Clients will not resort to online translators and later to us to post-edit the resulting rubbish. Clients will be increasingly more respectful of translators and interpreters’ work. Companies will give interpreters their reference material and/or presentations and speeches well in advance of the conferences to be interpreted. Clients will give translators rational lead times for […]

There is more and more talk about MT (machine translation) these days among translators. I’ve heard a lot of arguments on the pros and cons of MT, but typical of the even-handedness with which translators–who, after all, are mediators by nature–tend to discuss issues, these arguments are usually very objective. Me, I get a singularly […]

In the past three years I have been fortunate enough to have worked with that same number of ideal clients on major projects.What do I mean by ‘ideal’?      · The jobs were within my main area of expertise (literary and journalistic translation).      · The clients were people who understood the fundamental […]

Abstract This document aims to investigate some cases of conflicting interests between freelance translators and middlemen, and demonstrate that such conflicts may become irreconcilable. As a prime example, the Framework Agreement between the UK Ministry of Justice and Applied Language Solutions is discussed in detail. Further thought is devoted to terms and conditions and technology. […]

What Is Left Behind When companies develop new products, they do it with a purpose. Mostly, they do it to gain a competitive edge. In order for a new product to be sold, however, companies must first communicate its value and its benefits to the customer. They need to make sure these benefits are perceived […]

Some time ago I saw a short documentary on HBO about what happened in Haiti after it was struck by a 7.0 earthquake in January 2010. Two images from that documentary illustrate for me the best the result of international aid that was generously offered to Haiti after the disaster, and they are still seared […]