I don’t have any statistics on this or anything, but my intuition tells me that few people go through life as obsessed with their profession as translators and interpreters. Any of our relatives or friends would surely confirm this. Without a doubt, we spend a large part of our time immersed in our main tool: […]

The fact that we translators have no professional hierarchy (or, at least not the hierarchy that we deserve), need not be a source of useless griping or sterile debates on translation sites and lists. That we lack professional hierarchy becomes evident: when the deadline is of key importance (above all, in terms of the genuine […]

There seems to be a mystique around interpreters’ fees; how do interpreters set them, how they charge, what they charge for; what is it that they do. I thought that, as head of IAPTI’s Interpreters Committee, and practicing professional interpreter, I should cover the issue. This will clarify what we do, and educate the public. […]

We are more useful than ever in our global world, but we have become invisible. Gone are the days when our names were featured prominently on our translations. It seems that good habits acquired over many centuries are now lost. With few exceptions, our names are mostly forgotten on the books, articles, web pages, news, […]

A few days ago, one of my regular clients contacted me with a new commission. This is a publishing house for which I have been doing editing, proofreading and first readings for quite some time, and I’m used to the type of authors and works they publish. In this case they wanted me to read […]

The choice of a profession is a difficult decision at any age, often clouded by legitimate doubts regarding personal suitability. It is a daunting challenge to project one’s uncertain skills on an unfamiliar profession. In regards to becoming a translator, thorough familiarity with both your native and the source language, especially written language, clearly is […]