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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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How to Make a Better Clientscape

By The Savvy Newcomer | May 2, 2023
How to Make a Better Clientscape

Title explanation: If a landscape is the land around you, your friendscape is what you see when you look out at your friends, and your clientscape is what you see, as a freelancer, when you look at the array of your clients. Remember, the way we see ourselves is in the mirror of the people around us… if you don’t…

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Your Guide to a 5-Star Email Signature

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 25, 2023
Your Guide to a 5-Star Email Signature

This post was originally published on LION Translation Academy. It is reposted with permission. If you want to break into the premium market, a quality email signature can go a long way (provided that you’re also a terrific translator, of course!). Yet so many translators opt for a generic Hotmail address and an email signature containing nothing more than their…

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Savvy Diversification Series – The Role of the Genealogical Translator

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 23, 2023
The Role of the Genealogical 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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Freelance Translator’s Client Reference List: Why and How and When

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 23, 2023
Freelance Translator’s Client Reference List: Why & How & When

This post was originally published on Gabriela Kouahla’s LinkedIn timeline. It is reposted with permission. The client reference list of a freelance translator is very important when it comes to potential clients (direct/companies) or job application for a new translation agency. It allows you to provide (another) proof of your experience and also to ensure a potential client or company/agency…

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8 T&I Events in Europe that Deserve to Be on Your 2023 Calendar

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 23, 2023
8 T&I Events in Europe that Deserve to Be on Your 2023 Calendar

Here are some lesser-known industry conferences with the potential to boost your networking and marketing efforts! Fall: It’s Time for Flagship Industry Events While summer temperatures are still hanging around in many areas of the country, the fall conference season is now in full swing. If you’re like me, the crisp autumnal air and colorful leaves are harbingers for the…

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Linguist in the Spotlight — Natalie Pavey

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 18, 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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Being a Freelancer and Being a Parent: Postcards From the Other Side

By The Savvy Newcomer | April 11, 2023
Being a Freelancer and Being a Parent- Postcards From the Other Side

This post was originally published on Training for Translators. It is reposted with permission.  My Freelance Origin Story When someone asks me how long I’ve been a freelancer, it’s not a difficult number for me to calculate, even as a non-numbers person, because my freelance business is the same age as my daughter. I’ve been freelancing since October 2002, which…

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ChatGPT for Translators: How to Use the Tool to Work More Efficiently?

By The Savvy Newcomer | March 28, 2023
ChatGPT for translators: how to use the tool to work more efficiently?

This post was originally published on Medium. It is reposted with permission. Test it before you reject it. That’s my approach when it comes to new technology. And that’s what I did when the ChatGPT frenzy began. Two months ago I embarked on a new testing journey and, to my surprise, I quickly joined the ChatGPT’s fan club. Now I…

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Linguist in the Spotlight — Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo

By The Savvy Newcomer | March 21, 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 and are excited to announce the revival of our interview series, “Linguist in the Spotlight,” where we pick the brains of experienced translators and interpreters and…

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Continuing Professional Development Reflection: From Translation Student to Freelance Translator

By The Savvy Newcomer | March 14, 2023
Continuing Professional Development Reflection- From Translation Student to Freelance Translator

This post was originally published on Bell Johnson Translations. It is reposted with permission. As work has started picking up for me over the past few months, I’ve found it increasingly harder to try and find time to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) activities. That’s why I decided I was going to make my first ever CPD plan, but there…

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