ITI Bulletin on Revisions

The ITI Bulletin is the journal of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. The May/June 2016 issue of the ITI Bulletin has gone full-colour. As a marketer, I am a great believer in pictures and text working together. I am therefore delighted to have an article in this first full-colour issue. 

You can find the article on pages 14 and 15 of the printed journal or as a pdf on the Publications page of my website. The article is entitled  Revision collision.

Eastern European Conference

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my co-author, Angie Taylor. I first met Angie not in the UK or even in France, but at the BP15 Conference in Croatia. We had a great time together at the friendliest conference that I have ever attended. We got to know each other better during the sight-seeing tours. We enjoyed visiting Zagreb and the Plitviče Lakes, as well as Lake Bled and Ljubljana in Slovenia. Such beautiful cities and countryside. Highly recommended.

ITI LRG Workshop

The article idea sprang out of an ITI workshop. The London Regional Group invited experienced EU revisers to run the session. There were differing opinions and much debate during the workshop. Our aim was to gather constructive viewpoints from different sides of the profession in the follow-up article.

Thanks

I would particularly like to thank my two contributors. Françoise Bajon and Lindsay Bywood. Angie collated the two freelancers’ viewpoints for the articles.

Françoise was very gracious with her time as we discussed the article on Skype and in a WebEx meeting. We succeeded despite a few technical hitches.

It was a little easier with Lindsay. It turned out that she lives surprisingly close to me in Harrow. The time she spent away from her PhD for this article is much appreciated.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the ITI Bulletin’s editor, Femke Colbourne.

Happy reading!

How to reach out to new clients

In Anglicity's previous blog, I commented on diametrically opposed viewpoints on Frederick Wiseman's National Gallery documentary. 

How can we reach out to new clients?

Reaction to our craft

Many years as a translation project manager taught me that languages leave many clients completely cold. Translation is often incredibly dull to them. (Sacrilege, I know). When we try to explain our craft, our quality concerns, the finer points of grammar... well, their eyes glaze over in boredom. Just like opposing reactions to the National Gallery film.

Black and white v. colour

When translators explain their art, they generally use the written word. (Just like I am doing now. I plead guilty). Reams and reams of print-heavy text. Pictures make rare appearances. Lots of black and white. Marketing clients are immersed in a much more visually appealing world on a daily basis. That's their "language". If we really want to reach out to them, we have to speak their language.

Visible translators

Most translators are used to being invisible, hidden behind agencies from end-clients. Today, freelance translators need to argue their added value. Human translators need to be visible in full colour, in 3D and in full animation.

3D effect

There was a ballet performance during the film. Two dancers created a 3D effect in front of two pictures. The audience's focus was on the ballet in the foreground. Gradually, I found my eyes drawn from the angles of the dancers' limbs to the quality of the painted limbs behind. This is the attention that is required by the translation world. By using other media in a coordinated marketing campaign, we bring appreciation back to the quality of the translated word in print.

Check back for tomorrow's post.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is
an entrepreneurial
French to English
translator, editor,
content writer and
marketing consultant. 

Contact: karen@anglicity.com 
for further information 
on Anglicity's services.