| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | The London Stammtisch - call for ideas Thread poster: Katharina Wawrzon-Stewart
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| I would love there to be some tips on how to start out as a translator | Apr 1, 2008 |
Hi. I like the idea of a get-together but I would love it if there was (one or more) people willing to talk briefly/comment/discuss on how they started out in the business - did they have direct client/s or just take work from agencies? How did/do they market themselves? Do they do their book-keeping themselves? Have rates per 1000 words gone down as much as people say over the last few years? Do they supplement their freelance income with income from other sources? How do they cope with the pe... See more Hi. I like the idea of a get-together but I would love it if there was (one or more) people willing to talk briefly/comment/discuss on how they started out in the business - did they have direct client/s or just take work from agencies? How did/do they market themselves? Do they do their book-keeping themselves? Have rates per 1000 words gone down as much as people say over the last few years? Do they supplement their freelance income with income from other sources? How do they cope with the peaks and troughs of income in any given month? etc. etc. - As someone researching the possibility of leaving the security of full-time employment and "going freelance", these would be fascinating points to hear some views on!
Thanks for your time to read my long message!
Hannah Sandford
Katharina Wawrzon-Stewart wrote:
Hello
As some of you know, Arianna Tremayne and myself have been organising monthly powwows in the friendly Grafton Arms for translators based in the London area. Our Stammtisch has been going strong for over a year now and we usually draw a friendly crowd of regulars and first-timers.
So far the London Stammtisch has been a very informal affair, mainly devoted to chatting and getting to know each other. I think this format works and we should keep it this way, but we could also start experimenting with a new format by offering short presentations followed by Q&A on a topic related to the art and business of translation. We could aim at having a talk every two or three months.
What is obviously needed are volunteer presenters, as well as ideas and suggestions from the community! As we all have different backgrounds, interests and areas of expertise, we could start sharing them with others in a slightly more formal way. Following some feedback from regular participants, this thread can serve as a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas as to how to take this forward.
To sum it up:
- Do you think this is a good idea?
- Would you like to be our first volunteer presenter?
- What topics would you be interested in?
I look forward to your suggestions!
Katharina
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| | | | | Thanks for your suggestion, Hannah | Apr 5, 2008 |
What do others think? Do you like Hannah's idea? I think some of the points she raised in her post can be interesting for beginners and established translators alike, e.g. have rates gone down or do you supplement your freelance income from other sources. We could have ca. an hour of a moderated discussion on a number of points, where people can share their experiences with the group. I'm happy to act as the moderator unless somebody else would like to volunteer. After the official part is over ... See more What do others think? Do you like Hannah's idea? I think some of the points she raised in her post can be interesting for beginners and established translators alike, e.g. have rates gone down or do you supplement your freelance income from other sources. We could have ca. an hour of a moderated discussion on a number of points, where people can share their experiences with the group. I'm happy to act as the moderator unless somebody else would like to volunteer. After the official part is over we can go back to informal socialising and networking and people can continue their conversations privately. With the powwow kicking off at 4pm, we could schedule the discussion for 5-6pm.
Some points for discussion (as suggested by Hannah):
- How did you start out?
- Do you work with mainly direct or indirect clients?
- How do you market yourself?
- Do you feel that your rates have gone down (or gone up) over the years?
- Do you supplement your freelance income with income from other sources?
- How do you cope with the peaks and troughs of income in any given month?
Thanks for any comments of feedback. If the idea takes off, I will post it on the powwow website.
Katharina ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Starting with the basics | Apr 5, 2008 |
I agree that we should maybe start with the nitty-gritty, practical stuff. We all come from different backgrounds and can probably learn a lot about the everyday stuff. For instance I worked for a translation company as Production Manager for six years which has given me a great perspective of the "other side"!
As many of us work in different languages there is a great opportunity to help each other win new business, etc. and pass on recommendations (and even those who work in the s... See more I agree that we should maybe start with the nitty-gritty, practical stuff. We all come from different backgrounds and can probably learn a lot about the everyday stuff. For instance I worked for a translation company as Production Manager for six years which has given me a great perspective of the "other side"!
As many of us work in different languages there is a great opportunity to help each other win new business, etc. and pass on recommendations (and even those who work in the same language combintations can see there is enough work for everybody).
We should use this as a real networking and learning opportunity - as well as a nice and friendly way to do it.
Then when we have discussed this, we can go into other topics in detail.
Justin ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julieta Moss
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:14
Spanish to English
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| New in the UK | Apr 9, 2008 |
Hi, I am new here, just moved from Spain 1 month ago. I am a relatively new freelancer, only started about 10 months ago, and I am still applying/processing my VAT/NI registrations in UK.
I used to work in-house in the Costa del Sol for over 3 years for two firms. Actually, I was appointed as a secretary but 60% or more of my work was translating and interpreting, and also relying on so-called "professional" translators to do the combinations I could not do and that still are very d... See more Hi, I am new here, just moved from Spain 1 month ago. I am a relatively new freelancer, only started about 10 months ago, and I am still applying/processing my VAT/NI registrations in UK.
I used to work in-house in the Costa del Sol for over 3 years for two firms. Actually, I was appointed as a secretary but 60% or more of my work was translating and interpreting, and also relying on so-called "professional" translators to do the combinations I could not do and that still are very demanded in the area.(German/French/Finnish>English/Spanish).
I consider myself lucky because I have been able to live on my translation work since almost the very first day I started, only doing some one-off not related jobs for fun, some extra money and to get to talk to REAL people.
If anybody is interested in moving to Spain or working for the Spanish tourism or conveyance sector, working in-house or even starting out as a freelancer, I might be able to give you some clues that could extend to around 10-15 minutes. Maybe I could do some research to expand it more and offer a more professional point of view, rather than my personal and limited experience.
Also on 21st April I will be attending a HMRC course on Becoming Self Employed (and another one on 24th June on Tax self assessment), so I could save whatever notes or material I might get at it to introduce at the Powwow.
Also I am the proud owner of a newish laptop that could be used for presentations of up to 2,5 hours without requiring a socket, so if anybody doing the presentation would be interested in bringing it along in cd, dvd, external HD, or even SD card or USB stick it would be a good idea (or sending them to me via ftp/email prior to the date of the Powwow to check if the formats are compatible and the file actually does run!).
Another idea for a presentation I could do is maybe very basic web design adapted to frontpage or dreamweaver (I own and work with both and could explain it on the go with my laptop). Or maybe I could get my boyfriend to do a more intermediate presentation on the subject, as he is who has designed my website (I only update it).
I would definitely be interested in learning about networking sites (I have joined one that used to be called Neurona but never really understood how it works and what it can do for me) and how to promote my website in GoogleAds, etc, but most importantly, what are the real benefits you get for the price.
Look forward to your comments!
[Edited at 2008-04-09 09:57] ▲ Collapse
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| Welcome in the UK Julieta! | Apr 10, 2008 |
Thanks for your long message and useful suggestions. It would be great, if you brought along your notes and material from the HMRC course and talked about it at the Powwow. The topic "working in Spain as a freelancer" might not be relevant to everyone, but I'm sure that your knowledge of the Spanish market could be very valuable for those who work with Spanish and are interested to find out more. Personally, I like your idea about a presentation on web design - perhaps this could become a separa... See more Thanks for your long message and useful suggestions. It would be great, if you brought along your notes and material from the HMRC course and talked about it at the Powwow. The topic "working in Spain as a freelancer" might not be relevant to everyone, but I'm sure that your knowledge of the Spanish market could be very valuable for those who work with Spanish and are interested to find out more. Personally, I like your idea about a presentation on web design - perhaps this could become a separate session at the next month's powwow? Just to avoid cramming in too much into one session. Your offer to bring along your new laptop is certainly very much appreciated, perhaps not for the next session, but for future presentations. As you will see Grafton Arms is more of a cosy pub than a snazzy presentation venue, so portable equipment with long battery life might definitely come in handy!
See you soon!
Katharina ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julieta Moss
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:14
Spanish to English
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| Thanks for your reply! | Apr 13, 2008 |
Many thanks for your welcome message. I am here to help where necessary and I hope I will also benefit from the expertise/advise of everyone else at the meeting.
Katharina Wawrzon-Stewart wrote:
The topic "working in Spain as a freelancer" might not be relevant to everyone, but I'm sure that your knowledge of the Spanish market could be very valuable for those who work with Spanish and are interested to find out more.
Actually, I am not sure if I worded it right, but in the area I used to work and live in, (Costa del Sol) and several other areas with a high European resident population, the need for language combinations excluding Spanish is rather high, so a German/Dutch/Swedish or Finnish to English translator could equally make good business irrespective of their command of Spanish (I.e., business owners, real estate agents, etc speak only English most of the times and have many other European non-English speaking clients to address, and neither of both speak Spanish)
In any case, I look forward to meeting you all soon!
| | | | Eduardo Pérez 
Argentina
Local time: 09:14
Spanish to English
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| Argentinian stranded in London | Apr 17, 2008 |
Hello to everybody!
I´ve been a Proz. com member for some time now and I´ve attended many powwows in Argentina (also organized some of them), but I´ve never been to one abroad, so I´m really excited about meeting you all.
For the time being, I don´t really know for how long I´m going to stay here, but let´s say I´ll be for a while. Unfortunately, I won´t be able to attend this powwow because I already booked a flight to Sweden, but I really hope you can organize some other ... See more Hello to everybody!
I´ve been a Proz. com member for some time now and I´ve attended many powwows in Argentina (also organized some of them), but I´ve never been to one abroad, so I´m really excited about meeting you all.
For the time being, I don´t really know for how long I´m going to stay here, but let´s say I´ll be for a while. Unfortunately, I won´t be able to attend this powwow because I already booked a flight to Sweden, but I really hope you can organize some other meeting next month or on a date I can make it! Besides, I´ve been working inside this flat since the minute I came here, so it would be nice to go out and get some fresh air )
By the way, I think your idea of having presentations is really interesting. We never had that on Argentinian powwows, at least not so far, I think; although we tend to talk a lot about things related to our profession, and of course, about the quality of the wine and food served on every meeting )
Anyway, it would be lovely to meet colleagues from London, so I hope I can make it some other time. Good luck on this one!
[Editado a las 2008-04-17 14:03] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Oleg Rudavin
Ukraine
Local time: 15:14
Member (2003)
English to Ukrainian
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| My possible contribution | Apr 23, 2008 |
I'm planning a few trips to Europe later this year and woiuld be happy to join one of the Stammtisch events and even more happy to run a short presentation on how to start a freelance career - or, possibly, current trends in the global freelance translation market.
Cheers,
Oleg
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| Thanks, Oleg! | Apr 23, 2008 |
Let me know once your travel plans have been finalised - we usually meet on the last Saturday of the month.
Katharina
| | | | Frances Bryce
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:14
German to English
+ ...
| May Stammtisch in Brighton | May 4, 2008 |
Any idea of what time people will be arriving for the Brighton powwow yet? Is it likely to be an afternoon or evening event?
Really looking forwad to meeting you all!
| | | | | London Powwow in need of a new venue | May 9, 2008 |
Hello
Thanks to everyone who made it to Grafton Arms in April! Unfortunately, I have some bad news to report - the manager told me after the event that she was told by her boss to start charging us a £50 booking fee... This is obviously not an option, as we don't have a budget to pay for the hire, so it looks as if we have to search for a new venue. I will scout the area for alternatives, but I would be also grateful for any suggestions! What we are looking for is a quiet venue with good ... See more Hello
Thanks to everyone who made it to Grafton Arms in April! Unfortunately, I have some bad news to report - the manager told me after the event that she was told by her boss to start charging us a £50 booking fee... This is obviously not an option, as we don't have a budget to pay for the hire, so it looks as if we have to search for a new venue. I will scout the area for alternatives, but I would be also grateful for any suggestions! What we are looking for is a quiet venue with good transport links. Since the London Powwow goes on holidays to Brighton in May (http://www.proz.com/powwow/1933 - for any queries, please contact Clément, the organiser), we don't need to worry about this month, but it would be nice to have a new venue for June.
See you in Brighton!
Katharina ▲ Collapse
| | | | | New venue for the London Stammtisch? | May 15, 2008 |
Hello
I've remembered another nice pub in the area and decided to pay them a visit today. It's called Carpenters Arms and the address is 68-70 Whitfield Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 4EY.
... See more Hello
I've remembered another nice pub in the area and decided to pay them a visit today. It's called Carpenters Arms and the address is 68-70 Whitfield Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 4EY.
For the exact location check out:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=l&hl=en&geocode=&q=Carpenters%20Arms,%2068-70%20Whitfield%20Street,%20Fitzrovia%20W1T%204EY&near=whitfield%20street%20london&sll=51.521439,-0.136486&sspn=0.008064,0.021265&ie=UTF8&ll=51.522122,-0.136492&spn=0.008064,0.021265&z=16&msa=0&msid=115499691594865276163.0004456a6c3b92c2785ec
There are two downstairs bars, an upstairs area and a roof terrace, but unfortunately the nice upstairs bit and the terrace only open in the evenings at weekends, so we can't have them. The good news is that we can have the smaller of the two downstairs bars for a our sole use. The area is not as secluded as the upstairs room at Grafton's, but at least there is no telly and there are also some outside tables, should the weather get hot again. They also serve food and a good selection of wines, beers and soft drinks.
So... I decided to go ahead and book the bar for Saturday, 21 June from 2pm (the pub opens at 12pm at weekends). I'm going to announce the powwow shortly, so watch out for it on http://www.proz.com/powwows. I suggest to keep it simple the first time and have a straightforward networking and socialising event, rather than a seminar or presentations. Let's see how we like the venue first!
If you have any alternative suggestions, please let me know!
Take care and happy translating
Katharina ▲ Collapse
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| Next powwow at the Bush House (home of the BBC World Service) | Aug 11, 2008 |
Hello
The next powwow will be hosted at the Bush House on the Strand from 3pm on Saturday, 30 August. Please go to http://www.proz.com/powwow/2033 to sign up and for further information. Since we're able to benefit from a nice location, we could consider turning our next meeting into more than just a pure social networking event and offer some short presentations. We've previously had some great sug... See more Hello
The next powwow will be hosted at the Bush House on the Strand from 3pm on Saturday, 30 August. Please go to http://www.proz.com/powwow/2033 to sign up and for further information. Since we're able to benefit from a nice location, we could consider turning our next meeting into more than just a pure social networking event and offer some short presentations. We've previously had some great suggestions, so get in touch, if you'd like to volunteer
Suggested topics included:
- How to use online networking platforms that are not translation-related to promote yourself as a freelance translator. How to find business advice, make contact, find potential customers, make the best of your online presence.
(Franziska Hardmeier)
- How to use online tools such as GoogleAds, YahooAds to promote yourself and get listed in search results.
(suggested by Franziska, volunteer presenter needed)
- Subtitling (Esther Hay)
- Quality assurance (Constanze Andel)
- Moving to Spain, basic web design, sharing notes from HMRC course on Becoming Self Employed and Self Assessment (Julieta Suarez Lopez)
The forum is obviously open to more topics and suggestions!
We've already had a similar event at the Grafton Arms, where we covered topics like starting out as a freelancer, marketing, rates, coping with peaks and troughs of income, working with direct and indirect clients, supplementing income from other sources etc.
I'd like to keep the presentations short and simple, e.g. a 15min presentation followed by a group discussion. We could also split into groups and offer different discussion "circles, " while still allowing enough time at the end for some informal mingling and networking.
Tell me what you think!
Katharina ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kate Warren
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:14
Spanish to English
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| Presentation handouts | Aug 11, 2008 |
Hi
Thanks so much for organising this. I think it's a great idea.
If it's not too much to ask, could presenters bring handouts?
Looking forward to it...
Kate
| | | | | Send handouts by email? | Aug 11, 2008 |
Hello !
Thanks to all involved for organising this !! I look forward to the next Stammtisch
I thought that those who are doing presentations might want to send their presentations in advance for each of us to print ourselves? Just to avoid doing photocopies
Elisa
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