eCPD Blog

We're moving. Wir ziehen um. Nous déménageons. Nos trasladamos

noreply@blogger.com (Sussex Coast Talking News) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 15:18:00 +0000

We have decided to combine two blogs. This one, usually written by Sarah Dillon, has been neglected of late due to Sarah's maternity leave. Lucy Brooks' blog, "Spotlight on CPD", has been filling the gap, but we decided to consolidate the two in a single home. From now on all our posts will be hosted here.

We will continue to post in both places for a while, but meantime suggest that you follow us at the new URL for tips and advice on high quality CPD without breaking the bank.

We're Expanding: Welcome to Maia Figueroa!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:37:00 +0000

As readers of our newsletter will know, we've added another member to our management team. Maia Figueroa has been working away behind the scenes at eCPD HQ for a while now, but we're delighted to reveal that you'll be hearing even more from her in the future.

Maia is a well-respected literary and subtitle translator based in Barcelona, with many publications and screen credits to her name. Eagle-eared attendees will recognise her from last year's very popular webinar on Working as a Literary Translator.

Maia had the following to say about her new role:

"I'm really excited about working with eCPD. Webinars are an excellent solution for flexible translator training, and participating in the organisation of these sessions is an ideal way for me to contribute to our industry from a new perspective. I am looking forward to opening new avenues for eCPD in the Spanish-speaking market too, and to running my own webinars on new and exciting topics for our client base..."

Lucy and I are delighted to be working with Maia, and are certain that our schedule of webinars will benefit enormously from her background and experience.

Onwards and upwards!

Specialising in Financial Translation

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:45:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

If you’ve ever wanted to specialise in financial translation, then this two-part webinar series by Javier Gil, a highly specialised and experienced financial translator, is well worth listening to.

The first session covered:

What is financial translation
Features of financial language
Generic problems in financial translation
Types of texts

The second covered:

Specialisation
Reasons for specialising
How to specialise
The specialised market
Trends and prospects within the sector
Going freelance or in-house

Financial translation can be challenging yet rewarding. It is an often overlooked yet very lucrative field.

One of the defining characteristics of financial translation is that it is forward looking, and translators in this area need an excellent knowledge of current affairs. Context is key as it is very closely linked to political, social and demographic affairs.

Financial translation not only involves a high degree of technicality but also shares many common features with everyday language. This means translators in this field need to be aware of the technical terms as well as the everyday use of words, metaphors and neologisms, etc.

What stood out for me was Javier’s description of the movement for the use of plain language in financial translation. This is one of the reasons why we, as translators, have to remember to work on improving on the source text where appropriate, for example if it contains unnecessarily verbose language.

Javier highlighted some of the generic problems involved in translating financial texts, and provided helpful strategies in dealing with these, and discussed some of the characteristics of certain types of financial texts and what to look out for.

Documents are increasingly specialised these days, and competing on price alone is not advisable. This is one of the main reasons for specialising in financial texts. There is a scarcity of good financial translators and recruitment by large financial institutions is ongoing.

Javier named a long list of companies which he knows recruit translators on a regular basis. He also provided a list of specialised boutique agencies which specialise in financial translations.

However, it can be difficult to specialise in this field as there is a lack of training courses in the field of financial translation. Based on his considerable experience, Javier was able to share some great recommendations for training courses in this area.

Javier also addressed in detail some resources to help translators hone their specialisation, from relatively cheap (book recommendations, websites, forums and the press) to more expensive options (postgraduate university courses and CPD).

He also covered prospects and market trends in the industry, and the kind of things prospective financial translators needs to become familiar with, such as CAT tools.

Javier ended the webinar series with a matrix of the in-house versus freelancing paradigm, and the importance of professional indemnity insurance.

Originally broadcast in November 2010. Contact us for details on how to access the recordings of these webinars.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

What to expect when working with direct clients

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:30:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

Helen Robertson is a very experienced translator who has run her own translation business since 1992. In this webinar, she shared some great advice for translators and interpreters considering working with direct clients.

She covered a lot of the most frequently-asked questions in this area. Specifically:

Current industry developments driving translators and interpreters to change their client base
Pros and cons of different types of clients
Playing to your own aims and strengths
How to find direct clients
Tips on keeping direct clients happy and pitfalls to watch out for

Helen pointed out that although working with direct clients seem to have more appeal than working with translation companies, each have their advantages and disadvantages. She explained how important it is to be aware of the typical problems and pitfalls we may encounter when working with direct clients, who can come in all shapes and sizes.

Helen also discussed two ways in which to find direct clients, which she calls active and passive approaches.

The passive approach involves public advertising, having a website and being on professional registers such as the ITI Directory.

The active approach involves scanning articles and websites for opportunities, networking, being active on social media and then keeping in touch after contacts are made.

Helen also provided a creative list of sources of direct clients, from Chambers’ of Commerce to large multinational companies with translation departments.

She stressed that personal contacts and face-to-face meetings are crucial, as people are more likely to remember you if they meet you in person. Although this may be scary for introverts, taking a long-term view can help you get on with it. She advised never giving up, because finding and keeping direct clients takes hard work, perseverance and confidence.

In summary, direct clients expect:

a business-like approach
industry advice (you’re the expert and you may have to help educate the client)

When starting to think of working with direct clients, you need to:

have a goal in mind
use active and passive approaches
be business-like in your contact with the client

The webinar ended with an extremely informative question-and-answer session where everything was discussed, from references, CVs and brochures, to contracts.

See our online shop to access this and other past webinars.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

Working as Literary Translator

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

Maia Evans, an experienced literary translator, delivered this extremely informative webinar on working as a literary translator, addressing a range of issues which are not formally taught to translators. Maia also had some great anecdotes from her own work as a literary translator.

She covered:

the profile of a literary translator
how to get your foot in the door: some opportunities to take advantage of and methods of approaching work providers
time management of large projects: she shared her formula on how to split up your time so as to have enough time to translate, proofread, edit and rewrite
proofreading: the importance of proofreading and the stages your work goes through at the publishers
literary translation associations: why you should join one and the benefits they offer
contracts, rates, copyright and royalties

Contracts, rates, copyright and royalties were covered in great detail. Maia also spoke about what contracts need to include, industry rates and what you can expect. She also covered different types of rights such as moral rights and economic rights.

Access this webinar on our website. Originally broadcast: 13 September 2011. Duration: 77 minutes, including question and answer session.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

Working with translation agencies: how to find and keep the best

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

Many people think translation agencies don’t pay well or are too demanding. In this webinar, experienced freelance translator Anne de Freyman definitely dispelled these myths and more, and in the process covered everything a freelance translator could want to know about working with translation agencies.

What stuck with me was Anne's point that as freelancers, we must change our mindset towards agencies. In no way does a translation agency owe us. Instead, we should view it as a business-to-business (B2B) partnership where we each have expectations and responsibilities.

We may choose to work for an agency for any number of reasons (e.g. because agencies screen clients, there’s a doublecheck system in place, direct clients are more work) but the agency is still a client. We should always bear this in mind while working towards our common goal.

In this in-depth discussion on working with agencies, Anne covered:

How to find agencies to work with (either by approaching them ourselves or by being in the right place at the right time)
Building a mailing list (how to go about it and useful resources)
Choosing the right agencies (spotting the “bad” guys and choosing the right agencies to work with)
Establishing a presence so that agencies come to you

Anne also discussed some of the thorniest questions in the translation industry, such as test translations, rates and terms and conditions. She gave some great practical advice and alternative solutions to these issues.

She ended the webinar with a discussion of how to impress translation agencies and how to retain them. She concluded that our attitude and our work is in effect our business card.

Back by popular demand: This webinar will be re-run live on 21 February. The recording will be available afterwards for those who are unable to attend. Registration details on our website.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

Specialising in Medical Translation

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

In this webinar, Karin Band, an experienced and expert medical translator, revealed the fascinating world of medical translation. She also shared advice on dictionaries and how to carry out research in this field. In fact, her extensive research advice could be applied to any field of translation.

Karin started the webinar by discussing the following vital points:

What is specialisation
How many specialisations can you have
What is medicine
Why should you specialise
Who may specialise
When should you specialise (i.e. preparing for specialisation and knowing when to be able to claim specialist knowledge and competency)
Who should not work as a medical translator

She stressed that medical translation is a life-long commitment and an extremely responsible job. Translators working in this area need to continuously acquire knowledge and maintain a high standard of competency so as not to frustrate the medical industry or bring discredit on the translation profession.

Karin also reminded us that translation is knowledge-driven, and then proceeded to discuss how to acquire such knowledge as is required by a medical translator. This knowledge acquisition is in fact the research which every translator needs to do.

Research may be:

General
Job specific
Situational
Pre-acceptance

Karin discussed in detail the following three research aids for medical translation:

Hardware (books, dictionaries, leaflets, models etc.)
Software (electronic media)
People-ware (human informants)

Karin stressed that although we live in a digital world, translators cannot rule out the equal importance of all three of these resources. None of them are obsolete and each one needs to complement the other.

Finally, she stressed the importance of helping clients as well as colleagues. She ended the webinar with a reminder that medical translation takes considerable effort but is well worth it.

Originally broadcast in December 2010. Access the recording of this webinar and a follow-up session with Karin Band on 1 March 2012: more details on our website.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

Financial planning: tips for freelancers

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

Alison Lane is a very experienced financial planner. In her webinar last year, she gave some very solid advice on the financial side of freelancing, as well as a comprehensive overview of protection and planning for self-employed professionals.

Although the examples she gave were more specific to the United Kingdom, any freelancer could apply these principles to their financial situation.

Alison went over the different life-stages we might face and stressed that there are different things to think about depending on our age.

She then highlighted how to set about achieving some of the following goals:

20s

Sticking to a budget
Protection in case of illness
Saving for a house deposit
Starting a pension

30s

Building an emergency pot of money
Writing a will and getting life insurance cover
Starting a pension (if you have not started one already)
Saving for children or any other large expense

40s

Reviewing your plans
Planning for retirement
Other options available to you

50s

Assessing your life goals and risks
Focusing on retirement
Investments and pensions
Will writing

60s

Tax planning
Drawing your pension
Equity release
Downsizing

She emphasised that having a plan is especially important for freelancers as it enables us to keep track of where we are headed over the course of our careers.

She also gave some great advice on how to choose a financial advisor, and provided links to various web resources such as budget and pension calculators.

Did you get the most out of your CPD/ CE this year?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

Janet Fraser presented a webinar recently on how best to reflect on the benefits of the CPD or continuing education (CE) that we undertake as professionals.

This workshop really opened my eyes to what reflection is and why we need to reflect in a professional context.

We undertake CPD for different and individual reasons. It may be to put ourselves on a par with other professions, or because it is a requirement of certain associations. Either way, it’s not enough just to do CPD. We need to reflect on it too.

We can do this by consciously asking: How has this helped me, and how has it helped resolve any hesitations, discrepancies or dilemmas I may face? How has it impacted my personal practice? Sometimes, the very act of reflecting is self-solving.

In order to develop any degree of professionalism, we need to reflect on our development. But it's not enough to just look at ourselves in the mirror and then forget what we have seen once we turn away. We need to deeply and seriously consider our professional activities and give thoughtful consideration to the problems we face and potential ways forward.

Janet provided some great exercises and suggestions on how to reflect in a productive way and how to focus on the correct professional activities.

She also provided many resources and including one for informal education, lifelong learning and social action.

Access this webinar on our website. Originally broadcast: 6 December 2011. Duration: 67 minutes, including question and answer session.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

Applying for job offers: top tips for translators

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:08:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

Marta Stelmaszk, DPSI, ACIL, is a former translation project manager. In last week's webinar, she covered everything a freelance translator might want to know about CVs and cover letters, from replying to job offers and analysing the competition to planning, writing and revision.

Here are just some of her suggestions:

Before you even think about replying to an offer, take care to analyse it first by making note of the client’s requirements, language used, etc. Then try to mirror this in your own cover letter.

Make sure you do all that the client has asked you to do, i.e. use their suggested subject line, address the reader etc. Stelmaszak provided a great tip: if you do not know the name of the person you need to address, instead of saying “Dear Sir/Madam”, say something like “Dear Project Manager”. Including an email signature is also very important.

On writing CVs, she suggests analysing the competition by finding CVs of other translators in your language pair and specialities, and applying what you like about them to your own CV. You may even learn of other opportunities in this way.

She also addresses the issue of adapting CVs to specific offers. She supports having as many different versions of your CV as specialisations/target audiences. Stelzmaszak also reminded us to continuously bear in mind the motivation and purpose of the CV.

When it comes to planning and writing your CV, what counts is that you showcase your tangible achievements. Don’t include your age, marital status or a profile picture.

She also gave a detailed outline of each of the headlines below, all of which should be included in your CV:

Professional headline and statement
Key achievements
Professional experience
Qualifications
Memberships
Publications
General skills
Making it interactive

In summing up, Stelmaszak addressed the language and revision of CVs. She reminds us that translators are wordsmiths yet we somehow seem to forget this when writing our own CVs. We have to make sure they are impeccable as they showcase our ability.

This webinar was packed with helpful hints and suggestions for getting the most out of your CV and cover letter. Marta also shared the details of her free e-book, “How to write a translator’s CV”, and offered to look over the CVs and cover letters of the translators on the webinar.

Access this webinar on our website. Originally broadcast: 22 November 2011. Duration: 71 minutes, including question and answer session.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

Technical writing tips: how to accurately transmit information

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:12:00 +0000

Guest post by Rebekka Wellmanns

Technical writing consists of transmitting technical information accurately to a technical or non-technical audience. In last week's webinar, Karen Tkaczyk, herself an experienced technical translator, provided some very useful writing tips for ‘into English’ translators in this field.

Technical translators need to have good instincts, subject matter expertise and writing skills to convey terminology in the correct manner. They also need to be precise, clear and brief to produce effective technical texts.

Karen provided some excellent practical examples in French to better highlight the dos and don’ts of technical translation. For example:

A technical translator should:

use strong action verbs
write economically
use the active voice
write in plain English

but avoid:

wordiness
needless words, such as ‘of’

Here are some of the problems ‘into English’ technical translators may encounter:

Ambiguity - although you may have to translate a phrase ambiguously depending on the type of technical text.
Every source language has different problems which can carry over into English, e.g. noun-heavy texts, implied subjects, lack of strong verbs, etc.
Lack of ownership on the part of the translator. You may need to defend your decisions and be the expert.

There are many style guides on the market to educate translators and help us develop our own style of technical writing in English. Karen concluded the webinar with an extensive list of these valuable resources.

Access this webinar and the handout on our website. Originally broadcast: 17 November 2011. Duration: 66 minutes, including question and answer session.

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Our guest author is Rebekka Wellmanns, a Spanish to English translator with a background in music, linguistics and education. She is also the author of a widely-read translation blog, and tweets at @WellRebekka.

Welcome to Rebekka Wellmanns! Coming to a webinar near you...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:38:00 +0000

A big welcome to Rebekka Wellmanns, our first-ever intern!

Rebekka is a Spanish to English translator based in South Africa, with an impressive background in music, linguistics and education. She has very kindly agreed to help out behind the scenes at eCPD for a couple of weeks.

She'll be sitting in on webinars as a panellist whenever she can, and will be sharing her thoughts, impressions and all-around summaries of some of our sessions, right here on our blog. We're delighted to have her join us.

Rebekka is well known to many translators already through her own excellent blog. You can also follow her on Twitter, so why not drop by, say hello and help us make her welcome!

Sign up for event reminders

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:33:00 +0000

We've had a couple of sold-out webinars this year. While we do make the recording available to people afterwards, we know that nothing beats being there on the day.

So we've added a new string to our communications bow. Prospective attendees can now sign up for an automated event reminder for our webinars. This means we'll send you an email reminder five days before the live event, with a quick and easy sign-up link.

Never miss out on a live webinar again! Sign up here (choose "event reminders") or update your current subscription profile (see our FAQ on how to do that).

Looking for work experience?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:01:00 +0000

Are you looking for a short-term work placement or internship? Maybe we can help each other.

eCPD Webinars is considering offering an unpaid work placement or internship.

You can be based anywhere in the world, and start and end dates are flexible. Ideally we'd like a commitment of 8 - 10 hours a week, but you would be welcome to do most of these hours at your convenience. We only ask that you're available once or twice a week between the hours of 09:30 and 12:30 GMT/ UTC for team meetings via Skype.

We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic, open to using new technologies and willing to give things a go. You will need to be able to work independently and have access to a reasonably modern computer with a webcam, headset and speakers, an up-to-date installation of Skype and a reliable broadband internet connection.

What we can offer:

Flexibility to work from home (or where-ever you like) and to set your own schedule.
Flexible start and end dates: 2 weeks plus.
Projects related to online marketing, content management (video, audio and text), event management, networking, web design, and more, depending on your background and interests.
Training in our webinar platform, newsletter software, or other tools related to your placement with us.
Experience working with a cross-border virtual team and communicating with experienced professional translators.

What we hope you'll get out of it:

Acquire practical knowledge to apply to your career in the short and long term.
Raise your profile amongst your peers.
Participate in online seminars for professionals in the translation and interpreting field (maybe pick up some ideas about webinars in general, if that's not your area).
Gain understanding of professional development as it relates to translation and interpreting.
Learn more about key themes and players in the translation profession.

Some information about our company:
Launched in 2010, eCPD Webinars has run over 50 online seminars over the past 12 months under its own name. It has run many more on behalf of flagship bodies such as the UK's Institute of Translation and Interpreting, the American Translators Association, and the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators.

eCPD Webinars is fast becoming the premier career development resource for translation and interpreting professionals. Over 500 professionals from 25 different countries have attended one of our online events over the past 12 months alone, including leaders and opinion makers from across the industry. Almost half of these have returned for more than one event, creating a uniquely engaged, global community.

eCPD Webinars is run by business partners Lucy Brooks in the UK and Sarah Dillon in Australia.

Please note that, given the nature of our business, this placement does not include any hands-on translation or interpreting work.

To apply, please send your CV and an expression of interest (including proposed start and end dates) to Sarah Dillon, Marketing and Communications Director, sarah@ecpdwebinars.co.uk.

Postponed: Introduction toTelephone Interpreting

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:12:00 +0000

Unfortunately we've had to postpone today's webinar, an Introduction to Telephone Interpreting, due to inclement weather.

The recent heavy and unseasonal snow in New England, USA, has severely disrupted the work and business of our speaker, Nataly Kelly. After several days of keeping our fingers crossed, she still had no reliable power or internet connection as of yesterday.

Rather than run the risk of incurring a power cut or internet failure during a webinar, we took the bold decision to postpone today's webinar to allow her time to recover from what has been - and still is - an extremely difficult period since the snowfall.

The new date of the webinar is 6th December at 4:00 p.m GMT. We've already emailed our attendees with these details. If you haven't yet registered, the good news is that this means there is still time to reserve your spot.

Should you be unable to attend live, you will of course, as always, be able to view the recording 24 hours after the live event.

See our event listing to register and for more information.

Many thanks for your patience everyone. We're sure this event will be well worth the wait.

Little-Known LinkedIn Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Here's are some of my top tips for translators and interpreters on LinkedIn, taken from my recent webinar with Philippa Hammond on social media.

Customise your list of website links on your profile

Profile links: Make sure to use all three, even if they are not all your own websites. This is a chance to demonstrate your expertise in a particular area and add value to your colleagues and prospective clients who might be viewing your profile. Browse to Profile > Edit Profile, Additional Information, Websites. Select “other” from the dropdown list, then customise the text - draw people in and get them interested in what you have to offer. Have a specialised glossary on your website? Tips for translation buyers? A guest post on someone else's blog? This is the place to share it.

This is where you change these

Customise the URL for your Public Profile

Share your profile: If you're sharing your LinkedIn profile, remember that the link you want to send people is not the one in the URL bar of your browser. Instead, it's the URL listed in your profile under Public Profile. (And you've already customised this to something catchy under account Settings > Profile, Edit Your Public Profile, right?)

Pull selected tweets into your LinkedIn Status Update field

Status updates: You can set up your LinkedIn account to make your tweets into status updates. But to avoid bombarding your newsfeed, add "#li" or "#in" to selected tweets to ensure LinkedIn pulls in only the juiciest morsels. Remember that unlike Twitter, the best use of your LinkedIn status is to demonstrate your expertise and educate your connections about your skills, so it's usually a good idea to stick to work related updates.

For more tips and ideas on using LinkedIn and Twitter, contact us to purchase access to our webinar on Using Social Media to Enhance Your Business.

Sign up for the eCPD newsletter to stay informed of upcoming events for translators, interpreters and professional linguists. You can unsubscribe at any time using the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email we send out.

Birthday Presents for Freelancers

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:58:00 +0000

Our recent milestone reminded us that office parties can be a bit of a non-event when you work at home alone. No cheery colleagues gathering around the desk, no sugary cake bedecked with streamers, no naff card and present.

So how about you think of us as your office colleagues?! We'll be sure to remember your birthday and pitch in accordingly (paper hats optional).

If you're already on our newsletter mailing list, check your inbox for our latest newsletter which has information on how to update your profile with your birthday day and month.

If you're not on our newsletter mailing list yet, sign up here and remember to include your details.

Then sit back and look forward to your birthday :)

Reflections on a busy and tumultuous year

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:03:00 +0000

eCPD Managing Director Lucy Brooks reflects on the year that saw eCPD run its first series of popular webinars for professional linguists.

Lucy Brooks

The idea for eCPD Webinars (electronic Continuing Professional Development) grew from an experiment I put forward to my professional institute, the Chartered Institute of Linguists, while I was serving as a volunteer on the Translating Division Committee. The idea blossomed into a series of webinars given by expert speakers, who were willing to impart their knowledge via the new medium of a webinar broadcast.

Armando Arias

The one-hour events proved very popular with members and outside the Institute membership, but after a number of months, it became clear that the workload involved was proving too much for a volunteer to bear. So, encouraged by fellow committee member Armando Arias and colleague Anne de Freyman, I decided to form a commercial company.

The company was formed on 1st April 2010 and I spent that summer setting up the business and preparing for the first webinars. Both Anne and Armando became directors very soon after the company began, and both were full of encouragement and ideas for webinars.

Sadly, unknown to us all, Armando was already suffering from a life-threatening condition, but it was not until that summer that he was diagnosed. When he died in September 2010 it was not only we at eCPD, but the whole translating community, especially within the CIoL, who reeled with shock and disbelief. Almost to the end, Armando always felt he would beat his illness, but it was not to be.

Anne de Freyman

Our first webinar took place at about the same time and Anne and I continued to work together without Armando, arranging eight more webinars up to Christmas 2010, including a very popular presentation by Anne on “Working with Agencies”. We also organised a number of events for other organisations, such as ITI and ATA, as well as some smaller organisations.

However by early 2011, with the change in dynamics caused by Armando’s death, Anne, who is first and foremost a committed and very busy translator, decided that she was unable to handle the workload or dedicate the time that organising webinars involves.

At this point I approached Sarah Dillon in Brisbane, a well-known and experienced translator. Sarah had always been a firm supporter of the webinar concept and of CPD in general, and had kept very much in touch with eCPD from the start.

Sarah Dillon

When, in February 2011, I offered her a directorship in the fledgling venture, she accepted and since then has forged her niche in the company.

So, there are now two directors: me, the Managing and Financial Director, working from my office in the UK, and Sarah, who is the Communications and Marketing Director.

We each run our own webinar accounts, but the other is always on hand to offer support and back-up. The fact that we are on opposite sides of the globe actually works well. We hold our management meetings during the European morning, which is early evening for Sarah. And most of our webinars are timed within the European morning. However, when we hold webinars timed to suit attendees in the United States, Sarah sometimes has to stay up late!

The end result is that eCPD is open for business for a good 20 hours out of 24, and that we can work with organisations and customers all over the world.

The future

We are keen to develop some of our earlier webinar ideas into more advanced concepts. We are also trying to develop more interaction with our delegates during webinars. Technically, we are constantly investigating ways to streamline our procedures and product.

However, we intend to remain small. Small is flexible and it also means that we can offer personal service to our clients and webinar customers.

Lastly, we aim to continue our contribution to the global translator community by offering high quality Continuing Professional Development webinars at an affordable price. And the best thing is that webinars are recorded, so attendees who find they have to miss the live broadcast can always catch up later.

During this past year it has been my privilege to work with several dozen highly qualified, eminent speakers, who have cooperated on our venture, and provided us with some really interesting and thought-provoking presentations on subjects ranging from credit-management to translation theory, from working with direct clients to using corpora in translation. We have already started on our autumn “term” and I look forward to working with even more dedicated and knowledgeable professionals – our speakers. I thank each and every one of them for the time, enthusiasm and energy they have put into their presentations.

By Lucy Brooks, MCIL, CL (Translator)
Associate member of ITI

Top Ways to Celebrate International Translation Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:30:00 +0000

The International Federation of Translators encourages marking International Translation Day with activities that "raise awareness among the public of this important function of translators, interpreters and terminologists" and that allow you to celebrate your craft.

Here are our ideas on how to mark International Translation Day on 30 September.

Attend a face-to-face event: check the International Calendar of Events (ICE) for training and networking events taking place in your area.
Attend an online event: also included in the International Calendar of Events - either leave the "city" search field empty, or choose "the cloud", "online" or "the internet" from the dropdown menu.
Write a special blog post: see last week's round-up for inspiration.
Replace your computer's background for the day: for example, with a picture of St. Jerome or Kumārajīva.
Treat yourself: celebrate your profession's unique attributes with a funky translation-related gift.
Get creative: create an clever mug or t-shirt of your own and treat a colleague.
Send a card: translation agency WordAccent created a very attractive free e-card for distribution last year, so it might be worth watching their blog again this year.
Send a friend, colleague or client a link to Mox's Blog. Nothing gets the message out about what we do like a little humour. (And why not "like" Mox's Facebook Page while you're at it :) )

Any other ideas? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know!

Happy Birthday to Us!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 06:05:00 +0000

One year ago this month, eCPD Ltd ran its very first webinar. Here's an overview of an evolution of our webinars to date.

The Evolution of eCPD Webinars

Our first webinar in September 2010 covered how to start and run a small business in the UK. We had 42 translators and interpreters in attendance of all levels of experience, and our speaker was Vince McLoughlin CTA. For many of our attendees, it was their first experience of a webinar.

Some comments made at the time included "overall, it was 90 minutes well spent", "extremely informative - it would have been a shame to have missed it", "an eye-opener in the fullest possible sense", and "well done, and thank you!".

Since then eCPD Ltd has gone on to run well over 50 webinars with some truly fantastic speakers, including many on behalf of associations such as the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, the American Translators Association, the Australian Society of Interpreters and Translators, as well as on behalf of other companies and many esteemed colleagues.

A selected list of some of our own webinars include:

Business and finance:
    •    Starting and running a small business in the UK, with Vince McGoughlin
    •    Credit Management for Translators and Interpreters, with Graham Sands
    •    Financial Planning for Freelance Translators and Interpreters, with Alison Lane

IT tools:
    •    IT Matters and PC Security, with Sergei Mouraviev and Julian Holliday
    •    Mastering Microsoft Word, with Hacene Dramchini
    •    Building a Website: The Basics, with Sarah Dillon
    •    Building a Website: Demos of 3 DIY Systems, with Lucy Brooks and Sarah Dillon
    •    Using Corpora in Translation, with Ian Kemble and colleagues

Finding and keeping clients:
    •    Working with Agencies, with Anne de Freyman
    •    Working with Direct Clients, with Helen Robertson
    •    Opportunities for Linguists, with Rannheid Sharma

Specialising in series:
    •    Specialising in Technical Translation, with Noemí Rey García
    •    Specialising in Legal Translation, with Ricardo Martinez
    •    Specialising in Financial Translation, with Javier Gil
    •    Specialising in Medical Translation, with Karin Band
    •    Specialising in Patent Translation, with Charlotte Couchman and Paul Clarke

Sector-specific topics:
    •    A Translator’s Guide to the Pharmaceutical Industry, with Ed Zanders
    •    Subtitling and Subtitle Translation, with Marga Burke
    •    Working as a Literary Translator, with Maia Figueroa Evans
    •    Translating Business Film Material, with Jean Paul Mailhac

Ethics:
    •    Professional Conduct for Interpreters, with Sue Leschen

Translation skills:
    •    Translation Theory for Practitioners, with Janet Fraser

Our programme for the upcoming year aims to build on what we've seen work. We're also excited about trying new things in our efforts to offer a flexible and affordable programme of professional development for translators and interpreters - no matter where they are in the world.

What other topics would you like to see us cover? Let us know over at our Facebook Page, or email us with your suggestions.

Sign up for the eCPD newsletter to stay informed of upcoming events for translators, interpreters and professional linguists. You can unsubscribe at any time using the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email we send out.

Ideas for Bloggers and Associations on International Translation Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:08:00 +0000

International Translation Day is on 30 September, and one thing is certain: translation bloggers the world over will be looking for inspiration. To help get the creative juices flowing, here is our round up of blog posts from years past:

Many translators have written about the history of St. Jerome. For example:

Yours truly wrote a background piece on International Translation Day in 2007 which included information on St. Jerome (although sadly many of the links mentioned are no longer online).
Jill Sommer wrote a detailed post on St. Jerome in 2008.
Aquí un artículo con fecha 2008 sobre San Jerónimo para nos lectores hispanohablantes.
Last year Transubstantiation added a write-up on St. Jerome (2010).

The theme for 2011 is Building Bridges. Here are some posts that incorporated the theme for their respective years in some way:

Corinne McKay encouraged us to thank a terminologist in 2008 (theme: "Terminology: Words Matter").
Barbara Jungwirth tied the 2010 theme in with immigrant groups in 2010 (theme: "Translation Quality for a Variety of Voices").

Here are some posts which take an unusual or different take on International Translation Day:

Many translators write about an event they attend on International Translation Day. Translation Outpost published a nice post along those lines in 2009.
The Tomedes blog linked it with industry news by reporting on Google's new machine translation offerings in 2009.
Last year the Translation Guy shared his amusing perspective on the day (2010).

Finally, if you represent an association, you might find inspiration from the South African Translators' Institute who did a good job of applying the 2008 theme to their national issues and got some good press coverage in the process.

More ideas? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know.

International Translation Day: What's It All About?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:14:00 +0000

September has rolled around already, which means one thing: International Translation Day is on its way.

In honour of our colleagues everywhere, and in plenty of time for the day itself, here is our take on what you need to know about International Translation Day.

Background to International Translation Day

International Translation Day is marked on 30 September each year. It is a non-denominational event celebrated all over the world, and an opportunity for translators, interpreters and terminologists to show solidarity and promote their professions.

The day has been celebrated since at least 1953. The FIT or International Federation of Translators made it official in 1991, and now encourages associations around the world to use it to lobby for recognition of the importance of translation.

Each year has a theme set by the Federation, with this years' theme designated as Bridging Cultures.

The date of International Translation Day coincides with St. Jerome’s Day, who is recognised by the Catholic Church as the patron saint of translators, scholars and editors.

Jerome is known for translating the Bible from Aramaic and Hebrew into Latin. You can find more details on his life in the church, as well as an interesting consideration of the translation challenges he faced here.

Jerome is not the only historical figure associated with translation, of course. Many translators choose to mark International Translation Day with a nod to Kumārajīva, a scholar and translator known for his translation of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese.

So where-ever you are based and whatever your language combination, spare a thought for how you would like to mark International Translation Day on 30 September.

3-for-2 special offer on past webinars: the details

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:30:00 +0000

We're running a 3-for-2 special on the recordings of six of our favourite webinars, but only until 5 August. So if you missed any of the talks below, now's a great time to catch up!

Building a Website - The Basics: Everything you need to know to build your own website, from how and where to register a domain name, find a web host, decide on website content and design, increase traffic, and get found on Google. Based on my experience of creating my business and blogging websites. "Thank you Sarah, it was very helpful..." HK, webinar attendee.

Building a Website - Demonstrations of 3 DIY Website Builders: We demonstrate three different website builders, taking you step-by-step through the process of launching your own website using each one. A great way to see for yourself which one is best for you. "Thank you so much for the slides and the webinar this morning, which was very interesting and easy to follow..." PT, webinar attendee.

Translation Theory for Practitioners: Janet Fraser, experienced translator, editor and lecturer, explains key elements of translation theory and how to apply it to your everyday work. If you think translation theory is just for academics, this talk will convince you otherwise!""Excellent webinar ... look forward to reading more on the subject!" Phillippa Bennett, @pmbtranslations

Subtitling and Subtitle translation: Marga Burke, experienced French, Italian > English subtitler, explains how spoken dialogue is converted to the written word, shares techniques on working within time and space constraints, demonstrates some of the software required and gives some great tips on how to get into this fascinating field.""Listening to eCPD webinar on subtitling - fascinating field and great resource." Andrew Bell, @andytrans

Financial Planning for Freelancers: Alison Lane, an independant financial adviser in the UK, gives advice for freelancers on planning for retirement, ensuring sufficient income when business is slow or when in poor health (aimed primarily at freelancers in the UK)."Thank you... that was the best webinar I've attended to date. Clear and concise and interesting!" HB, webinar attendee

Using Corpora in Translation: A team from the UK's University of Portsmouth explains how translators can use corpora to improve their translations. Includes a demonstration of how to quickly and easily build your own specialised corpus for day-to-day use. "Very interesting seminar indeed and I started my own medical corpus right away!" Sandrine Constant, @langagerie

Interested? Here's what you need to do:

Email Lucy or Sarah and let us know which of three webinars above you'd like access to, and how you'd like to pay: Sterling cheque, bank transfer, credit card* or PayPal*.
We'll issue you an invoice for GBP £40 (normal price: £60)*
Send us payment by your preferred method.
We'll send you the recordings and any handouts pronto. You'll have access to the recordings for 90 days.

* Please note that payment by PayPal or credit card will incur an extra £2 processing fee. We'll include this on your invoice.

Enjoy!

* Updated 15/07/11: added an extra webinar and amend the processing fee.

eCPD's Online Presence: Some Stats

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:30:00 +0000

Since January over 350 different translators, interpreters and professional linguists have tuned in to one, or quite often more, of eCPD's webinars. This year alone we've drawn colleagues from countries as diverse as Germany, the UK, France, China, Australia, Uruguay, Canada, Argentina, the USA and Brazil.

Our website traffic reflects this geographic diversity. The majority of our visitors come from the following 10 countries:

UK
Spain
Australia
Italy
France
Germany
USA
Belgium
Netherlands
Brazil

Mexico and Russia also send many visitors our way.

Most website visitors arrive at our site us by physically typing our website address into their browser bar. After that, Google searches for our company name, or some variation of it, rank highly.

In terms of referrals from other websites, our top 5 sources of traffic are as follows:

Our Facebook Page.
Our Twitter stream, retweets of things we post there and all the nice things other people say about us.
The Institute of Translation and Interpreting's website.
My work blog, There's Something About Translation.
This blog.

Where-ever you're from, and however you got here, hello from eCPD Webinars!

Free PD resource: iTunes U

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Dillon) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:11:00 +0000

Many universities make their lectures available for free online through iTunes U. This is a great source of material for professional development for translators and interpreters, particularly those hoping to specialise in niche fields.

iTunes itself is free to download and install on either Windows or Mac, and you don’t need an iPod to use it. (Short video overview here: paid subscription required). It currently provides free access to over 350,000 lectures, videos and handouts with exercises, notes and reading lists, delivered by some of the top experts in their field.

So for example, you could use iTunes to download law lectures in French aimed at French law students, geology classes in German aimed at prospective German geologists, and so on. This means you can use the material to acquire both language and subject-specific knowledge.

Most of the material on iTunes U is in English, even from universities in non-English speaking countries. But I expect this will change as an increasing number of institutions share their material.