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The Savvy Newcomer aims to serve newcomers to the translation and interpreting professions by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed content on a weekly basis. We strive to provide you with the answers to the many questions you face as a new or aspiring translator or interpreter.

Cultivating Connection: 8 Tips for Interpreters and Translators to Tackle Loneliness

By The Savvy Newcomer | February 6, 2024
Cultivating Connection: 8 Tips for Interpreters and Translators to Tackle Loneliness

This post was originally published on KGH Interpretation. It is reposted with permission.  In 2022 I facilitated a session of the Language Access Café at the NCIHC Annual Membership Meeting and was asked to speak about interpreter self-care. Prior to the meeting, I decided to do an informal survey of medical interpreters asking them some questions about their mental health. I wanted to have a little bit of data that would clue me in on some of the issues interpreters were facing. While most of the results I shared during the AMM focused on stressors and supports, I also briefly shared…

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Keep Track of Your Translation Time

By The Savvy Newcomer | January 23, 2024
Keep Track of Your Translation Time

This post was originally published on Zsuzsanna Jakab’s LinkedIn. It is reposted with permission.  Hot Tip for Translation Students (coming from an ex-student now freelance translator, who’s facepalming, because she didn’t start this habit while doing university assignments) Are you ready? KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TRANSLATION TIME What exactly do I mean by that? Make a spreadsheet with the following columns:…

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Savvy Diversification Series – Advice I Wish I Had Followed on How to Become a Medical Translator

By The Savvy Newcomer | January 9, 2024
Savvy Diversification Series – Advice I Wish I Had Followed on How to Become a Medical Translator

The Savvy Newcomer team has been taking stock of the past year and finding that one key priority for many freelance translators and interpreters has been diversification. Offering multiple services in different sectors or to different clients can help steady us when storms come. Diversification can help us hedge against hard times. With this in mind, we’ve invited a series…

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A Translator’s Value(s) in a Shifting Market

By The Savvy Newcomer | November 14, 2023
A Translator's Value(s) in a Shifting Market

It has to be admitted that the translation marketplace in 2023 is a strange thing to experience. I sometimes imagine that it’s getting stranger by the moment, but I realize that the overreactions to the latest technology and the threats posed by artificial intelligence have to be understood from the perspective of a short history of market upheavals over the…

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The Best Google Search Tips for Translators

By The Savvy Newcomer | October 24, 2023
The Best Google Search Tips for Translators

This post was originally published on Katie L. Ward’s blog. It is reposted with permission.  All translators know that research is one of the key parts of the translation process, but not everyone knows that there are some simple ways of making your Google searches more effective. Below is a list of some Google search tips and strategies that are particularly…

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Conference Countdown: Your Guide to Preparing for Success at ATA64

By The Savvy Newcomer | October 17, 2023
ATA 64th Annual Conference (ATA64)

Less than two weeks remain until ATA’s 64th Annual Conference (ATA64) in Miami! Attending the ATA conference is a fantastic opportunity to connect with industry professionals, gain valuable insights, and broaden your horizons in the world of translation and interpretation. To help you make the most of this event, we’ve compiled a list of eight blog posts from the Savvy…

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What I’ve Learned in 8 Years of Blogging

By The Savvy Newcomer | October 3, 2023
What I’ve Learned in 8 Years of Blogging

This post was originally published on That Interpreter Blog. It is reposted with permission.  When I started this blog in 2012, I was thinking of applying to graduate school, and a friend told me that I should start to develop an online presence to give myself an edge over other applicants. He told me an easy way to do that…

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Linguist in the Spotlight – John Milan

By The Savvy Newcomer | September 26, 2023
Linguist in the Spotlight

There is much to be learned from our colleagues, but it can be intimidating to strike up a conversation with the “pros.” For that reason, we at Savvy have done the work for you in our Linguist in the Spotlight interview series, where we pick the brains of experienced translators and interpreters and bring their stories right to your screen.…

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A Short Guide to Gender Inclusiveness in Italian Translations

By The Savvy Newcomer | September 19, 2023
A Short Guide to Gender Inclusiveness in Italian Translations

This post was originally published at Mirta Boschetti Traduzioni. It is reposted with permission.  Do you wish for your Italian translations to be up-to-date and without fault when it comes to gender inclusiveness? As you might already be aware, nowadays one of the most discussed issues in communication – and therefore translation – is the use of gender-inclusive language. But while marketing content…

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FAQs: Questions I Frequently Ask Clients

By The Savvy Newcomer | September 5, 2023
FAQs- Questions I Frequently Ask Clients

This post was originally published at TAGS-Language Solutions. It is reposted with permission.  Frequently Asked Questions on a website are a great way of addressing any potential doubts without the need for any time-consuming back and forth. But, in my years working as a freelance translator, I’ve found that just as or maybe even more important than the questions that…

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10 Lessons From Kitesurfing That Apply to Life and Business

By The Savvy Newcomer | August 22, 2023
10 Lessons From Kitesurfing That Apply to Life and Business

This post was originally published on Martina Russo’s LinkedIn. It is reposted with permission.  I’ve been learning how to kitesurf recently and these are a few things it’s taught me… 1. When 💩 hits the fan, LEARN TO LET GO… (…of the bar, which is connected to yourself through a harness and to the kite in the air through a…

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