Translator networking

While I was at the ATA Conference in Denver last October, I got to know several people from my local translators' association and promptly became a member. Tonight was the first of their quarterly networking events and of course I had to go. We met at a bakery/cafe in Durham where many of us had dinner (I had a wasabi salmon wrap, which was very reminiscent of a jumbo sushi roll) and got to know each other better. I was pleased to see such a large turnout with multiple languages represented. There were three other German to English translators, all of whom also do other languages into English, particularly Dutch, Russian, and other Slavic languages. The other languages pairs were Spanish <> English, English > Chinese, and Portuguese > English. Overall there were about 15 of us in attendance. It was great hearing about other people's experiences - especially stories about the days of translation before the Internet (and even fax!) when source texts made a long journey around the world by postal mail and translations were hammered out on manual typewriters. Believe it or not - that was only about 30 years ago! How exponentially things change! I am so fortunate to live in such a multicultural area where it is possible to get together with other people in my line of work. In a profession that can, at times, be rather isolated with communication being done almost completely online, it is so important to get together with other translators (where possible) and share our experiences more frequently than just once a year at the annual conference. I had a great time and am already looking forward to the next get-together! For now it's time to call it a night. Gute Nacht!

Departing Denver

The ATA Conference has come to an end and as I sit waiting in Denver Airport at Southwest's ghoulishly decorated gate, I find myself reflecting upon all that I have learned over the last few days. In a profession that can often be somewhat isolating, it was wonderful to get together with like-minded individuals who understand what I do and share the same passion. The networking opportunities were abundant and invaluable, providing opportunities to learn from seasoned professionals who are more than happy to share their experience with the next generation. My to-do list for things I need to do or address once I get back home has already filled a few pages of a notebook and I'm not even done yet. Although I had done quite a bit on my website before coming to the conference, I now have tons of ideas of things I can do to further improve it. In addition to this "fun" blog, I also need to start a professional blog about translating that can be integrated into my website or hosted elsewhere. On the social media front, my wunderbartrans Twitter account needs to become more active with "value-adding content" and I need to be more active on XING and LinkedIn to connect with other translators and potential direct clients. Needless to say, there is a ton to do - all one step at a time. The plane is about to board, so I'll be posting more later. Exciting things are on the horizon - I just know it!