Blog on holidays

Posted on 19. Jul, 2010 by Ashleigh in Blog

This is just a quick note to let you know that our blog, Translation Fitness, will be on summer holidays beginning today. We may have some admin updates over the next few weeks, but any new posts will be on hold until the fall. We’ll resume regular posting in September and we hope to see your smiling face then! [...]

How to set your translation rates (4 tips for novice and veteran translators alike!)

Posted on 10. Jul, 2010 by Ashleigh in Blog

1. Charge what you’re worth. This means not allowing yourself to be negotiated down to work for less than your regular translation rates. This means not agreeing to work for less than your regular rates in exchange “for the promise” of a higher rate in the future. This never happens. More often, the client company [...]

Primer on literal translations + 4 ways to spot them!

Posted on 07. Jun, 2010 by Ashleigh in Blog

What is a literal translation? Literal translations, or word for word translations, are translations in which the content of a document is communicated by replacing one word with another, regardless of whether the resulting translation is accurate or reads well in the target language. How do literal translations happen? There are two main types of [...]

Need a copywriter? Call a translator! (3 Reasons translators make excellent copywriters)

Posted on 01. Jun, 2010 by Ashleigh in Blog

Many of the translators I know also write content or copy from scratch instead of just translating content or copy that has already been written in another language. Translators who write content for promotional purposes such as websites, brochures or other marketing copy, advertisements, radio or TV commercials, company taglines, slogans or any other promotional [...]

Workplace Safety: How Translators Help Keep Your Employees Safe

Posted on 28. Apr, 2010 by Ashleigh in Blog

Today is one of the most important days of the year that many people have probably never heard of. Here in Canada, it’s called National Mourning Day, and it has been recognized annually on April 28 since 1991. It’s a day that recognizes and pays tributes to the many workers who are injured or killed [...]

Translations for the tourism industry: 4 important questions to ask

Posted on 20. Apr, 2010 by Ashleigh in Blog

As the weather starts to get nicer and more spring-like in this part of the Western hemisphere, we are getting more and more requests to translate tourist- and tourism-related documents. Whether you want a translator to translate your travel brochures, trip schedule, language guides, hotel reviews, or anything else to help entice tourists from around the world to visit your destination hotspot, there are four important questions to ask before you hire a translator that will save you money AND a lot of time.

On translation pricing, value and rock-bottom rates

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Ashleigh in Blog

In the translation industry, it sometimes seems like translators are involved in an ongoing race to the bottom. Unlike accountants, lawyers and other professionals providing a valuable service, translators are often asked to quote lower and lower rates and do so in an effort to secure as much business as possible with the hope that they will eventually, somehow, be able make a living off the low, low prices they are forced to charge.
This downward spiral means that translators are less and less likely to earn what they’re worth because the average price that clients are willing to pay for translations continues to decrease.

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