Hi everyone,

First and foremost a massive thank you to our professional translators, Lisa Simpson, Cari Bottois, Alison Exley and Cathy Dobson, for giving up their time last week to present a really interesting roundtable on the field of translation. For anyone who wasn’t able to make it, the ladies talked through their careers and how they came to be translators, before going on to answer specific questions about the field. Some key points which arose were:

• The importance of research – thorough research is key to a successful translation
• Freelance translating vs. working for a translation agency (there was an interesting discussion about how Freelance offers more independence, but that it can be difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance at times)
• Specialising in certain areas (law, business and finance were highlighted as being particularly desirable)
• How to charge for a translation –  to charge per word or per hour taken to complete it. The pros and cons of each method were discussed, as well as the possibility of factoring in the cost of a proof-reader.

Here’s a reminder or their websites and resources, should you wish to use them as a reference point for your presentations or for your own information:

Lisa’s translation website: decipherit.net

Cari’s Charity Translators’ Facebook page

Alison’s translation website: ae-translations.de

Cathy’s translation website: http://www.frenchintoenglish.co.uk/

(There are also still some copies of the ITI Bulletin available at the FLC, containing useful information which could be beneficial to your projects)

If the event has inspired you to pursue a career in translation you may want to take a look at the Exeter MA Translation page: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/languages/translation

Hopefully the event has given you all plenty of food for thought ahead of your presentations on Wednesday 18th March.

Best of luck!

Sophie

P.S. Here are some pictures of the event!