Smart Habits for Translators

Veronika Demichelis and Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo
Smart Habits for Translators

If you’re a translator who enjoys learning about habits to improve your business and lifestyle, then this is the podcast for you.

  1. 11/28/2023

    Smart Habits for Business Storytelling with Joachim Lepine and Ann Marie Boulanger

    Episode 86: Smart Habits for Business Storytelling with Joachim Lepine and Ann Marie Boulanger Have you ever thought about how the art of business storytelling can be helpful in your business? It's not just about clear communication to market your services or network with others. Not only is it important to be aware of how we translators and interpreters tend to talk about our professions and the value we offer, but it's just as vital to understanding what our clients’ experiences and expectations are. Whether you’re a seasoned translator or interpreter or someone who is just starting out, weaving a compelling narrative that resonates with your clients and helps foster your business relationships is an important part of marketing your business successfully. That's why we’re excited to discuss this topic with our guests and welcome Joe Lepine and Ann Marie Boulanger to the podcast. Joachim (Joe) Lepine was born into a French-speaking family in Belgium and grew up in the U.S. before moving to Quebec in 2006. When he took his first translation course—on a whim—he knew he had found his calling. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in translation and a master’s degree in education. In the ensuing years, he translated for a myriad of prestigious clients in Quebec and abroad. To share his passion for the craft, over the past 15 years, Joe has taught French-into-English translation and related courses at Université de Sherbrooke and trained for NATO, the United Nations, the European Commission, OTTIAQ, Magistrad, Editors Canada, the Translation Bureau, ITI (UK), Training for Translators (USA), and many others. Today he is the cofounder of LION Translation Academy, which offers training to help translators and translation teams to thrive in every area of their practice. Ann Marie Boulanger was born in Montreal, Quebec, to an anglophone mother and a francophone father. After earning a college diploma in liberal arts, she heard about an acquaintance who was studying translation… and that’s when the lightbulb went off! After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in translation from Concordia University, she was hired by start-up translation firm Traduction Proteus Inc., which she eventually bought in 2005. The business continues to thrive today. A life-long learner, Ann Marie later earned an MA in translation studies from Concordia in 2018. Her other hats include co-founder of LION Translation Academy and part-time lecturer in translation at McGill University. When Ann Marie isn’t translating commercial texts, she can be found working on children’s books, with more than 45 translations to her credit so far. Her first literary translation, The Woman in Valencia, by Annie Perreault, was named a World Literature Today Notable Translation of 2021. Tune in to hear our conversation on: • What services Joe and Ann Marie offer • How their careers have evolved over time • What smart habits have been crucial in their careers so far • What habits they had earlier in their careers that they no longer practice and why • Why it is important for translators and interpreters to be aware of the stories we tell the world—and our clients—about ourselves • What constitutes a good business story and how we can utilize it as a marketing tool • How negative experiences can be used in business storytelling • Other tips on how to consciously craft narratives about the value of our work Resources we mentioned in this episode: • Joe’s translation business, Traductions LION • Ann Marie’s translation business, Traduction Proteus • LION Translation Academy • Connect with Joe and Ann Marie on LinkedIn • Get the free Client Win storytelling template from Ann Marie and Joe! • The Story Advantage: Unleash the Power of Storytelling to Engage, Inspire, and Influence by LJ Bloom • Kindle See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/86

  2. 09/26/2023

    Smart Habits for Taking a Workcation with Corinne McKay

    Episode 84: Smart Habits for Taking a Workcation with Corinne McKay We are excited to be back after our summer hiatus from the podcast, refreshed and recharged to bring you all new episodes and guests. Speaking of guests… today’s episode is one we are very excited to be bringing to you, and it might be fresh on your mind if you took a vacation this summer and brought along some work with you. You may have heard this referred to as a working vacation, or a “workcation.” And we found the perfect person to share about her recent workcation with us, and let us in on all the details about how to take one and how to make the most of it! We’re excited to welcome Corinne McKay back to the podcast. Corinne is an English/French conference and legal interpreter and ATA-certified French to English translator, based in Boulder, Colorado. A full-time freelancer since 2002, she served on the Board of the American Translators Association for seven years, including as ATA President from 2017-2019. She is the author of the book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator, and runs the online professional development platform Training for Translators. After more than 15 years as a translator, Corinne caught the interpreting bug, passed the Colorado state court interpreter exams for French, and then earned a Master's in conference interpreting from Glendon College. She now divides her time between interpreting, translation, and offering business training for other freelancers. Tune in to hear our conversation on: • What it means to go on a workcation and why Corinne decided to take one this year • How to decide to if you want to take a workcation rather than a non-working vacation • How to prepare yourself and your business for a workcation • What goes into choosing the location and the amount of time you plan to spend on your workcation • What work-related factors you need to take into account when choosing a location • Whether or not to notify clients about your workcation or just operate like business as usual • How to enjoy the vacation aspect around your work and also set some working hours • What you can do to prepare for issues like a poor Wi-Fi connection and other unforeseen circumstances • What things worked well during Corinne’s recent workcation—and what she would do differently next time • Corinne’s tips for translators and interpreters who are planning a workcation Resources we mentioned in this episode: • Corinne’s training company, Training for Translators • The portable monitor that Corinne recommends • The Commit30 planner See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/84

  3. 06/13/2023

    Smart Habits for Saying "No" with Dagmar and Judy Jenner

    Episode 83: Smart Habits for Saying “No” with Dagmar and Judy Jenner Today’s episode is one you may not be expecting… or maybe if you’ve been a long-time Smart Habits listener, you understand how it aligns with what we discuss here on the podcast. Saying “no” and doing it with confidence can be difficult in any area of life, especially in business. But saying “no” is essential to running your business with less stress and more time for what you really want to work on with the clients you really want to work with! Today, we have the pleasure of discussing smart habits for saying “no” with two guests we know you’ll recognize! We’d like to welcome Dagmar and Judy Jenner to the podcast. Dagmar is a German, Spanish, English, and French translator and conference interpreter based in Vienna. She grew up in Austria and Mexico City and has an advanced degree in French from the University of Salzburg and a master's degree in conference interpreting from the University of Vienna. She runs the European side of Twin Translations and is the past President of the Austrian Interpreters' and Translators' Association, UNIVERSITAS Austria. Dagmar is passionate about literature, classical music, and chess. And Judy is a Spanish and German business and legal translator and a federally certified Spanish court interpreter and conference interpreter. She has an MBA in marketing from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, a master’s degree in conference interpreting from York University in Canada, and runs her boutique translation and interpreting business, Twin Translations, with her twin sister Dagmar. She was born in Austria and grew up in Mexico City. She is a former in-house translation department manager. Judy writes the blog Translation Times and the "Entrepreneurial Linguist" column for The ATA Chronicle, serves as one of the ATA spokespersons, and teaches interpretation at the University of California-San Diego, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and at New York University as of fall 2023. And she’s a frequent speaker at T&I conferences around the world, mostly online these days. Judy flies a lot for her interpreting assignments, and one of her special talents is memorizing airport codes. Dagmar and Judy are the authors of The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation. Tune in to hear our conversation on: • What services Dagmar and Judy offer, and how their careers have evolved over time • Why they wrote The Entrepreneurial Linguist, and what they think is the biggest takeaway for our colleagues when it comes to their freelance businesses • What values led them to become translators and interpreters, and how these values are reflected in their business • What smart habits have been crucial in their careers so far • What habits they had earlier in their careers that they no longer practice, and why • Why they think it’s important for translators and interpreters to be able to say “no” • Some key reasons to say “no,” and some strategies to do it with grace • Their thoughts on whether saying “no” means losing an opportunity or future work with a client • How we can practice saying “no” so it feels easier going forward • In what ways saying “no” has paid off in their careers • Other tips for our listeners on the power of saying “no” • What advice Dagmar and Judy would give to their past selves Resources we mentioned in this episode: • Dagmar and Judy’s European website, Texterei, and their translation company, Twin Translations • The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation • Judy and Dagmar’s blog, Translation Times • Connect with Judy and Dagmar on Twitter • The Remarkable tablet and the Rocketbook reusable notebook that Judy recommends • Dagmar’s YouTube channel on German orthography See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortr

  4. 05/23/2023

    Smart Habits for Building and Maximizing Your Network with Alicja Tokarska and Ania Marchwiak

    Episode 82: Smart Habits for Building and Maximizing Your Network with Alicja Tokarska and Ania Marchwiak We often discuss the importance of building and maintaining your professional network, and we’re sure you’ve heard this advice many times before. But what does it mean in practice? Alicja Tokarska and Ania Marchwiak joined us recently to discuss ways to build and maintain your professional network, especially when you work in a less common language pair. We know our listeners based outside the US will find this topic particularly interesting. But, of course, the tips you’re about to hear will be helpful no matter where you’re based or what language combination you work in. Alicja is a freelance translator and subtitler based in Glasgow, Scotland. She translates between English and Polish, and from Spanish and French into Polish and English. Alicja is passionate about inclusive communication and works mainly in the areas of audiovisual translation, culture and heritage, fashion, and mental health. Ania is a freelance translator working with Polish and English. She is based in Glasgow, Scotland. Ania translates for the medical and pharmaceutical industry and has recently ventured into new specialisms, which are sustainability and mental health. On top of being a translator, she is a keen forager and yogi and has recently become a certified breathwork instructor. Tune in to hear our conversation on: • What services Alicja and Ania offer, and how their careers have evolved over time • Smart habits that have been crucial in their careers • Some habits they had earlier in their career that they no longer practice, and why • Their thoughts on maintaining healthy boundaries, and what boundaries they set in their professional life • How they approach networking, and how they maintain and utilize their network • How they take the guesswork out of marketing their services to new and existing clients • What habits, systems, or processes help them stay organized and consistent • Their advice on how to make networking and marketing feel less scary • Other tips for our listeners on building and maximizing their networks • What advice Alicja and Ania would give to their past selves Resources we mentioned in this episode: • Get in touch with Alicja, visit her website, and connect with her on social media • Get in touch with Ania, or connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter • Follow Ania’s Instagram page dedicated to breathwork • The Power of When by Michael Breus See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/82

  5. 04/18/2023

    Smart Habits for Cultivating Creativity with Mireya Perez

    Episode 81: Smart Habits for Cultivating Creativity with Mireya Perez Today’s topic may seem unexpected, but we're sure it will spark some ideas for you, just as it did for us. If you ask a translator or an interpreter what they like the most about their work, many will say they love learning new things every day and enjoy the creative process that goes into conveying a message from one language to another. Our jobs require creativity and curiosity, so we're very excited to bring a special guest to join us in discussing how we can cultivate these qualities in our work. We are thrilled to welcome a colleague, friend, and fellow podcaster Mireya Perez to join us on the podcast. Mireya began her professional interpreting career after completing her interpreting studies and becoming a certified medical interpreter. She worked as a medical interpreter in both a general and children’s hospital before becoming a staff interpreter in a K-12 public education school district, where she spent nearly a decade helping to highlight the roles of trained interpreters in education. Currently, Mireya is the proud owner of Brand the Interpreter Incorporated, an up-and-coming multimedia learning platform that includes the Brand the Interpreter podcast, a show dedicated to sharing the stories of language professionals from around the world. She holds a master’s degree in communications and enjoys reading and sharing about creativity, personal branding, and strategic communication management. Tune in to hear our conversation on: What services Mireya offers, and how her career has evolved over time How she started her podcast Brand the Interpreter, and what she enjoys the most about being a podcast host What values led Mireya to become an interpreter, and how they show up in her business Smart habits that have been crucial in her career, and what habits she no longer practices and why How she transitioned from being a school district interpreter and translator to a freelancer, and what the transition was like What systems, processes, or habits help Mireya stay focused and organized while running her business What she does when she doesn’t feel motivated Mireya’s thoughts on future-proofing her career How she cultivates creativity and curiosity What challenges translators and interpreters run into when it comes to maintaining curiosity at various stages in their careers How interpreters and translators can boost their creative side and find time and opportunities to engage in creative activities The advice Mireya would give to her past self Resources we mentioned in this episode: Follow Mireya on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn Visit the Brand the Intepreter website Books that Mireya recommended: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/81

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If you’re a translator who enjoys learning about habits to improve your business and lifestyle, then this is the podcast for you.

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