Ellen Singer

Specialization or diversification: Finding the right balance

Having a very specific niche means people will think of you when a fitting project comes along. But it may not be enough to keep you afloat all the time. Diversification means you are not holding all your eggs in one basket, but others may not recommend you or think of you because you are not clearly identified for all tasks or language combinations you accept.

In times of economic growth your specialization may provide enough work, but what happens when we face an economic downturn or a global crisis?

During the recent pandemic certain sectors increased sales dramatically while others floundered. Some spent more on translation than usual, while others decreased their translation needs. Can we prepare for the next global change?

BIOGRAPHY

Ellen Singer is a translator with more than twenty years of experience as a full-time translator and project manager. Ellen co-owns a small technical translation agency (www.aztech.nl) that focuses on quality and cooperates with two colleagues on copywriting assignments (https://www.write-outside-the-box.eu/ellen-singer/). She loves challenges and knowledge and enjoys cooperating with others. Ellen takes examples from her experience to illustrate the presentation topic.

Ellen has spoken on a variety of topics at international translation conferences for more than a decade.