and expect you to invite them to your holiday home.

10) And finally the ones who are total strangers, but thought you looked familiar.

Do you Twitter, I mean tweet?

Again, one of those brand-names-turned-verb à la Google. I can’t help but find this odd. The same goes for nouns. I hate it when people say Kleenex instead of handkerchief or tissue. My vacuum cleaner is not a Hoover. And if you cut yourself while chopping onions in my kitchen, I refuse to give you a Band-Aid. Ask me for a plaster instead.

Hubby-to-be and I went out for dinner with some friends last week, the day I registered on Twitter. I wasn’t really familiar with the terminology – hashtags and Follow Fridays, even now that’s all I know – and I was blissfully unaware of the fact that Twitter has coined its own verb – to tweet. I figured something was not right because as I was rambling about twittering (capital letter?) this and that, my friends’ smiles changed into little smirks. Oh right, you don’t twitter, you tweet…

It’s a bit of a strange tool isn’t it? It took me a few days to get the hang of it. And what’s with all the spamming? Every time I see my followers increase I get really excited. Until it dawns on me that most of them have no idea who I am and what I do. And their names – for some reason always alliterations – sound so silly they can’t be taken seriously. Block. Block. Block. And I’m left with the 30 followers I had two days ago. Sigh.

And what do you tweet about anyway? Do your followers really care what you’re having for breakfast? Probably not, unless you’re Kim Kardashian, but sending out a tweet every few hours increases your visibility. And that’s what it’s all about. It makes me wonder, what is it with our society and being seen? Why do we want to share our ups and downs, ins and outs with people we don’t know and create a cyber identity? Why is it so important to post every single milestone – is a work trip to France even a milestone? – on Timeline? To be honest, I don’t know. I have a Facebook account. I have a Twitter account. And I have this blog. Don’t ask me what I want to achieve by being a member of these “online communities”. I don't even think I actually want to achieve anything. My Facebook account connects me with friends, although admittedly many of them I hardly ever meet. My Twitter account is more of a professional tool to exchange thoughts and ideas. This blog is my creative outlet. Nothing more than that. If I can make one reader smile, think... or both, I’ve accomplished my goal. There you have it, I do have a goal.