| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: If I could write a chapter in a book on "How to Be a Successful Translator", it would be on: Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Fahd Hassanein 
Türkiye
Local time: 00:01
Member (2009)
English to Arabic
+ ...
| Quality it is.... | Nov 15, 2010 |
I'd write about quality, something I love working and sharing experience on, and also something that matters to everyone in the industry. It is also a key factor to success in positioning oneself in the industry and also in delivering the message that any client seeks to deliver.
[Edited at 2010-11-15 16:07 GMT]
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 23:01
English to French
+ ...
I would ask Xosé Castro Roig to develop the presentation he gave at the Barcelona conference and turn it into a book. Then I would offer to translate it to the best of my ability
[Modifié le 2010-11-16 05:08 GMT]
| | | | | Client education? Forget the book, go for articles & newsletters :-) | Nov 21, 2010 |
Hello,
Interesting thread!
I thoroughly approve of books that help translators to be successful (!), but in my opinion (personal opinion, right?) a book or chapter in a book that targets clients as such is not the way to go.
Why? Because it looks -- and probably is -- too long, too daunting for that target audience.
So if our problem is that most clients don't begin to understand the added value that expert translators bring to the table -- much less the complexity of w... See more Hello,
Interesting thread!
I thoroughly approve of books that help translators to be successful (!), but in my opinion (personal opinion, right?) a book or chapter in a book that targets clients as such is not the way to go.
Why? Because it looks -- and probably is -- too long, too daunting for that target audience.
So if our problem is that most clients don't begin to understand the added value that expert translators bring to the table -- much less the complexity of what linguists do -- they're really not likely to buy a book.
But all is not black (far from it!). In fact, my experience is that even clueless clients(*):
- will download and read shorter documents *written especially for them*, i.e., pointing out how they stand to gain from buying good translations (and lose by buying poor ones, or by not respecting basic good business practices like allowing sufficient time, providing background materials, being available to answer questions, planning a reasonable budget, etc. etc. )
- will read articles that are to the point and *entertaining* -- well-written, with concrete examples, etc. It's important, too, that the tone be right. Far too many existing materials are finger-wagging, lecturing, tedious... And all too often, translators are portrayed as long-suffering/poorly done by. Noble losers -- but losers all the same (because nobody listens to them). Etc. Which is counter-productive, however frustrated the author may feel.
- if possible, client ed materials should run as features *in publications that clients themselves read*, i.e., in a monthly or weekly or quarterly magazine of (say) a professional association of insurance agents/biochem researchers/patent attorneys/derivatives traders. You get the picture. A number of successful translators have produced articles like this and it is encouraging to see how these texts get passed along (ripple effect) in client circles -- picked up and reprinted again and again.
To conclude, some examples:
• How many readers of this thread have seen ATA's relatively new client outreach newsletter, The ATA Compass? It's downloadable for free from the ATA website http://www.atanet.org/compass/
and is short enough to be read in a few minutes. Each issue tackles a specific subject (so far: how translation is essential to exports/economic growth + healthcare interpreting) prominent interviewees (who are actual clients/users of translation services) and a few action items/pieces of advice. So it's easy to simply flip it over to your client contacts in those fields.
• An old favorite of mine (!), of which nearly 150,000 paper copies have now been distributed, is "Translation, Getting it Right", a small 28-page brochure in a dozen languages. I think the paper version is often more effective with customers (lots of professional associations distribute it), but you can also download it for free from the ATA, ITI, SFT and other sites. FIT-Europe has electronic versions on its website (although these are not always the latest versions).
• Or how about "Translation / Buying a non-commodity"? It's also available in French ("Les mots au kilo?"), Czech and, soon, German. (see http://www.atanet.org/
Sorry to go on a bit -- all this is simply to say that I do think there is a market for articles/advice for clients, assuming it is short and to the point. And I think it's good to acknowledge that professional associations are producing this type of document.
Chris
[Edited at 2010-11-21 12:08 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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